Race Preview: Vitus Gravity Enduro 2019 - Ballinastoe by elyari

21 degrees, sunny, no rain and no wind, you could say is not Ireland, but it is. The Vitus Gravity Enduro Series iis being held at the trail center of Ballinastoe, just 30 minutes from Dublin. The last four days has brought perfect weather, so the trails are in great condition, loamy but still bit wet and muddy on some sections. Riders will tackle 30km, 1183m climb, 1212m descending across the five stages this weekend. The fourth stage offers a completely new trail for racers to navigate (kudos to organizers for the work!!), the race will definitely be psychical and demanding.

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With almost all the top enduro dogs from Ireland, the battle for the podium will be legendary. Greg Callaghan, Kelan Grant, Killian Callaghan, Leah Maunsell, Gareth Davis, Glyn O'Brien, are just some of the names from the 300 riders signed up for the Sunday race. Today Saturday the riders had the opportunity to get out to the trails and have some fun training. Is not mandatory, but almost all choose to do at least one full loop. You can choose how to do it, no need to follow the exact order of the race, so each one organizes his schedule. Stage three finishes just right next to paddock, so many choose to have a break for lunch once they have done this one. Tomorrow on the race, after SS3 there will be a feed station in the paddocks for everyone.

For the day of the race, weather predictions are looking good, so expectations are high for even faster and drier trails. The open sections outside the forest are rocky and gnarly, where any mistake can be costly and snake-bites can be an issue if you push it too hard. First riders will depart at 9:30 and top-seeded riders at 12:30. With an interval of 20 seconds, each rider can take the start whenever he wants, provided he feels ready to do so. Good luck everyone!