Pairs-Format Enduro: Is Your Race Really Better, When Shared?

Enduro2, the pairs-format enduro race returned to Meribel for its 2nd edition at this French ski resort, earlier this month.

Since 2015, trailAddiction, the team behind Trans-Savoie and the new NZ MTB Rally: [Heli | Boat | 4x4], have been offering 3 days of lift-accessed racing across a variety of locations. This year saw the biggest-ever Enduro2 with 450 riders from more than a dozen nations, pretty much taking over the 3 Valleys that make up this vast area, for the opening weekend of the season.



The full course was, as always, three big days out in the mountains, with the stats tipping the scales at over 11,000m of descent and 114 Km of riding. Thankfully, a heavy reliance on the area's extensive lift system meant that only 1250 of those vertical vertical metres were achieved on the pedals in the uphill direction. For the first time, there was also the option of a "Shorter" course for a discounted entry fee, having 60% of the stats and skipping the most technical trails. (For next year, we'll be working on a more appropriate naming system, something like "Regular" and "Extended course" rather than "Short" since, well, it was hardly "Short" by most standards).



Each year at Enduro2 we work hard to put together a very special course that takes in heaps of 'backcountry-style' singletrack well outside the bike park, and this year was no different. After a lot of negotiation, we were able to wrangle a one-off, special summer opening of the incredibly long lift out of Brides Les Bains (a Thermal Spa resort at the foot of the valley). With this lift, we almost double the altitude available - spanning 575m up to 2750m altitude - and boy, did we make the most of it!



There was good dose of superbly groomed trails to get racers in the mood (and a notable lack of the braking bumps found in some better-known / over-used resorts). But most racers were particularly pleased with the long Alpine single track ridges, leading to loamy, fast-paced forest trails below. Several of the longest stages this year were around 1000m of vertical in one hit, with the fastest riders taking 15 minutes to complete (for mere mortals, more like 20-25 min+).



Speaking of fast riders, a couple of faces that are better known on the Podiums of EWS from a few years ago showed up, almost incognito. "Oh, We're not really racing" so they said. Well, that's not what their race times had to say! (Watch on-board follow-cam from the pair here, and make your own mind up). Ludo May and Francois Bailly-Maitre took the overall win with a total time of 114 min 08 seconds over 3 days - that's rather a lot of racing. The 77+ combined age category (that's both riders' ages added together) was hotly contested with only 7 seconds between the winners (CUNEO / BAZZANI, 124:32) and 2nd place (SMETANÍK / PAJMA, 124:39). Female Team category was won by NABER / LYSKO from Germany who proved categorically that you can be both extremely fast AND super-smiley whilst maxing out on the high fives and good times. Full results & breakdown, here.



Other categories at Enduro2 include Mixed teams, E-bike, and 100+ Combined Age category. Emphasis for most of the field is certainly on 'good times', rather than fast times; in fact the race motto is "The Only TIME that Counts, is Having a GOOD TIME". Whilst the format certainly attracts serious, expert and even pro riders, we are especially proud of our 20% female line-up, and average rider age being in the late-thirties and 40's (with 24 riders making it into the 100+ age category). A special mention goes to team HOLL / BEESKOW who were racing on-stage for a full 246 minutes over the weekend - but at least, they managed to complete the entire course. Good effort, fellas!



The key difference of Enduro2 (apart from the epic trails and scenery, and heavy use of uplifts) is the pairs-format. We were doing team racing a long time before it was adopted by Trophy of Nations, but our particular format makes for maximum good times out on the trails. With Enduro2, there's only 1 timing chip per team, and you have to start each stage together. But no team can finish a stage, until BOTH riders are at the finish line. This means that there's no advantage for a faster rider to race off ahead, Instead, the fastest teams stick together the whole time, with the faster rider out front and reading the stage, helping to tow his or her team-mate through the tricker sections. (Did we mention that it's all raced 'blind' and on-sight, no practice allowed!). Or if you are evenly paced, well then you're set up for hilarious and often sketchy overtaking manoeuvres within teams - plus no doubt a lot of good-humoured heckling going on between you, mid-stage.



We'll see you next summer for more pairs-racing in the Alps. Watch this space for exciting new Enduro2 locations already in the pipeline for 2024/25.
https://www.enduro2.fr

Sign up to the Enduro2 mailing list to keep on top of dates and registration info for 2024 (you'll need to be on-point with your admin, registration typically sells-out within an hour of opening every year).







Video & Drone by Antoine Laurent
Photos by Gwilym Thomas, Sylvain Aymoz, Patrick Williams