Looking out from the top of the Zephry lift here in Winter Park you can see the Continental Divide. Running along the top of the mountains on the other side of the valley, it forms the dividing line that determines whether water will make its way into the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean. On the far side are harsh rock faces, deep couloirs and rugged alpine conditions. Yet on the Winter Park side it couldn't be more different. While the Rockies are technically the same mountains that hosted the opening round in Chile earlier this year, they are very different to anything we have seen yet this season. Unlike the Alps or the Andes, these are gentle, rolling mountains. Yet in one respect, they are even more extreme than anywhere we have been so far, because the altitude here is nothing less than savage. At the base of the lift in the Winter Park resort we are sitting some 2,770m above sea level - that is about 70m higher than the top of the course in La Thuile, which was until now the highest point of the season. The top is some 600m further up, breaking the 3,000m barrier for the only time this season. That altitude is set to provide a unique challenge to this round, couple that with the mellow slopes and you have what is set to be undoubtedly the most physical challenge of the year. Talking to Adam Craig, who has raced at resorts like this for years, he is sure that the winner this weekend will be the rider who manages their fatigue most effectively. It is going to be a very different race to any we have seen so far, it is this diversity over the course of the season that makes the Enduro World Series the most complete test for any mountain biker, and adds credence to the idea that the series winners will be the best all-round mountain bikers in the world.
Amazing how much our bikes have changed since then...I rode a 23 lb. GT Zaskar LE hardtail with 23" wide Control Tech bars, 120mm long Control Tech stem in yellow to match my 60mm travel RockShox Judy SL fork and 2.1" front/1.95" rear semi-slick tires. Legs shaved, spandex, clipped-in, no pads/protection!
I think I'm actually slower now on my "All Mountain/Enduro" full suspension bike...LOL!!!!!
Also interesting to see how the SB5C (Rude) vs SB6C (Graves) pans out on this more bike park oriented course.