Let's face it, while there are so many ways to start racing in the UK, but not every race offers enough to attract riders to enter. Downhill races can leave you feeling you didn't actually get that much riding however efficient the uplift is - if there is one at all - and paying over £20 for three timed runs on a one minute track can turn your interest off. Plus there's the "I'm not good enough" mentality that is virtually impossible to break through. There are plenty of new races popping up with the Enduro format which offer riders a good amount of timed racing, possibly offering more racing for your buck, but you still have the same hurdle here as before coupled with the "I'm not fit enough" chantings.
The Bikepark Wales visitor centre had a huge queue of riders out the door at registration. Thankfully it went past the coffee shop.But here in mini enduro we might have the solid alternative. On offer we have more racing than at a commonly called grassroots event, a distance that suits even the most infrequent mountain biker and also a seeded start list that will keep the faster guys separate. Now you've all bought those few thousand pound enduro machines, comfortable with wearing goggles with a half shell and have become obsessed with your local strava records - what can possibly be holding you back? I was keen to check it out so got my name down for the first round at the well known, Bike Park Wales.
'Dai Hard' was the first stage. Watch out for those roots, they'll getcha.Being free on the Friday meant I could lend my time to help set up with Chris Roberts, the man behind Mini Downhill as well as Mini Enduro, and Charlie Williams, the man behind anything Gravity Enduro in the UK. Getting myself up to Bikepark Wales without anything to ride was certainly an off thought, but getting involved behind the scenes would give me a better insight into what went into this race. Heading up the hill it was all about getting the tape right and cutting off those hot lines that would damage the park, remember the tracks need to be looked after and not trashed by riders cutting off a couple of seconds. As fun as straight lining some s-berms might be.
Down the start of stage one here, the tunnel of pine trees makes for some epic light based photos.Exit those trees and the slope began. Drying as the day went on, though some riders still found this the most challenging part.Stage one used 'Dai Hard'. A majority of this course was used in the BDS national round here last summer - what does that tell you? This stage was never going to be a walk in the (bike) park and the tight, high speed trail would be a challenge for all. The thirsty pine trees had sucked the ground almost dry, in conjunction with some great drainage by trail staff of course, but once exiting the woods riders would be greeted with a slop fest. It wasn't as slippery as it looked on race day but riders did treat this with respect when roots were involved.
"It's a bike park Paul, so you've got to remember that the mainline is probably the fastest. It's where all the grip is!" said Charlie as I relentlessly quizzed him as we were walking stage two, only pointing out one inside line that meant launching off a tree stump and I wasn't so keen as him. Charlie could well be called a veteran of this format, he's been racing the mega for almost a decade, think about that. This stage was 'Wibbly Wobbly' with 'Rim Dinger' bolted on and was all about getting on the pedals at the top and dealing with the almost guaranteed headwind that would be causing torture for your respiratory system come race day. After negotiating some flat, flowy corners you would hit two big berms and essentially straight line to the fireroad before sliding one foot out into the almost guaranteed puncture valley, featuring some rock gardens that did have flow but could prove to unravel your race tapestry in a second.
'Wibbly Wobbly' was a battle with the gale force winds. Well that's what it felt like on a race run anyway...'Rim Dinger' at the end of stage two lived up to its name and ended a number of riders' dreams of getting on the box.On to the third and final stage it was the lung buster. In practice pretty much every man and his dog was crying out, "So basically, I'll get the pedalling bit and just smash it out and make up loads of time." Most seem to tell a different tale come the actual race. Taking in 'Vicious Valley' and 'Bonneyville', these red graded trails were of a flatter grade, but it did have a road gap and some pretty tech bits. Midway through the stage was a relentless pedalling section, followed by some rollers that demanded you pump over pedal. 'Bonneyville' was awesome with some tight and steep switchbacks that really tested you while trying not to vomit, that is if you'd been putting in the effort on the pedal.
Come race day I was super prepped. Bananas, oat bars and tubeless tyres - what could possibly go wrong here? Well loads but I'm not exactly Jared Graves so you, the reader, should not be burdened with my errors and excuses. A missed start time from not paying attention, dropped goggles and a ripped tyre on stage two meant my race day was short and not up to potential. But after the initial rage had gone I realised what a good day I'd had. Someone cracked a shall-not-be-repeated joke at the top and I realised today was about meeting new people and challenging yourself in a new way. And I'm not sure what other format of mountain bike racing truly does that as well as this one, especially in the bikepark where the same climb is used for all three stages. I got a tonne of riding in on practice day and timing was live and super accurate and I really felt that the race was worth the £40 price tag.
The Mini Enduro format is certainly a crowd pleaser and could get you in to racing.There were a couple of issues that should be mentioned for balance. Admittedly it was my own error that I missed my start time, but I certainly wasn't the only one by a long shot. Some of the more elite and experienced racers did get annoyed that the marshals seemed to just let people go as they pleased which affected their start time. But it was freezing up top so I imagined any gaps would've been pure misery for those up there, and timing wasn't affected because of it. I asked Chris about it and while he did make it clear when each of your start times were, he's aware that other enduro races are arranged differently and has taken it on board for the next one. There was also an incident involving the first racer, Pat Campbell-Jenner who collided with someone walking across the fireroad on stage two, reportedly going right underneath the rider in the way!
Chris says, "No excuse, it should not have happened. The facts are the course was closed to start racing, the radio check had been completed to check all marshals were in place, but the three marshals on the crossing did not hear the radio message to say 'First rider has left the start'."
Transition times were very generous, an hour for transition 1 - 2 on a climb that can take BPW director and founder, Martin Astley 16 minutes! (A direct quote, please provide Strava time as proof Martin). This meant that by stage three those eager elites turned up 20 minutes earlier, much to the surprise of the stage 3 marshal. Tighter times for elites maybe? Aside from these minor foibles the event was gold in my eyes. Truly the ultimate gateway in to getting competitive on that bike you've splashed all your hard earned cash on and tuned within a PSI of your pumps life, so get signed up for the next one if you can at Forest of Dean on 26th April - be quick though, this round sold out in record time. 378 UK mountain bikers competing? 8-12 minutes of racing? That's pretty good going in my book. Maybe get some spot prizes going and you'd have the complete package here. Also, if it's cold maybe wear a jacket and not complain how cold you are at the top of a mountain - are those seconds really saved?
Wayne Carter has put together this slideshow of his photos from the day:
Results Elite Male:
1) Sam Shucksmith 8:37.890
2) Leon Rosser 8:42.985
3) Robert Newmann 8:49.512
U18 Boys:
1) Ruairi Phelan 9:29.393
2) Cai Grocott 9:29.429
3) Tom Parker 9:38.500
Women:
1) Robyn Walton 11:29.102
2) Beverley Barnes 11:30.637
3) Anna Walters 11:55.676
Trailhead Senior Men:
1) Nikki Whiles 8:46.246
2) Charles Jones 9:02.434
3) Luke Griffiths 9:10.704
Master Men:
1) Hywel Silvester 9:03.797
2) Andy Weames 9:07.988
3) Duncan Porter 9:10.450
Veteran Men:
1) Andy Sadler 9:19.710
2) Chris Blackmore 9:20.840
3) Jim Buchanan 9:36:028
Hardtail Men:
1) Tobias Pantling 9:19:609
2) Sonny Baston 10:10.176
3) Scott Fitzgerald 10:34.941
Congratulations to everyone that raced and thanks to Chris (Naked Racing), One Industries and Bikepark Wales for hosting a great event.
Mini Enduro |
Bikepark Wales |
Podium PhotosRoots and Rain has the full results. How does your graph look?
MENTIONS @wayne-dc @BikeParkWales @nakedracing @one-industries
Trailforks.com
All great venues, which I will not criticise as they are all awesome, but are all around 1 -2 minute runs.
I am totally not against enduro racing and I can see its appeal, I have done races myself. However putting down Dh to sell an event is a bit of a cheap shot, I doubt an enduro at Aston hill would have longer tracks than the dh, there isn't some mythical enduro line what I know of which is massively bigger