The world's premier enduro league has announced that all events for the 2022 season will consist of ten stages, double what they have typically been on race day. However, races will no longer happen over two separate days. All of the action will be compacted into streamlined one-day events.
Organizers of the premier league for enduro racing have decided to keep the technical difficulty of the five downhill stages the same, but add in five timed uphill stages in between those descents and eliminate all rest periods between stages. This will bring a whole new level of competition and skill to the discipline.
| We want to be able to crown the best mountain biker in the world at the end of the season. To be considered the best mountain biker, both descending and climbing skills must be considered. In recent years, tracks have favoured retired downhill racers, but with the new format, we hope to level the playing field. |
With the new format, riders will no longer have to compromise about which bike they choose. For the climbing stages, they will be able to ride a light, short-travel bike that climbs like a goat if they desire. For the descents, they can choose an enduro bike, or a downhill bike if that suits them better. Of course, they can still ride an enduro bike for the entire race, depending on what the course is best suited to. Additionally, similar to triathlon, transition times will come into play with this new format.
Overall, despite the additional stages, ride times will decrease since all ten sections must be completed as quickly as possible with no rest. While climbing skills and overall fitness have always been a big factor in enduro racing, this will increase their importance. It will also ensure that no racer feels compelled to help their competition out when someone gets a flat tire or a mechanical.
Of course, this will come as a shock to many of the sport's greatest athletes. We look forward to seeing what athletes can lay down the power on sustained climbs as well as technical descents.
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This would be rad if it were real.