A write up of Trans-Provence (by Adam Craig) and an article on enduro racing events in the States. Good pictures in both.
[edit - I attached a picture of the magazine cover - it shows up in Tapatalk and I see an attachment listed here... new vBulletin teething issues apparently.]
It will be interesting to see what area of North America will develop its Enduro scene. RIght now course developers and promoters are trying their darndest to secure permitting for their TP worthy event. Rockies? PNW? Southwest? Anywhere there are trails that don't go through wilderness. That limits things quite a bit, not so flashy as the Alps where it hundreds of years of history in its trails. But still...? How about a ride the divide type of enduro? Probably would take place on some trails and some roads. Maybe down in Mexico? Canada has some fine stuff.
Those who do on public lands can charge just about anything. Most destination areas are just about next to impossible to secure a permit for. A big multi-day enduro in Nevada would not draw a lot of people for a few years. But then look at Moab. For example, the SuperD of the Whole Enchilada. A $150 per participant event and it sells out in minutes. Over 100 participants right? Who can afford a series of events? Only the trust funder and/or pro racer. Add in fees for vendors, advertising and then you got a nice cash cow. It's a destination in itself. Its a nice bragging point for the everyday or weekend racer. I'd anticipate that in a few years, there will be a series of qualifying enduros just to get to a TP or Big Mountain Enduro worthy event. Of course, one could organize the same thing for their riding buddies and Strava-size it, keep it boutique. A really cool, invitation only, everything provided kind of thing would keep things interesting. Thats where I'm heading.
Funny you mention that. One of the guys who runs our local series (Saturdays and Sundays on 2 weekends for 4 races) was thinking out loud last week and asked me if I'd ever used Strava, because he was wondering about using it for timekeeping. It's a smallish race, with about 4 dozen riders at the largest turnout, and getting enough volunteers for course management and timekeeping has been a challenge. I think that would be a bit of a retreat rather than a step forward, but if it's the difference between doing it and not doing it, it's a no-brainer.
Just read those articles in Dirt Rag. That Trans Province sounds like a rockin' good ride. Still bugs me that no one gives The Fears Tears And Beers Enduro credit for being one of (if not)
the first euro-style North American Enduros in these types of articles. Oh well. We are small..... and located in the middle of everywhere.
I think they should do a version of the Trans Rockies route as a multi-day multi-stage enduro. Same with the BC Bike race.
For one day enduros with miles of good singletrack and earn-your-turn climbs and rockin' fun descents it's hard to beat the bang for the buck you get with the
FTB Enduro. Entrance fees are still around $40 and includes 34 miles of trail with 6 timed descents for the experts and pros, plus a free after race feast.
Just read those articles in Dirt Rag. That Trans Province sounds like a rockin' good ride. Still bugs me that no one gives The Fears Tears And Beers Enduro credit for being one of (if not)
the first euro-style North American Enduros in these types of articles. Oh well. We are small..... and located in the middle of everywhere.
Multi day is now available. They are doing an Enduro category for the Breck Epic. Six day with 75 miles of descending and 25K of elevation loss.
I have also heard that permits have been pulled for Noble canyon and SJT in SoCal which would be awesome.
As far as $150 entry fees, if you think someone is getting rich off of $22.5K in entry fees you are crazy. They are probably taking home a few thousand after it is all said and done.
If you try to use Strava for time keeping make sure that everyone is on a Garmin and not using fruit phones. There is a lot of float in them to the tune of 5-6 seconds (+-3 seconds). I have run them side by side on the same trails to test it.
I believe it. I'm not a professional, but I have half a foot in the geospatial world. The better choice would clearly be reducing the number of timed sections and sticking with manual timekeeping. The timing methods thread definitely shows there's a market for something easy and modestly priced. We have a set of Freelap beacons and 4 watches for team use and occasionally take them out to session a stretch of DH, but they're spendy.
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