Enduro1 Race 2 – Forest of Dean

Round 2 of the Enduro 1 series makes a welcome return to the Forest of Dean. A firm favourite last year and the number of entrants clearly reflected this.

The sun hadn’t shown its face as the first riders lined up to depart the race village, but then again neither had the rain so things were looking more promising than the met office had predicted. The transition to stage one was straight forward and not too long. Stage one began with some flat turns and a slight rise then after some pedalling a series of greasy turns. The trail straightened for a bit then the first short climb hit, a quick swoop then into a longer climb to really make you go cross eyed! With lungs hunting for air, greasy nadgery turns were negotiated which became rather tricky in such an oxygen deprived state! Fortunately gravity kicked back in and a steep section led riders to a brief encounter with a fire road then off into the slippery loam once again. The tight turns made it difficult to keep speed and the final pedal only made the sight of the finish marshal all the more welcome. A tiring pedally stage which left riders no time to rest, but all in all a true test of skill and fitness. The fastest riders negotiated the stage in less than 4 and a half minutes with Joe Buck taking the win on this stage.

Transition to stage 2 was approximately 6 miles and took in some of the main XC trail. Unfortunately some riders got carried away following the main trail and missed a check point, leading to disqualification. After an hour of pedalling and some cracking singletrack the start of stage 2 appeared. There was just enough time to scope out how the first few flat loamy turns thread between the trees before getting under starters orders. The trail crossed a fire road and straightened up allowing riders to get on the gas and pick up some speed. Another rutted fire road intersected the course and led to switch backs, a fly off jump, a right and a left through a gully, steep loamy switch backs and another jump. The trail traversed its way towards the finish line and ended down a steep chute. If Stage one made you hurt then this stage definitely put the smile back on your face. Chris Keeble-Smith made up some good time on this stage and this put him just 1 second behind Joe.

A short but sharp transition to three left just enough time to take on some fuel. The met office predictions began to come true and a steady rain shower would accompany riders for the rest of the day. Stage three started off flat with plenty of stumps to dodge along the way. Careful line choice was required to keep the flow before a series of steep turns with lots of lines to choose from once again. Another steep chute fired riders out onto a fire road and the finish. Vivian Jones took the stage win, Chris took another second out of Joe to make it level pegging and a good time by Joe Winston put him just a couple of seconds behind the leaders.

The transition to stage 4 left no time for getting lost or taking it easy. Unfortunately Chris received a penalty for arriving at the stage late along with several other riders. Stage 4 was over in a blur of pedally straights. A short, steep, natural downhill traverse gave riders a lot of lines to choose from, then a quick sprint to the finish in less than 2 minutes for the fast boys. Joe B capitalised on Chris’ misfortune and extended his lead.

The final transition was a bit longer and involved a steep hike-a-bike then a nice spin across the top of the downhill tracks. The final stage followed the edge of a forested area and took riders onto a fire road. A sharp right turn took them back into the greasy conditions, rolling and dropping its way towards the final finish line.

Joe Buck took the win on the final stage and the overall win for the day. Third on the final stage and consistent good times all day put Joe Winston firmly in second overall, but Chris’ penalty on stage four pushed him down to third overall with a solid performance on all the stages. In the Womens event Rachael Gurney took the win with Sally Evamy close behind in second and third place for Sally Trussler. In the team event QECP Trail Collective finished in 1st, Swindon Gravity Team 2nd and Sketch B in 3rd.

Results:

Individuals

1st Joe Buck
2nd Joe Winston
3rd Chris Keeble-Smith

Teams

1st QECP Trail Collective
2nd Swindon Gravity
3rd Sketchy B

Top Master
Russell Turner

Top Veteran
John Cobb

Top Junior
Joel Anderson

Top Grand Vet
Chris Waddup

Top Female
Rachael Gurney

Thanks to Carlos and the team for an excellent event. See you at Enduro 1 Round 3 – Aston Hill, 15th September. www.enduro1.co.uk

Words – Simon Truelove
Images – Victoria Dawes Phototography & R H Pictures