QECP Summer Enduro – Race Report
So much for a Summer Enduro. The rain dispelled any notion that it was summer. But it didn’t change how much fun Oli Carter had.
‘Should have packed a kayak’ was the quote of the day for me…
Hands down the Queen Elizabeth Country Park summer Enduro was the wettest race I have ever done…. Maybe the wettest conditions I have ever ridden in, and it proved to be a lot of fun!
Being my local trails I was expecting the worse when looking at the forecast all week. The ground type is predominantly Chalk up on the South Downs and when mixed with water it makes for pretty testing riding conditions, non locals have been known to go home mid ride, frustrated they cant ride the southern Slippery stuff!
With riders traveling from all over the country I was very excited to see what the QECP Trail collective could pull off in these Biblical conditions and make a race that was rideable for everyone. Fair to say they did an amazing job, with all 5 stages being taped really well combining a mix of existing trail, fresh cut sections and variations on old classics.
The ground conditions on all stages were a lot better than I expected, with the past 2 months being dry the rain just created ALOT of mud rather than the usual ice rink on the chalky ground.
This made for some great racing and more importantly some great Fun!
Bang on the weatherman’s watch the rain started at 8.45am and proceeded to dump it on us for 3 hours straight through all of practice. As racing kicked off at 12 the rain stopped and it quickly became apparent this wasn’t good… With it still being warm the mud immediately turned to a peanut butter type goop that stuck to everything, clogging up wheels, tyres and chainrings… and that was just on the transition!
I got to the top of stage one and sent my bike off to the local slimming world to loose the 10kg it had put on whilst climbing for 15 minutes…. Then to be told I had 50 seconds until my start time! It was a rush, but a good one. No one likes standing round in the rain and it is always the downfall of wet races. Not this one though. The new timing system saved the day with riders all having dibbers that activate automatically on passing the sensor at the start, this allows flexibility in the order of riders and start times as they don’t have to stick to a clock. The QECP trail collective thought on their toes once the rain came back for round 2 and started allowing riders to start the stage when they reached the top of the hill. This was a great idea as riders didn’t get as cold and could still focus on the race rather than survival.
As for the stages they were a great mix of Technical and physical ability.
Stages 2 and 3 were most peoples favourite, they linked all the classic DH tracks on that side of the hill with a few lung busting pedals put in for good measure.
Stages 1, 4 and 5 in the dry would be really fast with a gradual downhill gradient but seeing as it was the UK monsoon season they became very physical with keeping flow and getting the power down being top priority, still a lot of fun. It was recent UKGE winner John Owen that held it together to take the Pro win with Joel Chidley putting in a great ride for 2nd and Myself in 3rd.
It was a great turn out considering the conditions and most racers left with a huge mud filled grin, a great day was had by all. A huge thank you must go out to all the Marshalls, without them we cant race and to stand around in the pouring rain all day so that we can have fun is really something… so THANK YOU!
Also a massive thanks to Scott Fritzguard and his team for putting on another flawless event despite Mother Nature throwing everything she has got at us!
There are some really exciting times ahead for Enduro racing in the South and if this race is anything to go by then keep your eyes and ears peeled for more news on what’s coming up next year!
Photos: www.facebook.com/bigmacphotography
