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WHAT TO EXPECT AT AN ENDURO
So you’ve heard about these enduro’s but don’t really know how they work, so you’ve never tried one.
An Enduro is a lot like going to a trail ride, with some sections of racing.
Arrive at the event early, as sign on is usually underway by 8am to 8:30, the first riders depart at 10am sharp & you want to have plenty of time to get yourself well organized.
Don’t start your bike when you take it off the trailer. Your bike must be dead cold at the start of the event.
When you sign on you will be given a number to place on the front of your bike. Usually the first 15 numbers are given to the expert riders. Basically 3 riders leave each minute at 1 minute intervals. So the number system is 1, 1A, & 1B. These will be the first 3 riders to leave at 10 am. Assuming you are given 22A when you sign on, this means you will start at 10:22. At the Start Time control when the flip card shows 22, you have one minute to start your bike from cold, warm it up & ride off. A failed start will cost you a heap of penalty points. (Stay calm & do what you normally do).
Now you are into it & your day has begun. The day is usually broken up into at least 4 sections or more, commonly known as Trail sections. What happens now is you have a certain amount of time to get to the start of the next Trail section. Usually at least the first 2 sections the time is quite relaxed & if you are a confident rider, you will get there with time to spare. This will allow you time to refuel & get something to eat & drink without having to rush too much.
Terrain Tests. A Terrain Test is a section of track within a Trail section. This is the racing part & there is usually 4 or 5 of these during the day. You will find a couple of people waiting somewhere on the trail armed with a clipboard and an electronic devise. Once they have recorded the number off your bike, they will say “go when you are ready” Now is the time to ride as fast as possible without crashing. This section will take between 5 to 10 minutes & you will come to the Terrain Test Finish. 2 more people with clipboard and electronic devise. Stop to be logged out. You have just been timed through the terrain test & every second is 1 point. The least points the better in this game. If a faster rider catches you during a terrain test, be courteous & pull to the side of the track to let them past. That way you won’t ruin his terrain test & you will benefit from following a faster rider.
You carry on & arrive at the next pit area & start of the next trail section (sometimes there is 2 refueling locations, so it pays to have 2 fuel cans). Check how much time you have before starting the next section, refuel & get ready to repeat the process. When 22 appears on the flip card again, push your bike through the time control, restart your bike on the other side of the time control & head off again.
Time, Distance, & Speed.- When you sign on, there will be an information sheet informing you how many Km each section is, how many minutes you have to complete each section, & the average speed for each section. The riders take notes of this information & use it to plan out the ride. This way you will know when to conserve energy on the trail sections, & when you need to be on the gas.
Lets say you arrive at the next section & the flip card is now reading 27 & you still need to refuel. Refuel quickly if you need to & try & get something to eat & drink. You get to the check, hand in your card & now its on 29. So you have lost 7 minutes of trail time for that section. You get 50 points per minute lost, so you have just added 350 points to your score. The Time control will mark your card with 29 & at the next check you will need to check in when the flip card says 29. You cannot get back the time you have lost & you are allowed to lose up to 60 minutes of time before being considered a DNF.
When you arrive at your last time control for the day, you hand in your time card & your day is done. (intermediate riders usually won’t do as many sections as the experts).
The results are usually available fairly quickly & you can see how you stacked up against the stop watch & the other riders. Enduro’s are great fun. You will get plenty of riding for the day, & it’s a great way to lift your trail skills, fitness, & speed. It’s a great atmosphere. So come & have a go, Taupo will be a fantastic place to try your first Enduro. Another good ride is Martinborough the week after.
See You There!
