2013 X-Fusion/Enduro1 Round 2: Forest of Dean - Ben Adams Race Report

Published: 18th June 2013 | By benadams

Check out this great report from Ben Adams who was riding his first enduro at round 2 of the Enduro1 series that was held on Sunday at the Forest of Dean!

Pre-race

I have been fairly happy with my ability to ride the 26km distance thanks to my training (see previous article) and having ridden that distance many times without too much trouble. The main change I made to get myself ready is focusing more of my riding at downhill trails which as well as being lots of fun I hoped would improve my technical skills and ability to maintain speed through corners and over the rough stuff of which the Forest of Dean is known for.

Most of that preparation has been done in the bone dry, unfortunately not the case for the race. My bike has been cleaned both to keep things running smoothly and as it has been said that a dirty bike will not be allowed to enter. My gears were finely tuned and my Camelbak stocked up with enough Mule Bars and gels to power a truck. I lay awake wondering what would happen if my chain snapped or if my wheels broke and there was no way of getting back, I feared wandering the woods for days after the event, lost and hungry, an overreaction I know; but the unknown is scary.

Race day

I entered the ‘sport’ class as this was my first enduro race and I wasn’t sure how I’d stack up with the rest of the ‘comp’ field, luckily this also meant I wouldn’t start until quarter past 1 so I didn’t even have to wake up early! I got my gear ready and found out that the zip on my shorts had broken, I used my dad’s which were a bit long and meant that I couldn’t wear knee pads but would have to do. I left my house at 10:30 with the hope of getting there at 11:30 leaving plenty of time to warm up and eat food, however the M48 was closed meaning a small diversion was necessary, we did get lost, but thanks to smart phones we made it to the Pedalabikeaway centre by 12:00.

I built my bike up (I really need a van) and registered at the start tent and was given my number and a parking pass. It was fairly lucky that we didn’t get there any earlier as there was little going on, I had expected some tents selling stuff to have a look around in but the onsite bike shop was sufficient.

On track

I joined the queue at 1:15pm behind a lovely Santa Cruz Bronson and then at 1:17 I set off. The start of the track involved cycling through what was being used as the car park and so involved lots of dodging of cars and people, not ideal, and then I ducked into a fast and incredibly slippery run which quickly turned into a slow but incredibly slippery uphill. Entering the trees for the first time I was greeted with a steep uphill that eventually forced me to give up and get off. At the top I looked back and saw the next rider, I rode incredibly fast and almost died to arrive at the start of stage 1 15 minutes early, a theme for the rest of the event. I relieved my bladder and talked with the racers, a nice element to enduro racing. It turned out that the people around me had spent alot of time in the Alps and had raced in the Mega Avalanche, not what I expected from the easier category.

Stage 1 opened with a fast open, slippery section and then ducked into the woods where the real fun began. I lost my front wheel on almost every corner but only fell off once, which turned out be quite an achievement in the conditions.

The linking section to stage 2 seemed incredibly long, it was only 11km but seemed to last longer, It took in some good terrain and I rode some great new singletrack, always a good thing. I rode in a group of about 4 people for most of it but we became separated and I thought I was lost after riding through some overgrown sections and I was almost certain that I was going to be late if I made it at all. I came round a corner and there was that large queue of people again. I was there 15 minutes early. I talked to the people around me who were also surprised at the length of the linking section. By this point my gears were jammed up with more mud than I have ever seen in a drive train, luckily everyone else was complaining of the same, at least mine still changed gear. Stage 2 was fast and steep. I rode down steep chutes and launched off of jumps, probably not the best tactic especially given the greasiness of the landings but hey, it was fun.

We pushed up an incredibly steep uphill section and then rode fire road to the start of stage 3 and arrived 10 minutes early. The marshal joked that as the day had gone on the riders had become increasingly covered in mud. Stage 3 was much faster/steeper/slippery(er) than stage 2. It started off with a fast sprint where I spent most of it fighting to keep in a straight line and then some nice berms and more steepness than I could handle and I was done. Still only 1 minor crash.

The push up to stage 4 was on the same hill as the previous stage, not a popular decision, though I passed many people up here and took joy in doing so, not exactly the spirit of enduro I know, and then I turned right onto more fire road and I arrived at the start of stage 4. As we waited the obligatory 10 minutes I noticed a large amount of people pushing up something so steep that I wouldn’t even ride down it, could this be part of the track? I saw the number plates and realised yes, it was. I was warned by every single person that pushed up that slope that this was the slipperiest stage so far. The rider in front of the Bronson didn’t turn up to the stage, maybe he knew what was coming…

The Bronson powered up the initial straight and disappeared to the right. I was told that I would be going in 30 seconds. 10 seconds. 5,4,3,2,1 go, I powered up the straight and turned right a wide but greasy trail made it difficult to get the power down so I was content with just getting down. I turned left into the woods and a steep rocky drop off was done with no feet on the pedals and my weight right over the bars, I somehow survived and powered through the next berm. The track then opened out again into what was essentially a fire road and I attempted my sprint to the finish, my tyres found no grip and the mud tried to pull me into the shrubbery. I ended up coasting down the trail focusing on keeping a straight line and I crossed the finish.

I was directed up a hill by a marshal and once again was forced to push; I tried to remount on many occasions but couldn’t find the traction to get started. I pushed past many stragglers and then began the push up that slope which I had noticed previously. I made it up the first part and then began picking my line up this route, it seemed impossible but I began regardless, I found foot holes and worked my way up. I could see the verge and just as I was about to give up a hand reached towards me and grabbed my front wheel, he pulled it and me to safety. I thanked him and warned him of the trail just like had been done for me and I set off again. Oh did I mention that hill was only about 6 foot long?

A long fire road section took us winding through the forest and I recognised where we were. We were next to the final descent of the Verderers trail, I hoped that we would be riding it but no, we kept going and came to the downhill trails, could we be going down those? No, we kept going I eventually rejoined the pack and 10 minutes early I was at the start of the final stage. Here I found out that many of the people I had been riding with all day were actually local to me and rode the same trails that I did (drop me a message on here if you fancy a shred sometime numbers 195-200).

Here one young competitor turned up and it was revealed that he had got lost and this was the only stage he would be riding, I must admit that the directions were questionable in some parts but he was sorted out by the marshal and would at least be timed on this section. Two brothers were late to this section after struggling all day and received the time penalties and then set off. It was my time to go and for the first time it hit me that this was by far the best race that I had ever done, in the best format and with the best people, I pedalled hard and wound through the trees, the finish was in sight and I saw a sign with 3 downward pointing arrows, meaning that something difficult is coming up, I rolled through the section and saw a tree in coming, I couldn’t turn so I put my hands out, I bounced off the tree and hit another one behind me. I was lay on the floor and in the distance I could hear the crowd cheering people across the finish, I opened my eyes and saw a rider coming down behind me… My bike was across the trail and he wouldn’t be able to see it until he hit it.

I stumbled to my feet and dragged my bike out the way, feeling dizzy I sat back down and he passed me asking if I was ok, I told him to carry on. I got back on my bike and pedalled to the finish, the first spectator shouted ’20 seconds’, whatever that means, and then a final drop and I was across the line. 26 mud filled kilometres later and I was done, battered, bruised, wet and muddy and smiling.

Concluding thoughts

Do I get extra points for being the only hard tail I could see? What about no dropper post? No mud tyres? At the end of the day who cares... I don’t care if I lost my category (very likely considering the amount of time I spent on the ground at the end of stage 5) I had a bloody good time and can’t wait till the next one.

I washed my bike in the jet wash for £1, though the other one appeared to be broken and was free for everyone. I got changed and washed the mud from my face and legs. Even with the mud and the crash it was still and incredible experience and all you need to do is look at Enduro 1’s Facebook page to see that everyone felt the same way. Thanks to my Dad for taking me there and standing around in the cold/wet on Father’s Day.

Enduro truly is the essence of mountain biking and the hype is truly justified.

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