Scottish Enduro Series Round 3 Laggan

It was an exciting and challenging time running up to the 3rd round of the Scottish Enduro Series at Laggan.  Ski Pea and I had not long moved to a new area and were living back with my parents with limited space and a new routine and environment.  Ski Pea had also started a new school and seemed to be enjoying the new friends and teacher.  Over and above all this my handsome Mr Buwert had been away since May and would not return until the end of July.    

Its unusual that during times of change and strain we sometimes find the strength and resilience needed to create and do wonderful things, which in a sense is why I became a competitive cyclist.

June had also been an exciting time. I had managed to purchase myself a fantastic new bike and managed to get myself into the reader’s section of Cycling World magazine. See here.  Go to page 10.  

Fun times on London trip

I managed to squeeze in a little holiday to London to visit the awesome Buwert and see the great sites of a cottage life within one of Europe's largest cities and cycle along the copious canals of the big smoke admiring some amazing graffiti art.  

June.  A good month.

The journey to Laggan was  a monstrous mission. On the Friday before the race I awoke in London at 6am with my first stop Kings Cross station and a train to Edinburgh to pick up one small Ski Pea.  Second stop Glasgow to pick up another gorgeous Pivot Mach 6, built by Mark at Billy Billsland Bikes. Third stop Kinlochleven to drop off one small Ski Pea and to reacquaint myself with my old home.  It only took 14 hours to get there. 4th stop Laggan for 9am.  

A serious journey to the race!

In his absence Mr Buwert's friends had decided to have a taste of this enduro malarkey and had signed up for the two-day jauntier, so I was not short of fun and giggles.

Another great addition to the weekend was that Tracey Brunger and Emma Guy hosted a girls only tips and training session for the Saturday practice and I was more than happy to join in for a few runs.

Pinning it on the Pivot!

The trails rode really well. Personally I really enjoyed the black run but being a Kinlochleven rider the rocky and bumpy surfaces were non too unfamiliar. The jump park was really loose and skittery, so much so that some riders were apprehensive about their speed.   'Over the road' of Laggan was also a real delight as someone who had never really ventured over there but was keen to get the low down of where and how.   It was tight in the trees and a few people struggled with a tight corner that features in part 2 of Connors video below.

Stage 1 was also a bit of a learning curve as we descended the climb up to the new red.  Some sneaky little technical climbs gave me a harsh reminder that I was riding with a very low bottom bracket. 

What I took from the weekend and the training I did with Emma and Tracey was to really think about my line choice.  It was interesting and inspiring to see how those girls creatively found seconds with every corner and obstacle and this is something I will definitely apply in the future. 

It's also important to acknowledge the huge sense of encouragement and enthusiasm that was created by the ladies for the ladies, especially the efforts that Tracey and Emma put in during practice to help ensure that the female competitors gained confidence and developed techniques and skills for and from racing. This session really boosted my confidence.  I gain a lot from riding with other girls, its a different atmosphere and perhaps seeing other girls ride, and learning from their posture, style and technique is more relative to myself as a female cyclist. Don't get me wrong I love riding with my male friends too, its just nice to have the different levels of input and help.

It was a great weekend and fantastic to see a a really large female field of 21 ladies. I was delighted to come 2^nd  amongst them, proving that the Pivot and I really are a team to be reckoned with.

Full results can be found here. 

Enduro Mountainbike magazine also gave me a mention in their race report too:

Podiums, post racing snacks, 'skipping clud' invite, my mates back yard in kinloch, and the Pivot of course!

Thank you to Dare2B for all your support and fantastic cycling top that matches my  Pivot bike.  

Many thanks to SingleTrack Bikes Midlothian for the amazing prize too! 

Check out the fantastic videos made by Connor Small and his crew below:

If you really want to see me you can also look fast forward to the times below:

Part 1: 4.47  @




Interview in part 2: @ 3.15




 Part 3 @ 9.50