Enduro World Series - Stage report

Day 1

Stage 1
As I set off for stage 1 I knew I had to chill out and breathe. I was going pretty fast but was also trying to sustain some energy for the mid forestry road climb and descent into Splash and Dash. The track was narrow and fairly rutted through the heather and then winded onto an off camber muddy pedal into the forrest.  It was tight and rooty with some steep and fast descents. The corners could be really steep and it was really important to keep an eye on the exit line to make sure to avoid any trees. The roots were really slippy especially on the off camber sections.  Toward the start of the stage I came across a corner and  I slid out going straight over the bars. I seemed to have very little grip and knew I could ride this with so much more flow and speed, but I was sliding everywhere.  I fell off about another 2 times, I was almost relieved to see the climb

The shoot after the forestry climb was well talked about...steep with an off camber corner.  I came up to the shoot and looked down knowing that any hesitation would be the end of me. It was looking like it had been ridden hard and I could feel by back wheel come up but I just got my ass back and went for it and looked around the exit corner and boom! I made it and with a cheer from some delighted spectators shouting 'go girl". The off camber roots of Splash and Dash were really slippy and I just couldn't get the panic out of me.  I was dabbing everywhere.  As I came out of the forest I spied another root and as soon as I hit it I came off.  As I got back on my bike to cycle up the scree I had some sort of left and right confusion in the cockpit and instead of changing gear I put my seat post up. Trying to find my pedals and get my seat back down I fell off the scree into the blaeberrys, got the bike up and on the track before doing the same thing again.  Boy was I happy to finish the trail. Straight away I reflected on my errors, I had kept my tyres fairly hard as I had seen some punctures on the way up - but it just didn't give me any grip in the mud or on the roots.

On the cycle back up to Jawburn I gave myself a bit of a hard time, but celebrating that I just managed that shoot with style and knowing I had the ability to ride these trails and well.  I just had to believe it and calm down, after all this was just another race. And after that I seemed to chill out and enjoy the experience.

Stage 2
Jawburn is pretty steep but its gradient doesn't bother me, nor do the tight corners, it's just busy, and its always the things that distract me that make me loose my line or concentration.  The loose rocks were coated in a thick sheen of mud, and I thought it was pretty grippy, its just important to keep the tyres rolling and in that stuff, speed is your friend.  I suppose looking around every corner and not getting distracted really helps too, the lower section I struggled slightly more with. It was slippy in some places and one section almost had an inverted rut line to ride down, with a tight left hander at the bottom, It really helped to have the Pivot on the bottom section, especially as there were lots of little catchy bits that slowed me down. 

I loved stage 2 it was probably my favourite trail of the weekend, don't get me wrong it was hard,  Tracey Hannah described it as "absolutely gnarly"  After taking some air out of my tyres and knowing that steep and rocky is perfect for my palette.  I managed to catch 2 riders in front and was so happy that they were very courteous. Local lad, Ruaridh Cunningham won this stage, which ain't too bad for his first ever enduro. I also couldn't believe how fast Tracey Mosely completed this stage, 4.44 - not much slower than the top lads.   

Stage 4
After a long wait for stage 4 our muscles were a bit cooler, the queue moved down fairly quickly, I attempted to start a warm up class with burpees and star jumps but the tired racers just looked at me awkwardly.

I know Innerleithen fairly well, and this trail included a dolly mixture of multiple routes.  Starting on a very muddy pedal on the Arthur Lee's memorial, to the top of Cresta, the luge and the Tunnel and onto parts of Gold to the bottom of the IXS Downhill.  With some new bits in between.  Again it had dried up alot from practise and I really enjoyed this run but perhaps felt a bit cautious as I just didn't want to mess it up. When I entered the last stretch down to the car park, my new bar length caught up with me and I had a tight squeeze through some trees which set me off toward a tree and a stand still, as I came down onto the drop before the bum hole I lost my line and got my front wheel stuck in a rut - I went over the bars and after some bad race etiquette of swearing in front of some spectators, I was back on track to the finish line.


Day 2

Stage 5
This started off on some flattish corners, and then shot into a forrest for some fast lines that came out onto tight rutted corners and wow did it feel good, there was a small shoot onto a pedally section with loads of bus stops, and it flowed really well , wet but grippy, the middle section which was fairly freshly cut and was still quite loamy and rode really well too.  A nice pedal through the forest which the Pivot was made for was great riding.

 I was so happy with how I was riding and the bike felt so good, especially when I hit the off camber roots on a flat section.  This bike was built for this terrain and I felt like I hardly had to make any effort at all. I kept a really good flow even through some of the tight corners. I was expecting the stage to be a bit longer, and didn't even give it my full lung busting all.  I was delighted to win this section in E2 and place higher than a few elite riders too.  It feels so nice to finish a section cleanly.  

Stage 6 was by far my favourite of the day, I knew the long single track parts of Deliverance would be an ideal place to gain back some time.  We were very close to not making it to the stage on time and I had to rush about  to ensure that I had some air in my tires so I could blast it down Deliverance without a puncture. The forestry section was probably some of the best trail riding I've done in a while and as I left it so late, I came across rider after rider.  Who were all very courteous. at letting me past, parts of it, were so grippy and smooth you could let go the brakes.  I pedalled and pedalled and tried to keep my breathing in check.  It felt pretty long and I was glad to finish another run cleanly. 

Stage 7 was my favourite in practise and I was not holding back at all, again I over took a few riders and I noticed how different it was looking from when I practised it 3 days ago.  I did really well at keeping it together and just trying to keep my flow, but at one point in the forest I thought i just looked up and noticed a tree and the next thing I hit it - i'm so good at this hazard fixation thing.  I had to run back up the hill to get on my bike and made it over some dodgy roots toward the finish with my feet all over the place and then I was on the ground with a nasty knock to the head just about 1 metre away from finish.  Still I managed to get a reasonable time though. 

Stage 8, the finale the longest stage but fairly fast, I was flying down this on the patriot but with the cycle back up and a massive group of E2 riders just lounging around at the cake stall, It was visible we were procrastinating about getting this show on the road.  I think the knock on the head had made me a bit apprehensive and I struggled deciding when to give it all. there were a number of big climbs on this stage and I tried  to save my energy, I didn't want to make any massive mistakes, and its hard to let a new bike go flat out when you're still getting used to it. None the less i really enjoyed this stage, the forest sections were tight and windy with lots of flow - It was hard to remember it all as it seemed like so  long ago.  I really enjoyed the last section of the stage, which had a drop that i nailed myself on in practise and then some steep and tight descents to the finish.  I was delighted to finish in one piece.  

i hung around the bottom for a bit and watched some carnage of people not making the last corner, wow, like nearly everyone wiped out, including one guy who nearly lost his manly hood and took half the competition tape to the finish line with him all wrapped up like a christmas tree. poor dude.