Bluegrass Enduro Round 2 Glencoe Mountain

There are some events on the Mountain biking calendar that really get the senses tingling with excitement and suspense.  The annual Glencoe Mountain mass start race known as the MacAvalanche is most definitely one of them, and for 2014 the Blue Grass Enduro Series had partnered with No Fuss to add a crazy twist to the event.  



This was the 2nd year that Blue Grass had crossed the Channel and took a round of their Enduro Series to the North West of Scotland. The series has decided to break from the typical Enduro format and run their rounds 'blind' over one day, with participant’s racing with no practice...a serious game changer.

If you enjoy challenging yourself to the max then this event is for you. Riding blind down a mountain side over snow, rock and heather is probably the most exhilarating and exhausting thing I’ve ever done, however the uplift up to the start of the stages, meant that lots of energy could be preserved for the timed bits.  The weather was in typical Glencoe fashion, changing from warm sunshine to cloud and rain in the blink of an eye.  

There were 3 timed stages including the mass start. The first stage started off left of the Cliff Hanger chair and blasted down toward the dreaded climb up Creag Dubh, followed by a tiring traverse towards the Red Run down to the bottom of the resort.  I don't know what I found the most exhausting; trying to work out where I was going, picking a line through pieces of blue tape, marsh, snow and spikey rocks, or the climb up the Creag Dubh hill side (I don't think anyone managed to make it up with a bike between their legs) or perhaps holding on for dear life down the Red Run, which seemed to have the remnants of scree from the epic ski season scattered down its rocky routes.  At the end of this run my arms were bulging with arm pump and I was bubbling up inside my full face helmet.  Still, better than pushing the bike down from a puncture like many folk.

As I came to the top of the Access chair for stage 2 I could see some fellow racers riding down what is named 'home run' on the ski map, and wow did it look muddy.  This stage involved a bit of snow riding, and  from my previous attempt  in stage 1, I wasn't feeling too confident. Earlier I had span around and slid feet first down the hill, whilst my full face filled up with snow, blocking my nostrils.  I witnessed the most amazing over the bars moment from some guy who I had been chatting to earlier - he had been convinced to take part in his first Enduro race by his mate and had already ripped his clothes from a tumble.

When I set off, I was immediately happy with the terrain, which consisted of grassy mounds and boggy ditches which could easily be cleared with a bit of commitment and speed. It was fairly fast riding and I tried to pedal as much as I could.  As I approached the snow I slowed down slightly and just tried to let the bike go, it’s crazy when you hit that stuff, like riding into a field of thick porridge. As soon as you hit it, you lose your speed but you also have no control.  It is extremely unpredictable. I managed to remain upright and get my tripod stability on the go and after a slight battle with some mud I was down the Red Run for round 2...and it wasn't any easier on the arms.

Another bike wash, some refuelling and catching up with my ski and biking buddies, this event was just getting better and better.  I had some great chat with Claudia Clement and her husband in the cafe who have just started to get into Enduro racing.  Claudia is coming back from an  injury and was tackling the stages fairly well. Originating from Brazil and living in France they were both curious of the ride-ability of the Scottish mountains.  Claudia stated "If you can ride here you can ride anywhere” and they asked if the trails were typical terrain for Scotland, looking back to the Fort Bill and Inners Enduro it was hard to answer. But pondering on my own territory of Kinlochleven I could see that yes the North West is notorious for its loose rocky trails, after all it’s in the mountains.

I also caught up with the hard tail riders who were sharing some great stories of their adventures, one boy had hit the mud on stage 2 and lost his bike and his shoe.  The marshal responded with the help of a saint and ordered him to fetch his bike while he found his shoe, proceeding to hunt elbow deep in the mud for the strange man’s shoe in order to get him back into the race.  Now that's top notch marshalling!

Back up for the mass start and I was getting nervous, the weather was changing slightly and the push up to the snow  was tough. I had a whimsical moment in front of the whole crowd of bikers and had to ask a young lad, to help me carry my bike into a start position. Well it’s heavy! 

The start-up lines were sorted out and the ladies were offered the 2nd line, there was also an announcement of additional bits being included to the Red Run. Once we were off  I opted for running with my bike over the 200M stretch of snow, which seemed to work out pretty well.

With a direct line,  Joe Barnes was first off the snow.

Practicing a running mount proved useful for this race. All was going well until I hit the snow that sent me flying in Stage 1 and all would have been fine if I hadn't freaked out, just goes to show that difficult parts can be all in your head. I had my notorious seat dropper issue and had to ride a large section of the descent with it stuck in full extension.  Heading up to the climb I managed to gain some time back and took over some riders.  One guy behind me was retching toward the top of the hill, adding some quality sound effects to the racing.  I had a good ride down the Red Run, hitting the muddy diversion cleanly whilst a marshal was frantically warning people about a deep ditch which someone was fork deep in. I picked my way around a confused and hesitant biker and managed to get past another 2 riders. Coming up to the finish I was so tired I could barely clip back in, and ended up flailing, feet off the pedals at one point riding some crazy corners side saddle which was really scary - but I saved it to the finish.

I was more than delighted to come 3rd at such a tough race. Hannah and Joe Barnes proved that they are a sibling master team at Glencoe.. and I had the most ridiculous Podium pose ever!

Full results can be found here.

Bluegrass Enduro Tour 2014 round #02 - Glencoe - Scotland from Bluegrass on Vimeo.