Enduro World Series Round 2 - Scottish Borders - Tweedlove

As a single mother I have to make the most of the time I have to myself, so the week before round 2 of the Enduro World Series I ventured up into Innerleithen to find the trails I had heard rumours of.   After exiting what the locals call "Pro Spacker", the steepest trail I have ever ridden in my whole life, I said aloud, "this is what Scotland produces when it hosts an Enduro World Series", and a beam of pride shot across my face.

There was no doubt in my mind that the chosen Scottish trails would provide a challenging and respectably full on ride of fun.  Some participants were describing it as "the most technical enduro to date" and coupled with the unpredictable weather of the Tweed Valley the potential for the trails to become unrecognisable in a matter of hours was high on the cards.  Rain could quickly change everything as the previous weekends UK Gravity Enduro had shown - with slop riding making even the pro's look a bit messy. However this would suit the local riders, who have adapted to love the wet.

It was an exciting and tense build up to the EWS. With a myriad of trails to choose from the race was to be held over two days, day 1 covering the Inners side of the hill and day 2 moving to Glentress.  The trails had been a closely guarded secret and other than discovering some hints on Strava, I was limited to what I could practice due to a lack of child care and a dodgy knee.  I was awaiting delivery of a Pivot Mach 6 from Upgrade Bikes and I was more than happy to abstain and wait for the carbon fibre beaut to arrive. It had an awesome spec with 650B, XO 1, DT Swiss wheel set and with 155mm Kashima covered Fox's to boot. From the pictures online it looked like it just wanted to go fast. Uphill and downhill. This bike would turn my cumbersome Patriot into the pumpkin that preceded Cinderella's carriage.

On day one of practice I dragged the pumpkin around the Glentress trails in sunny weather, however toward the afternoon the rain appeared and the mud potential was unveiled. Observing some of the world’s top riders tackling the newly lubricated dirt with conviction I started to think that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.   It was fantastic to see so many riders out and with so many different accents and nationalities. Perhaps that French and Spanish I once used without regard for neatness and fluency could be recovered from some grey matter...my riding might not look good, but I could badly help a lost Spaniard.

That evening I drove through to Glasgow and picked up the demo Pivot Mach 6 from Mark at Billy Bilsland Bikes. Upgrade Bikes had kindly let me use the bike for the EWS and Mark had done an awesome job of ensuring it would be here on time.

I fell in love with the Pivot almost instantly when I could easily pedal out of any sticky and tricky stalling situation with the similar effort of Eussain Bolt on a sponsored walk.  The TW link made the pedal strokes so efficient that even steep and technical terrain were no challenge. Pinkbike described the Mach 6 as “One bike to rule them all” and I could feel the desire for the 'Precious Pivot' burning up inside of me.

Day 1 

I was racing in the E2 category with one less stage than the Elites, and no time limit between stages.  With the weather so hot, I really felt for the E1’s who had to blast their way through timed transition.  Completing the first stage with a number of my now to be expected theatrical falls I pulled myself together and became one with the Pivot, smashing some great times on stages 2 to 4, loving every minute of the atmosphere and crowd who cheering me on, despite not knowing who this midget on a carbon fiber steed was.  The steep, technical and intimidating golf course side Inners was a truly epic start to the two days of racing.

In my whirlwind introduction and romance with the Pivot, one thing that I never accounted for was the implications of the new the wheel size, I never considered how this would affect the amount of air I would need in my tyres. Who would of thought that bigger wheels require less tyre pressure? The outcome of this was some hairy off camber wash outs on Stage 1 but a few Psi removed and I was gripping like a mountain goat. The other thing that I found hard to adjust to with the 650b's was lifting up the front end with the longer wheelbase but I was more than confident this bike could roll over most obstacles.

The super feather weight frame and build of the Mach 6 was the saving grace for my weekend of enduro. I knew I had to cover 88km and 3000 metres of ascent over 2 days and that this was the slimmed down weapon I needed to save my energy and it didn't disappoint. I was still full of beans after stage 4.

After the steep rocky switchbacks of jawbone and the flat out off cambers of 3G the cycle back along the Tweed Valley was beautiful. The sunlight twinkling off the river Tweed, horses in hazy fields whisking their tails to get the flies off their backs and trees thick with blossom. I felt lucky to belong to such a wonderful place and event.

My favourite question to ask the foreign riders fleeting past was “Do you like riding in Scotland” and most seemed pretty happy but relieved that the weather had brought some sunshine and dried up the trails.  This was definitely the reaction of Damiana, a Swiss girl who I met whilst waiting for stage 4. She has been riding in the SRAM European series, and seemed really happy with how the Scottish trails were riding with a bit of dehydration to the soil. 

Returning to the event village I was sitting in 2^nd in E2 ladies with Damiana in the lead. Stage 1’s pantomime antics had left me with a lot of time to make, but I felt confident that the Pivot and I could give it a good shot.

Some of my friends in E1 were also doing really well too. Local girl Sophie Buckingham and fellow Wheelers lass, Fiona Beattie were smashing through stages and had some fantastic times.  The top 3 of the E1 ladies was pretty tight and I was happy to see Tracey Mosely in the top spot. It was interesting to find out that she tries to avoid gels and energy drinks and eats as much normal food as possible. 

Returning home and to mother hood I finished off some awesome racing by preparing a home cooked meal for me and Ski, checking out my new farmer tan, rocking out in PJ's with Ski, brushing some teeth, story time and bike washing. After this second installment of the day I was more than ready for bed.

Day 2

Arising bright and early after a comatose sleep, I was up and feeling a lot calmer having the steep and slippy of Inners out the way. Another glorious day, but not nearly as hot, I made tyre adjustments for fast rolling, knowing that todays stages at Glentress were going to be a lot more pedally and fitness orientated.

At the event village I popped in to see Nicola from the Female Riders tent and picked up a very smart and stylish long sleeved shirt as it was most definitely cooler and the option of arm cover was a good choice. I set off with Jorji from Singletrack magazine.  It was her first enduro race, so I took her under my wing to convince her of the relaxed and fun outlook - honestly I don't take it serious.

Waiting in the start queue I met up with Mairi Bell (also on her Pivot) and Helen Findlay from Innerleithin Mountain biking.  The chat with these lassies was great and I was chuffed to spend the day adventuring with them. One thing that I found with this race was how supportive everyone was, all tucking in, aiding and advising one another when they could.  Team E2 Enduro was full of friendships and love.

I knew that today would suit my riding not because it was less technical but because the stages were long and had a lot of pedalling sections and I know I can pedal. Confident that I could get back some time I was feeling a lot more relaxed. 

Today could be a big game changer to the final results and I had to make the effort.

Cycling between the stages, I chatted with Helen about the success of Innerleithen mountain biking, and the development of girls in the sport.  We acknowledged how the borders had embraced the resources of the trail centres; there are actually waiting lists for some clubs. Once again I reflected on the importance of club participation and development especially for families and children, but also this can be heavily dependent on the infrastructure and resources available. like a good sandwich depends on the filler and the quality of bread.

I had given it my all in the Glentress stages and bar a single fairly major fall felt happy with my performance.  Positive mental attitude, a relaxed mind and a fair amount of practice combined for some of the cleanest runs I've had this season so far.

Toward the end of the day we were all starting to feel the efforts of our long week of EWS racing and preparing.  We were like wandering zombies on bikes trying to stay positive but with barely the energy to share a smile together.

Returning to the event village, my daughter was reunited with me and calls for Irn Bru, face painting, baseball caps and chips were thrown at me instantly – no rest eh.  I was so happy to see I had made a little time on Damiana and won 2 stages, but with very close seconds involved.  It was also great to see that some of my times were up in the mid twenties for the E1’s and it was so obvious that when I had fallen how badly it affected my time. A single crash can make all the difference.

I won a nice set of Enve bars for claiming stage 2 as my victory and came second in my category, and my second podium finish of the season.

The crowds were great for the award ceremony and I was a bit surprised how much children love being covered in champagne.

It was great to get on the Podium at the EWS and see some friends old and new make it too, along with Drew Carters in the junior, Joe Barnes for E1's and some really nice guy I met won the E2’s seniors.

In reflection, the EWS although harder physically was like any other race – I do it for fun and to challenge myself.  To make goals and increase my fitness and to meet new people and enjoy an experience. 

The added bonus with this event was seeing how the world class professionals do things and to find out if they are that much faster they are than you. As it turns out only by a minute or two....

For myself I’ve decided to focus on preparing myself mentally for races and to chill out. 

And of course start saving up for a Pivot Mach 6. It was heart breaking to let it go at the end of the weekend, now I know how Gollum felt when he lost his precious.   

Thanks to Andy, Monty and Cy for a great weekend!  Lets do it next year.  

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.