New for 2012 Bigfoot Productions in Colorado is putting on new series of 3 races. See it HERE. The season final in this series is in Moab, UT on a trail called The Whole Enchilada. There is a SICK video of the trail right HERE. This trail starts in an alpine forest at 11,200 feet and descends over 7,000 vertical feet all the way down to the desert and the Colorado River. It's steep, rocky, rooty, has tight switchbacks, gap jumps, slick rock, drops, and behaves this way for 26 miles! Who wouldn't want to do this race?
one of the easier parts
Unfortunately for all of us on the right coast, most of the enduro racing is on the West coast. It would be great if this type of racing gains popularity and finds it way here. I mean we have a great training ground in Pisgah for it. There is an enduro race in Demo Forest which is in Santa Cruz, CA. I've ridden/got lost there with Mrs. Jonnynails. It's the week before sea otter. Wait, that's 15 minutes from my wife's parents house -hmmmmm. Downieville Classic near Tahoe is only a few hours away from them as well. The Downieville race will be the All Mountain World Championships this year - you can read about it HERE. That one is definitively on my list! Maybe I'll get my enduro on this year?? I'm sure the grandparents would love to see their grandson, daughter and favorite (only) son-n-law!
As usual, the U.S. is way behind Europe in cycling. Read more about US Enduro racing HERE. Oregon has a 4 race series, Cali has the two I mentioned above, Colorado and Utah have the new 3 race series, and Canada has a few in British Columbia. Best I can hope for in my area of the country are some super-d style races, which is a much shorter version of an enduro race. There is a new rumor going around that there will be a 3 race super-d series in Wilkesboro, NC at the trails in and around Scott Kerr Dam this year. Should be fun. The course there is a blast with jumps, rocks, and berms - it's just really short. Speaking of berms, who wouldn't wanna shred some on a "all mountain" bike? Here is a pic of my buddy Cecil doing just that.
photo credit Jay Schultz
That picture just makes me want to ride. It was taken at Clemson this past weekend, where Cecil got 2nd in the Pro/Expert class. Clemson is another really fun course. It's officially a DH event, but I think most DH racers will tell you it's really more of an all mountain type of course. I don't mean to take anything away from the place - super fun with some good sized table tops, a road gap jump, one of the best wall rides I've ever been on, and a fun "north shore" style stunt/drop at the end to finish off the run. The only reason I say it's more "all mountain" vs DH is that there's a lot of pedaling throughout the course (especially at the top) and it's not very steep. Clemson folks did an amazing job with what they had to work with though. Looking forward to riding there soon and maybe doing the next race they put on. Most people run it on a short travel (5-6 inches of suspension travel) but people also bring full on DH bikes and even hardtails! It's all about the fun level, and fun is something I'm wanting to get back to on a bike. Training for XC is great and all, but I find myself wanting to just go out and have fun on the bike way more. Speaking of fun and since I'm pimping my friends out on my blog today - Here's a shot I took of Action Jackson while we were riding Cove Creek, Daniel Ridge and Farlow Gap trails in pisgah. It was enduro training at it's best!
You can't see it in this shot, but the trail goes 180 degrees in the other direction and if you miss the turn you roll all the way down the mountain. So, you better make it. Fun isn't it. Do you think he made it? My simple advice to you today is to go find what kind of riding gives you the most fun, and repeat.
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