Ex-Rated

The new breed of enduros are more about the overall experience than podiums and GoPros. We headed to Exmoor for a chilled weekend of quality trails and post-ride beers around the campfire.

- Ben Smith

We’re spoiled for choice in terms of places to ride these days. I’m lucky enough to live near a fantastic network of trails that make up for their meagre stature with their pure grin factor. And when the urge to discover something new becomes too strong, I have a willing circle of friends always keen to load up the van and head down the M4 for a day at a bike park or a big loop in the hills.

So given the trail bounty that lies out there for free, or a few quid in the case of most bike parks, why would you pay a load of money (and cash in a valuable weekend pass) to race an enduro? Especially when the heat of competition can extract much of the fun from a ride, what with the added pressure of timed stages, a schedule that demands you to be at the stage start at a certain time, and the distinct possibility that the trails may not even be that good to ride.

Outside of the main national-level enduro series, where outright results are still the number one priority, more and more event organisers are realising the importance of the overall experience for riders like you and me. In other words, anyone not anticipating climbing onto the podium. There is an emerging trend for enduros where everyone is a winner, not just the fastest rider. Where no one goes home empty-handed, and the, dare I say it, festival atmosphere captures the spirit of mountain biking and harks back to the formative years when thousands of people descended on a field in Herefordshire every summer. By introducing camping, good food, liberal quantities of beer and a more leisurely schedule, they encourage socialising and staying up late around the fire over hunkering down and watching GoPro course previews to work out the best lines for the next day.