Anyone else doing the King & Queen of the Hill (Scottish Open) Enduro

Just wondering if anyone of here will be heading up? Looks like its gonna be fun especially with parts of the EWS stages thrown in!

Yeah I’m going, but I’ve got a **** neck so in my current condition will be lucky to survive practise.
Not getting my hopes up too much about EWS stuff, some of the trails used in the past were part of the EWS anyway

Regardless…… ENDURO!!1!

I did it last year, it was a cracking weekend. Stages 4 and 5 were amazing TBH.

Heading to the Alps this year so wont make it unfortunately.

It’ll be my first go at this one, although I’ve rode glentess and inners before, looking forward to it, just hope my fitness is good enough, i had a bit of a nightmare at the Ard Rock last weekend lol

This one won’t be at Inners, just around Peebles. So that’s some less miles for you to think about!

Anyone know if you can cark overnight at Tweed Green?

Cark?? its not gonna be that hard surely lol!

In all seriousness I’m not sure, theres a good campsite in Peebles though about a two minute walk from the High st.

Anyone know if you can cark overnight at Tweed Green?

No idea, but you can leave a car at the Kingsmeadow car park (2 mins the otherside of the river) – not for camping though.

Phil, just dropped you an email on an unrelated matter 🙂

Yeah I’m looking forward to it, not sure if it will include Cademuir this time?

Cademuir I’m fine with either way, but racing up Janet’s Brae can **** right off 😉

I’ve heard unconfirmed reports Cademuir is not getting used this year, due to the fact some of the EWS stages are being used this year, more options I suppose, dont quote me on that though, 😐 looking forward to it

I am entering again this year

Anyone had an email recently about the event?

Not sure how many stages involved, hearing mixed reports?

Was but due to a couple of fractures in my wrist will now be spectating:(

“All stages are descents” not sure how I missed that one!

booked on. didnt realise it was so close! staying at Glentress. its the final round of UCI DH World Cup in Meribel on the Saturday too – Hoping it might on in a boozer somewhere??

ffs, hadn’t realised the WC clash. Will have to make it an early start/early finish for practice then!

I’ll be there. The stages for it are going to be great. I had lots of fun riding them the other week.

Doing it again this year, was ace last year. Still waiting to hear what the route is. Anyone know?

Missing this one due to being in the wrong country but it’ll be ace, they’ve all been ace. The talk back at the start was that the trails will be slightly easier than last year- not easy, just a bit less fearsome than stage 4. Interesting to see what they come up with if they’re not using Cademuir but also it’s all descents.

Second part of stage 4 was the business.

Shame if they have elfinsafetied the course. What was stage 4 last yr?

Stage 4 was the cademuir downhill. I loved it tbh but it was probably a bit much, considering what a big step up it was from 2012, the top section was pretty treacherous with the weather and traffic. There’s plenty of room to go a little easier, while still giving people sleepless nights 😆

But this is really old news, they could have changed their minds and decided to make it crazed.

I’ll be there, have been mainly riding on the road this year, ridden properly off road about 5 times and the bike I’ll be racing once! Should be a laugh!!

Booked on.

#enduro

Vid if it here. As always it makes it look flatter than it was. Trust me, it was steep!

Well I dont know what the fuss is about – that’s not a particularly bonkers trail and I know it well. The ews had much steeper stuff in it. Is POC designed for families/beginners? It’s a great fun bit of riding, shame if they pull it.

Glasgowdan, it was a lot of fun the week before but you have to admit it’s still not easy. On race day after having thousands of wheels through it in practice (and cheeky pre-practice-practice), not to mention heavy rain and even snow the week before, it was pretty bloomin hard. Not quite jawburn hard but not so far off, and tougher than any of the other EWS stages. I must have passed 5 people pushing down parts of the top section.

It’s in no way too tough for an average enduro. Jawbone was a superb trail to have in a race and hearing people like Hannah Barnes saying it was too tricky highlights perhaps the boundaries between different people’s perceptions of what enduro is.

Fingers crossed they keep something steep and scary in the POC.

No offence but… you didn’t do the race so that probably explains why there’s a difference of opinion. On the day it was easily one of the hardest enduro stages I’ve ever done. Not as hard as Jawburn, maybe a little easier than the Steps of Bottomless Mud at fort william, but that’s about it.

Difference in riding perhaps? I rode both sides of cademuir shortly afterwards and it was a giggle, but not steep/tough compared to a lot of trails around Scotland as you know.

The point I’m making is that it shouldn’t be taken out of an enduro for being too tough. Seems there are a lot of people moaning about enduro stages being too technical this year.

It’s in no way too tough for an average enduro.

it was a giggle

*swoon*

I can see your point though, riding it shortly afterwards definitely gives you a better idea of what it was like on the day, than riding it on the day ever could.

The point I’m making is that it shouldn’t be taken out of an enduro for being too tough.

Alternatively, maybe they’ve taken it out to avoid using the same course year after year, especially when they know folk would rather ride stages from the EWS?

So, nobody knows what stages are in, and you are already arguing over whether they are too hard, and waving your genitalia at each other ?

This reminds me of the non-facts-fest in the Referendum thread, the most non-factual 215 pages on the entire Internet. But with more willies.

Yeah, but the longest, hardest willies ever seen in scottish enduro.

the true battle of endooro is fought 25% online in forums, 25% enduro clothing (including colour coordination), 25% strava and finally 25% stage times.

I’m in, first ever Enduro, not really sure what to expect to be honest. Just going to treat it as a big day out where I can find out just how fast (or slow) I went down the downs.

Well done coogan in that vid of S4 from last year. I wish I could have ridden that with the same finesse 🙂

I agree, Cademuir S4 was hard…for me anyway. It was tight, steep and tricky and so unlike the riding I am used to. The other 4 stages were fine (loved 3 and 5) but S4 allowed the good riders to really shine.

S4 rattled me in practice and then again come race day 🙂 I would have liked to have spent much more time on it. Just to ride it slowly without (lots of dabbing) would have been an achievement. Let alone race it. The next time I’m in the valley I’ll pop over that way for a cheeky session.

I do think that type of trail, albeit difficult has to be included though. Even in the POC. It’s not a beginners enduro. The EWS stages this year looked even more difficult/scary. And so they should be with pro racers in attendence.

I can only imagine that the EWS stages to be included this year would be the ones that used/adapted existing trails within GT would it not?

I can’t make it this year and have asked for a refund. Shame, as it is a great event and a decent challenge.

Things progressed onto a wider debate about enduro courses, still waiting for a reply from someone who actually knows what’s in! Hopefully lots of bonkers stuff.