Looking for an event next summer to train for to keep me motivated over the coming year. Over the last couple of years I’ve entered a few different events, both road and MTB, and training for these has done wonders for my fitness. With the exception of the ‘Ard Rock last year, these have all been non-competitive events, but next year I’d like to try something competitive on the MTB side of things.

My strengths are probably best suited to endurance events. However, the only bike I have that I’d want to race on is an Orange 5. I don’t want to enter an event where I’m going to be massively handicapped by my bike (i.e. best suited for a hardtail). Are there any endurance MTB events that are ideally suited to trail bikes? Ideally in Wales / Northern England, although would consider elsewhere.

Definitely not North England or Wales, but Tour de Ben springs to mind?

Alternatively some of the multi-lap events, like GT7, 10 Under the Ben etc.?

Rat Race,The Crossing? Not sure how much off road there is. I remember reading about this in What MTB.
Edit..sorry, not sure if you want endurance or enduro. 🙂

sorry, not sure if you want endurance or enduro.

Endurance, but suited to a trail bike (i.e. Technical trails)

http://ratrace.com/thecrossing/
Don’t see why you couldn’t do this on a trail bike.

Fancy doing something really stupid? The endurance downhill is running at fort william again next July… OK, it doesn’t exactly suit a trailbike, but I used mine the first year and it was fine (*), and loads of people do the same (including hardtails and a couple of mentalists on rigids…). It’s an event like no other, really, and I cannot recommend it too highly. With obvious caveats about self-preservation, bike destruction etc.

(* It was fine on the day. It did break in half about 3 weeks later, which may not have been a coincidence)

Having done the crossing a few years back I’d say that’s probably not worth doing – i did it on a stumpy evo 29 carbon and was over biked most the time, especially day 2 which seemed to have a very high amount of tarmac. I also think it’s more of a ‘challenge’ event than a proper mtb race. I would second the Tour of Ben Nevis as a possible – signed up for this year’s having not done it before but it certainly seems more mountain bike race than the crossing.

Not looking for something that you can do on a trail bike but be compromised – pretty much any event can be done on a trail bike. Looking for an event where a trail bike would be the ideal bike, or at least close to it.

Wasn’t thee an enduro-ey version of the Selkirk mtb marathon this year? Most of the marathon course but with some timed schralpage?

If you looked further afield the Singletrack Six looks like fun, BC Bike Race IS fun. Both will provide a real incentive to train.

As to the North of England, Scotland, or Wales – most events would be best done on an XC bike unless they are Enduro or DH events.

enduro stage racing then.

anything where the climbs count towards the overall time, you’ll give so much away on the climbing that you can’t hope to make up on the downhill sections.

Wot jam bo said…

[list]In a nutshell no
Tour de Ben Nevis is closest in the UK
Abroad there is the Shimano Epic Enduro, which is probably the closest.

Basically all the endurance races are going to be better on an XC bike (or more competitive anyway)

Edit: like jambo said

qtip – Member

Not looking for something that you can do on a trail bike but be compromised – pretty much any event can be done on a trail bike. Looking for an event where a trail bike would be the ideal bike, or at least close to it.

Enduro racing then, but you’ve already done that.

ハーレーの車体やパーツにシャープな雰囲気を持たせるブラック塗装の魅力

No idea if it was any good, like

Endurance race and trail bike are somewhat incompatible.
Tour de Ben is a good shout although its not really a race.
A trail bike is overkill for GT7, although would be much more fun on descent than a hardtail.
10 under is a definite hardtail course.

You probably want to be looking for enduro events on mellow courses.

Tour de Ben is a good shout although its not really a race.

It is a race – though most folks are like me and just want to get round without ending up cramped and crying in the undergrowth.

Not ticking all of your boxes, but the Manx 2 Day Enduro certainly combines endurance and technical riding. 10 stages, 40+ miles and 7,000ft of climbing over two days.

Not ticking all of your boxes, but the Manx 2 Day Enduro certainly combines endurance and technical riding. 10 stages, 40+ miles and 7,000ft of climbing over two days.

40mi and 7000ft over 2 days isn’t endurance riding. It would barely count as endurance riding if it were 1 day rather than 2.

Tour De Ben as others have said. Great event..

40mi and 7000ft over 2 days isn’t endurance riding. It would barely count as endurance riding if it were 1 day rather than 2

And no endurance event I’ve come across count as technical riding. No event will meet all of the OP’s criteria.

Thought it might be a moon on stick request.

Try the Shimano Epic

Dyfi Enduro (not an ‘Enduro’)