Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)
  • New EWS (sort of) rounds in Kinlochleven & Wicklow
  • lucky7500
    Full Member

    New ‘qualifying series’ for EWS with rounds in most existing EWS locations.

    Link

    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    Interesting.

    Based on having raced the EWS twice and the Kinlochleven enduro, I’d say the EWS was easier. The KLL trails are very, very tough to race on, not helped by weather and trail conditions at that time of year

    Northwind
    Full Member

    It is just a new name for the already-announced Kinlochleven race to be fair. Which conveniently means I’ve already entered 😆

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    lucky7500
    Full Member

    It is just a new name for the already-announced Kinlochleven race to be fair.

    It was new to me, and I had been hoping that there would be another event up there. Must have missed the first announcement!! 🙂

    Northwind
    Full Member

    There’s only about 10 people signed up so far 😆 I’ll still not be on the podium.

    It’ll be ace as ever I’m sure, I’ve been lucky enough to do them all and if I was to do a top 10 of bike events, every one of them would be in it I think. Even though I never get through the weekend without either a broken bike or a broken Northwind. Totes wurf it.

    lucky7500
    Full Member

    I did the one in 2014 and have to agree that it was a fantastic event, even though the scar on my calf has only just gone!! If there were only 3 people entered I still wouldn’t get on the podium. 🙂

    Tracey
    Full Member

    How does this work then, to get three results it would mean the Scottish, Irish and then the next nearest is the two in Italy, or am I reading it wrong. Or will they take one result if thats all you have and have to join EMBA now. Long drive up north is doable. The Irish clashes with the PMBA which just leaves the next two nearest in Italy and the first one of them clashes with PMBA in less than two weeks.
    This is not for me but Abigale is hovering on entry buttons , they dont make it easy. Anyone knowchow it all works

    kimbers
    Full Member

    Still get the chance to enter by the regular method,
    I think this is to help the pros get an entry

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    These Qualifier events will allow Enduro Mountain Bike Association (EMBA) members to gain points based on their results, then the best three results of the year will be totalled on December 31st to generate their global qualifying ranking. From these rankings the top 80 Men, top 30 Women, top 15 Under 21 Men and Women and the top 20 Masters will be added to the reserve list for Enduro World Series races the following year. But the series hasn’t forgotten its roots and amateurs will remain at the heart of the series and can continue to enter through the lottery application process that was successfully rolled out earlier this year.

    So basically qualify by doing rounds and getting points, or enter via the ballot.

    I suppose it’ll make for more of a series if each round gets the same riders consistently, by virtue of forcing a degree of commitment into the qualifiers as you’ll probably have to do a degree of travelling just to guarantee enough points, rather than a field made up of locals at each venue.

    Tracey
    Full Member

    She tried for four this year and wasnt lucky with any of them,only three wild cards for UK so didn’t get one of them. There looks like a couple of French ones and one may well be doable if we juggle our Alps trip if she could get in. She is just looking at ways in for the 2017 rounds and then the lottery if all else fails.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Awesome I was going to be doing 2 of those anyway in Perth and Toowomba 🙂
    On the difficulty level it was interesting chatting with Chris at Rd 1 of the Oz series (the feeder events will be 2 other rounds) he put Stage 2 as being tougher than he would have had in EWS. Also looks like a plan to get events up to pace to bid for EWS and promote other series.

    Tracey
    Full Member

    Well she has hit the button for the one up north. Cant get the link to the French one to work yet.

    lucky7500
    Full Member

    Also looks like a plan to get events up to pace to bid for EWS and promote other series.

    That was my immediate thought with the Scottish round. Perhaps looking to move away from the Tweed Valley to some more extreme terrain.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Perhaps looking to move away from the Tweed Valley to some more extreme terrain.

    Why does it need to be more extreme, some of the feedback was that the Tweed Valley has some amazing trail which are hard. See the comment about one of our stages being at the wrong end for EWS – ie heading towards DH tracks. Which seems to be what they are trying to avoid.

    lucky7500
    Full Member

    I don’t think that it needs to be, or should be, more extreme. That’s just the thought that came to mind when I saw the choice of location, and I absolutely hope that the occasional creep towards downhill tracks doesn’t pick up momentum. In fact, I had a discussion with another rider last year at the Scottish open (I think) during the enormous transition climb about whether some enduro stages were becoming borderline too difficult for amateur riders (very much including myself) who enter them because they enjoy riding rather than with any realistic ambition of winning.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    I had a discussion with another rider last year at the Scottish open (I think) during the enormous transition climb about whether some enduro stages were becoming borderline too difficult for amateur riders

    The one I did here in Oz (with Mr ball in attendance) had a sport cat which dropped the hardest stage and removed one of the big climbs. Still a tough day so I’d expect to see that come through. The feeling was certainly about not becoming multi lap dh.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Kinlochleven couldn’t be mistaken for “downhill tracks” tbh, it’s just hard trails. Can’t speak for any of the others. But even when EWS Tweedlove runs on 100% dh trails at inners it still doesn’t feel like a DH race to me.

    TBH where you perceive the difficulty level will depend on your own skillset, kinloch’s trails are pretty different from what a lot of us are used to- lots of water, loose rock, often no clear lines, they’re not bike trails basically. So it’s a steep learning curve for many, certainly was for me the first time, in the same way as the tweed valley trails caught out some folks that weren’t used to that.

    But no danger anyone’s going to say “Oh it’s just multi lap DH”

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Good to hear Northwind, I did get a bit upset with Mr Ball as the 2 events I’d planned for this year got dropped. This should give us all a chance to race hard and maybe skim a few wannabees off ews to make room for the people who should be there. With 3 in reach (I’d have been over at frank worxs if I’d known) I’m happy.

    tenacious_doug
    Free Member

    That was my immediate thought with the Scottish round. Perhaps looking to move away from the Tweed Valley to some more extreme terrain.

    More like, Kinlochleven was the best available event to act as a qualifier.
    Any enduro races in the Tweed Valley are more or less sold out for the year already, so can’t really act as qualifiers as presumably need to accomodate a sudden flurry of new entrants chasing points. As Northwind has pointed out, very few entries into Kinlochleven thus far, so plenty of space for more entrants.

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    I fancy the KLL one this year, Think I’ll head up next month and ride some of the stuff – Northy, would these routes below be a good starter?

    KLL

    tenacious_doug
    Free Member

    https://www.strava.com/activities/350938443

    Happy to send a GPX file over if it is useful?

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    That’d be great Doug, email in profile!.

    Tracey
    Full Member

    Two of the new qualifiers are this weekend and next weekend. Not alot of time for planning.In an ideal world the qualifying event list would have been ready and up and running at the same time as the EWS one. It now like juggling soot as some of the events listed clash with events already booked and paid for.

    Tracey
    Full Member

    Well that’s two entered, anyone know what type of medical certificate is needed to race in France.
    What’s Les Orres like for a few days

    jimmy
    Full Member

    I’ll enter KLL and it’ll be my first race as a VETERAN. How on earth did that happen?

    Still probably on a hardtail ftw

    STATO
    Free Member

    From these rankings the top 80 Men, top 30 Women, top 15 Under 21 Men and Women and the top 20 Masters will be added to the reserve list for Enduro World Series races the following year

    With 16 events to get points and only minimal ranked places isn’t there a very high chance only a handful of ranked amateurs will even be on the same continent as each of the EWS rounds?? This only seems useful for sponsored riders who didn’t get given a place but have a travel budget?

    tenacious_doug
    Free Member

    This only seems useful for sponsored riders who didn’t get given a place but have a travel budget?

    Sponsored riders with a travel budget are most likely already pre-qualified. This is intended to help out fast amateurs.

    STATO
    Free Member

    What I meant was with only 15 places available to U21 someone placing well but only able to attend 2 events (of 16 international events) could be knocked out the top 15 by someone in another continent with 3 results, meaning that rider now isn’t get on the reserve list for their local round which the rider from the other continent would never attend.

    I don’t know why they just didn’t open a full rider ranking, with reserved entry determined based on ranking position, meaning locals who raced a qualifiers actually had a chance to use the reserved spaces when no higher placed international riders entered.

    Anyway, this is all speculation as I don’t really know how EWS points work so tell me to shut up if need be 😀

    Tracey
    Full Member

    Asked the question on EWS facebook on the U21 split and just been informed its 15 men and 15 women

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Medical certs in France are normally a Dr note but a BC race licence usually does. Check with organiser though.

    Tracey
    Full Member

    Thanks it just says to bring a medical certificate. Will get her to call at the doctors to sort one out. Just need to alter the first bit of our Alps week to fit the race in.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Speak to the organisers, or just email them. BC licence is handy to have.

Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)

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