You can ride the stages as many times as you want over five hours. So you could treat it as an XC ride with DH and keep repeating the stages or just ride them all once if you’re pushed for time. Single day only and no insurance required, but at £45, it’s the price that puts me off a little.

Pretty standard price for a day enduro.

Should be good fun and worth the entry fee so don’t let that put you off entering 🙂

A ‘Mashup’ Enduro in Wales?

That sounds familiar…

Entries went live yesterday. Banged mine in, can’t wait to get the race season kick started again 😀

Anyone else entered/entering?

Yup, I’m in. Looks like a fun format, although I’m not sure how many times I’ll be wanting to climb whites to do a new run!
What do you reckon on stages?
Blade final descent from Skyline split – gotta be in it!
Blade Beacon View? or Blade Hokey Kokey?
Black trail descent?

I am likely to be doing these with my son.

The use of trail centre sections is a good thing for him I think.

Though I tend to agree that you are paying a high price to ride trails that are there to be ridden for free at any other time.

I had a look at the WGE stages last year and it looks like they go for fairly lengthy stages so my feeling is;

Windy Point and Energy as a stage.
Goodwood and Darkside as a stage.
Something including the Blade final section or sections.

Probably way off but who knows.

So, I got 2 of 3 correct then 🙂

Black trail
Blade final descent

and the other is Helter Skelter. I thought that might be too tame/short. Still it will be a nice change to the rocks!

Ultimately yo’re paying to ride what you can anyway but:

Its still great fun
It does cost money to put these things on
Racing, even low key racing is never quite like trail riding
From personal experience I don’t think I really felt the trail centre format loses much over ‘fresh cut’ trail racing. I guess the reason Charlie runs them in the off season is just this – its still racing, just with better conditions under your wheels.
Race a UKGE (and probably BES) and you’ll find 50+% of the track is rideable all the time, and they cost twice as much.

Just my tuppence worth! I hope to see you there!

Fancy doing the first round of this, but what class. I’d like to be competive so what to enter ? It would be G.Vet or hardtail.

Why has Mat got the advantage?

I’m doing the one in April at Afan. First race after a year off and racing in the hardtail category, should be fun. Really need to get my forks sorted though so that Blade descent doesn’t kill me!

A ‘Mashup’ Enduro in Wales?
That sounds familiar…

I rode in a “mashup” event at Afan years ago, it was sponsored by kona IIRC it must have been 2007-2008ish?

The format was a good idea, basically you’re out for a trail centre trundle with your mates, the only difference being you have timing chips and a couple of sections you’re against the clock… No serious proper #Enduro…

Only problem was that the timing was utter bobbins… But it was a good day out. Racing was a tertiary activity TBH.

Like I said, it sounds familiar.

The timing was worse than bobbins, it was catastrophic. I wish this new venture all the success they dream of, I’m just a little surprised that they’ve chosen the ‘mashup’ name…

Charlie knows his beans so I’ve no doubt it’ll be great I’ve signed up for the first 2 rounds atnafan and bpw

Anyone know if there’s a bike wash at Afan Trail Centre? Thinking of doing a lap of Penhydd the day before and can’t really take a muddy bike back to the hotel afterwards.

Is there one at Glyncorrwg as well thinking about it?

there’s a stream just at end isn’t there? stick a soft brush in your pack?

Yes there is a wash

Sweet, cheers

The format sounds great for calamity-prone riders like me to get a second and a third and a fourth chance, but to be honest you’re probably not going to want to do more than your usual practice lap and race lap anyway. I went up for a recce and sectioned some bits and was pretty knackered after one lap, and I’m xc fit… Sure I could have gone round again, but my sprinting would’ve been rubbish.

The format sounds great for calamity-prone riders like me to get a second and a third and a fourth chance, but to be honest you’re probably not going to want to do more than your usual practice lap and race lap anyway. I went up for a recce and sectioned some bits and was pretty knackered after one lap, and I’m xc fit.

Yeah, that’s what I thought. I think its a great format, takes the pressure off a bit so its still fun, but it’s still a physical enough loop to make sure you can’t just endlessly loop a stage until you get it perfect.

Also been enjoying trying to work out what order to do the stages. 🙂

well its gonna be wet, windy and wild!

im excited

350 signed up

well its gonna be wet, windy and wild!

I’ve been watching the weather all week! Hopefully it’ll be showers rather than full on downpour 🙂

I’m very familiar with Afan in the Wind/Rain/Snow. Bloody horrible to be standing around in for too long. I hope to god that I manage to pick an order or start each stage with little queuing, but I doubt that. I’m preparing for the worst and will cycle up in either diving dry gloves, marigolds or thick motorbike gloves, saving my winter MTB gloves for the stages only! Goddam it, I was hoping on not using a backpack and going light as possible!

Everytime I’ve been to Afan even mid winter its been lovely blue skies. I’ll make sure I layer up and keep a spare everything in the car. 8)

I was up around Windy Point yesterday, weather was dry and bright.

I only live 10 miles away, been raining nearly all day today.

Although the forecast is still for more rain tomorrow, the trails will withstand quite a bit of the worst that nature can throw at it.

Whilst the current fastest Strava times won’t be shattered, the fastest times on the day will be interesting to view.

That was great, especially loved s3&4 wanted to do then again but couldn’t face that climb again in the rain!

Yeah I went in well prepared with good jacket and change of riding clothes and is was actually not too bad, the rain eased off pretty quickly and the trails rode really well, I think the muddy bits actually added to them. First time I’ve done some of those trails and loved them. 🙂

I had a change of clothes in the car but after popping into the cafe to check my times I wasn’t so keen on getting back out there

Rode Penhydd yesterday then the race today. 2 of the wettest rides for me in a long time!

3 punctures today and 2 pairs of worn out brake pads…had to ride my second attempt at Stage 4 with a flat from top to bottom so I’m dreading seeing the state of my rear rim tomorrow in the light! 😕

Though I tend to agree that you are paying a high price to ride trails that are there to be ridden for free at any other time.

There is always one….
I can’t think of many races I’ve done that are on specific race only trails in the last 10 years. You are paying for the organisation, medical, marshal’s, timing, prizes and much more. You are also paying to race, if you want to lap around and see how quick you were use Strava. Want to race people enter the race.
Paid about the same for one last weekend, 5 stages (we only raced 4 due to time restrictions and an event reshuffle) all stuff that was marked out etc. according to Strava hit PR’s on most sections of trail as I was racing rather than riding. We also ended up swapping to the ride in what order you like format (only 1 go per stage and I certainly wasn’t going back for more!) only issue over seeded/ordered start is the chance of a few fast guys getting in the mix with the rest of us.

Sounds like fun was had though 🙂

I can’t think of many races I’ve done that are on specific race only trails in the last 10 years

The sadly departed UKGE, used to build some of their own content , Grizedale last year had a brilliant rocky rooty stage they build just for the race that couldn’t be ridden any other time. As well as getting permission to ride trails you can usually only walk on.

That said, mike is right, races are different from just riding !

Oreana, that’s gutting about the flat !

Having just done this first Rd1 of this series, it was a great event, well run and everyone kept their spirits up despite pretty rough weather over the weekend.

I had gone up saturday with the aim of getting some practice in, instead with the worst of the weekends weather being the Saturday, we saw Deadpool at the cinema – which is surprising good as Marvel films go.

Sunday racing went smoothly, only glitch was friend who entered with me failed to get a time recorded for stage1, judging from the results sheet seems his was the only glitch, which was a shame.

The course, which uses usual bits of the trail centre, held up fine in the wet, however having done some other Enduro’s I prefer the fresh cut trails that are done just for race day and aren’t just taping off existing trails.

I can recommend Madison’s flux water proof jacket – impulse purchase at the centre bike shop – this performed brilliantly and kept me warm in pretty much non stop drizzle/fog on the Sunday.

Due to weather we only re-rode stage2, as this was a short walk back to the start from the finish of this stage (was the shortest stage), otherwise we just did each stage the once, somewhat missing the scope to re-ride stages, but weather dented motivation to stay out. This seemed to be a common view shared when chatting to other riders back at the cafe.

I can’t think of many races I’ve done that are on specific race only trails in the last 10 years.

many xc races are 😉

but agree, moaning about paying when people have put in a lot of effort is stupid, its not compulsory!

Any trails cut fresh for yesterday’s race would’ve been a horrendous claggfest, considering the weather for before and during the race, hurrah for trail centres !

Well that will teach me for saying to my mates last week that I hadnt punctured for maybe a couple of years! I’ll put the faster rolling Nevegal X on the rear… Ripped it on 2nd go down s1. Fortunately I had already done s2 a couple of times and had a single run on s1 to use. My innertube held up for 1/3 of s3 and that went. Back up and rode s3 again – brakes disappeared and I ran off the track after a drop/corner! Then got held up for the last 200yds by someone dawdling. A bad stage for me. S4 was ok of the straight bits, but couldnt slow for corners with levers to bars. Tyre was flat again at the end.
I wasnt cold, but was wet and gritty.

How did people race with innertubes?! They are carp!
Chunkier tyre next time me thinks!

Shame we missed you Kimbers. Was looking forward to chatting and riding with you.

kimbers – Member
Any trails cut fresh for yesterday’s race would’ve been a horrendous claggfest, considering the weather for before and during the race, hurrah for trail centres !

Fresh cut trail do have their place but the UK generally isn’t one of them 😉

mmm Dust

Did one lap at a steady pace until I got to happy life, which was shut due to an injury so went back over to the other stages and had an off where I was amazed I was able to carry on. Never hit the ground that hard without a crunch or lots of blood. Then got held up on another stage, had one run down happy life.
I called it a day there as my ribs, back and shoulder were starting to complain loudly.

Good event though.

Sunday racing went smoothly, only glitch was friend who entered with me failed to get a time recorded for stage1, judging from the results sheet seems his was the only glitch, which was a shame.

I had an issue with stage 4 timing, quick email to Charlie and it was sorted very promptly.

I enjoyed it and it seemed well organised, although there wasn’t much atmosphere with it being so wet and windy.

I thought the stages were way too short, a total of just 7-8 minutes of racing. Double the loop to 20k and there would’ve been plenty of other sections they could’ve linked up on the same hills (eg Windy Point and Energy).

I suppose the mash-up format worked for me after crashing twice the first time down the last stage, but very few people seemed to repeat much at all. It was eerily quiet on our afternoon loop.

TBH I’d much prefer the stages to be kept secret (locals were out sessioning every day in the run-up to the event), practised only in the morning and raced in the afternoon.

That way everyone has to do a decent bit of pedalling. It is enduro, after all, not downhill.

I’d agree that it seems overpriced compared to some other events where they build new tracks.

I know the timing costs a lot, but it was still far from infallible. It missed one of my mate’s runs completely, and for some reason my times were all 10% slower than the winner’s???

I thought the stages were way too short, a total of just 7-8 minutes of racing. Double the loop to 20k and there would’ve been plenty of other sections they could’ve linked up on the same hills

Initially when they announced the stages I was surprised how short they were too, but personally on the day thought it worked well. Being able to have multiple goes on shorter trails was good imo.

TBH I’d much prefer the stages to be kept secret (locals were out sessioning every day in the run-up to the event), practised only in the morning and raced in the afternoon.

Whether they are secret or not its still a locals advantage (and is always going to be) At least announcing them 2 weeks before gives people from a bit further away at least a bit of time to do a recce.

That way everyone has to do a decent bit of pedalling. It is enduro, after all, not downhill.

I thought this format works well, as it gives you the flexibility. If you have the fitness, then you can keep hitting the stages over and over, which should result in better times. 🙂