Mick Kirkman reports from an enduro race with a difference – you race it with a friend…
Earlier this week in Les Arcs, France, the second edition of Enduro2 saw over 300 racers take on the stunning and technical trails in the area.
(If you want to see Dave Anderson’s report of the first running of the race, check out Issue 100 in the MagArchive – Ed)
Raced over three days, the Enduro2 format puts teams of two racing together as pairs to add a new exciting and fun twist on enduro racing. Racers came from 16 different nations to compete, with friends or couples helping each other down the massive stages set in amazing high Alpine scenery and dense technical forest.
Over three days the race moves across the Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry area mixing up well shaped bike park terrain (that’s a match for anything else in Europe) with technical steep walkers paths that are the jewel in the crown of this enduro riders’ paradise.
Day one, Saturday, gave a great introduction to Les Arcs’ wide variety of terrain, with 5 timed stages taking in bike park trails and a few of the technical natural walking trails that are some of the most fun to ride in the Alps. The Funicular railway dispatched 300 riders up to Les Arcs 1600, then up to the top of the hill via the Cachette Chairflift, gaining 1500m in altitude in under 15 minutes.
By making the most of this superb lift system, the organisers were able to design a course with 12,000m+ descent in only 2 and 1/2 days.
Riders enjoyed the ski station of Peisey-Vallandry on the second day, with six exciting stages and lunch and drinks in Vallandry. The Les Arcs area is blessed with superb, well-drained trails, and the greasy trails were replaced by fast, dry singletrack and grippy conditions.
A final three stages of Enduro2 were dispatched on Monday morning back in the Les Arcs sector, and after the final stage, the fastest teams celebrated their win while most competitors hung around at Charley’s Factory in Bourg St Maurice for a well earned beer or two.
Full results can be found here:
http://www.sportident.co.uk/
And there’s even a video:
Can’t see it? Click here.
The organisers say:
“See you all next year for the 3rd Edition of the Les Enduro2, 24 to 26 Juin 2017. Keep an eye on the Les Arcs website for information about how to enter – the event always sells out quickly, so please don’t wait! Entries for 2017 will be released on 1st December 2017.”
Enduro2 couldn’t happen without the help of our awesome sponsors:
- lesarcs.com
www.stagescycling.eu
www.trailaddiction.com
http://www.ridefox.com
http://myprotein.com
http://vango.co.uk
