We ask a race organiser to explain the situation and discuss the future of the UK Enduro scene
"And the costs for hosting an Enduro race have also especially increased since the Covid era"
Are we still blaming Covid on random stuff or is there a genuine reason for this? It felt like enduro races were getting more and more expensive before that regardless. Is it a way of milking riders? Ard Rock for example - its fkn massive. Huge numbers of riders, huge amount of support, huge amount of demand and yet last time I checked, tickets to ride it were north of £100 aren't they? Is it the demand, especially for Ard Rock, thats driving up prices for tickets and not (just) all the background/hosting costs?
Respect to Kev for keeping the scene alive.
£60 is not necessarily so expensive for an event, given the obvious challenges of organising this discipline in comparison to other bike events (I did a gravel race at the weekend that cost slightly more to enter). A quiet night out on the ale costs more.
But it does need at least one or two things that are excellent for it to appeal to most riders at that price, especially those entering solo, ie not with a crowd of mates - Daz, Baz and their full English ebike crew will always be up for some enduro-ing. £60 for enduro stages that felt big and hard would be great value. For more of a grassroots event, doing the best we can with small hills, then it's a harder sell. Hope it's a success, he's clearly putting his back into it, and race organisation is hard AF.
I can't say Ard Rock or enduros in general feel that expensive. My Ard Rock ticket was £77.50 for the Friday and Boltby cost £73 for the weekend. My biggest issue with entering others is how difficult they are technically and physically. Technical difficulty is harder to quantify but there should be no excuse to not publish accurate distance and elevation details for each event.
I think you need to separate races from festivals. I would argue that events like ard rock are more of a festival with a big stage, bands and various other entertainment going on. All these additional costs and have to be funded by entry fees. A race doesn’t have to have them
"Are we still blaming Covid on random stuff or is there a genuine reason for this?"
I don't organise events but there was a lot of inflation post Covid, particularly for insurance - they've gone incredibly risk averse and want to squeeze everyone to the max for premiums (whilst also adding so much small print they avoid paying out in loads of cases). I cannot imagine the paperwork horror that is organising a race nowadays.
The essence of enduro was about covering distance, with transitions that had to be pedalled within a time limit and then if you managed that the race was won by racing mostly downhill and fairly tech trails blind or semi-blind. That strikes me as a very difficult format to do year after year - where do you find the new trails? And obviously it's very hard to spectate or film.
I did a load of more local enduro races when it was popular about 10-15 years ago - where I leant that although I'm not too slow in general, people who are good at racing are bloody fast, and under the pressure of a race I seem to ride my worst! (I still use strava when I ride and often notice I'll set PRs when I think I'm holding back and not riding too fast, just flowing).
With regard to derestricted E-bikes, I know Pedalhounds, my local series have a separate category. I’m not sure about the liability implications.
It’s a well run series, most fun on a hardtail, it’s a shame they lost PORC and Aston Hill.
My biggest issue with entering others is how difficult they are technically and physically. Technical difficulty is harder to quantify but there should be no excuse to not publish accurate distance and elevation details for each event.
Agreed - I got fed up with travelling to ride events that didn't justify the effort or expense - there was a Welsh Enduro that cost £59 and only had 4 stages and under 5 mins total race time. I'd love a £15 local mash up race with a few 1 minute stages, but I don't want to drive 3 hours expecting a proper event to get that.
Until they got the BNES round I'd never heard of Peaks enduro. Good luck and hope they are able to put on decent races that fill the void in the calendar.
@ben_haworth can you add the BNES dates and links to the article as well please? It would be good to give that series more exposure.
The price of entry, for someone who enters a lot of running races, actually seems quite reasonable to me. Ignoring parkrun, a local 5k or 10k race is around £20. For that you'll have 1 medic, some chip timing, a bit of tape, insurance and volunteer marshals. And even if they sell 200 place they won't make much profit.
Enduro is much more complex, has much more risk and covers a lot more ground. £60 doesn't seem bad to me at all.
there was a Welsh Enduro that cost £59 and only had 4 stages and under 5 mins total race time. I'd love a £15 local mash up race with a few 1 minute stages
What can you buy for £15 these days? You’re still going to need the same number of marshals, medics, timing stuff etc for a 1 minute stage as a two minute stage.
If there’s a feature or chute that’s a bit of a crash magnet, more marshals.
If a stage crosses an access track, (which is common on enduros I’ve done), more marshals again.
I always expected that commissaires brought cheap insurance as part of the deal?
SES is £95 this year...
Suspect the Cost of Living has added to all the prices for everything so that needs to be covered off.
Insurance is more expensive, medical/first aid is more expensive, marshalls that aren't just volunteers are more expensive, any rider levies for using the land are more expensive.
Suspect COVID has helped this rise in costs, but the cost of living has continued and made everything cost more money.
Things just aren't cheap now and organising an event has a lot of increased costs and those need covered. An enduro tends to need more of many things, so those costs also go up.
I don't think the costs will reduce any time.soon which is a real shame.
For many people, events help with the hobby/sport, so having fewer events isn't a great thing.
Have entries gone up as much as everything else?
Money isn't the problem. Especially if you can buy £5k bikes. Getting riders to turn up is. Just not sure why people aren't racing in the same numbers.
Really should re start but I'll probably forget again. Just struggle to get the time or motivation to drive for hours.
And now there are even less events to chose from whereas 10 years ago I'd have a huge choice which reduces the likelihood of entry even more. Perfect storm
What can you buy for £15 these days? You’re still going to need the same number of marshals, medics, timing stuff etc for a 1 minute stage as a two minute stage.
Not necessarily saying that's what they should cost, just roughly what I think those events are worth.
Appreciate there's unavoidable costs, and I'm happy to pay if I know the riding justifies the expense.
Racing has absolutely zero appeal for me and it's only partly to do with the expense. If I really wanted to do it I could, I just can't imagine why I'd bother.
It seems like a good way to ruin a weekends riding for me.
Racing has absolutely zero appeal for me and it's only partly to do with the expense. If I really wanted to do it I could, I just can't imagine why I'd bother.
It seems like a good way to ruin a weekends riding for me.
I have little interest in competition but races can be a great way of riding somewhere different, maybe somewhere you can't usually access, and can be a good day out. Having said that the older I get the more I sway towards a nice uplift day with loads of runs and little climbing
I have little interest in competition but races can be a great way of riding somewhere different, maybe somewhere you can't usually access, and can be a good day out
This is it for me. It's nice to get between the tape and give a race effort, but I really couldn't care if I'm first or last. To me enduro is about going somewhere to ride their best trails, or with the likes of Ard Rock, getting to ride some interesting trails I'm not able to at any other time.
Rider apathy has grown since the COVID era...event numbers across most disciplines aren't what they were.
I think some are returning to pre-covid levels and in some cases have grown, but overall, fewer people have an interest.
It is is also seen with most clubs, fewer people putting things on and fewer club riders out in club groups (however, they do seem to still be heading out, just in smaller groups).
If the numbers aren't there it'll be much harder to make events work financially, so fewer events will be held.
Hats off to all event organisers as it can't be an easy job or role to be doing.
Round 5: 3rd & 4th Oct – Fort William – Southern Enduro Series
@Ben_Haworth I think that should be Scottish Enduro as the organiser.
I haven't raced Enduro for years - Welsh Series about 8 years ago!
Kept meaning to enter their night enduro at Llandegla, but always forgot - shame to see that series end.
Daughter is interested in doing the Hope Women's at FoD, so will have to ride that with her as she's under 16.
With regard to cost, prices seem similar to some of the DH races that we enter. Entry prices for everything has gone up.
I will only enter a 'race' if its taking me somewhere new. I say 'race', as i am mid-pack at best. But festival events like Ard Rock are more appealing, as its tracks I wouldnt ride (being from the south coast) and there is plenty to do pre and post race, with food, entertainment and retailers. Therefore i think the £100 plus for a ticket makes it worthwhile.
Outside of this, I no longer partake in local events, as i dont find they offer VFM. £60 for a practice lap, a few hours sitting in a car park/field waiting for a start time, then 15 mins of racing doesnt do it for me anymore. Add to that some venues that arent open to public riding, yet a select few get to ride there..... and whilst i wont be challenging them, just seems a bit unfair.
Its a shame, as on paper, it sounds mint. A big day out on the bike, blind stages, big distances covered, the dream! Which is what we got at Enduro2 in meribel. Three proper big days. But i appreciate you wont get that in 99% of the UK.
I haven't "raced" in years. I say "raced" because I reckon most people go for the day out and to ride somewhere different. You only go to race if you are one of the interchangeable half dozenish people who podium every time.The vast majority of riders are simply making up the numbers. When prices of events started creeping up is what did it for me. Other than a few events that use private tracks you can ride any of the stages of most Enduros for not much more than a parking fee at any other time.
Pre covid I loved riding enduro events . Did most of the tweedlove events , dunkeld, fair city and PMBA at kirroughtree . As people have said it was a great way of finding good trails in places I hadn't ridden before , when I started I dont think trailforks was around . My first event was an eye opener in terms of off piste trails and how fit I was but the events gave me a motivation to improve my fitness and keep riding through the winter. I was always a back marker but had some great days out with a real sense of satisfaction at just finishing, the first 2 vallelujah events spring to mind .
It's a shame those events dont happen anymore, I never begrudged paying the entry fees but once you added petrol and the odd overnight stay it wasn't a cheap weekend and nothings got cheaper over the last few years for riders or organizers.
Im in New Zealand now and most riding venues will have an event run by the local club to raise funds for trail building and these are normally well attended and reasonably priced but no one is trying to make a living from it . The big events like the whaka in Rotorua are pretty expensive but there's medals , food , event village etc so you can see where the money goes .
I actually think the bigger issue isn’t bikes, uplift, or organisers trying to make money — it’s the general culture in the UK around regulation, risk and 'professionalism' of stuff which doesn't need to be a profession..
Pretty much everything here gets buried under layers of NIMBYism, “something must be done!!!” legislation, and professional risk-mitigation culture. By the time you’ve finished ticking all the boxes required to run anything, the cost has already exploded.
Think about what an enduro organiser has to deal with now: insurance, licences, VAT, professional accountancy, formal risk assessments, environmental consultations, permits, DBS/CRB checks (because horror there might be junior riders!), safeguarding policies, medical cover requirements, banking fees, making tax digital, mind boggling payroll systems, landowner fees, and often local authorities wanting their cut as well. 90% of it is expensive paperwork designed to prove you’ve thought about something rather than actually making the event better.
And most of it produces nothing tangible for riders. It’s just bits of paper that exist so someone somewhere can say the correct process was followed.
I think we all massively underestimate how much of everyday spending goes on these kinds of intangible compliance costs. Look at your own monthly budget — pointless and unclaimable insurances, licences, regulatory fees, service charges, stealth taxes, professional certifications, pointless workplace training courses — a huge chunk goes to “the man” for things that don’t actually improve your life or experience.
It’s the same story everywhere in the UK: the obsession with professionalising everything. Once you force organisers into formal training courses, certifications, consultants and compliance regimes, the cost base goes through the roof. Even something as simple as registering your own car as a minicab involves medical forms, permits, DBS checks, licences, inspections, and fees. You can't even labour on a building site without a biometric ID card. My local carboot sale now asks vendors to buy 'public liability' insurance in case something falls off their stall onto someone's foot - or some other ridiculous fantasy. It's a big societal swizz.
Contrast that with places where grassroots scenes are still allowed to be… grassroots.
Fell running is a good example. You can still turn up to loads of local races, chuck a few quid in a bucket, run up a hill, and have a cup of tea afterwards. It works because the culture hasn’t been completely captured by regulation, professionalisation and shite yet.
There’s actually a brilliant podcast series called Sonic Fields that covers the evolution of the UK music festival scene. It talks about how things went from free festivals and small community events to massive commercial operations like Glastonbury and Leeds. A big part of that shift wasn’t greed — it was regulation, compliance costs, insurance, licensing, policing requirements, and land-use restrictions.
Once those costs arrive, small grassroots events simply can’t survive. Only large commercial ones can absorb the overhead.
Enduro racing has basically going through the same process now. Miserable little country, turning into an impoverished version of the United States.
And then there’s the other side of it: the general cost of living.
Never mind the cost of actually entering an enduro — every cost in my life at the moment just feels insane. That’s probably a rant for another thread, but it all feeds into the same thing: people simply have less spare money to do stuff.
I’m single and earn reasonably well (apparently the top 10% of the country), and I’ve honestly never felt so bloody poor.
This month alone my 4-year-old van needed a new clutch — £2000.
My flat’s building insurance has just come in at £400 for the year this week.
Water bill is about £70 a month.
Power bill sitting around £130 a month.
Council Tax is £180 a month (with a single person's discount)
And that’s before food, fuel and everything else, never mind a fresh pair of brake pads.
I just don’t believe the government figures on the economy anymore because they bear absolutely no resemblance to what I see it actually costs to live. Inflation figures seem to have made zero sense ti ne,
I genuinely don’t understand how a lot of people are affording to do anything at the moment.
So when people say “why is enduro racing £100+?” — honestly I think the bigger question is how anyone has the spare money to race at all.
None of it really makes any sense.
You can still turn up to loads of local races, chuck a few quid in a bucket, run up a hill, and have a cup of tea afterwards.
That would be the prefect enduro for me!
apart from the running bit..
It does seem mad that a Scottish Enduro is £95 which is the same price as a Pearce DH race that comes with 2 days of very efficient uplift and 15-20 marshals so likely the same number in total albeit over a more limited area. Commissaire, medics, toilets, fences, skips etc should be pretty similar between types of event.
I suspect Joe's point about pointless paperwork is a big part of it. I know some older folk that used to lead rides for the CTC and British cycling's Breeze who have quit because each ride requires filling in forms saying you won't abandon anyone injured at the side of the road etc. The forms don't make anything safer, they are just ass covering that increases the cost of delivering an event.
Off topic, but are you sure you are top 10% income? Google suggests that is in the high 60ks, which should give a take home around 4k a month should still afford plenty of enduro entries!
I'm an event organiser (not Enduro). Joe is pretty much bang on.
There are a huge amount of interfaces with various bits of officialdom, local government, national government. All of these take time, and usually money. They generally don't acheive anything other than keeping an administrator in a job in an office somewhere.
To add another example to Joe's list, this annoyed me last week: I have to pay an annual fee to the Information Commissioners Office just so I can have your email address in a file somewhere. I have never had any other interface with the ICO. Its just a fee that enables them to exist. Its really another tax, and one that no-one sees. There are dozens of these.
Coming down the track soon are CQC inspired changes to how we have to deal with 1st Aid at events. If you think Enduro is expensive now, wait until that kicks in. It will simply not be feasible to organise small club type events - I can only imagine that CX and XC at local/regional level will disappear completely.
Tough times in the events world.
Not sure if links will post here. If not, a search for "CQC Event Medical Cover" should get you there.
In brief, if adopted (which looks likely from 2027 onwards), having a mate who's a Doctor, or the local Red Cross, or probably even the local Mountain Rescue Team doing event 1st aid will no longer be allowable. It will be a legal responsibility on the organiser to go much further in most cases (depending on a risk-based matrix, but cycle-sport will almost certainly be classed as high risk). Organisations offering event medical services will need to be CQC registered - this will be beyond the means of individuals, and probably also MRTs. Therefore event medical cover will inevitably become the domain of commercial companies. Which means cost. A lot of it. Small events are going to highly impacted, and I suspect a lot will just pull down the shutters.
At the moment I believe this is just England & Wales, but would assume Scotland will follow in similar fashion.
I’m in the Midwest of the US. My kids and I race our regional series. Like others have said, the ‘series’ aspect is really an added value. Getting to see people over and over, making friends from all over the region is great fun. I’m a perennial bottom 10% finisher, so I’m not doing it for the podiums.
For me, it’s seeing people, challenging myself and gettting to share that experience. The whole: “how did you get through that slimy rock garden?” Or “man was it ever hot, did you manage to cool down with the hose at the corner?”
We are fortunate that all races in our series are put on by different organizers, the series part only applies to series scoring. So, there is less of a lift and all events are volunteer organized and staffed, and our entry fees go to support the local bike trails club.