First Enduro Race – FOD mini enduro

On impulse I’ve just signed up for the mini enduro at FOD in October. Been considering one for a few years but never gone for it.

Any tips / things to consider?

Bike wise I’ve got a Transition Sentinel with a 160mm Lyrik / Vivid coil and a selection of tyres so doesn’t really matter what the weather does.

I ride FOD usually once or twice a month – mixture of DH trails and off piste.

Not sure what trails they use for mini enduro – hoping not elephant man with that horrible ‘chutey’ thing at the bottom that I’ve never braved. I’ve also not yet sent the drop / jump thing on Cougar.

I always wear knee pads and have a lightweight full face helmet I can wear.

Anyone else on here signed up for it?

You’re fit as a butchers dog and ride all the time, you’ll be grand!

Fitness shouldn’t be an issue – but speed downhill might be. My main aspiration at this time is to finish in one piece and not last!

They generally don’t use anything ‘official’ for the Minis & quite often it’s a mash up of various tracks/trails (start on one, finish on another with a fresh bit in the middle).

It will probably be a mudder, and hellishly pedally, one of the stages earlier this year i think actually increased in elevation rather than went down & it also happened to be a swamp.

Otherwise no real advice other than consider the order you practice in (sometimes it’s worth doing them in reverse order to keep the first ones fresh in your mind) and stop to look at things & don’t be a sheep if there isn’t tape, or the trail is wide.

See you there.

Looks fun. I may sign-up and camp over Saturday night.

@HobNob – was rather hoping the stages would be mostly downhill with climbs mainly on fire roads! Are you entering then? I’ll be in the ‘veteran’ class sadly ?

@mandog – the more the merrier! I doubt I’ll camp as I only live in Bristol. The last ‘race’ I did was the Cheddar Challenge XC back in the 90’s and I have bad memories of camping in a field so muddy I couldn’t get the car up there. By the time I’d gone up and back with all my stuff I just dragged my bike in the tent and crashed out without any fun. The race was then so muddy the mud spikes I had on were completely clogged and it was 2 laps of sheer misery!

They usually are mostly gravity based, just the one earlier this year didn’t stand up well to the bad weather, so it was grim (and a bit flat).

Yes, I think I will enter it. I don’t ever ride the cycle centre trails, other than the blue for fitness/training stuff despite living here, but racing adds a different perspective. Also will be in vets.

Sweet. I ride a mixture of stuff – sometimes if I’m tight on time I’ll just ride of mixture of DH trails / the 2 enduro trails / rubber duck climb sort of stuff. Have been to a few other off piste areas this year, but not as much as I have done in previous years. Ridden Rowberrow quite a lot as it’s quicker to get to  and a bit of Cwmcarn / Risca.

AS above i’d expect to see it on the lesser areas and trails, along with a lot of off-piste newly cut/taped stuff. It’s often over the new skills side and/or the trails not quite over by elephant man, but just before them coming from the skills area.

I’m a possibly, but would likely be on the Ebike anyway. As always it’s been a long weekend away this weekend so i’ve not really looked into it much yet :)

Get it signed up Weeksy!

I will mate, just catching up on the world after the weekend and sorting out Pearce uplift for him for the weekend after next along with sorting his bike and tyres for the National this weekend and sorting/checking bike etc… So honestly i’ll get it booked. Just loads of stuff on and after having ridden both days (even on an Eeb) i’m bloody tired lol.

No Zwift race today then presumably!

Fitted a new rear tyre with the enduro in mind (did have a Xynotal enduro / soft on there but switched it for an enduro/ soft Kryptotal given all the rain) – front will either be as pictured or a Hillbilly if it’s gopping in the run up to the race.

Back to spds as I think I’m generally faster on them than flats.

New shock seems good – can run a softer spring than the last coil shock but without bottoming as the hbo is there to catch it and the damping seems a little heavier anyway. Seems very plush yet can still pop off jumps.

It’s a fine looking thing.

I’m still on the fence as i’ve got to see how much it costs to get the boy out to IXS etc next weekend, as it’s coming up to end of the year in terms of budget, times are a bit tighter than some months… I’m more than 50-50 though.