Hi chaps,

I was gonna email the guys at Borders Bike festival, but thought it’d be good to get a bit of a consensus first.

The Borders RAID Enduro sounds like a good ride out, 50km and 4 timed stages. And the guys do amazaing job of running the event – the best organised ive ever attended.

It does have a cutoff time of 4hours and 30 minutes.

To me, that sounds like it would put a lot of people off, especially if it got muddy and draggy.

Here’s the link:http://www.bordersbikefestival.com/selkirk-raid-50k.html

They do say they might relook at the cut off times.

I’m thinking of the growing female enduro/riding scene in the borders and central Scotland too…

Cheers

Ricks

I think that seems tight , i have done the 50k event twice before . 2010 was pretty good conditions and took me around 4 hours i think . The last time was 2014 and it took me considerably longer ! due to wet conditions and a bit of the lurgy . The only thing is i think its the cut off in the sense of at 4.5 we start adding penalties on to your stage times not in the marathon cut off if your not at a certain point were putting you in the back of a van way .
after 2014 i swore i would only do it again if the 2 weeks before had been dry 🙂

5hrs in the 2014 50km for me, which was 23rd out of 103, couldn’t have done it faster! It was muddy as though. Reading it again though it’s not so much a cut off but when they start adding time penalties.

That is tight, although these times seem to be quite fluid dependant on conditions.

Chaps, the 4 ½ hour target time was taken from last years’ 50Km event. It’s a mid point time so achievable by an average rider. But it gets better!
The Raid timing starts when you dib into the first timed stage. So you have already completed the first of the days’ climbs. This gives everyone the same 4.5 hours to complete the course regardless of how long you wait at the top. So, you can have an easy spin up the first climb and wait your turn without getting stressed-oot. Also, the first stage is on a different descent to the marathon route, so no hold-ups. Everyone happy??

hi Pete – I recall that first Selkirk Merida – 2003 or so? I was a bit bushed by the end, to say the least. Great route though!

Callum

8)

Sounds interesting this, I don’t know that end of the valley well at all, need to check it out… (eh… not being funny but is this just being announced? Surprised I didn’t already know about it…)

Is it mass start at 10am?

Yep – 10am mass start (1st May) in the centre of Selkirk. Raid (Enduro) riders can bimble a bit up the first hill though, as Pete describes.

Event website is: http://www.bordersbikefestival.com

If everyone* (doing the ENDURO) is allowed heading to S1 at the same time the queue there will be shit. It’s bad enough it events where riders go off at intervals

*assuming they’ve got a half decent number of entrants

I imagine most people will be doing the standard Marathon. There weren’t any queues on timed stages in 2014 anyway. The first climb really draws the field out anyway, especially I imagine the enduroists wheezing up the hills on their mince tanks ‘saving energy’

It’s not a totally new thing this Legend, they know what they’re about. Though it does make me wonder about queuing too.

(is the first climb that bastard up to the 3 brethren? Looks like it might be from the profiles. In which case I’ll do my bit for thinning the crowds by tortoising up it.)

If everyone* (doing the ENDURO) is allowed heading to S1 at the same time the queue there will be shit. It’s bad enough it events where riders go off at intervals

If S1 is at the top of 3B or the like they won’t all manage to get to the top together anyway, in fact I’d guess of anything up to an hour between the first and last.

And anyway, not meeting the ‘cut’ only means time been added to your overall time.

We were out last night on some on the sections, running well 🙂

is the first climb that bastard up to the 3 brethren? Looks like it might be from the profiles. In which case I’ll do my bit for thinning the crowds by tortoising up it

Duchess’s Drive in Bowhill is my guess

New thing ? Its the Selkirk Merida with timed descents added. Very clever Paul and Pete !

I am sure it will be awesome. Although I do recall doing this a few years ago and not getting close enough to the front and having to queue for the singletrack at the first descent, and that was without dibbing.

Imagine the size of the queue behind you 😉

Anyone know how the trails will compare to Valleylujah stuff?

This year’s Valleyleujia? Or last year’s?

It’ll be similar to last year’s, just a bit less technical.

It’ll be more technical than this years Valleyleujia (based on the stages reported in the site).

We’re not aiming at being a Gnar-fest with the Raid. Think of it more as a way in to the sport for the Enduro-curious. Almost Enduro-Lite, if you will.

That said, the stages are technical enough to be interesting (and for the cream to rise to the top), but nowt stupid. I’m a VERY long way from being a riding god and I can just about get down in one piece with a smile on my face 🙂

Paul McG – Member

That said, the stages are technical enough to be interesting (and for the cream to rise to the top)

Luckily for some of us, it’s not just cream that floats 😆