Wannabe – EWS level fitness

Having ridden some of the stages in the Tweed valley, i am trying to get my head around the level of fitness required, particularly on the longer stages and the ability to attack climbs, then drop into technical sections and come out unscathed, much kudos for the level of fitness the elite guys must have, but what tactics do the wannabes use, are you running on empty, or just really good at pacing yourselves?

PS Any specific training advice, much appreciated.

I’m far from race fit and my prep was just long days in the saddle. Typical day would be climb to the top of GT then plenty of off piste stuff down, then cycle to Caberston, climb to the top and do a couple of sections then cycle to Inners and do the same, then cycle back to Glentress. Was getting 30-40 mile rides in. On the race weekend a combination of perfect hydration and nutrition plus adrenalin got me round fairly easily and I never felt exhausted. Ended up with an almost exact mid-pack finish in the E2 class.

Cheers, to give some perspective, how would you feel riding a long stage, with multiple trails interspersed with fire road and the odd climb.
PS. it seems an odd question, i’m just trying to guage how much effort you put into a stage, i have never watched an enduro so have no idea.

I felt ok. Even the uphill sprint after zoom or bust wasn’t a problem. I was dreading the fire road section in the middle of S1 at Caberston but it was actually fine. Just grit my teeth and got the head down.

Nice to know, you obviously put in the preparation, those were big days out.

Dobber’s approach- I guess I’m fit for a weekend warrior but I’m no machine, I don’t train or anything, I just ride quite a lot, and my everyday riding is probably quite enduro-ish. I ended up dropping into E2 because of an injury, but with hindsight I could have completed the E1 race without too much trouble (my bike wouldn’t- I snapped it just before the end of the last stage on day 1!). I ended up 80th which was lower-middly. I was actually in better shape after the weekend than I am after a typical SES round.

I suppose, it comes in 2 parts, pacing the race and pacing the stages. I put everything I can into each stage, I never think “take it easy on stage 1 because you’ll need it later” or whatever, I can sustain that level of effort over a weekend.

But I do put a lot of effort into trying to pace the actual stages, so I put the effort in the right places and keep myself in good shape. It’s not just tiredness, once I’m blown out my riding and mindset goes to crap, I blew up completely at kinlochleven one time and ended up actually walking bits I should have ridden just because I was a broken man and wasn’t thinking well 😆

So, at EWS I took 3G pretty relaxed frinstance, and had bags of power left for the fireroad sprint, and passed a bunch of people there and was more composed for splash and dash’s pain in the arse bits. Worked out really well, for me. And likewise on jawburn I could have put a lot more speed into some of the earlier sections but I wanted to be relaxed and clearheaded once it got harder. I was pretty pleased with those 2, I could have put in a little more effort but not massively. But I screwed up 2 stages at glentress pretty badly, ended up just trundling down the end of mast of zorro as I was done in, there was loads of time to make there- and did the opposite kept far too much in reserve for the fort and threw away tons of time in the middle where I should have beasted it. So those stages really hurt my overall.

But that’s all basically racecraft rather than fitness, knowing what you have and what you can do with it seems to be more important than having 1% more power or whatever.

Thanks for the very in depth reply northwind, just the sort of knowledge a wannabe is looking for.

Fellow wannabes got to stick together 😉 Best thing to do is probably just ride yourself some race-conditions rides tbh, I’ve done most of my learning through racing but if I had half a brain I’d have sped that up with “race practice”.

I ended up 80th

Beat me by 1.4 seconds. Grrr.

I did the race at Whistler this year, as my induction into the EWS.

I’ve done a few rounds of the UK series for the last few years, still race a bit of regional DH, the Mega, etc. Reasonably fit, I do a bit of training (nowhere near enough) – when I stay on the bike and ride well, i’m not too bad (5th in my Mega qualifier for example).

Fitness wise, it was probably the hardest thing i’ve done on a bike. i think I ended the (race) day having done about 75km. Climbing wise, i’d have to check my Garmin, but I seem to remember well in excess of 3000 meters. I finished almost exactly at 50%, with a puncture on stage 4 that lost me about 6 minutes if I look to the people I was comparable to for the rest of the race, which could have put me around the top 1/3 mark.

However, it was brutal, I was in bits most of the day, the heat, the water management, the monsterous (2+ hours) transitions and long stages really did me in. I made it to stage 4 with a minute to spare (2h30m transition) and had to ride probably the hardest, most techy trail I have in a long time – I could barely even see straight.

Basically, I don’t think for these, unless you’re pro, you an ever be fit enough to go all in, each stage. You need good upper body strength, when its steep and wild at the end of the day to hang on to the bike in rough stuff, a good aerobic base for a long day in the saddle, and massive anaerobic capacity to tap into when on stage.

The thing I found that made the biggest difference was smashing myself to pieces doing intervals on the turbo, if you can ride anyway, the biggest limiting factor I have always found is more power & fitness between the good guys, and the top guys.

That sounds really brutal racing those stages, as I suspected, a real sufferfest and probably no less taxing, for the guys at the bottom of the field, it seems there are no short cuts and it really is a race at all levels in the EWS, this is all very enlightening, thanks again.

I made it to stage 4 with a minute to spare (2h30m transition)

That the transition you had a bit of a lie down at the start of? 😉

From what I hear, and have been shown graphs of, the Whistler EWS was unecessarily difficult, but The Man won’t let people say that….

tbh You need to just get out and ride, as all miles are ‘good’ miles plus been use to climbing really helps.

Probably the best ‘training’ is to just out and ride, for the day – look for +40 miles and +6000ft of climbing. Once you get near that you’ll be fit enough for the EWS; and then there is the hard bit – are you skilled enough?

For me, I live in the Tweed Valley and have ridden the route. I can do the distance and the climbing no problem, just can’t come down the serious stuff at any great speed.

Well the thing is, I am no where near that amount of climbing at the moment, skill wise I can ride the trails, but as you say, race them is a totally different kettle of fish, but to be honest I love the stages, it’s the sort of riding I really enjoy, I am just curious about what it would take to possibly take part, hence a wannabe!

BoardinBob – Member

Beat me by 1.4 seconds. Grrr.

Nyah nyah. If it’s any consolation I should have been DQ’d after day 1, my bike broke too badly to ride back to Peebles so I couldn’t complete the lap. But I was too far down the field for them to be bothered doing the paperwork 😆

It’s not just fitness and skill.Orange ,black and blue kit makes you faster,fact 😉

From what I hear, and have been shown graphs of, the Whistler EWS was unecessarily difficult, but The Man won’t let people say that….

I think there is an interview with the winner that might of hinted that.

Nothing that comparable but had to pick up my fitness for a race in January, 7 stages, 4 days and lots of pedalling in the middle stages were more xc up there was time to be made descending hard. Most were about an 1 to 1.5 hour stages. I ended up just hitting the local trails and doing a solid 90min ride no stops no pauses, hard all the way. That was a few times a week and some longer general fitness rides and some long road work. Paid off for me. Again the hardest bit was making technical decisions when exhausted I remember popping off something that turned out to be a small gap while hanging. I wasn’t making decisions by that stage.
Also for something like that you want to know your body and how it works, reacts and know when and how to fuel.

I just about made it round EWS E1, was on the edge of my ability on some of the stages, fitness wise I managed the transitions OK, but getting to the start of each stage I was shagged and found it hard to focus on the techy descents!

so basically get out on lots of long rides with loads of climbing, then do some more

it has to be said race prep is very important, we did ukge at innerleithen; 3 days of riding, the weekend before, followed by 2 days ews practice followed by 2 days racing…… was a mistake really

you need plenty of good rest the week leading up, eat well and come race day eat a decent breakfast and get plenty of water in you before you start- its better to need a piss at the start of the 1st stage than to have drunk half your water

so you need some practice getting into race mondset, ukges are a good place to start

I think there is an interview with the winner that might of hinted that.

This shy, quiet, retiring American chap was staying at bear back biking with me (and if I’m right, hob nob) and didn’t have too much to say about it really

http://theteamrobot.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-whistler-ews.html

I just don’t understand what this race was about. All weekend long when people asked me what I thought of the race, I told them I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand why the course builders wanted it to be such a long day.

I like that. I had an, er, let’s call it a totally productive moment of clarity and personal learning, and not at all a spitting of the #endummy, at the UKGE at Innerleithen last year… One of the stages had us transition up a swamp, in order to ride down a red route climb, even though there was a perfectly good red route descent running parallel to it, then riding past prespacker and staying on that good ol red route descent climb, and then just to rub it in afterwards transitioned past the Alistair Lees which we weren’t even riding- look over there, it’s the archetypal scottish enduro stage, wave as you pass by.

The explanation? “It makes the stage the longest we’re doing and it adds to the total mileage”. And yes it was the longest, because halfway down you lost the will to live and just had to lie down for a while and cry. On race day I got to the end of the stage before and just thought **** it, I cannot be bothered. And it was seeded so I couldn’t just go and ride the good stages. So I went home and played Final Fantasy 7 instead, correct decision, the graphics have aged really badly but the story’s still brilliant.

Agree with the last few comments, organisers need to forget about total mileage, difficult transition stages etc etc and simply organise a cracking DH race spread over several stages….if they took that approach then they wont go too far wrong, find some excellent downhill sections ranging from 2-10 minutes long and race them…who cares if they’re all close together and the total mileage is short?…the direction Enduro seems to be going will turn a lot of people off.

The original concept was about taking your 140-180mm bike and thrashing it down some trails, the transitions are very much an afterthought, a necessary evil if you like, so why do organisers seem to want to push the importance of something that doesnt actually contribute to your overall time?!….like the article said; its almost like the organisers want their Enduro to be as hard as possible…thats fine but do it with hard downhill timed sections not pointlessly hard transitions.

Still the best one i’ve been to was Eastridge UKGE in its first year, the timed sections were fast, steep and sometimes technical…the transitions were so laid back you could push up while having a chat to your mates, perfect….i got bitten by the bug and entered a load after that….i’ll tentatively race a few more next year but if they start to become the bastard child of XC then i’m out.

One of the appealing things to me is it’s not 5 DH stages but trail/AM riding and stiffer transitions mean it’s harder to take a full on Dh style bike out for the day. I’m not sure how original the concept really is as there are 4/5 different origins over Europe and the states before the UK even heard of it. All different I think the Italian version aimed to drop 50/60% of competitors on transition where as the early UK ones allowed you to walk a DH bike round if you wanted to then have a brew – one mate even ducked back to the campsite for a dump on one of them and people were detouring and putting spikes on at the first Ae round.
The importance of the transition part is to stop it being just another DH race with super burly bikes.

The appeal for me is that a rider has other stages to claw back time that they may have lost due to a mistake or a mechanical, in true DH its one run only and a mistake costs you the entire weekend, with Enduro you can cock up on one stage but knuckle down for the rest of the weekend and still come away the winner, for me its DH without the pressure cooker environment but i accept other people will have other ideas.
If i want to ride 50-60 km round my local woods i can do that any day of the week but having someone find (or construct) several excellent predominantly downhill stages for me to ride one after the other is harder to find.

Obviously you dont want people lugging around full-on DH rigs but when even the pros start to complain about transition times then the organisers have probably got it wrong.

Obviously you dont want people lugging around full-on DH rigs but when even the pros start to complain about transition times then the organisers have probably got it wrong.

The EWS is a WORLD series, I’d expect at least half the field to struggle. At the Tweed one they added plenty of time on for the transitions – as I rode over to watch some of it and the ladies managed at least a 30 mins wait on top of Minch.

Well the thing is, I am no where near that amount of climbing at the moment, skill wise I can ride the trails, but as you say, race them is a totally different kettle of fish, but to be honest I love the stages, it’s the sort of riding I really enjoy, I am just curious about what it would take to possibly take part, hence a wannabe!

OP, just get out and ride – find the hills; where are you based?

There are 2 different things here.

The UKGE races are pretty lenient on the transitions in my experience. I have found (apart from Innerleithen this year, as we all spent most of the day pushing bikes up hills) you can generally spin up in comfort chatting. But I don’t think it should be 5 DH trails, on a short loop, otherwise people will just bring a DH bike. There has to be a balance of distance Vs trails. Personally I would like to see loops of 40-45km, a decent amount of climbing, which can be ridden. Stages should be a bit of a mix of everything, not too much uphill though!

The EWS I expect to be harder, and rightly so, it is the pinnacle of the sport after all. It does make sense it’s harder going up as well as down. I think the Whistler one was the limit of what people can, and will put up with – i’ve seen a few people comment about events trying to outdo each other, which I guess they are only in the second year is them finding their feet still. I’m doing the Finale Ligure round next month too so will be interesting to compare the two.

It’s not just the transition though, at whistler stage 5 was over 11km and taking over 21 minutes to complete for the top pro. At the moment if I go as fast as I can, I struggle with stamina on any descents that take longer than about 5 minutes. It is beyond my comprehension how they can ride so fast and for so long. Though I guess people manage Mega.

At the moment if I go as fast as I can, I struggle with stamina on any descents that take longer than about 5 minutes

Then, without wanting to sound out of order, it sounds like you don’t have the required fitness to compete at that level.

That doesn’t mean the level is wrong, it just means you’re not at that level.

A halfway house would be good for us mortals*, but for a world series (even national) I would think 5 mins would be right down at the bare minimum required.

* And we have other smaller events and mini-Enduros to cater for that.

I know that I’m not at that level 🙂

It is just beyond my current comprehension how they achieve that level of stamina.

It is just beyond my current comprehension how they achieve that level of stamina

Don’t try and wrap your head around pro 24hr Solo XC racers then!

There’s always someone fitter/faster/stronger to chase, that’s why I love racing!

It’s not just the transition though, at whistler stage 5 was over 11km and taking over 21 minutes to complete for the top pro. At the moment if I go as fast as I can, I struggle with stamina on any descents that take longer than about 5 minutes. It is beyond my comprehension how they can ride so fast and for so long. Though I guess people manage Mega.

yep, and factor in that was at the end of an 8 hour day on the bike, at 90 degree heat. Although, that said the last stage was the easiest of the lot, it was just long (and very fast). It was still tough though. The Top of the world trail until you get back to the park is littered with flat bits, punchy little climbs and loads of rocky sections to stall you on, so it was very physical still, until it opened up into the bikepark section which was flat out. That’s where I was most worried about nailing myself, at the end of a long day, in which you’re tired, dehydrated, battered, bruised & just want to stop, you have to concentrate super hard to process what’s coming at you at warp speed.

The Mega is a different experience though – Quali day is 20-25 minutes and race days is 40m-1h, unless you are out front, you don’t generally get a clear trail, so spend a lot of time being held up & not working on the limit, but when you get the chance you tend to go way over it to overtake people.

That’s not to say its easier at all, just a very different experience.

I think the short version of what you need to do & where you need to be to compete well in these events is basically be the ‘complete package’. You need to be able to ride a bike well, be physically strong, have good endurance, and a mean sprint you can constantly repeat…

The mean sprint thing for sure

I know a few and suspect a lot more if the fast ukge racers have secret turbo-interval sessions

I watched the UK EWS and the thing that surprised me most was the effort the top riders put into the fire road sprint climbs, they were absolutely flat out on them, Cav style.

I think all enduro stages should have some climb/pedal in them, makes it more about the rider than the bike… and it’s the only chance I’ve got against everyone on their 160mm mince tanks.

I think all enduro stages should have some climb/pedal in them, makes it more about the rider than the bike… and it’s the only chance I’ve got against everyone on their 160mm mince tanks.

Agree, if I can get back 10-20 secs on a climb, it’ll take them a fair while to get that back on a descent.

think all enduro stages should have some climb/pedal in them, makes it more about the rider than the bike… and it’s the only chance I’ve got against everyone on their 160mm mince tanks.

Agree, if I can get back 10-20 secs on a climb, it’ll take them a fair while to get that back on a descent.

the opposite was team robots point, basically an XC racer could easily put time into you on a climb, but you would stuggle to put the same time into XC man on the downs, even if he minced the whole way. Not really the point in what is supposed to be a gravity fuelled sport.

Not really the point in what is supposed to be a gravity fuelled sport.

You probably confuse enduro with dh then. Enduro is mountain biking, and mountain biking is pushing the crank all the way up, and try not to be the last of the group to finish the descent in order to avoid to pay the round. Although number wise I think EWS whistler was more on the par with a trans-vesubienne, don’t forget it’s a World series, therefore made so that the pros can compete at their best.

Looking at the bloke who is likely to win the EWS this year, he is probably one of the most complete riders out there. The season before the EWS started (summer down here in Oz) he was hitting the podium in XCO National races and DH in the same weekend. He hit the podium at the XCO in Stromlo then matched Sick Mick in the DH qualifying the same afternoon.
I know enduro is still evolving but in reality you need to be looking at being that capable at both ends of the disciplines to be the best. Tracey Mosely was racing World Cup XC when she was prepping for EWS.

I plan to hit 2 massive XC stage races in prep for hopefully doing EWS1 next year (4 day stage race then a 2 day stage race the following weekend)