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Generic question for the resident Vital enduro racers out there: What format do you prefer? One day enduro vs multi day enduro.
I ask this question hoping regional event promoters will take notice. Considering 95% of racers have full time jobs, I find the multi-day format to be time prohibitive and honestly not as fun as the single day format. Realize, I'm focusing on the regional level events here, not the EWS level - (at the EWS level, all the top contenders ride their bike for a living - multi day is fine!)
Personally, I'd take 3 quality stages, all raced on Sunday over 6+ mediocre stages raced over the entire weekend. In the single day format I can, in theory, take no days off from work, have a fun weekend racing at a lower entry fee. The multi-day format generally requires 2 days off from work unless I want to race blind, not to mention higher entry fee costs.
Honestly, I love racing, but $200+ entry fees and dedication of most vacation days are making it harder and harder to justify.
Any thoughts?
I ask this question hoping regional event promoters will take notice. Considering 95% of racers have full time jobs, I find the multi-day format to be time prohibitive and honestly not as fun as the single day format. Realize, I'm focusing on the regional level events here, not the EWS level - (at the EWS level, all the top contenders ride their bike for a living - multi day is fine!)
Personally, I'd take 3 quality stages, all raced on Sunday over 6+ mediocre stages raced over the entire weekend. In the single day format I can, in theory, take no days off from work, have a fun weekend racing at a lower entry fee. The multi-day format generally requires 2 days off from work unless I want to race blind, not to mention higher entry fee costs.
Honestly, I love racing, but $200+ entry fees and dedication of most vacation days are making it harder and harder to justify.
Any thoughts?
Then there is the cost side of things. Muli-day events usually cost me $500+ per race after the entry fee, lodging, and food are accounted for. Next season I'll be looking for more 1 day events that are closer to the $100 range. Locally, that puts me racing DH next year and not enduro.
Again, EWS or even National level events this won't cut it. But for grassroots and regional stuff, why not? This would mitigate costs substantially (for the organizer). It also might open up more opportunities for bike parks to run races for next to no money. Finally, it would allow a guy like me to run an enduro (on DH specific trails) in a similar fashion to the Colorado Trail Race (no entry fee, no prize money)
Obviously I think racing is cool, but all the "flair" around it often times isn't needed. Less is more. Simple. Keep it fun.
Anyone remember the Thunder Valley slalom series? More of this. Less "sorry mom I can't come home for Christmas cause I spent all my money and time off racing".
If you just want to "Strava Race" your bros for free, you can do it right now!
The easiest, most fool proof way I have seen is what they used @ Ashland this year.
Moto hare scramble type timing where they print off your start time on a sticker, then after you cross the line print another sticker with the finish time. Super easy, super mellow.
Do some quick math and you know your times right after you finish up to 3 decimal places.
Or use the cool transponders they use for EWS/TransProvence, but way more cash needed.
EDIT: Apologies on the thread derail, still more curious about what format people prefer....
And a truck takes you to the top so you have the energy to truly perform at your best.
The current format is usually this: Drag your ass out to whatever a race promoter wants to say is 'enduro' which means some trail they like riding. Then you practice that along with lots of other people on that course and three or four others, and celebrate 'winning at life' after that. Then you do it again the next day, say the same thing, and leave the 'race course' tattered, beat and a bit wider than before.
Lets just do less of that, and make it one day. Even better, don't tell anyone what the course is before that morning, so it is more fair for everyone, and people traveling don't feel like they are already behind. Maybe the extra day could be left for the promoter to clean up everything and do some trail maintenance on the trails that were used, so the whole community that normally rides the trails for 'fun' has a good taste in their mouths.
I would actually prefer a race where no pre-riding is allowed. Sure, there will be people who know the trails due to being locals, but they won't know every trail in a race series. To me, this is what enduro should be. A true test of how well you can read and ride the terrain in front of you.
Seriously, I get that there are certain races born out of multi day radness (transprovence, some EWS level stuff) but again, at the local to regional level, it just seems to make for a rushed weekend whereby everybody is more stressed about racing something blind/nearly blind.
Back in my DH racing days, practice was the most fun. Those who want to take it seriously can still take an extra day to really get thing dialed and practice the shit out of the courses - play with lines, have fun dialing in their race runs. Fitness still plays into the single day events (you can still have a "big" single day event).
I think the best "blind" racing I've ever heard of was how they've run enduros in France. Tape a raw course down the side of the mountain utilizing existing trail in spots they absolutely have to - otherwise, its new race course. Everyone gets one inspection run in the morning followed by a race run.
That's as fair of racing as you'll get while still keeping things safe.
Racing blind is a surefire way for people to get hurt. To be honest, I'd race blind at a smaller even with less-than-gnarly trails but outside of that I would probably hang it up if thats the direction things went. Riding fast on a trail I've never ridden doesn't add up to me.
Now if you as a race organizer want to have the best participant attendance happen, a 1 day race for non pro-level races, or amateur will give you the best attendance as you dont have to commit all weekend to it
Top level events, sure, run whatever you think will determine the "best enduro racer". But as a guy who does this as a hobby, (as you are implying) the local, state and even regional events should stick with the one day format. Again, I argue it makes it *more* fair for the entire field (locals and non locals, guys with the week off and guys with no time off) as learning 3-4 stages is a lot more digestable in a day or two than learning 6-7.
Now I'm talking in circles...
However, it's still fun to do a big multi day race once per year as well. For me, that's Monarch Crest, where the courses are released many months in advance with the hopes that everybody can get out to pre-run it.
More important than both of those for me is general organization. Some races run very smoothly and it's awesome, whereas some end up eating up a bunch of practice time trying to find transfers, stages, or worse.
If you can ride most any trail, you can race an enduro. It absolutely is not an "elite only" type of sport, in fact, was kind of born out of the opposite... (everyone can go out and have fun ont he bike)
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