Shimano and Santa Cruz have stepped up to sponsor the Oregon Enduro Series in 2012. This race was the first race of the series and the first race to use the Enduro format instead of the past Super D format. This allowed the organizers to include trails like Tiddlywinks with it's awesome moto-roller-berm and high-speed whooped-out DH sections without turning the race into a timed XC grind. Saturday had 4 short stages with mellow transitions to each. Sunday was a longer race with far more pedaling on the Funner/Storm King trail combo.
Stage descriptions:
Stage 1, Funner: This section required almost constant pedaling but rewarded riders with a series of rock drops and short, but intense, technical rock puzzles that could be tricky at high speed. There are some unique and unusual features on this trail that were included in the course. A series of Y's in the trail required riders to remember which way was faster. There were also two log-ride features riders could choose to ride. The first was named "The Octopus" because of the branches protruding from the sides. It required a hard left hand turn onto the log but allowed for a straight sprint down it that cut almost 2 seconds from the course. The 2nd log-ride was a straight shot that ended in a 3' drop but provided 100 yards of straight-as-an-arrow sprinting and cut off another 2-4 seconds. Approx 7 mins for pro men.
Stage 2, Upper Tiddlywinks: A series of bermed turns through the woods until it opened up into a mini-moto or 4x track with doubles, rollers and berms that required smart line choices & jumping skills to stay up to speed. Approx 2.5 mins for pro men.
Stage 3, Lower Tiddlywinks: All-out, full-speed-ahead singletrack with some steep whoop sections. Seriously, this part was scary fast. Approx 7 mins for pro men.
Stage 4, Lower Storm King: Filled with flow and pedaling, lots and lots of pedaling with some short, punchy climbs. Approx 8 mins for pro men.
Stage 5, Funner & Lower Storm King: This stage was held on Sunday and was far more Super D style. Approx 18 mins for pro men.
View Complete Results from the Bend, Oregon Enduro presented by Shimano and Santa Cruz Bicycles
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