Well I've been having some fun this year. My kid has been racing the Canadian Enduro Series the last few years, and seeing as I've been his personal shuttle to the events I figured what the hell, might as well try racing.
So far this year I've ridden Harper (Kamloops), Revelstoke and Elkwater (Medicine Hat) events.
Harper I only rode the trails but didn't compete. What a venue though; it's perfectly set up to shuttle and the trails are absolute top notch. I had no idea that Ski hill existed and the biking is exactly as you would expect. Steep, flowy, techy, you name it.
Revelstoke was literally trial by fire; of the old man category (40+) in the short course (typically only 5 of 8 stages) I was the only one who made it down so I won the category by default. Revy is NOT for the faint of heart, running double blacks at race pace is terrifying, and absolutely exhausting. One of the stages ran top to bottom on Boulder and I can't say I've ever been that shattered in my life. It took me 4 days to recover from that race and made me question my sanity more than once.
Elkwater had a LOT more competitors from as far away as Manitoba, and I found out the hard way that a 180mm travel Devinci with a rear coil is NOT the bike of choice for flatter stages that require pedaling (time for another bike!). Still managed a 4th place finish though, despite coming in almost last in the "XC" stage where my lack of fitness and horrible bike choice was pretty obvious. I must say though, anyone interested in a really neat venue with a very, very mild pedal up (15-20 minutes) should check that place out. The Black runs are more of a hard blue, but there are some really fun machine built jump lines off it and a lot of flowy single track.
Next events are Valemount, Whistler and Sun Peaks.
I'm really enjoying the series, it's put on by We Are One with a pile of prizes and cash awards, super fun vibe and very well supported with mechanics and first aid. The pro riders are typically all racing at the big events and I've found them all to be really, really positive role models for the kids. My son loves it and I would encourage anyone with a little shredder to try one out, everyone is crazy supportive and save for a few lunatics are just there for a fun time.
I'll update the next event if anyone is interested in it.
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