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Multi Stage Enduro Races

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,794
5,176
Australia
Trans Madeira was 875E now it's near 2k. So yeah. Before it was a deal. Now it's a real expense. Glad i dont have kids
Yeah it was my 40th birthday present to myself (2 years late thanks COVID) haha. Getting there from Australia cost heaps too. They're all wicked expensive these days, but even an EWS race has doubled in the past 3 years.

Whistler Phat Wednesdays are about the best value for money race series left.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,499
1,719
Warsaw :/
Yeah it was my 40th birthday present to myself (2 years late thanks COVID) haha. Getting there from Australia cost heaps too. They're all wicked expensive these days, but even an EWS race has doubled in the past 3 years.

Whistler Phat Wednesdays are about the best value for money race series left.
Yeah I could do local races in Poland but outside of flowtrails a large % of our builders had more knocks on the head than me and I do not enjoy their trails (the great habit of creating wonky, risky jumps you have to do if you want to place well). Will check if other post communist countries have some weird stuff on offer.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,794
5,176
Australia
I'm really hoping they run the Chiang Mai International enduro in Thailand again. That one was pretty affordable, and the trails are great. I've been in touch with the organisers and they're going to announce in the new year whats on. That one wasn't a blind enduro, rather two shuttled practice days, and two mostly shuttled race days. Awesome part of the world.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,499
1,719
Warsaw :/
I'm really hoping they run the Chiang Mai International enduro in Thailand again. That one was pretty affordable, and the trails are great. I've been in touch with the organisers and they're going to announce in the new year whats on. That one wasn't a blind enduro, rather two shuttled practice days, and two mostly shuttled race days. Awesome part of the world.
Now I'm kinda bummed my friends relationship in Thailand didn't work out and he came back to yurp. I remember seeing Wyn or some other Kiwi race it. Looked fun.

I know Indonesia has some races but they are hard to locate if not local.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,794
5,176
Australia

Volunteered at this event this year (thats me sinking beer far right in the creek pic). Cracking good time, trails were just rowdy enough. I think the organiser is going to alternate years from now on, doing Trans NZ one year and Trans Tassie the other. Good little event, even if its a long way to travel for most Monkeys.

Was wild spending the week with a few top EWS pros. The strength and speed they carry is just that level above.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,499
1,719
Warsaw :/
I've seen this. Looks dope AF. If only I was not living on a Polish wage I'd try to do some races there (not that I'm even at half of EWS speed. Maybe half of Toodles speed... Also Isn't Tasmania fairly free of hostile Australian Flora and Fauna?
 

two-one

Monkey
Dec 15, 2013
199
195
Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Those look like massive, massive days. Crazy scenery though.
We did a self-organized Trans-Provence last year (route of 2019), and ran into the official Stone King event on the Col de Tende. Sat down with a few of the racers at their recoveryzone, and heard nice stories. The riders seemed to be very relaxed and enjoying themselves.
For both Stoneking and TransProvence you have to be ready for 2000 meters of climbing for 6 days in a row with a proper enduro rig. But if you prepare well, start early enough, and don't overextend yourself it's very doable.

However, I do approve of scaring away some lesser riders using titles like 'Worlds Toughest Mountain bike Race"
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,499
1,719
Warsaw :/
Aside from tiger snakes and funnel web spiders its pretty safe. Animals there just kill you to be a jerk, they won't eat you.
I'm starting to feel there are more bad animals in australia than guns in america if that's a "Pretty safe" option. I'm spoiled by potato land here where all we have are 1 species of viper, 1 species of bear, a tiny population of wolves who DGAF about humans and boars which are really a problem since even my old neighborhood in Warsaw had a population nearing a 1000.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,499
1,719
Warsaw :/
Friends of mine bought the Stone King rally books. Looks like that's going on the agenda for 2024...
Listening to PB podcast about it made me think it's not for my fitness at all. 2025 the earliest. 2024 will be trans madeira. 2023 went out of the door with the back injury. I will ride but I will not be nowhere fit enough to do any racing.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,794
5,176
Australia
However, I do approve of scaring away some lesser riders using titles like 'Worlds Toughest Mountain bike Race"
They scared me away with the price of flights from Australia.....

I do enjoy those big days though, so long as you prepare yourself it is pretty amazing what you can get through even just fuelled by the stubborn desire to complete the damn thing.

Trans BC in Nelson/Rossland/Castlegar was the toughest one I've done so far, with plenty of hike-a-bike and average of ~1600m per day for 6 days. The biggest day that year was also the hottest so that definitely hurt a bit. Trans Madeira is more like ~1300m a day, but some of the days are pretty long - I think the first day was >60km.

Untimed liasons mean you can stick to a nice sustained pace to get you through the days which makes a massive difference. The EWS/EDR events have very strict cut-offs for stage starts and if you have a mechanical that needs fixing you really need to get moving to get to your next stage. Nothing like dropping into a 10+ minute stage still gassed from a 60+ minute climb at threshold :rolleyes:
 

two-one

Monkey
Dec 15, 2013
199
195
Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Listening to PB podcast about it made me think it's not for my fitness at all. 2025 the earliest. 2024 will be trans madeira. 2023 went out of the door with the back injury. I will ride but I will not be nowhere fit enough to do any racing.
Trans-Madeira looks great, i was on the island on November, such amazing landscapes.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,794
5,176
Australia
Trans-Madeira looks great, i was on the island on November, such amazing landscapes.
Definitely the most scenic of the races. Great island, awesome people, food and drink is top notch. The trails there are brilliantly made too - some of the best stuff I've ridden. Not crazy chunky tech, just steeps, rocks, roots, good corners and a variety of conditions and surfaces. The "Madeiran Ice" wet red-clay needs to be ridden to be believed. There's sections of it on most of the days of the event and its the most deceptive and slipperiest stuff haha. Lots of oh shit moments.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,499
1,719
Warsaw :/
Trans-Madeira looks great, i was on the island on November, such amazing landscapes.
I'm there at least once a year as Poland has a good direct flight but it's mostly for hiking + maybe a few days of riding, some cliff diving and canyoning. Matt Jones has a great 6 youtube vlogs from the race.

The locals are amazing people. Lots to do.
 
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FlipFantasia

Turbo Monkey
Oct 4, 2001
1,693
549
Sea to Sky BC
We did a self-organized Trans-Provence last year (route of 2019), and ran into the official Stone King event on the Col de Tende. Sat down with a few of the racers at their recoveryzone, and heard nice stories. The riders seemed to be very relaxed and enjoying themselves.
For both Stoneking and TransProvence you have to be ready for 2000 meters of climbing for 6 days in a row with a proper enduro rig. But if you prepare well, start early enough, and don't overextend yourself it's very doable.

However, I do approve of scaring away some lesser riders using titles like 'Worlds Toughest Mountain bike Race"
can't say enough about how much I enjoyed TP 2017. Few friends were at Stone King last year and had a great time again. I felt like that event for me was in a lot of ways the culmination of decades of riding experience, being able to handle big long days, hike a biking, trying to 'race' gnarly trails blind, keeping your gear in one piece, racing in big alpine environments, tight forests and euro switchbacks, you name it, it had it all and for me was incredibly rewarding.