A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ENDURO RACING

One of my first rides was aboard my mum’s rickety old bike at Mabie Forest, using two fingers on brakes that didn’t work and those funny bar-ends to help climb. Fast forward a couple of years and, having made the giant leap to single-finger braking on red trails, I naively entered the ‘Ard Rock Intro. Designed as an introduction to the longer and more technical enduro race, I was blissfully unaware of the flat-out gullies and steep rock chutes (despite the website warnings) and received a shock on the rocky, loose terrain. So here’s my guide to getting it right, from new rider to enduro slayer.

1 RIDE AN INTRODUCTORY ENDURO

Prior to ‘Ard Rock, I’d only ridden predictable trail centres and suddenly found myself racing natural and, in some places, technically