Preview: Enduro Magazine checks out the Highland Perthshire Enduro!
On May the 4th enduro is finally coming to Perthshire, and there is still time to get your entries in! The enduro marks the first event of ‘Highland Perthshire Cycling Festival’ and will be a fun and at times, challenging ride of approximately 49 km mostly off road, taking place around the Highland Perthshire village of Dunkeld. The exact route will remain a secret until nearer the time and no practice will be allowed! The route takes in some lung puffing uphills, technical downhills, fast fire road, great scenery and above all else the chance for a fun ride with your mates old and new.
Enduro Magazine was keen to check out the great riding on offer in the area, so we packed some sandwiches, chucked the bikes in the van and headed up to the beautiful town of Dunkeld. Steeped in history, Dunkeld was founded in around 820 and today boasts the most complete 18th century township in Scotland. Situated in the heart of Perthshire, known as the ‘Big Tree County’, you can expect to ride among spectacular rumbling rivers and be dwarfed by towering fir trees. The actual race route is still a closely guarded secret, so we set out to explore the area and check out some of the trails that could be used!.
With great trails and views, The Highland Perthshire enduro should bring plenty of big smiles!
The riding in the area is very diverse, from gentle rolling river paths to probably the most full on and fierce DH track in Scotland, where the nations best riders have tested bikes and bodies against the highly technical rocky course. We found that ‘Big Tree County’ offers so much more than just great DH, with miles of flowy forest singletrack, open moorland traverses and fast and loose enduro style trails, Dunkeld would make the perfect location for an Enduro event! Until now the area has been overlooked by the enduro scene, falling in the shadow of more famous venues like the Tweed Valley and Fort William, but on May the 4th 2013, No Fuss Events will finally be bringing enduro to the region!
No Fuss are recommending a 140-160mm bike for the most fun, and we have to agree!
No Fuss have been organising events since 2005 when they first ran 10 Under the Ben and after great success the race has been a permanent fixture on the calendar ever since, with many loyal riders attending every one. No Fuss has grown steadily to include Triathlons, Duathlons, running races, mass start races and traveled all over Scotland with the 10 Under Series. Last November, with the help of The Dudes of Hazzard, they also added Enduro! In 2013 they will be running 18 different events on the calendar – 3 enduros and one mass start – the Macavalanche!
The course is still a secret, but expect a real mix of forest single-track, open moorland and challenging trails!
The event should have something for riders of all abilities, from fast and open descents to technical DH trails.
To find out more about the event we checked in with No Fuss to find out their thoughts on enduro and the Highland Perthshire event!
ENDURO: The No-Fuss/Dudes of Hazzard Enduro was a huge success, and now No Fuss will be bringing the BlueGrass tour to Kinlochleven, you must be really pleased with how Enduro is being embraced by UK riders?
No Fuss: Yeah, we were blown away by the response of riders from all over the UK and Europe who came to brave the Highlands in November for This is Enduro Now. I think that is a definite indicator of how British bikers are embracing enduro racing on their own turf. We can’t wait to show off what Kinlochleven has to offer to the International stage in June.
ENDURO: So the Highland/Perthshire Enduro is quite a long course, are you going to keep the overall timing quite relaxed to allow for steady transfers or will racers need to work to get round in time?
No Fuss: We will of course be trying to maintain the relaxed style as far as possible. The main thing about enduro is that everyone has fun and gets to ride with their mates.
ENDURO: You have got some fantastic technical descents around Dunkeld, what level of rider will the event be aimed at?
No Fuss: The course will be a tough one with many ups and downs, you’ll need a good level of fitness and good bike skills. I would say a strong intermediate level will see you round.
Trev Worsey from Enduro Magazine was having a great time on the awesome ‘Jurassic park’ style DH trails!
ENDURO: With no practice allowed, it will be quite unique to race an event without any prior knowledge of the stages, why did you choose that format?
No Fuss: Being the first time this type of event has happened in Highland Perthshire we wanted to keep people guessing and keep the course a surprise. We’ll be releasing some hints about the different sections over the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled and if you want to have a sneaky informal practice you can.
ENDURO: Will the special stages be all downhill or should riders expect a few sneaky climbs mixed in there too?
No Fuss: We really want to have a mix of special stages which would suit different riding styles, hopefully we’ve got something for everyone. Yeah there’s going to be a few sneaky climbs thrown in.
Don’t forget to pop into the Tay Bank for a post enduro pint in the sun, the perfect end to a great day!
For more information and to get signed up, check out the No Fuss Website
We will see you there!
Words and Photos: Trev Worsey