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In 2013 I switched my focus to enduro racing. This format of racing was new to the USA and caught on quickly.
A race weekend is typically comprised of two days of racing. Each day there are multiple race (timed) segments which are mostly downhill with transition (untimed) segments in between.
The excitement I found in World Cup racing was from the technical features or the natural technical terrain. I only raced up the hill because I had to, at least that's the way I see it now. The USA XC courses lacked the technical challenge, so it was perfect timing to switch to enduro racing.
What never made sense about the World Cup technical features was that we were doing it on a 17lb hardtail, in lycra, a halfshell and without pads. Enduro racing tests all aspects of fitness and technical skill while allowing you to ride a proper bike and wear protection. It just makes sense.
Another selling point for Enduro is that anyone can do it. You can work a full-time job, never get time to ride and still do well in an Enduro race if you can handle your bike, just ask Todd.
I plan to focus on Enduro again in 2014, there is still a lot to learn. I made huge gains this year in cornering, jumping, pumping and drops, but when I ride with some of the guys it shows I still have a ways to go.
Warning, training for Enduro is addicting!
I want to give a special thanks to NoTubes for their continued support!
Stan's NoTubes has been behind me since 2002 when I first started riding and Todd thought we should figure out how to convert my wheels to tubeless. They helped us figure out what we needed and understand the conversion process. NoTubes eventually became one of my first sponsors and has supported me ever since! I now run the Crest, Arch, and Flow rims on my trail bikes, Race Gold 29 and Crest 29 on my XC bikes, and Alpha 340 rims on my road bike.
Mavic helmet, shoes and gloves
