Photo supplied.
Riders set off in groups of ten at the first leg of last year’s Enduro Race.
Photo supplied.
At the August Council meeting, Enduro Race organizer Alex Schmidt was on hand to request permission to use part of the Millbrook Valley Trail system for another edition of the Ganny Enduro Mountain Bike Race.
This is the eighth of nine races in the Enduro series and the fourth time the group has used the MVT system for this event.
Enduro races consist of multiple timed stages, predominantly downhill, over the course of an adventurous ride. The sport began in Europe with the objective of getting to the top of a mountain and racing to the bottom in a time-trial. The event is designed to mimic adventuresome trail rides where friends congregate at a launching point, race each other down a hill and regroup at the bottom to do it again.
This race begins and ends at the Millbrook Agricultural Fairgrounds on Frederick Street, which offers plenty of room for parking. The race consists of two segments: the morning loop consists of a 21 km route, while the afternoon loop is 25 km in length, with marshals supervising each stage. In between the segments, participants return to the Fairgrounds for a BBQ lunch.
Ridersiders congregate at the Fairgrounds and depart in groups of ten, in two minute intervals beginning at 10 am. At each stage, riders wait to be called to start the segment which takes between three to six minutes. The stage times for each rider are tallied to establish an overall race time for each participant.
Some of the travelling occurs on Fire Route 310, parts of Zion Line and Glamorgan Road, but while on the roads riders are transitioning and are not racing. Warning signs on these routes will warn traffic about the cyclists.
Last year the race attracted 143 participants, and organizers hope this year the numbers are slightly higher. The group is looking for access to more trails inside the Ganaraska to offer participants new routes that will challenge their skills.
This race includes rock gardens and jumps requiring significant effort resulting in a lot of downhill speed along the trails. In other words, it is not for the novice rider. Enthusiasts say the events are designed to be fun, exciting and approachable. To learn more or to register, visit www. https://www.gannyenduro.com. KG