SCHOOL OF ’ARD KNOCKS
Enduro virgins Al (Evans) and Al (Bond) are thrown in at the deep end at Yorkshire’s ’Ard Rock
Our Features Editor Alex Evans and team rider Al Bond are experienced downhillers, but how would they fare at enduro riding? We sent them to Yorkshire’s ’Ard Rock Enduro to find out.
Still shivering after a night in an ancient sleeping bag he’d borrowed from his dad, our Features Editor, Alex Evans, emerged from the sea of tents at the ’Ard Rock Enduro wrapped up like an Eskimo. When MBUK team rider Al Bond sauntered over in a T-shirt and shorts, it was clear that although these two shared a first name, they had very different ideas, especially when it came to what constituted ‘cold’.
Both had made the trip to North Yorkshire to race their maiden enduro, after years of riding and racing downhill. And where better to pop their enduro cherry than in the beautiful Dales? The weekend didn’t begin well, with our Al struggling to erect the MBUK EZ-UP on his own, in the dark and wet, late on Thursday. As he made dinner for one, he watched mountain bikers swarm into the camping area like ants, spreading out and trying to find a corner to make their own for the weekend.
More rain followed on the Friday, and only the brave went out on track in the morning. But by late afternoon the weather had cleared, and the two Als headed out for some practice, managing to ride just the first two stages before the evening drew in and the course shut. The festival-like atmosphere the ’Ard Rock has become famous for had begun to build, making it easy to forget that they were there to compete. Neither Al could remember taking part in such a big event, despite having travelled the world racing in their younger years. With race day looming, they hit the hay, excited and anxious about what the morning would bring.
The enduro format means that only the downhill stages of the ’Ard Rock are ridden against the clock. Luckily for our boys, there’d be no time limit on the ‘liaison’ stages between them, but that didn’t mean they’d be a walk in the park. The length and, in places, steepness and rockiness of the transfers would make them a real test of fitness. As for the six timed stages, they’d live up to the event’s name, being incredibly rocky in places and including everything from craggy moorland paths to loose scree slopes and boulder fields, with a lot of fast and technical sections thrown in for good measure. The loop the racers would be riding was 45km long, with 1,500m of descending.
At the crack of dawn, both our Als were awake and ready to roll – so turn the page to find out how they got on…