IT FEELS LIKE THE MOMENTUM IS ONCE AGAIN FIRMLY BEHIND MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING
titles alongside some race-run displays which would be seen by many as the greatest ever. Hill’s most mercurial masterpieces were painted against the backdrops of a sodden Champéry in 2007 and a dusty Val Di Sole in 2008. The fact that he didn’t win either race is testament to just how highly they are still regarded.
ENTER ENDURO
When Sam Hill wanted a new challenge he turned to the newest discipline of mountain bike racing: enduro. With a format mirroring that of rallying, enduro had taken hold in varying forms around the world but the emergence of the Enduro World Series attempted to bring it all under one roof. What began life in Punta Ala, Italy in 2013 as a collection of trail bikes sporting DH tyres would go on to focus and drive mountain bike design and technology further than anyone could have imagined. Born out of the deep compromise between plummeting down stages – which often surpassed the length of an entire DH race season – and gruelling 50km-long days in the saddle, enduro bikes have redefined what we expect from full-suspension machines. Tracy Moseley and Jérôme Clementz did a lot of the early winning, but it was Hill (who jumped to enduro full-time in 2016) who would become the first three-time title winner, whilst Cécile Ravanel became the first racer to post the fabled perfect season.
Whereas XC and DH challenged a specific skill and mindset, enduro challenged what it meant to be a mountain bike racer. Not only were EWS racers taking on each other and the clock, but they also had to manage their own physical endurance alongside any technical issues which might come up along the way. Being fastest through one section or on one lap was no longer enough. Enduro quickly evolved, much faster than perhaps any of the other disciplines had done, and in many parts of the world became the focal ‘grassroots’ race discipline. It required the equipment that most riders already had and race courses could be created anywhere there were trails.
Mountain bike racing, if you choose it to be, is now everywhere. As with any sport, fans can nestle their online world with the social media accounts of racers, teams and brands alike and keep in touch with their heroes from the morning coffee to the last beer of the evening. So too are there more ways than ever to view the racing itself. Whether it’s on Youtube or through a specific streaming service, you can now sit down and watch your chosen discipline whenever it suits.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), like pretty much all governing bodies, has come in for flack over the years. But once you consider the relative age of mountain biking (50 years old versus road cycling’s venerable 150 years) the progress can really be seen for what it is. The UCI has warmed to mountain bike racing now, and cottoned on to, not only how widespread and diverse a sport it is, but how it remains a fantastic point of entry into cycling for millions.
What does the future hold? It’s hard to say, but after the dip in interest at the turn of the century and the financial collapse not long after, it feels like momentum is once again firmly behind mountain bike racing. New heroes and villains are seemingly created every weekend and the bike industry sees racing once again as a way to win on Sunday and sell on Monday. E-bikes will be key and develop in their own right, but what is important is that the heady metamorphosis that began on Mount Tamalpais all those years ago continues to strive to go faster.