WHAT IS ENDURO
I’m Charlotte Kay, I’m from East Yorkshire and I love all things bikes and outdoors.
I’ve been racing enduro since 2021 when I did my first ever race - which was actually a downhill one. But, I fell in love with enduro at a small local event, towards the end of the season, which sadly no longer exists! I really enjoyed the challenge of pedalling around a course and racing multiple trails, but most of all I loved how much time I got to spend on my bike!
What is enduro?
Enduro is (in my opinion) the best discipline for many reasons - racing enduro in particular. If you see
At an enduro race, I’ve probably got a smile on my face and there is a reason for that - you get to spend a whole day riding your bike with your friends, in some very scenic locations, riding some mega tracks that aren’t always open to the public outside of a race weekend! What more could you want? Depending on the race, and weather conditions the loop pedalled to complete all the stages can be tough but I personally love a challenge! If you’re just getting into racing, there’s smaller events and mashup events (where you can race the stages in any order as many times as you like within a time limit) which will give you a taste of the fun and you will soon be hooked and heading to bigger races!
To get a little bit more technical, to race an enduro you have to pedal a loop usually around 25km with roughly 1200m of climbing (this can vary quite a lot). There are on average five timed stages that you must complete in order to finish the race. These stages are super fun trails with a big variety of features depending on the venue, rocks, roots, jumps, corners.
The standard format is a practice day on Saturday which allows you to preview the trails and practice any features, and race day in Sunday. This can vary though, with some races having practice on Fridays and two race days! This is great as it allows you to do even more riding!
What bike & kit do you need?
Any bike that you can pedal up the climbs and enjoy the descents on is good enough! I love racing my HB916 and I would recommend that bike to anyone! At an enduro you will see a mix of trail bikes, hard trails, enduro bikes and e-bikes. Kit wise, this can vary with events. Helmets are mandatory and some organisers will recommend a full face. When I race, I tend to wear full face and knee pads as a minimum, as the more protection I have on, the more confident I feel!
I would recommend a comfortable, lightweight backpack to carry water, gels, snacks such as flapjacks and some basic tools to help you get round the course, as anything can happen on race day and it is important to be fuelled and prepared!
SI entires is a website that lists most enduro races in the UK, which can be a good way to learn about the races near you, but there are some great races that aren’t listed on there!
I would 100% recommend the Hope WMNs enduro (September 5/6th 2026) to do as a first race, as well as for someone more experienced. I thoroughly enjoyed myself last year, and everyone I spoke to had a big smile on their face!
I would also recommend Bolly Skyline enduro. This race has the option for you to do a smaller loop on the Sunday (Bolly Half) or race the full loop on the Saturday. Racing a smaller loop can be a great way to build confidence before heading to a bigger event!
Bigger events such as Ard Rock have multiple races on over the whole weekend, which accommodate all abilities. This race is a much busier one, but definitely one you should attend!
How can you get into it? Both Racing and riding?
If you are keen to ride enduro before giving racing a go, I would recommend heading to a trail centre or some off piste trails - you may want to go with a group or someone who knows the area so that you don’t end up down something super gnarly straight away!
I got into enduro by hitting up the Dalby off piste, I absolutely love the trails there and I would recommend them! Golfie and the Tweed Valley offer some incredible trails, so if you love enduro you definitely need a trip up to Scotland this summer!
If you are looking for somewhere new to ride, using apps like Trailforks and Strava can be helpful to find routes, and work out the difficulty of a trail before dropping in!
Reaching out to the local or online community can also be very helpful with finding riding spots and people to ride and race with. The mountain biking community is a great thing, everyone is keen to ride and you will find what you are looking for!
For someone looking to push themselves, I would recommend the BNES series Whig includes a round on the Isle of Man. I race this round last year and it was an incredible experience, a two day race covering a huge variety of terrain.
Unfortunately, we have lost a few race series’ in the last few years so it is super important we continue to support the organisers and events near us! The PMBA and Welsh Enduro Series taught me a lot about racing and it is very sad to see them go!
I hope to see you on the trails and at some races this year!
Big ups!
Words: Charlotte Kay