Enduro Style Racing a Big Hit with Racers at the Inaugural Trestle Enduro

Kelli Emmett and Ross Schnell Take Titles at Inaugural Trestle Bike Park All Mountain Enduro

All mountain racers flocked from throughout the country to test their skills at the inaugural Trestle Enduro in Winter Park, Colo. A five-stage gravity based all mountain race, the Trestle Enduro is a test of riders skills and fitness against the clock over a variety of terrain.

With so much of the mountain bike market moving towards 5-6” travel trail bikes, an event like this was a natural progression. “Trek was 100% on board from the beginning.” Said Ross Schnell race organizer and eventual winner, “They work hard in making the best all-mountain and trail bikes on the planet, so supporting an event (first of its kind in the USA) to showcase those bikes was a natural fit.”

Attracting a variety of racers from both cross country and downhill disciplines, the courses featured everything from bike park style riding with jumps and berms to more traditional natural singletrack. Though the event was mainly charlift based, the final stage featured an untimed 20-minute climb to the start, as well as a short, steep ascent amidst the fast, flowy 20-minute descent through Winter Park resort.

Friday evening featured a chainless downhill race on some technical trails with many natural and man made features. “The chainless race was really the only race that seemed to favor a downhill racing background,” said Pro racer Dylan Stucki “understanding cornering and momentum was important when you couldn’t pedal.” Colorado downhill racer Brian Buell ripped through the course in a blazing 7:20, with most pro times between 7:40-8:20.

Racing continued Saturday with three stages, all featuring a different 10-15 minute course. Fitness and finesse was key, with the courses being mainly downhill but included some flat sections that favored short hard efforts of pedaling.

The final stage was inevitably the deciding factor for the whole race, with most of the course being more natural terrain; riders were able to pedal much more than in previous stages. It also featured a climb unlike the previous stages; meaning time could easily be gained or lost.

It seemed the general consensus throughout the weekend was people liked the format and the course. “I loved the format and thought it was a great mix of DH skills and fitness.” said Kelli Emmett, winner of the pro women “It's a perfect race for the All Mountain rider who loves getting out on their 5 or 6 inch trail bike. I think people are starting to move towards races that offer a fun trail riding experience that isn't completely focused on fitness.”

Schnell put together some challenging yet very enjoyable courses that offered a great mix terrain, most racers agreed that the Enduro was the most fun race of the season. “I think we'll start to see the enduro and all-mountain scene grow next year and then explode the following.  Winter Park was the first to pull off a multi-stage enduro race and show that it can be done.” Rad Ross said “I'm already being nudged and cajoled into talking about new events next year in other places.”

Full Results here:

http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/img/upimages/trestle.pdf