RUST magazine: RUST#30

ust enduro
rocks and roots and ups and downs, this trail certainly helped identify
any rider deficiencies. For me, the first lap of this ten minute loop went
well, at a trials pace I was scoping the obstacles and dealing fairly well
with them. a couple of drop offs elicited a gasp or two (I was worried the
front would tuck under) but actually these were safe. and there were
a couple or three technical climbs that while not huge had a
sting or two that could trip you up.
Second lap I put on a bit of speed but this wasn’t the
best idea; at speed I wasn’t processing the detail of
the trail quick enough and so lost accuracy on
the climbs, necessitating some footwork. This
then impacted on my fitness (or lack of) and so
while pushing harder again on the third lap,
determined to put in a good time, things got
even messier as muscles wearied and the
brain – no doubt wanting for more oxygen
– failed to keep up. More pushing ensued,
this time out of the saddle as well. For
the fourth, and last, lap I took
it back down to a steady trail
pace, took the time to look
and plan as I rolled up to
the hills, and made my
best lap of the set. Slower
can be faster.
I’m by no means a novice
in enduro, with at least 20
years of experience on and
off since I came back to the
sport after a good 15 years
dabbling in road racing. and
two years riding trials as a
youth formed a solid bedrock
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