There’s not long to go now till THE EX Enduro, presented by DMR Bikes!
With under two weeks to go we’re taking a quick look at why THE EX might well be our favourite race of the year.
THE EX Enduro is just about to go for the 3rd time. Despite being one of the smallest races in the UK (in terms of rider numbers at least), we’re convinced that it’s one of the very best weekends you can spend on two wheels and might well be our favourite race of the year.
Here’s a quick look at why we love the UK’s biggest little race!
Untapped trails
THE EX Enduro goes up, along and down the Exmoor Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty around Minehead. It’s one of the UK’s best kept mountain biking secrets and is honestly an absolute gem.
Over the three days of the race you’ll shred secret techy steeps, gallop across breakneck speed moorlands, thread classic West Country downhill race tracks and hammer ancient ribbons of natural singletrack. There’s loam, there’s rocks, there’s roots and there’s everything in between. The back drop is a mix of the Exmoor coast line and ancient, deep, dark woods.
The best bit is that it’s so little-known that the trails are always in prime condition. They’re not hammered, there’s no ruts of breaking bumps. It’s just beautiful, untapped, unspoiled trails. You’d love it.
Less is more
THE EX isn’t about big numbers. In fact, just 80 riders get to take part and there’s a long waiting list to get on board.
By keeping it tight the race has a real ride with your mates vibe. You make friends on the way round each day, you meet up for a beer in the evening, the climbs are about reliving near-misses on the previous stage and the finish lines are all about high fives and pats on the back.
And of course, with just 80 riders the trails stay in good condition, there’s no queues and there’s loads of tea and cake to go round!
… Except when it comes to the mileage
The ‘Less is More’ approach doesn’t apply, I’m afraid, to the size of THE EX. She’s a monster!
Think of THE EX as an off-road challenge ride that just happens to have timed stages on the way round. It’s three big, full, tough days with distances of between 30 and 40km a day and some properly grizzly climbs.
That said, there’s no rush. There’s no cut-off times for the stages other than the end of the day. There’s loads of food and drink provided. Very few people don’t complete the event and there’s loads of marshals and staff to help out. It’ll be a challenge but, you’ll love it.
Smiles not results
Sure, THE EX is a race. There’s a result sheet, timed stages and a podium. There’s even some prizes from the likes of DMR Bikes, Bontrager and a few others.
But, sorry racer heads, racing isn’t the point of THE EX. The organisers have deliberately not invited loads of super fast pro riders, stumped up for big prizes or made the tracks super hard. It’s about a big, challenging ride and loads of time riding bikes, making new friends, eating cake and exploring some of the UK’s best trails.
You can take the timed stages as seriously as you like but you’ll get more kudos for eating the most cake and telling a good story round the campfire!
So much beer and cake
If you agree that beer and cake are key elements in mountain biking then, congratulations, THE EX is for you. The team put loads of love into sourcing great local food, tasty beer and home made cake and they roll it out in endless waves.
There’s vintage tea and cake stops every day. There’s a big cooked breakfast in the mornings. Dinner is quite frankly gargantuan. Oh, and it’s sponsored by Bristol Beer Factory so no tinnies of crappy lager… it’s all tasty, top quality beers to celebrate a hard day in the dirt.
Want an entry?
THE EX is sold out for 2018 we’re sorry to say. With just 80 riders the entries go like hotcakes at a bike race (that’s quick!).
You can keep an eye on THE EX over the weekend of the 14-16th September on Instagram and Facebook and here on Wideopen. If you like what you see you can sign up for 2019 here on https://the-ex.co.uk. The best place to find out about 2019 entries is via their newsletter here.
And… a note on behalf of the organisers. If you work in the bike industry and you’d like to sponsors the event, they’re looking for partners for 2019. So, get in touch!
