It’s the big one! Round 3 of the British National Enduro Series and the USE Exposure Southern Enduro Champs!
It’s all going down at Minehead in the UK’s South West, this weekend, 25th and 26th May.
This weekend is going to be an absolute beauty. It’s a double-trouble West-Country enduro weekend on some of the very best trails in the UK.
The race is going to be the 3rd round of the UK’s national enduro series – the BEMBA National Enduro Series – and the USE Exposure Southern Enduro Champs.
If you haven’t ridden around Minehead, you’re missing out. It’s absolutely brilliant. Prime gourmet singletrack. Endless loam. Flat out and rocky. Tight and tech. You’ll absolutely love it, regardless of whether you’re racing or just out for a shred with your mates.
The series so far
So far, so good for the BEMBA BNES. Round 1 kicked off in South Wales, under the stewardship of Welsh Gravity Enduro. Leigh Johnson and Becky Cook took the win.
Round 2 was oop north at Graythwaite, with the PMBA crew at the helm. A packed field took on ‘the epic’ with Adam Brayton and Polly Henderson taking fastest times of the day.
After two rounds it’s Matty Stuttard leading the 19-29 men’s category and Kirsty Adams on P1 for the women’s 21-34 field.
You can check out the full BEMBA BNES series points to date here on Wideopen.
Where the hell is Minehead?
The Venue:
- Great Haddon, Minehead TA24 8SR
- Contact: [email protected]
- Organised by: SouthernEnduro.co.uk
And what’s the schedule for the weekend?
Friday:
- Free camping opens from 15:00
- Open Track walk (Without bikes) from 15:00
Saturday:
- Registration open for Southern Enduro Champs and Champs Lite 09:00
- Practice 09:30 to 11:30 and 16:00 to 17:00 for Southern Enduro Champs stages 4, 5, 6 & 7
- Practice 11:30 to 16:30 for Southern Enduro Champs stages 1,2,3
- Champs Lite Riders briefing 09:45
- Southern Enduro Champs Lite starts 11:30 till 15:30
- Bar opens 15:30
- Champs Lite podium 15:45
- Evening entertainment 19:00 till 23:00
Sunday:
- Riders briefing 09:45
- Southern Enduro Champs 2019 10:00 till 16:00
- Southern Enduro Champs 2019 Podiums 16:30
Monday:
- Free Camping closes at 12:00
- Site Clear by 12:30
And what’s in store?
The trails around Minehead are absolutely beautiful. There’s a real mix from flat out, rocky and open to tight, twisty and tech. Expect fast, fun and flowings singletrack and some tough climbs with sea-side views.
There’s a couple of events going on over the weekend. What you do depends on how far you ride.
The Southern Enduro Champs and BEMBA BNES
- Practice on Saturday 25th May
- Race on Sunday 26th May
The main event, racing hand in hand with the BEMBA BNES.
7 stages, 14 miles and 2700ft per day.
The race will start from the event village, with riders heading off 30 seconds apart.
The race is a gravity enduro format, meaning the total times for all 7 stages are added up to give an overall time. The fastest time wins. Riders won’t be timed on transitions, obviously.
The Southern Enduro Champs Lite
- Saturday 25th May
- Starts at 11:30am
A mini, one-day event designed to give folks a shorter experience.
4 stages, 8 miles, 1500ft.
Unlike the main race, this one is a mash-up format. That means you can ride the timed stages as many times as you like and your best times count towards your total.
Who’s going to take it?
The start list for the main race is an absolute cracker. There’s over 600 riders entered!
In the female field you’ve got DH legend Helen Gaskill and series pinners Becky Cook and Katey Wakely but no Round 2 winner Polly Henderson.
In the guys field there’s a ton of local pinners that are certain to know all the sneaky lines. Interestingly, there’s no series leader Matty Stuttard and no South Wales weapon Leigh Johnson. P2 and round two, Ross Hancock is there though. We’ve also got Wideopen’s own Christo Gallagher, Sam Shucksmith and Archie Box. It’s going to be a good race!
You can find out more about the Southern Enduro Champs and BEMBA BNES here at the Southern Enduro home page.
