Enduro WC

[Jbr]

1 hour ago, Vaalhaai said:

Also thinking of giving it a go. Any compulsory safety gear needed?

Not a specialist but I don’t even think a full face helmet is compulsory

[RiverInTheRoad]

1 hour ago, Vaalhaai said:

Also thinking of giving it a go. Any compulsory safety gear needed?

You only need a helmet. Kneepads and gloves are a good idea if you have them.

Hoogekraal is the best destination for a (fit) newbie that would like to try #Enduro. Make sure that you have atleast done every stage once before the race.

[Vaalhaai]

33 minutes ago, RiverInTheRoad said:

You only need a helmet. Kneepads and gloves are a good idea if you have them.

Hoogekraal is the best destination for a (fit) newbie that would like to try #Enduro. Make sure that you have atleast done every stage once before the race.

Thanks for the info...very keen to try it out

[Jewbacca]

Don't even worry about having ridden it or even seen it. I've raced loads of #enduros blind. 

There seems to be way too much emphasis on the racing/preparation side of this than is necessary. 

Seriously, if you can ride loops at your local trails, bring whatever you ride, wear whatever you ride in and come and whoop whoop round some dusty corners.

There are some seriously unfit enduro bros, there are whippits, there is everyone in between. 

The trails are pretty basic and the general riding in the field is not that much higher than 'medium level hacker'. 

The expectation from outsiders that the Enduro scene are a bunch of shredders is only validated by a handful of the competitors and the amount of goggles, baggy clothing and flannel you see in the videos certainly isn't equal to the speed and skill on show. 

Guys take lie downs in the bushes all the time and even those on big sleds chicken out of corners and rocks for a walk or a tumble. 

There is almost zero judging and the reality is that to keep these events going, we NEED you to enter and join the fun. So sign up, bring some radness and hit the trails. 

 

[StevieG]

16 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

Don't even worry about having ridden it or even seen it. I've raced loads of #enduros blind. 

There seems to be way too much emphasis on the racing/preparation side of this than is necessary. 

Seriously, if you can ride loops at your local trails, bring whatever you ride, wear whatever you ride in and come and whoop whoop round some dusty corners.

There are some seriously unfit enduro bros, there are whippits, there is everyone in between. 

The trails are pretty basic and the general riding in the field is not that much higher than 'medium level hacker'. 

The expectation from outsiders that the Enduro scene are a bunch of shredders is only validated by a handful of the competitors and the amount of goggles, baggy clothing and flannel you see in the videos certainly isn't equal to the speed and skill on show. 

Guys take lie downs in the bushes all the time and even those on big sleds chicken out of corners and rocks for a walk or a tumble. 

There is almost zero judging and the reality is that to keep these events going, we NEED you to enter and join the fun. So sign up, bring some radness and hit the trails. 

 

Totally agree with you. There seems to be this stigma that Enduro's are as hardcore as DH races, and so the majority of riders think they're way out of their league. Granted, they can get technical, but i'm guessing the organisers wouldn't want to thin the field by making it too difficult for the masses. If you can ride the course beforehand, then that's awesome, and you know what to expect, but not many of us have the time or fitness level to do the race twice in a weekend. Do it blind, have fun, albeit a bit slower, and just go with the flow man!

[Mamil]

Interesting - never having done an enduro - I imagine that I've got Atherton in a very bad mood smashing it down the trail behind me and likely to be buzzing his freehub irritably as I awkwardly edge around some rutted out hairpin with my weight in all the wrong places.

[NickGM]

51 minutes ago, Mamil said:

... as I awkwardly edge around some rutted out hairpin with my weight in all the wrong places.

That just middle-age for you, I'm sure you're cornering technique is superb.

[Pieter1]

If you follow  https://instagram.com/endurowesterncape?utm_medium=copy_link They have course previews. 

[Chadvdw67]

22 hours ago, Mamil said:

Interesting - never having done an enduro - I imagine that I've got Atherton in a very bad mood smashing it down the trail behind me and likely to be buzzing his freehub irritably as I awkwardly edge around some rutted out hairpin with my weight in all the wrong places.

In all honesty, the really fast guys will probably pass you before you even know they are there, well at least that is what used to happen to me in the odd dirtbike races i entered....

[Headshot]

On 11/16/2021 at 1:57 PM, StevieG said:

Totally agree with you. There seems to be this stigma that Enduro's are as hardcore as DH races, and so the majority of riders think they're way out of their league. Granted, they can get technical, but i'm guessing the organisers wouldn't want to thin the field by making it too difficult for the masses. If you can ride the course beforehand, then that's awesome, and you know what to expect, but not many of us have the time or fitness level to do the race twice in a weekend. Do it blind, have fun, albeit a bit slower, and just go with the flow man!

While SA isn't known for its super steep tech trails. Jonkers has a few and they always throw them into the events held there. That said, its a race so everyone does try hard and the harder you push the more tricky every trail becomes. Hoogies is not technical, but at speed, unless you know every corner, you are highly likely to mess up your cornering and ruin you race run, perhaps several times. There are also some  unexpected compressions and hard hits  that you wont find at JH or Tokai. The Welvergenoegd loop has a few of these which have seemingly been left in there if the course preview is anything to go by. 

On the subject of DH, Enduro races can often be more technical, which coupled with the lack of practice make going fast with safety quite difficult. To add to the risk  most people don't wear as much protection in enduros which means injuries are more likely in a crash.

Don't let this put you off but unless you regularly push your speed and skills on descents, ride well within yourself and aim to finish rather than ride the fastest you can. 

[UnclePolli]

To the OP.

I was in the same boat a fried does the DH stuff and convinced me to do the light version.  3 stages the easy ones at the last cotters.  I did get the arm and knee guards but not the full face and put on some beefier rubber, but like a ardent 2.4 and 2.35 race at the back.  There are B Lines at the technical places which is ridable on the light enduro.  i did it on my standard 100mm bike.  you go as fast as your skill allow.  It was the best fun i had on my mtb in a looong time.  It was a blast and the cameraderie was awsome for us noobs.  Did i jump, mm no, did i ride places where i never would mmmm yes, did it was scary and lekker at the same time.  do the short version the first time and go and walk/ride it the day before.  My skill improved more in 2 days than 2 years of riding.  It does help when you have a friend that can show you the speed and safe lines to go down.  you will have a blast!!

there where also kids on their grand pa's no suspension bikes and every one had a jol.  JUST DONT PITCH IN FULL LYCRA!! you will be chirpt the whole day, but in lightharted fasion

Edited November 17, 2021 by UnclePolli

[Leigh H]

On 11/16/2021 at 8:15 AM, Mike Mac said:

Sound advise above. Thank you. 
 

I have ridden Hoogekraal (once) and I have ridden Cobra (blind). Not knowing the reputation of the infamous rock slab, I just rode Cobra and had no issues. Now that I have read the above (and the other thread)  the mind will probably start playing games and make things more tricky than they need to be ????.

I think another visit is in order before I enter.????
 

I have just ridden W2W, so the fitness level is not too bad. How does the enduro fitness requirements compare to a stage of W2W? 

 

 

If you can finish a stage of W2W, you can cope with the fitness requirements of an enduro event. I did my first W2W this year and at the end of day 2  I remarked to my partner that I felt like I did when I finished the Jonkershoek enduro. Hoogekraal enduro is a bit easier fitness wise. If you enjoyed the last downhill n day 3 of W2W you will have no problem at enduro events

[PhilipV]

6 hours ago, Headshot said:

 

. That said, its a race so everyone does try hard and the harder you push the more tricky every trail becomes. Hoogies is not technical, but at speed, unless you know every corner, you are highly likely to mess up your cornering and ruin you race run, perhaps several times.

Don't let this put you off but unless you regularly push your speed and skills on descents, ride well within yourself and aim to finish rather than ride the fastest you can. 

Good advice.

Fortunately, a few messed up corners won't really ruin a race run. Everyone usually has a tale or two of blown corners afterwards. 

 

 

[milky4130]

https://www.strava.com/activities/2550153050/segments/64078338985

My second ever Enduro event from 2 years ago. All the Segments are named SS1, or EWC SS4, etc. The same segment might be named twice as SS1 & SS5 for example as Hoogekraal has been used a few times now already.

[Mike Mac]

.Thanks for all the input.

Entry is in, now lets see if I can not embarrass myself too much

.  

[Jbr]