Charlotte’s first edr

I raced my first EDR in Combloux, France this summer and it was an incredible experience! 

Thursday was practice day, it was hot but we were able to use the chairlifts to get to the stages, however I missed Kev (@pmba) and his signposts

We managed to go the wrong way! First impressions: the trails were longer than those I was used to racing back in the UK, but so much fun. Plenty of roots, tight turns and loam to remind me of home trails, so I got on with the tracks quite well. Although some rain the previous afternoon made for some loose riding across the wet roots and off camber sections. 

 Friday was race day, we headed to the pits to get our transponders, start times, and set off for the big day ahead. I was understandably nervous as this event was much more competitive and serious than any I had done before, but the other girls who were racing were lovely, and the whole enduro community is so welcoming! 

Unfortunately after a crash in another category our first stage was delayed by about 20 minutes, which puts the pressure on to make the rest of your start times. If you are late, you can receive time penalties or even disqualification. The transition from stage 2 to 3 was especially tough. The longest climb of the day, with little to no shade available to escape from the heat so it was difficult mentally to keep going. Therefore I was super happy to have completed the full course! 

 The final stage (6) was my favourite of the day. The longest trail on course, 4.3 km with 522m of descending taking around 8 minutes to complete at race pace. It had a bit of everything, including some incredibly boggy sections, rocks, roots, loam, several sprints and off camber grass corners to finish. I managed to slot into 3rd behind some fast French girls which I was super stoked with! To podium at my first EDR felt amazing after tacking difficult terrain over 30 minutes of racing - that’s a lot of line choice to try and remember!

I think this event has been my favourite race to date. I absolutely loved every minute of it, meeting and watching the pros ride was especially cool, and to see how they attacked a trail that we had just raced. 

 I want to thank everyone that helped me out over the weekend, my sponsors, the race organisers, friends, family and the enduro community for making this sport a great one, and I’m keen to get stuck into some more big races! 

Words & Pictures: Charlotte Kay