RACING THE HOPE WOMEN ENDURO SERIES
This time last year, I’d never taken part in the Hope WMN Enduro events. This time last year, I’d never even raced before. This time last year, I had only ever ridden just for fun, dusting down my old mongrel of an enduro bike every so often for a spin around a trail centre. This time last year, I was a newbie, perhaps like you, considering signing up for your first Enduro event?
I’d been following the social media of lots of mountain bikers, but with most interest, Bex Baraona, who I’d met at uni. Since then, I’d watched her move impressively through the Enduro ranks from amateur to World Cup winner. It looked awesome and very inspiring. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no (realistic) aspirations for elite level competition, but I absolutely fancied having a go. I’d also recently upgraded to a new bike and was on the hunt for fresh riding opportunities.
When I saw an Instagram advert for the Hope Women Enduro series beginning at our local forest, it was an opportunity I couldn’t overlook, seeming much less daunting than the full PMBA Enduro, which I didn’t think was suitable for someone like me. The advert assured me that it was for all abilities. I have the benefit of an extremely enthusiastic and sporty partner, Becky, who was just as keen to have a go, so we signed ourselves up and got nervous for the Hope WMN PMBA Enduro #1 2023 at Gisburn Forest.
When the day came, we turned up a bit late – getting biking gear together always takes approximately ten times longer than I estimate. It was a gloomy start to the day in the Forest of Bowland and fairly quiet at the race start, considering everyone had left already! We signed in and picked up our race cards and timing chips - things were starting to look a bit serious. Excitement soon followed though, starting with attaching the race numbers to the bike and becoming, for the first time, racers!
Although we knew the trails well, we had no idea what to expect from the Enduro racing format. A short ride through the forest brought us to the back of our first queue, which we came to understand was a welcome opportunity for a breather, snacks and chats with other riders. Really, one of the highlights of the events is the social aspect of meeting and riding with like-minded, awesome women and girls – not to mention the race marshals, who are generally riders too, of the most enthusiastic variety. Mountain biking is increasingly diverse, but an environment within the sport for women where gender doesn’t differentiate you is incredibly valuable. Everyone is genuinely supportive, enthusiastic and sociable, which makes it easier to feel confident and encouraged to just try stuff. An unexpected highlight of the day was being patched up by a new group of first-aid savvy friends with impressive racing credentials, after I experienced an unplanned ejection from my bike on Long Way Down, scuffing my elbow. I still need to get some elbow pads.
The event was a mash-up format, meaning you could session the stages as many times as you wanted or could manage, and in any order. This proved to be a great thing, as Becky and I have both seen our stage times improve significantly with practice. Actually racing down the stages, as opposed to just cruising, was exciting but also pretty challenging. Riding a bike down a hill for two or three minutes is easy right? Not so much when you’re giving it everything! Participating in the events has motivated me to increase my time and effort in the gym, improving my strength and endurance so that I can enjoy my riding even more. And hopefully beat Becky. I’ve no shame.
We enjoyed Gisburn so much that we immediately signed up for the next events at Ae and Kirroughtree. Having enjoyed riding both of these trail centres before, we had an idea of what to expect. The three+ stage women’s and academy races took place on the Saturdays, with the main five+ stage Enduro featuring on the Sundays. At Kirroughtree, we also enjoyed the camping and felt more involved in the full weekend as a result. Having now hung out in the overall PMBA Enduro event and spoken to many women who’ve ridden both Saturday and Sunday races, I’m more confident to try the full Enduro myself, perhaps something to aim for this coming season. Up at Ae, Becky proved a useful muse for the Hope WMN photo competition – which I recommend entering! We bagged ourselves a shiny set of Hope F22 pedals (very generous!) to match my new whip, which would obviously make me go much faster.
As the series neared completion, we were delighted to see Hope WMN announce that their standalone event would be running again at Gisburn to round off the season. The day was great once again and despite very wet trails we had a lot of fun. An impressive calibre of riders took part, which added excitement, interest and motivation. I’ve never been able to compare my times with Tracy Moseley before – spoiler alert – she beat me! As did many, many others! Having coaches out on the track for the morning practice was a nice touch too and reflective of the general support of everyone involved. This time, the event included Hully Gully as a bonus stage – one of the best trails at Gisburn. It is so much fun! I couldn’t help whooping my way down those steep, swooping berms.
Racing has helped me appreciate how the difficulty of a trail is relative to the speed you’re travelling. Even though the women’s and academy stages are mainly on simple enough trails, attempting to make it down as fast as possible and in one piece is the challenge. Mid-descent, I imagine the rapid academy riders ghosting past me, seemingly stealing my gravity in the process. Comparing myself to other riders, I realise there’s space for improvement and I’m motivated by that. On the subject of amazing kids, participation for youngsters at the PMBA events is fantastic – they are literally events for the whole bike-mad family. I wish there had been events like this when I was growing up – I’d surely be more talented now!
To round up, I’d like to thank Hope, PMBA and the many organisations and individuals meaningfully developing the sport for women – from elite to grassroots. Your efforts are recognised, appreciated and vital to further pushing mountain biking on its established trajectory to be the best sport on the planet (in my humble opinion). Because of the opportunity to get involved and simply have a go, I now personally have the confidence to try other events and enjoy life on the bike as much as possible. Bring on the 2024 season, see you out there!
Words: Ali Johnson
Photos: Ali Johnson, Jerry Tatton & Sadie Aldridge