Shimano Epic Enduro 2016

Pat + Canfield Riot on SP2

Last year, after completing the Shimano Epic Enduro, it took me several weeks to decide to do it again in 2016; this year I would have signed up for the 2017 edition immediately after finishing the 110km race. Why? Three reasons really: better preparation; slightly easier course; but mainly a more suitable bike.

The 2016 race remained a very similar format to the previous year (fairly standard Enduro format where only the timed Specials count for the race time). What is special about the Epic Enduro is that the whole course is ridden (no uplifts) and the total course is about 110km with 4600m of climbing and takes most people at least 12hours to complete. The course is broken down into 3 loops each of about 35km and 1500m climbing with 3 Specials. Each loop returns to the main paddock where we could rest, eat, fix equipment etc. Although the race is based purely on the time taken to complete the 9 Specials, there are cutoff times to be able to continue on to the next loop. The specials are quite varied, the shortest being through the village of Olargues which takes about 1minute and the longest being the 850m vertical descent from the chapel of St Martin Le Froid which takes about 20 minutes for the top riders. The trails are generally pretty technical and challenging with steep rock chutes and tight switch-backs; and in most cases narrow singletrack with plenty of opportunities to catch wide bars on trees. The longest special is mostly on an ancient Roman path which is "paved" with large stone slabs, however over the centuries these have become very uneven and provide a great test for bike suspension and body endurance -- the descent takes about 20 to 30min including a 1km technical climb in the middle. Having ridden in Australia, Canada, UK and Europe, I would say that these trails are some of the most challenging I have ridden.

Having already done the race the year before I was able to be better prepared second time round: the night before I had proper food and changes of riding kit ready for each time we arrived back at the paddock. The route was also easier; in 2015 we had a 1h30 hike-a-bike which we did twice; this year we only had to do it once, the second being replaced by a rideable climb of about 45mins.

A few months after having completed the 2015 race I decided to do it again in 2016 and my mind was firmly made up when Canfield unveiled their Riot 29er -- this seemed like the ideal bike for this race: robust, 29er wheels and enough suspension front and rear to take the sting out of the gnarly terrain. I received my Riot in about September 2015 which gave me enough time to tune the build and get a bit of mileage on the bike. I must admit that I was a bit concerned about the weight and in the end opted for a fairly light wheelset and tyres -- in fact the same ones that I had used on the Yelli the previous year. The Riot ended up about 2kg heavier (mostly in the frame and shock) but with longer fork and better brakes. The Riot did not disappoint: it climbed surprisingly well (I rode the first 40min climb faster on the Riot than on the Yelli the year before and the hike-a-bike sections weren’t really any worse -- probably because I knew what to expect). I also finished the race in much better physical shape than the previous year testament to the smoother ride afforded by the rear suspension of Riot compared with the Yelli compensating for the additional weight. The Riots wheels also faired better and came through the ride unscathed, the previous year with the Yelli, I broke 2 spokes in the front wheel and put a pretty hefty dent into the rear rim. In the descents the Riot really came into its own, although the Yelli is also a great descended, I was more confident on the Riot (even after 10hours+ in the saddle) and cleaned several sections that I had walked the previous year. What was apparent however, is how good the Yelli is on really tight, narrow singletrack and especially where more pedaling is required. (I was half tempted to use my EPO rather than the Riot -- yes I have 3 Canfield bikes!-- but was a bit concerned about the carbon frame with so many gnarly rock sections.)

Comparing the times I wasn’t really much faster on the Riot than the Yelli (except where the Yelli suffered mechanicals or I really had to nurse the bike due to the broken spokes). The same is also true on my local trails. I think age and fear are holding me back and I can reach the maximum speed Im comfortable with quite easily on either bike. The Riot does have the edge when riding blind because it can get you out of a lot of trouble, if you misjudge something and also despite the weight penalty on rough trails it really does save you energy on longer rides. The Yelli has the edge on flowy, tight singltrack just because it’s a bit lighter and can accelerate out of corners more quickly (or at least you I am more inclined to get out of the saddle and sprint on a hardtail than a dually that feels a bit more sluggish to accelerate.)

So now Im looking forward to next year where I will be in the 50+ category; I need to work on my dually riding style a bit to get a bit more speed out of the Riot (I still ride it like a hardtail) especially on flatter, tight, narrow singletrack where more pedaling and acceleration out of corners is required -- Ill have to do some training on the Lourdes downhill track over the summer. And I think Ill have to invest in a dropper seatpost for those 5-minute pedaling bits that are dropped in the middle of some of the Specials.

Compared with last year I finished a bit higher placed 146 overall from 571 starters; 279 of whom completed the whole event (37th in the 40-49 age group). You can read about last years event on the Canfield Yelli Screamy here

A few seconds of me riding through the streets of Olargues during SP6.

Olargues: epic scenery, epic trails

Specials and Climbs

Equipment

	2016 Canfield Riot	2015 Canfield Yelli Screamy
approx bike weight	14.5kg	12.5kg
Tyres	MAXXIS Ikon 2.35(f&r)	MAXXIS Ikon 2.35 (f&r)
Wheels	Pacenti TL28 36h on Hope Evo hubs	Pacenti TL28 32/36h on Chris King (f) and XTR (r)
Gearing	32 x 11-36 10speed shimano	32 x 11-36 10speed shimano
Brakes	Avid Juicy7 200mm (f&r)	XO Trail 180mm ®, 160mm (r)
Fork	RockShox Pike 140mm x15mm	RockShox Reba Ti 120mm x20mm
Shock	RockShox Monarch Plus	none!

Some other writeups

www.endurotribe.com

velochannel

teamnarviflexnomadesk

Florian Golay

Damien Escalier

Mélanie Pugin

Damien Saint-Patrice

breizh-troopers

ragedealer