For mountain bikers who love Ontario single track and are interested in a challenge to make it even more fun I highly recommend having a look at the Ontario Enduro Series (OES)
Enduro is a more “gravity” based mountain biking discipline in which riders spent an entire day in the saddle riding some of Ontario’s greatest trail systems racing on shorter timed stages. The gravity being in quotes for the obvious reason that in many parts of Ontario you will have to pedal to earn your downhills…
The format is very grassroots and “family” friendly in that riders mass start the liaison to the race stages together, race the stages individually, then regroup at the end of each stage and continue to the next one together - at a sustainable group pace if they want.
The current series started when the first Ganny Enduro in Millbrook took place and has since grown to a whole series. This year there will be 7 races including a provincial championship in North Bay and while some venues like Highlands Nordic are old acquaintances of mountain bikers who did Ontario Cross Country MTB cups, it also features exciting new trail hot spots like Wilderness Tours near Ottawa valley and the Trailhub Durham which was purchased a little while ago by the parents of former Olympic mountain bike racer Emily Batty - so it’s safe to say this series has Ontario mountain biking in its DNA.
The Waterloo Cycling Club’s very own @AnaMariaBogatan has managed to win and defend the series winner’s and even provincial champion’s titles in her category for multiple years so the WCC does already have a great Enduro history!
Personally, I have been racing since the first Ganny Enduro and it has easily become my favourite discipline. Last year was the first year in which my whole family participated (and also managed to sneak multiple podiums).
Follow the website ontarioenduroseries.com for more information about Enduro and the Ontario Enduro Series or feel free to ask here or reach out.
