Huge weekend of enduro mountain bike riding ahead at Laggan Wolftrax
Laggan Wolftrax is hosting the first round of the YT Industries TweedLove Enduro Series racing this weekend with 500 top riders taking part.
The competition is also doubling up as the opening round of the BEMBA British National Enduro Series and is a real coup for the trails at Strathmashie.
Practice is taking place on Saturday with race day on Sunday and spectators are welcome to attend.
Organsiers have said they are looking forward to competitors tackling the ‘legendary natural trails, lots of rock, technical features and new flow’ at Wolftrax.
Cristian Pizarro, business development officer at the Laggan Wolftrax Centre, said: “The race sold out well in advance, with all the top riders keen to sample the huge variety of trails at a venue famous for its abundance of rock and technical trail sections.
“The race, which provides the first race in both the YT Industries TweedLove Enduro Series and BEMBA British National Enduro Series, has attracted the best riders from all over the UK and beyond with some from as far as New Zealand.”
The race has been organised by Scottish Borders-based event team Hillside Outside, who also organise the TweedLove festival and race series.
They have been working with the local Wolftrax operators Laggan Forest Trust.
It is the first time the TweedLove crew have brought a race to a venue outside the south of Scotland.
Organiser Neil Dalgleish explained: “It’s been five years since there was an enduro race at Laggan, and it’s such an iconic race venue – so we’re really pleased to be able to work with the Laggan team to put on such a high profile and exciting event.
“The trails are fantastic - definitely challenging in places – and some of the riders will never have raced anything like this before.
“It’ll be an eye-opener for quite a few folk.”
Mr Pizarro has said that the weekend’s event will bring a big boost to the local economy.
He commented: “It’s been a long time since such an event has been held at Laggan Wolftrax.
“Welcoming the 500 participants and their companions should have a significant impact on local businesses.
“In addition to the new trails launched at the end of last year plus the current improvements to the “Wolf of Badenoch Black” trail , Laggan is again at the high end of mountain biking in Scotland and we will do our best with our staff and volunteers to deliver a superb event alongside Hillside Outside.
“Race practice is this Saturday with race day on Sunday – for obvious safety reasons, many trails will be closed to the public all weekend but careful spectators are welcome to come and cheer on the riders.
“The Wolftrax café and event food stalls will have extended hours over the weekend."
Full Course categories:
Male: U18, U21, Senior (21-29), Master (30-39), Vet (40-49), Grand Vet (50+). Female: U21, Senior (21-34), Master (35+). E-MTB: Female, Male U40, Male 40+ (minimum age 14 in line with eBike law)
Short Course: TweedLove Enduro Series races will all have short course (at least one stage less) categories for Male: U15M, 15+M, Female: U16F, 16+F and E-MTB: eMTB M, eMTB F.
Due to the potential length and challenge of these courses, all U15 males and U16 females will compete on the Short Course including BNES series participants.
More details at https://tweedlove.com/events/tweedlove-enduro-series-rd-1/
