Moeschler and Weir between runs at The Dirty Sanchez Enduro

WTB went big last weekend (May 5 & 6) with sponsored athletes on the podiums in both Nor Cal and France! Team WTB’s Mark Weir and Jason Moeschler took first and third, respectively, at the Dirty Sanchez Enduro race, an invitation-only event that was held in an undisclosed California location.

“We’re starting to see a lot of ‘invitational’ enduros over here,” Moeschler explained. “It’s an indication that US promoters are catching on but trying to keep the events small so they can figure out the format and timing logistics.”

Jason Moeschler riding Bronson 2.3 AM TCS tires to a third place finish in the Dirty Sanchez Enduro.

Some format options he’s seen include ones the rider pedals to the top and some have shuttles; some have multiple courses or some have a couple that overlap; some  start in order and others start as soon as you get to the top of the course; some have five minute descents while others are 35 minutes long.

Mark Weir shuttles to the top of the course with invited riders and Ron Sanchez (race organizer) at the wheel.

Whatever the variation, Weir and Moeschler couldn’t be happier about the increased number of their favorite events that means less traveling and better times closer to home. Weir has been traveling to France for the past 10 years to compete in the French Enduro Series. He brought Jason in 2009 & 2010 to compete in Vars and Valloire. This is also where the Team WTB riders met up with Jerome Clementz, who was sponsored on sight! They’ve been inspired by his talent and ever since. Flashback to 2010 French Enduro Racing with Moeschler & Weir…

Ben Cruz riding "fast and loose" on prototype TCS tires in the Metabief Open Enduro..

Meanwhile one guy who can’t get enough of the French Enduro scene is Ben Cruz, who is spending the month of May couch surfing, eating cheese and racing what he is calling “the real deal.” As he should, since Clementz had a hand in organizing the new series called the Bluegrass Enduro Tour, located in a small village called Saint Marie Aux Mines. “Very French,” Cruz laughs and explains the format for the five-stage enduro race. “We took a shuttle to high points then had to pedal to the stages. Stage One started with a 20-minute shuttle that was followed by a 20-minute climb and a 10-minute downhill race—very rad!”

Next, he explained the 30-minute climb to Stage Two for the most technically demanding course he’d ever raced on with “tight switchbacks and super high speed singletrack—also rad!” Stage Three was an hour-and-a-half liaison (or untimed climb) to the start but the 15-minute downhill was worth it. “It’s so amazing they are allowed to just rip through the woods with no trails here and call it a race. In America people would be bitching and moaning about it, but here everyone loves it.”

Stages Four and Five were on the same track with a 15-minute shuttle and 30-minute ride to the start. “It was the best track of the weekend,” he said, adding that Stage Four was a timed race and Stage Five was the kicker—a post race. He clarified that a post race is after all the previous stages and uses the rider’s accumulated time as the seating position for the start. How far off your time is from the leader’s is the interval time between riders. “I was 1 minute 15 seconds off of first,” Ben explained. “He started at 12 and I started at 12:01.15 and the first one down is the winner. It’s a battle and a half.”

WTB rider Jerome Clementz on top of the podium with fellow WTB riders Florian Golay in 4th and Ben Cruz in 5th.

Stay tuned for more enduro updates as Team WTB  gets ready to take on the Oregon Enduro Series at the end of the month.

Team WTB riders giving a final pre-race inspection. Photo by Jen Burt.

It was anyone’s guess what the winning rubber would be for the 3^rd Annual Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival that included super enduro, short track, pump track and dirt jump events held in Aptos, CA last weekend.  After a week of heavy rains left the three enduro courses a rutted, muddy disaster, suddenly the playing field was leveled to a degree that in addition to solid handling skills, riders would need the right equipment to get the job done. With one of the best fields of enduro racers ever assembled in the US, the race proved to be a battle that was won or lost based on the rider’s ability to stay upright through the corners.

Ben Cruz hauling the mail towards the finish. Photo by Jen Burt.

WTB rider, Ben Cruz, was one of the few who took to the mud like a fish to water. “I love riding in the mud and when it started to dump rain a week before the race, I got excited!!” said Cruz, who knew the rain would be a huge game changer that would be reflected in the results. “Anyone can ride a trail they know fast in the dry but in the mud it’s a different story. It turns into having the ability to adapt to all conditions. The mud made it a real enduro game,” he added.

Weir starts the 12-mile climb to the top of the enduro course. Photo by Jen Burt.

Come race day, WTB riders agreed that the Moto Tubeless Compatible System (TCS) tire, in one combination or another, was the right tool for the job. The podium proved them right with Santa Cruz/WTB/Fox riders Aaron Bradford  in first place on Moto 2.3 TCS front/Bronson 2.1 TCS rear and Ryan Condrashoff in second on Moto 2.3 TCS front and Moto 2.1 TCS rear. Cannondale/WTB/Shimano/Fox riders Ben Cruz and Mark Weir came in fourth and fifth respectively, riding WTB Vigilante AM TCS prototype front/Moto 2.1 AM TCS rear.

Not far behind was Santa Cruz/WTB/ Fox rider Nathan Riddle on Moto 2.3 AM TCS front/Wolverine 2.2 TCS rear finishing in 11^th  with Cannondale/WTB/Shimano/Fox rider Jason Moeschler  in 12th on Moto 2.3 AM TCS front/ Moto 2.1 AM TCS rear, and WTB/Ibis rider Kenny Burt in 17th also on Moto 2.3 AM TCS front/Moto 2.1 AM TCS rear. The Moto proved to be the tire that helped the riders find their flow and hold onto it.

Team WTB rider Jason Moeschler explained, “The conditions were so bad that I was pretty much thinking that there was no traction to be had at all,” adding that he was surprised  to have controlled, two-wheel drifts through the corners. “Made it pretty fun,” he said.

Santa Cruz/WTB/Fox rider Aaron Bradford rode TCS Bronson tires to a second-place finish in the Short Track event. Photo by Forrest Arakawa.

High fives all around to the riders who finished the Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival events with mud between their teeth and some well deserved bragging rights!

Cheers to Scott Chapin for winning the WTB All Mountain Challenge with Aaron Bradford in second and Barry Wicks (not pictured) in third. Photo by Forrest Arakawa.

Thank you to the Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival staff, volunteers and supporters for a great time! Speaking of great times… check out WTB rider Jeff Herbertson winning the Dirt Jump competition…

Enduro Practice = Fun - photo: Brian Raphael

Thank Goodness for Enduro Racing. NSMB.com just posted this great article featuring WTB’s very own Mark Weir and Ben Cruz. Read this excerpt from Mark and definitely check out the full article here.

Enduro is about enjoying yourself, it’s racing the best parts of trails with gas still in the tank to ride the trail at maximum speed in technical situations. Not about relying only on fitness and coasting down the hill. The perfect Enduro is one that leaves you with the feeling of power left over but the trail was so technical it made it hard to lay down that power. If you are too hard on equipment and lack finesse Enduro makes you pay. Either a weight penalty, which in turn is a time penalty. By a running a heavy set-up to make up for straight line mashing you just lost a minute on the climb. Enduro racing is calculation and knowing the way you ride and building the bike to get the most you can from your strengths. You can’t hide your weaknesses but you can disguise.

Take a peek at the day and the life of WTB/Cannondale/Fox rider Ben Cruz as he shreds the Novato California hills on Mutano TCS tires, Stryker TCS All mountain Wheels, and his favorite Valcon saddle. Ben claims”…all the trails around my house are basically illegal, but we make do. We have made friends with the local land owners so we can hang out there and dig. We can do what ever we want on our own free will…without the worry of getting hassled by the man.”

Congrats to Jérôme Clementz, WTB-sponsored rider and top finisher of last weekend’s Tribe 10000—the third event in the 2011 French Enduro Series. Read more about this talented rider in the latest issue of “Bike Magazine” as guest editor Mark Weir tries to get to the bottom of what makes this guy so fast. Is it his yellow shoes or perhaps his custom WTB Volt saddle seen here? It’s hard to say, but if the yellow shoe fits…

All kidding aside, Jérôme Clementz is a force to be reckoned with on the enduro course (if winning the last Megavalanche is any indication). In case we neglected to mention, Jérôme rode Mutano 2.4 AM TCS tires to this particular victory that entailed two shots at three runs averaging 10 minutes each on Saturday (six runs in all) for a total of 6,000 m of vertical descent on single track. Sunday’s format demanded more pedaling giving those who could find their legs a chance to use their fitness to compete against the leaders, who were averaging incredible 17-minute runs.

Up next in the French Enduro Series are the events in Les Arcs and Valloire at the end of July, where Team WTB’s Mark Weir and Ben Cruz will have their work cut out for them against Clementz and the top enduro riders who continue to make us work hard to make the stuff they can use to win!

One athlete. 30 sports. 30 days. 30 cites. Watch day 26 as Mark Weir, Ben Cruz, and Jason Moeschler coach Sam (from the EAS Unstoppable Tour) on how to shred the Ranch. This video illustrates what great coaches, perfect terrain, proper nutrition, and excellent equipment can do. This was filmed at The Ranch, the testing ground for all things WTB. Kick back and enjoy the video!