The downhill / enduro comparison has fuelled many an internet forum fire, rather amusingly to us! How many times have you heard or read the words ‘enduro is for / pussies / washed up downhill racers / insert appropriate’ being bleated out by armchair experts in the darkest corners of the internet abyss? We join Martin Maes and the GT Factory Racing team to find out more.

Martin Maes is the perfect rider, able to represent at the top in both international enduro and downhill racing.
Martin Maes is the perfect rider, able to represent at the top in both international enduro and downhill racing.

With Richie Rude showing his crushing domination and now even Sam Hill getting in on the mix, there’s been a steady stream of racers taking the leap from downhill to enduro. GT Factory Racing’s Belgian shredder Martin Maes has also fully committed to enduro, having decided on a full campaign of EWS rather than downhill. He has been no stranger to a downhill track, showing up at a handful of world cups over the last couple of years and schooling the junior field with two wins at Fort William and a silver at worlds in Andorra. Who better then to discover the respective challenges and differences of racing each discipline; we joined Martin at the Irish EWS and the Scottish stop of the Downhill World Cup to find out.

While there are many differences between downhill and enduro, some athletes can bridge the gap.
While there are many differences between downhill and enduro, some athletes can bridge the gap.

Primarily, both disciplines are fuelled by the battle against the clock and gravity, but whilst they share similar traits, in many aspects, they are wildly different. Starting with the format, enduro has multiple stages with liaisons in between, sometimes utilising lifts, sometimes not, leaving riders with very limited practice. Downhill has one track for the whole weekend, allowing riders to really hone their line choice over practice before unleashing everything, in an explosive all out effort.

Preperation for a downhill race is very different to enduro, every inch of the track is memorised, every line has to be perfect.
Preperation for a downhill race is very different to enduro, every inch of the track is memorised, every line has to be perfect.
There is simply not enough time to learn enduro stages with the same detail a downhill stages.
There is simply not enough time to learn enduro stages with the same detail a downhill stages.
When starting a downhill race the riders have to be 100% dialled into their lines.
When starting a downhill race the riders have to be 100% dialled into their lines.
Once the beeps start, everything has to be perfect to stand on the top step.
Once the beeps start, everything has to be perfect to stand on the top step.

“Track knowledge is one of the major differences between enduro and DH… And one of the reasons why downhill is a bit more dangerous than racing Enduro. In DH, you constantly need to push yourself, even during practice which involves a lot of risks. Enduro is a bit different, you “cruise” down and only get limited practice on each stage, trying to get as much confidence as you can. You have also got to think tires choice, set up, what could I change if it rains etc. All in one practice run! This is what makes enduro so special to me.”

The DH riders of ten years ago were not the fighting fit elite athletes of today, and although many are still competing, their approach to racing has changed tenfold. Both disciplines now demand riders to be at the peak of fitness, however, their training approaches do differ intriguingly. When Martin changed focus to his EWS campaign, he needed to change the way he trains. Downhill requires explosive power and brute strength whereas enduro requires more stamina and endurance for sustained efforts. Of course, training plans differ from rider to rider, but on the whole, more time is spent in the gym when training for downhill, perfecting every ounce of bike handling skill, whilst enduro also requires high levels of stamina and consistency built by long hours in the saddle.

Training for downhill, racers have to spend many hours  in the gym developing the strength required to power through the hits.
Training for downhill, racers have to spend many hours in the gym developing the strength required to power through the hits.
Absolute focus is vital at 100% effort
Absolute focus is vital at 100% effort
Mistakes at full speed can mean time out and short seasons.
Mistakes at full speed can mean time out and short seasons.
Tough on the body, tough on the bikes.
Tough on the body, tough on the bikes.


“If I was to do downhill full time the training would be pretty different. I’d probably go to the gym more often and I’d definitely not ride as much as I do on my road/cross country bike. I’d also work even more on my bike skills, I guess even more quality than quantity.”

Many have said that enduro is being pushed harder towards highly technical trails, but comparing the tracks is difficult, take the short punchy three to five-minute stages of the Irish EWS and then compare that to the long Alpine stages of La Thuile with some over fifteen minutes. In downhill there isn’t the same massive variance in length but a track like Leogang is perhaps tamer and more ‘bike parky’ when compared to the legendary gnar of Mont Sainte-Anne. With the EWS still developing, the race organisers are still trying and testing to see what works and what they ‘can get away with’, on the whole, the stages are growing increasingly technical with bike set up following suit. The increased technical demands have played into the hands of the downhill riders and there is no question that the pure DH racers are faster and more efficient through the technical sections that are becoming more abundant in the modern enduro race stage.

Enduro is maturing too, stage are growing tougher and more technical.
Enduro is maturing too, stage are growing tougher and more technical.
In the pits, an enduro weekend rolls a little slower and more relaxed.
In the pits, an enduro weekend rolls a little slower and more relaxed.
Enduro weekends are also the mechanics favourites, laid back and more fun.
Enduro weekends are also the mechanics favourites, laid back and more fun.
However, the stages are still full gas. Martin getting it done in Ireland.
However, the stages are still full gas. Martin getting it done in Ireland.

“Downhill is tough, especially the track at Fort William, it’s brutal, long and so rough as well, which makes it hard to to keep your focus. It’s more explosive, especially the last straight, I definitely won’t be the fastest just because I’m used to riding for long days and not so much for sprints.”

Over the past season, we’ve seen an increasing amount of regular downhill world cup racers dabble in the odd round of the EWS with varying success. Sam Hill shot to the headlines taking his flat pedals to the podium, the rawness and abundance in line choice playing very much to his style. There have been flashes of brilliance from Sam Blenkinsop with stage wins and a podium in Argentina whilst other top DH names have certainly not struggled, but have not lit up the timing screens or results sheets as much as anticipated.

Two different disciplines obviously require highly specific machinery, for downhill Martin uses the 210 mm travel GT Fury, and for enduro duties the 160 mm Sanction. Bikes that have been conceived by the same company and share a few similar traits, but that have been created for two very different purposes. The Fury is rather obviously a burlier build, heavier and its geometry is uncompromising in its intent to find seconds on the steepest and techiest tracks. The Sanction’s focus is on finding the best of both worlds, the balance between up and down, requiring confidence inspiring handling on the downs without being a slog up to the start of the next stage.

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“The Fury and Sanction are based on the same idea. They look pretty similar and are both great bikes. However, I feel much more at home on the Sanction without surprise. I’ve used the Fury for probably 5 weekends of racing and I’ve been riding the Sanction for more than 3 years. This makes such a big difference!”

In terms of coverage downhill is still very much king, the logistics of covering the course with camera points is a massive operation, now imagine doing that seven times spread across the EWS stages, it’s nigh on impossible. The TV coverage of downhill has actually pushed the organisers into shaping the courses to suit, with tracks straightening out to push massive top speeds that wow the audiences. However, things are changing, the EWS organisers are not ones to rest on their laurels and have their own team of videographers working flat out the whole weekend to deliver the fans a thirty minute bumper highlight reel, often riding the same terrain as the racers just with an additional 20kg of camera gear on their back…

Team mechanics Mark Maurissen and Tom Duncan’s rolls vary between the events too
Team mechanics Mark Maurissen and Tom Duncan’s rolls vary between the events too
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The differences are not only felt by Martin, the team manager / mechanic Mark Maurissen and mechanic Tom Duncan’s rolls vary between the events as well. Thanks to the format, mechanicing at an enduro is decidedly easier than at a downhill world cup, bikes are beaten up less and they will actually ride out and provide on track support during practice at the EWS.

“DH is for sure more work intense. Changing tires and swapping rims is an everyday duty. Bikes might need a wash after every single run! There is no doubt that enduro is way more fun to wrench! We do on track support during training. As we ride the same bikes as the athletes, it saves them coming back to the pits after a mechanical or when they would like to do small changes on the bike. It does make the evenings pretty busy as you still need to wash all bikes and get them prepped for the next day!” – Mark Maurissen, GT Team Manager / Mechanic

Differences aside, when you roll into the start gate, tuck your goggles neatly into your helmet, and those beeps start, it’s all about your battle with the course, clock, and competitors. The EWS ‘youngsters’ are coming to the fore with Richie Rude and Martin Maes in the top 5 pretty much wherever you look, with others knocking on the door. Add into that the stream of technically skilled DH racers making the transition, the EWS regulars at the top who’ve been there since the start and you’ve got one hell of a potent mix which will be enthralling to watch develop to see who rises to the top.

“As you get into the gate it's about riding as fast as you can, for sure it's a different bike and different conditions but at the end of the day it's about riding a bike as fast as you can.”
“As you get into the gate it’s about riding as fast as you can, for sure it’s a different bike and different conditions but at the end of the day it’s about riding a bike as fast as you can.”

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