Race Recap | Norikura MTB Enduro Race – Nagano, Japan
On August 30-31st, over 200 riders showed up at Igaya Ski Resort for the very first gravity enduro race in Japan! The Norikura area is well known for its skiing in the winter, and serves as an all purpose outdoor sports centre in the summer.
There was a large variety of riding skill levels and bikes represented, from XC to DH, beginner to expert. For this reason the course was kept short – 10km including liason in order for the whole group to find enjoyment in the race. The idea with this first race was to establish and develop the mountain bike community, and have fun of course! It was held over two days with practice taking place on Saturday and the race on Sunday.
The course was 2 stages, SS1 named “FOX SHOX stage” and SS2 named “Cannnondale stage”. SS1 is that is wide open fire road course of 1700m length, old school kamikaze style downhill! SS2 was a single track section for the first half and berm to berm slalom section for the second half of 1.6 km length. In the middle was a gnarly, leg burning climb that challenged especially those with DH bikes!
The practice of Saturday AM was carried out under clear skies and many riders practiced the course again and again.
Many Japanese riders were not yet used to an enduro race, so the distance was just right. In the afternoon, it began to rain, but many riders enjoyed riding in the mud. The film festival was carried out at night.
It did not rain on race day and therefore the track was in good condition. SS1 raced in the AM and SS2 raced in the PM. SS1 was a physically challenging course, but all riders pedaled hard till the finish. They were exhausted, but in good spirits.
There were many viewing areas on the side of SS2 because it was near the main stage which made for exciting race action and get the riders pumped up and motivated as they charge by!
Both special stages added up to five minutes, much shorter than a real enduro race. But the first ever Japanese enduro race was a great success.
Gravity enduro racing seem like it will continue to get more popular in the future in Japan. Next year, the series will go by the name of “Enduro National Series” with some more races in the works! Maybe someday there will even be an EWS held in Japan!
Thank you for Dynoco and NORTHSTAR who organized this event.
Words: Daisuke Kurosawa
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