Hope PMBA Enduro Series R3, Lee Quarry and Havoc Bike Park

With the UK currently being bathed in unseasonal sunshine, the third round of the very popular PMBA series kicked off in fine form. 300 riders tackled this unique event with 6 stages, 23 miles, and 1000 m of up and down fun! We check in with Mathew Woodall (kingdom bikes race team) to get the full story! With amazing events all over the UK, UK enduro has never been so strong!

Pulling up in the Carpark on Saturday morning really hits home how big the PMBA series has become the last couple of years, Carpark absolutely full to bursting point with riders fitting number boards and general rider chatter and fettling.
The ride up to the quarry really revealed the extent of the work these guys put in, all tracks taped out and ready for what was to be a rad weekends racing in perfect early summer weather.

With most of the Hope PMBA Enduro series being 1-day affairs this round was the odd one out. 2 days were needed to fit in a big loop on the moors and stages at multiple venues, this was not going to be your average enduro. Saturday practice was a tough day; the 23 mile loop, a heatwave, 6 stages to practice; all with sections requiring multiple attempts, and a serious amount of big hills to climb all combined to ensure we felt like we had done a lot of riding & knowing all too well we had it all to do again tomorrow!

Stage 1, Singletrack DH is a classic stage first routed for the Singletrack weekender back in 2012. A good mix of well-used trail center at the top linked in with real fun and challenging schladmingesque off camber turns, then onto the lung-busting bottom section of the trail center, with an added landslide crossing just to keep you on your toes. I heard about the landslide in the floods that had closed part of the Lee Quarry trails and wondered if that would effect the event, however, we just went straight through it the closed section opened back up for the event and just another technical feature to navigate.

The transition that followed would then take riders well and truly into the middle of nowhere, for the 2nd stage we would encounter the off-piste valleys of the moorland behind whitworth quarry. This stage, MotoMoors, was very challenging with plenty of big rocky chutes, ruts from Moto’s and hidden rocks to punish the rider who deviated from their chosen line. There wasn’t really a racing line, this stage was so open down the little valley you could go in whichever rocky rut, or huck off whichever slab you fancied. Polished off with a few very cheeky technical climbs to keep it enduro, this was a crazy and unique stage !!

So with a little bit of a chat about every rider’s near death encounter with one rock another. we carried on, beautiful views as we rode along the side of Cowm reservoir and then up the steep grass track transition to stage 3. Dubbed “janduro” this is a real rider favourite with an amazingly flowing top section with smatterings of doubles, step downs and hips to keep the aviation fans amongst us happy. It wouldn’t be a challenging race stage without a punchy technical climb, and this one saw many riders dismount to run before back into the woods for an amazing final rocky rooty blast into the finish. The shortest stage of the day but no shortage of smiles.

With every rider absolutely bouncing with excitement about the previous stage, it was now time for the business of getting all the way from Whitworth quarry, over the top to the next two stages in Havok bike park, a gruelling climb made bearable by the 23 degree sun and good company of the other riders in the group. Just before dropping down into Havok bike park, it was time for a quick 5 to give our tiring legs a rest and to check out the live timing feature we had all heard so much about, as the page loaded people around me went from “I’m not that bothered about knowing” to all huddled round the nearest smartphone to see how close you were to your riding buddy’s and to those top 10, 20 or whatever their goal was for the weekend, This feature was awesome and spurred everyone on going into the remaining stages.

Now havok bike park these guys have put some real effort into their trails and it shows, stage 4, The red; was a mind-bogglingly fast run through the trees filled with some good sized doubles and big bike park berms, only with the odd greasy rock and root to try catch you out, if you get carried away with it.

A welcome respite to the heat was welcomed as we hit the United Utilities water station and rehydrated, the sun is always welcome in England but it had been a long way over the moors with no shade to get to Havok from Stage 3.

Then onto stage 5, The Beast, this was a slightly more natural flavour with the same rocks and roots as the last stage but in much larger quantities, this stage caught a good few riders out with the slippery rutted corners forming as the race went on, those who survived this were then met with a nice steep loamy section; just to finish them off and give a spectacle for the many hecklers and riders hanging around this boisterous final section.

So having survived this with all limbs and bike still intact, we made the long hike over the hill and down the road back to where it all started for the final stage, so the final stage was a tough one if the 22miles of riding to get here hadn’t tired your legs, the short punchy climbs and punishing headwind on the top section would finish you off, this took you into what can only be described as a tricky steep grassy chute, dropping you into the final jump and sprint filled goodness that would conclude another epic PMBA race weekend.

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Words: Mathew Woodall Photos: Ian Moor