With another ‘sold out’ entry list, over 350 riders descended on Laggan Wolftrax to take part in Round #04 of the POC Scottish Enduro Series, home of some of the most formidable rock gardens in the UK. We were there to check out the action.
For those who have not sampled the delights of Laggan Wolftrax – a pilgrimage for trail riders – the best way to describe it is like an elephant graveyard for rocks, it’s where all Scotland’s slabs go to lay down and die. Pick a bad line through some of the huge rock sections and all you will hear is the sound of your inner ‘screaming child’ and your rims hammering themselves into squares on the rugged trails.
Ses_laggan from Scottish Enduro Series on Vimeo.
This was the 4th round of the POC Scottish Enduro Series, another sell out and testament to the popularity of the well run events. Promoting fun and participation with a more accessible Lite Category and boasting some of the UK’s toughest trails, with cutting edge timing and a super relaxed atmosphere the series has now firmly cemented itself as a rider favourite. Laggan was a super popular round last year and with three new trails it was looking like another great day,
The course was a beast, 6 tough stages, of which three were brand new and fresh cut just for the event. The weather was bone dry for scotland, in that it was wet, but there were little dry bits in between! The organisers had remained true to the spirit of Laggan Wolftrax, taping in the infamous black and red trails, but also mixed it up with some seriously technical stages created by the team at BaseCamp bikes. The new trails took riders to a different part of the forest, rich in prehistoric moss and dampness they had such a land-before-time feel that if you chanced across a dinosaur you would give it nothing more than a passing nod and a “hello”. The stages were punctuated with rock rolls, drops and super technical rock gardens, it was going to be a toughie.
Stage 1 started as the rest would carry on, with a big old rock roll to test caffeine fueled nerve. More than one rider came flying over the hard line with eyes firmly closed, #YOLO mode fully engaged. After some “I survived” high fives at the bottom riders then headed back up through the dense forest to take on stages 2 and 3. Standing at the bottom of ‘that corner’ on stage 3 – a very spicy muddy chute – there were enough creative swear words being used to make a sailor blush. Everyone was game though, rider after rider charged through, sending it at high speed into the muddy void – safety dabs being deployed left, right and centre. The fresh cut tracks were something new to this year’s Scottish Enduro Series, and with the towering pines and vibrant green carpet they had a very British Columbia feel about them, only without the bears.
The final two stages took riders back over into the bike park where they would take on the legendary Black Route, a non stop thrill ride down huge rocky slabs and fast trail centre turns. Lines were everywhere, as were the wheel stoppers – some showed such agility in their dismounts that they would have surely stolen Gold at the Olympic Gymnastics, while others just used body parts as brakes. After the final bike park jumps of Stage 6 riders blasted back into the event village to to check times and to see if they had beat their mates.
When the results came in (you can download the results here, in the men’s race it had been a landslide, Kenta Gallagher had stolen two minutes from the rest of the field – total domination. Chasing him were Ruaidhri Forrester and Stuart Wilcox in 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the women’s race it went to the wire, Fiona Beattie had the skills to take the win, but Kirstin Moynihan and Janey Kennedy were snapping at her heels in 2nd and 3rd. This race also showcased the speed of the Junior women with the winner Kirsty Adam beating Fiona by 2 seconds, the future is here and it’s fast. The overalls are still wide open so it looks like the racing will go right to the wire.
Once again a huge thanks needs to go out to the valiant marshals who braved a day of midges to keep everyone safe, and all the sponsors behind the series, POC, CUBE bikes, BaseCamp bikes for their track work and Muddy Medics for the occasional stitch up.
For those looking for photos of themselves getting rowdy (or looking terrified) you can find all the shots from the event here and if you want more information about the series or to sign up for the next one, you can do so on the Scottish Enduro Series website. The next round is in Dunoon and filling up fast, for those looking to race you need to get in quick to avoid disappointment as the round is proving very popular.
The podium rogues gallery!
Everyone worked super hard and deserves their 15 minutes of fame, here is the run down of the winners:
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