POC Scottish Enduro Series | Innerleithen’s Grand Finale
It seems fitting that the tense season finale of the Scottish Enduro Series would play out in Innerleithen, it’s a place that is synonymous with Scottish Enduro. The hills surrounding the quiet town are riddled with amazing singletrack, ranging from mellow ribbons of fun to trails so steep you will question whether you are still riding or actually falling. The series points could not be closer, Katy Winton and Roz Newman were neck and neck and in the boys, Chris Hutchens, Liam Moynihan and Ben Cathro were all in the running for the overall, it was going to be a nail biting finish to the season.
Scottish Enduro Series 2015: Round 6 – Innerleithen from Scottish Enduro Series on Vimeo.
As the light peeked over the horizon it was clear that we were changing seasons, mist hung heavy over the river Tweed and the winter chill crept through the collection of camper vans in the car park. It was another sell-out event, in fact the team were printing out extra numbers to meet demand. Being the final, the organisers had laid on a big loop with five big climbs to contend with, many riders were seeking a caffeine injection after riding the course the day before in practice. The last round of the season always gets riders excited and it was amazing to see many new faces in the car park, the sport of enduro has never been healthier in Scotland.
Something was not right though, there was one thing that was confusing everyone! Faces nervously peeked out from campervans and all eyes turned towards the sky – what witchcraft or voodoo was this. It was a race – in Scotland – in October – and it was dry! It simply made no sense? With a smattering of sun forecast everyone knew they were in for a treat and excitement was high.
Stage One took the riders up to the golfy side, an area that has been raced since the early 90’s, in fact the track is known as the ‘Old School Downhill’ and is full to the brim with tight turns, fast open shale filled gullies and brand new loamy bus stops. The riding was intense and loose as riders explored the limits of the dry trail. Then it was a big haul back to the top to drop down Repeat Offender made famous in the EWS, before heading over to the Plora Rig side for three stages of downhill action.
The day was punctuated with great trails, some were classics from the ‘good old days’ while others were ‘new school tracks’ that would become classics one day for sure, and even a few lung busting pedals for good measure. The forests of Caberston and Plora rig were alive with colour, the vivid green mixing with the rich golden autumnal hues. The end of each stage was full of high fives, fist bumps and banter, the trails were running so well, everyone was high on stoke.
There was a lot of talent on display too, in the women’s field we would see an intense battle between Katy Winton and Roz Newman. With only 50 points separating them going into the final round, they took it right to the wire winning 2 stages each apiece before Katy found a few valuable seconds to win Stage Five, the round and take the overall title too. Even after 25 minutes of racing only 11 seconds separated them showing just how fast Roz has become.
In the men’s event the field was wide open, EWS racers Chris Hutchens, Stuart Wilcox, Liam Moynihan and Thomas Mitchell were all racing for the win, and let’s not forget the DH superstars Ben Cathro and Kenta Gallagher. In the end though it was local missile and WC DH racer Lewis Buchanan who smashed it, winning all but one stage and taking a dominant victory. This left the overall in turmoil with four racers in contention. After some panic maths and a little confusion it was Liam Moynihan who had taken the victory and was the new Scottish Champion. You can read our interview with the new champions here.
As the sun descended behind the podium and the last banner was packed away everyone agreed it was a great send off to the season, looking back over the year it’s amazing how the series has evolved, and the series now has a strong identity attracting riders of all levels from all over the country. With rounds that share a unique familiarity but differ in terrain, it really has appealed to every rider. After a season of amazing times, great people and good banter ENDURO Magazine would like to thank the team and marshalls for their hard work and we look forward to covering the 2016 season.
Full results can be found here for the final round, and for the series overall. Many photographers were covering the event so if you are looking for a new facebook profile picture you may find a banger image here. The podiums follow, there were many but everyone deserves a shot in the limelight!
Words and photos: Trev Worsey
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