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Brechfa Frostbite 40

I have to admit, the Enduro format (not to be confused with the UK misuse of the term for endurance racing) has always appealed.

A discipline designed to test allround riders; a format where it wouldn't be enough to just be super fit, or just super technically gifted; a format where you've basically got to be on it in all aspects of riding but with the weighting between downhill and uphill balanced out. So looking for an early race to kick my season off, the Brechfa Frostbite 40, or just the 'Brechfa Enduro', seemed like a good option. And besides, I've got a whole year of long distance stuff planned, so why not try something new?

The race was offering up a 40km loop with three timed special stages within, one pure downhill, one pure uphill, and one 'All Mountain' undulating one. There was some murmuring on the start line as to whether this was going to end up favoring the XCers too much, what with the downhill estimated at 3 minutes long and the climb at 8 minutes! But more on that in a sec…

Deciding to travel up in the morning from Bristol, the 5am alarm call to ensure I was on the start line in time was a bit rude to say the least. And at that point the hard, cold floor of the Llansawel village hall, and the prospect of staying over didn't seem like it would have been that bad. Kitted up, breakfast dispatched and van loaded up, I was on the road by 6am. With Llansawel being relatively easy to find (although some just drove to the Brechfa trail head apparently!), I was signed on and on the start line in seriously good time. I'd earned myself a 5th on the line spot and as they let us go one by one, I was off up the road climb wondering how long it would be before the quick boys caught me. 

The first special stage came round quite suddenly and I wasn't really ready for it...

So that was my strategy, get away relatively quick without burning up too much and hopefully enjoy a nice traffic free run at each of the special stages. I was quickly in 3rd out on the trail as I ground my way past two other guys as we battled into a cruel headwind (not that this counted for anything), then subsequently finding myself in a rather lonely race. Constantly craning my neck round waiting for the likes of Rob 'Box' Cooksley, Ryan Bevis or Huw Thomas to come by, I couldn't believe no one was coming up behind me yet.

The first special stage came round quite suddenly and I wasn't really ready for it. I wasn't exactly tanking it up the fireroads, but I was struggling to find my legs and was pushing it a little bit in order to try and stoke something out of them. Still panting a bit as the marshals counted me down, "30 seconds", the adrenalin was kicking in. "20 seconds", my lenses fogging up. "10 seconds", I recognise this section, it's not that techy and I wager the longer travel bikes aren't going to have much of an advantage here. "Alright mate. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO".

I'm off with about as much 'go' as an over-worked donkey as I mash my way through the boggy, pot-holed, mud-bath that marked the opening of the trail. Quickly it turns to typical Brechfa stone and the speed picks up. The first bermed corner comes up and I hit it with everything I've got. Totally out of shape, wondering where the hell the grip was, I'm out the otherside with my confidence somewhat knocked. It's pretty much the same story all the way down and as I rolled out onto the forest road, I sat up depressed that I'd blown the first special stage. Wondering where the timing guys were I realised this wasn't over! Back on the gas I chucked it into the second half of the timed section. There was loads of grip down in this more wooded area and I set about minimising the damage. One fluffed, overshot berm aside, I rode a better second half.

Stopping to neck a gel and recompose myself I was still surprised to see no one else come down behind me. As I set off up a long fireroad drag I eventually saw a rider finish the special stage some way down below and it wasn't long before he came past at a good rate. Now he was keen to get round! Back to my loneliness out on the trail and really starting to wonder what the rest of the pack was playing at, the fireroad drag was interrupted by something suspiciously off-piste looking.

Dan Sampson of Niner Stans Ergon UK, photo by Matt Cope

Dropping in I was now glad to be one of the first riders down here, already looking very cut up, very slidy and in places, steep; I set about skidding and wobbling my way down, trying my best to make my rather dry-weather tyres work. One near over the bars moment aside, I was quickly out of the bottom and back onto the safe but somewhat less exciting grind of the fireroad. 

The second special stage would see us tackle a couple of kilometres of ups and downs. I wasn't feeling particularly hot and the switchbacks that made up the climbing bit were awful on the legs. The reward was worth it though with a section of descending which is definitely one of Brechfa's highlights! Feeling far more 'on it' than the earlier SS1, it felt like a good ending and I could only hope I hadn't lost too much climbing up.

There was a bit of a break before the next special stage which would ultimate finish the day. I figured with all the inevitable queuing at the special stages it was highly unlikely I was going to be caught by many people now, so I grabbed a Banana from the feed station to eat on the bike and got on with things. I bumped into two fellow breakaway racers who clearly had the same idea. Looking rather lost, a missing way marker had caused them to trot off down a fireroad and cautiously come back up to wait for someone else. Knowing Brechfa, I reasoned it must be the Raven trail section to our right and I knew it came out not too far from the feed station which we needed to loop back to anyway. The three of us dived in, wheel to wheel, whipping between the trees.

Huw Thomas of Niner Stans Ergon UK, photo by Matt Cope

This was the 'Enduro' vibe I'd been missing all day! We quickly shot out of the trail back to the feed station, not bothering to stop we all rolled straight into the Gorlech trail final descent. Joined also by Huw Thomas of the brand spanking new Niner Stans Ergon team (so new they've not even got their bikes built yet!), I found myself in a pack for the rest of the enduro. 

The climbing special stage was a brute. In all reality it wasn't that bad a climb, and on a normal day at Brechfa, it's just a warm up. With two stages already in the legs and the pressure of the clock, good grief it hurt by the end! I properly popped with about 100m to go and I'd already been passed by one of our four and another was closing in. Riding back the way we'd came in, it was a gentle fireroad/road blast back into Llansawel. It turns out I'd not done too badly at all placing 23rd out of a good 170-odd riders, and i got round the whole enduro in a 'with-hindsight', overly-keen 2 hrs and 15 minutes. Rob 'Box' Cooksley would take the win in the gents race, Hazel Wakefield cleaning up in the ladies'.

In all it was a really nice event, keenly priced, all going to a good cause. Personally I felt it could have been a touch longer and perhaps another timed descent would have been icing on the cake (the Gorlech final descent would have been perfect). What was really great though was the variety in turn out. There was no dominant type of bike or rider really with the top 20 being an even mix of more gravity orientated 160mm bikes, whippety hardtails, shorter travel trail bikes and a smattering of 29ers. And there was lycra, baggies, goggles, Oakley M-frames, everything! There was a risk of this turning into a XC race, but the undulating middle stage saved the day, and there was no getting away from the fact that you had to be a good allrounder. This stage might well have been a bigger decider than the pure climb!

I hope we can see a proliferation of this type of event now. With the 661 series being established last year, and events like the Ritchey Trailmasters offering a similar package (but in a multi-day format and less marathon-like); things are looking pretty interesting for the UK Enduro scene (not endurance races). 

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