We team up for Team Enduro in Davos, Switzerland
The Alps has a certain magnificence about it and one that for me had started to dwindle in memory as the years seem to have rolled by with Covid putting stop to typically yearly adventures to the continent. Finally after multiple years of trying to get out to Davos for the Team Enduro Christo and I were on our way to the Swiss Alps.
Big mountain descents, wheel wrecking terrain and uplifts have always been appealing to me. I’m not sure what it is really as high speed trails scare the sh*t out of me and I’ve gone through periods of regularly damaging wheels. The altitude, dominant peaks and alpine meadows always put a little feel good vibes into me. Arriving in Davos after a 10 hour drive from Calais was a rewarding feeling. We were excited for three days of team racing, a format that was totally new to both of us.
Right from the get go there was a friendly vibe and once we got past the covid tests and vaccine checks we primed ourselves for 14 stages around the Davos Klosters area. With 450 riders on the start list it was a big event and shows the popularity after 5 years of the area hosting the unique format.
For over 20 years I’ve been used to heading out of the start line on my own. My errors and misjudgement would only affect my result but this event was different. A crash, a stall, a puncture would not only impact me but my team mate would likely be pissed! This format requires riders to start out of the gate together and then finish together. Brothers (or Sisters) in Arms.
Day 1 kicked off on Thursday with three stages. Christo and I headed up two gondolas to around 2500m. The air thinned and even on the short liaison to the start breathing wasn’t quite as easy as the last time we were riding at Naughty Northumbrian at a meager 400m above sea level. Once we got onto the stage we really felt it and it showed in our first stage position. After seeing the pace of riders, particularly the BIXS team who’d ridden in previous years, we clearly needed to up our game and loosen up on these high speed trails. Thankfully we did and the stage results picked up from there. Stage 2 pushed our legs and lungs to the limit before the day finished off with another open hillside wideopen alpine trail. This one was the highlight of the day and helped us move up to third in the overall, only 1 second off of 2nd.
Clearly we were being eased into things on day 1 with just shy of 20 minutes of racing. Things would ramp up for day 2 with another 5 stages taking us over the mountains to Klosters where they have an excellent lunch offering. The first stage of the day started below Weissfluh, a 2800m mountain, and descended 400m over 3.2km. This was by far one of the most physically challenging stages but it worked in our favour despite losing some time trying to pass another team. We moved up to 2nd and began our competition with Gailas Soccas which would continue for the remainder of the weekend. BIXS Factory Team would continue their dominance and maintain their lead from this point on, winning every stage over the weekend. The stages continued to challenge every rider in different ways with more roots and less open hillside riding prevailing over the day. After enjoying a traditional Swiss meal of pasta, potatoes, cream, lardons and apple sauce we made our way to stage 7. This one really got ticker going. From start to finish it was eye wateringly fast and riders were buzzing by the end. The weekend's fist pumps definitely made an appearance after this stage. With one final pedal back up into Klosters the race headed high up above Davos to the final stage of the day. This would prove to be a true representation of what the trails around Davos have to offer. The popular Signal trail really gives you a little bit of everything when it comes to single track gold.
Now with over 40 minutes of racing in the bag both mind and body were tiring. It makes you wonder what a 5 or 6 day trans race is really like. We were up early again for an even longer day in the saddle. With 6 stages, another trip to Davos and a 12km ride to start the day we were in for a tough day. Over 30 minutes of racing for us by the close of play.
As per the previous few days it was Stefan Peters and his team mate who would again bring their dominance from past years to win the first stage. We were a second off after the 8 minute stage, in % terms the closest we’d get to them over the weekend. We’d extend our lead over 3rd by 20 seconds but this was a cushion we’d need as events unfolded over the day.
With another epic lunch on our mind we headed up towards stage 10 and 11. Distracted we managed to miss the junction to these stages and cruised along what was an excellent single track. A trail we would again ride later that day in both directions. Realising our blunder and nearing the start of Stage 12 we worked our way back to a steep stage 10. It was challenging in sections and Chris would make an error on one corner and drop back a bit on Christo and dropping a few seconds. The next stage would start with the most precarious ledge we’d ride over the event before a physically demanding stage punished the legs and hairpin cornering ability.
Finally it was time to return to that lovely single track and find the start of stage 12. With a Jinxed question by the marshal at the start, ‘Any crashes boys?’ it would be 50m into the stage that Christo would catch his wheel on a rock and take a minor tumble. Straight back up with a little time lost we pushed hard down the switch backed trail. Not an easy stage to make up time and easy to loose it on the rocky turns. Our comfortable lead over 3rd just got squeezed with almost 5 more km of trail to race.
It was onto stage 13 and 14 after another incredible lunch - the events worth entering just for this element. We headed back up the two Jakobshorn cable cars and with a spot of rain everyone was eager to get down in the dry. The penultimate stage would be one of the fastest of the weekend and it helped us maintain a reasonable margin in the race standings.
Onto the final stage of the day and a very different one compared to all the other trails in this region. This was a bike park trail which took riders right into Davos for the first time in the event's history. Apparently farmers are very protective over their lands so it’s been a long time coming to get a trail down the final part of the hill. The bermed trail was a welcome change after three days of high consequence mountain stages. Despite dropping a bit of time on this stage we maintained 2nd behind the BIXS factory team and had a fantastic battle with Gailas Soccas - great racing Gents. What an event and a fantastic way to end the weekend. While results are great just being out in the alps and riding in a new location was a real privilege.
A massive thanks to the team behind the Mondraker Enduro Team event. Both event staff and riders were super welcoming and it will be an event symbolised by the fist pump. So much stoke from start to finish, especially when it came to the podiums. They know how to create a buzz!
Despite it being a washout by the end the stoke remained high right until the final riders came through the