Expert Advice: MTB Sport by Gene Faelnar Jr.
Main race formats are Cross Country (Mix of paved road and dirt, usually involves a lot of pedaling), Enduro (A set of gravity tracks, where fastest time for all tracks determines the winner), Downhill (Mainly a gravity race, with jumps and drops fastest time to complete a downhill course means victory), Dirt Jump (Focuses more on tricks done by riders in a jump course), Street/Park (Similar to Dirt Jump, but done on concrete), Dual Slalom/4x (A short course which progresses through elimination of the slower riders. DS means 2 riders at a time, while 4x means 4 riders at a time)
ZEROING IN ON THE ENDURO DISCIPLINE:
Characteristics: To be a good enduro racer, you must be smart and can sustain longer by having a lot of air. You must have a good single track and technical downhill skill. You should “know the short cut” too!
Distance and other features: Enduro race format has 3 or 4 special stages where only the downhill part of the race course is timed. Mostly, it's only about 5 to 6 km per downhill special stage. The uphill part of the course is called a liaison stage where riders time is stopped. It's not counted in your official time of the race. But you will be given a cut-off time to be on the next stage.
BEST BIKE FOR ENDURO:
- Has to be durable [good brakes and suspension].
- Must have at least 150-160mm fork travel and rear suspension.
- Your bike must be comfortable maybe 1 or 2 sizes smaller compared to your cross country set-up. It would be a big plus if your bike has a dropper seatpost, something that will save you time from adjusting the height.
- Excellent tires or wheel set. Good traction and flat resistant as much as possible.
- A bike that is not very heavy to carry on the liaison stage.
On the spotlight is Mr. Eugene Go Faelnar Jr., owner of Cebu Mountain Bike Adventure, known as “Gene” among his peers and colleagues in the community and has been biking since the age of 4. He is passionate about Mountain Bike with the “trail or enduro set up” or hard tail.