Racers enjoy epic conditions in the eastern Sierra
By Michele Lamelin

300 racers took on the Mammoth Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro, the fourth stop in the California Enduro Series.

Practice sessions ran on terrain that included a liberal amount of Mammoth’s trademark dry, loose “kitty litter” sand. Mother Nature changed things up the night before the race with an intense rainstorm that continued into the morning. With hail coming down just minutes before the rider’s meeting commenced, racers scrambled to create makeshift rain gear out of plastic trash bags as organizers reworked the course.

Right in time for the race to start, though, the sun came out and riders enjoyed racing trails that were in all-time excellent condition. Riders got a nice taste of Mammoth’s varied terrain, sampling sections from fast and flowy to chunky and technical, and experiencing lung searing pedally stretches, long steep descents, and plenty of opportunity to catch air.

A number of racers found Mammoth’s high altitude to be an added challenge, and many swapped stories of epic crashes at day’s end. A positive vibe prevailed, though, and riders enjoyed the remarkable camaraderie inherent in the sport of Enduro.

The 2014 California Enduro Series season will round out with Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz’s Santa Cruz Super Enduro at Soquel Demonstration State Forest (October 10-12).

Pro Women Podium
1 – Amy Morrison (Mike’s Bikes)
2 – Rachel Throop (GT/SRAM/Kenda/TLD/Sensus)
3 – Jackie Swider (Art’s Cyclery/Dirty Jane/Mob Armo
4  – Lauren Gregg (FOX)
5  – Brianne Spiersch (FOX/Smith)

Pro Men Podium
1 – Brian Lopes (Intense)
2 – Marco Osborne (Cannondale/WTB)
3 – Tom Doran (Santa Cruz Bikes/Royal Racing)
4 – Jon Buckell (Incycle/ODI Enduro)
5 – Doug Thayer

FULL RACE RESULTS
SERIES STANDINGS
SERIES SCHEDULE

Marin Bikes Mount Vision C-XM8 raffle
Proceeds benefit California Enduro Series

FOX 2015 36 fork raffle
Proceeds benefit Stafford Lake Bike Park and Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBoSC) flow trail project at Soquel Demonstration State Forest

Read more about Enduro:
ENDURO: Putting the Fun Back into MTB Racing
Why Enduro? Top athletes weigh in on why they love enduro
Ladies of Enduro: Inspiring women taking on enduro in California