Saab Salomon Avalanche Trophy
Super Enduro format comes to Scotland
 MegaAvalanche comes to the UK (Pic: Andy McAndlish) Following the success of the popular MegaAvalanche event which takes place annually on Alpe d’Huez, the format has spread across the world, and now the UK. On the 25/26 August 2007 Glentress, Scotland, will host the inaugural Avalanche Enduro.
Push your riding ability on more than two hours of the greatest singletrack (it says here) around the Glentress Clover Circuit. Riders will be timed on special stages, and you'll have to make your own way to back to the top of the hill for the next stage, so bike choice will be critical. Depending on how much time organisers will allow, a DH bike may not be the best choice: we’re thinking a light six-incher will be the perfect setup.
Novices will get four timed stages and the Experts eight. Entries are limited to just 300 – be quick though and the first 200 receive a free jersey from title sponsors Salomon.
Interested? We certainly are, and are checking our diary as we type this. Take a look at www.avalanchecup.com for more info.
I'm up there with the kids that week and we'll be 7-Stanes it while up there - any ideas whether there will be anything worth watching? I'd read in a mag an advert that implied it would be at Innerleithen, not Glentress?
Posted: 08/08/2007 17:23
erm, looks like i'm entered then, no turning back now  so, what bike would be best suited to this event - any suggestions?
Posted: 10/08/2007 10:51
Good luck! Best bike? Someone else's - how about asking Cy Turner if he has anything new worth testing??
Posted: 13/08/2007 16:44
Bike choice: a light(ish) All-mountain rig will do the job. The Avalanche organisers love their uphills! I still havent recovered from pushing a 45lbs DH bike up the climbs in the Megavalanche - the sadists!
Posted: 13/08/2007 17:57
Or how about this?
Posted: 14/08/2007 10:11
I entered and enjoyed it - would have been better if I'd paid attention to the signs when going between stages 2 and 3 and wouldn't have ended back at the start/finish... I point to note though, was the total lack of food/drink in the start/finish car park (Buzzards Nest for those that know) - according to the (French) organisers it was due to The Hub not wanting to be involved when asked if they were able to get anything up there. The bus was there on the Saturday, but apparently wouldn't do Sunday, nor would they ask a 'burger' van etc. It seemed that there was an element of 'people will have to come down to The Hub anyway, so we won't miss out'... But for those that know Glentress, its not a short walk/ride back down. And was especially dire for those in the trade village - thank you on the Saab stand for your hospitality to my family and the drive down in the convertible!
Posted: 29/08/2007 09:56
Yup - great race, but rather shaky admin and organisation. Some examples being the rather nonsensical website, with really basic information either hard to find or absent, such as exact location for sign-on, length of course, protection required (would have given a clue to the severity of the course). The online registration worked fine for me and took a few seconds, but it took me a few visits to actually find the right link. Saying that, loads of people just signed up on the Saturday, having turned up to ride at GT for the weekend and finding that there's a race on. The race itself was a real blast and quite an interesting change from XC-type enduros, which can be pretty tedious drags. Basically, you had your timings printed on your number board, which gave you the start times for crossing the start line (at 30 second intervals with the other riders), then 4 start times at the Special Stages, then a final time that you had to cross the finish line. If you were late getting to the start of a special stage you just started it as soon as you got your breath back (and obviously got a slower time), so no actual penalty system was required. The Special Stages were 1: The Boundary Trail, 2: Deliverance, 3: Goat Track, 4: descending Kipps Loop. Also included were 3 laps of the Freeride course, one as a timed 'prologue' on the Saturday afternoon. Bike choice was pretty varied, ranging from Rocky Mtn Switch to lightweight XC HTs. Probably the optimal bike was an Orange 5/Turner 5.5/Stumpy with some big tyres or an Enduro/Patriot/Moment/Slayer type, just to allow you to get away with some pretty stupid line choices. I loved it, and will certainly try to get back next year.
Posted: 29/08/2007 12:30
are we allowed to call it mountain-biking, John? I mean, the Southern Uplands are really only hills. It is part of the Avalanche Cup, hence it gets the name. Stop being picky. You sound like some of the STW lot having a go at why Mountain Mayhem has to cheek to use the word Mountain, when there clearly are no mountains in the Malverns. 
Posted: 29/08/2007 20:53
due to The Hub not wanting to be involved From what I hear.... The Hub were rather miffed that they weren't even told it was happening at GT until a week or two before, it was billed as Innerleithen in the original ads, then were given no info as to what area of hill was being closed for the race. On the other hand, I knew from ads that it had been moved to Glentress, well in advance of the race. Plus the girls from The Hub can be rather blase about orginising things at the best of times. Besides, it wasn't their ball... Really the Avalanche crew should have had all that in place well in advance.
Posted: 29/08/2007 21:33
Besides, it wasn't their ball... Really the Avalanche crew should have had all that in place well in advance True, but it didn't show them in a good light to the various visitors - and how hard would it have been even if they were uninterested in even making any money (do they make so much that they don't need it?) to have just driven down towards Innerleithen and asked the weekday burgervan that always is parked in the layby if he fancied the 'gig'? And I don't know about you, but when I have visitors coming to work, I don't expect them to have to organise the basics, e.g hotel/car pickup/lunch - especially as its so much easier to do it when you are based somewhere - and I expect it for when I visit them!
Posted: 01/09/2007 09:33
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