Enduro World Series Whistler Schedule and Course

Weeks of anticipation and speculation were put to rest when the course details for the fifth round of the Enduro World Series were released. Reflective of the epic style of mountain biking available in Whistler, the five stage race developed in consultation with pro rider Richie Schley and creative dervish Seb Kemp will be compressed into one long single day. Athletes will race over 19km of trails, tallying a total of 51km of riding in the 8 hour time window.

With the first four stages of racing set outside the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, and the final stage involving a top-to-bottom link-up from the Top of the World trail, the SRAM Canadian Open Enduro will combine lift access with approximately 863 metres of climbing. Riders will travel from Whistler Peak to the valley, twice, with the final stage a 10.63 km, 1450 m vertical top-to-bottom test-piece of endurance.

The added “Whistler” twist is that, unlike in previous rounds, riders will not be able to return to the pits in between the first four stages, demanding a much higher degree of self-sufficiency and equipment management than has been required before.

Crankworx GM Darren Kinnaird said, “The course will take riders through a range of trails, from the alpine to the sub-alpine to race-course type terrain. Each trail is unique  to the different part of the valley that it’s situated in and showcases the variety of riding available here in Whistler. I think people will feel they’re more in wilderness than in a resort.”

Having witnessed the drama and excitement of the first four rounds of the Enduro World Series first-hand, EWS Managing Director Chris Ball says this weekend’s race will continue to test the world’s best. “This Series has tested athletes from sea level to altitude, from the physical to the technical, from backcountry to machine-built trails, in bad weather and good. This round will combine everything pushing riders both physically and technically and test how self-sufficient they are on their own on the mountain. We’ve got an epic race ahead of us.”

Confirmed athletes include:
Rémy Absalon, Fabien Barel, Anneke Beerten, Anne Caro Chausson, Jerome Clementz, Ben Cruz, Kelli Emmett, Cedric Gracia, Jared Graves, Rosara Joseph, Curtis Keene, Justin Leov, Brian Lopes, Martin Maes, Anka Martin, Tracy Moseley, Nicolas Quere, Nicolas Vouilloz, Mark Weir, Rene Wildhaber.

Schedule

August 6 8:30pm PDT Course description and maps will be released.

August 7-8
Top of the World (Stage 5) open. Peak Chair operating times 11am-5pm.
Stages 1-4 closed for course marking – no racer access to Stages 1-4 on either bike / foot.

August 9-10
Training Stages 1-5. Course open for inspection / riding.

Mandatory Athlete Briefing / Breakfast at the Garibaldi Lift Co (above the Whistler Village Gondola building)
8am Friday August 9 | Open Scratch categories
8am Saturday August 10 | Amateur categories

August 11
8:00am | Amateur Start – Deck of the SRAM VIP deck
9:15am | Open Scratch Start – Deck of the SRAM VIP deck
3:15pm | Amateur Start – Final Stage 5 (Whistler Peak Top of the World)
4:55pm | Open Scratch Start – Final Stage 5 (Whistler Peak Top of the World)
8:15pm | Awards at Whistler Olympic Plaza

Bike Marking – Each racer should arrive approx 20 minutes prior to their specific scheduled Stage 1 start. Behind SRAM VIP Deck

Race Plate collection / Check In at the Aava Hotel
August 8 | 4pm–8pm
August 9 | 9am–3pm
August 10 | 9am–3pm

Course

Inspection and riding will be permitted on all stages on August 9-10. Download Race Book for details (pdf, 469k).

START
SRAM VIP Deck – Skiers Plaza Whistler Village

TRANSITION / LIAISON 1
upload Whistler Village Gondola -> descend Peak Chair Connector trail -> upload Peak Chair -> descend Top of the World trail to entrance to Khyber Pass trail.
distance: 3.37 km | 0m climbing
allocated time: 1h 15 minutes

RACE STAGE 1
Khyber Pass trail
distance: 2.8 km | elevation: start 1820m | finish 1415m | change -405m
allocated time: 20 minutes

TRANSITION / LIAISON 2
Access road from bottom of Khyber Pass to It’s Business Time (Duncan’s Trail)
distance: 6.19 km | 35m climbing
allocated time: 25 minutes

RACE STAGE 2
It’s Business Time (Duncan’s Trail) -> AM/PM
distance: 1.45 km | elevation: start 780m | finish 620m | change -160m
allocated time: 10 minutes

TRANSITION / LIAISON 3
Eastside Main (Cheakamus Lake Road) to Valley Trail -> Valley Trail to Function Junction -> climb Flank Trail to Pura Vida
distance: 4.57 km | 290m climbing
allocated time: 1h 05 minutes

RACE STAGE 3
Pura Vida -> Baby Snakes -> Danimal South -> THC
distance: 1.64 km | elevation: start 965m | finish 728m | change -237m
allocated time: 15 minutes

TRANSITION / LIAISON 4
Descend Lower Sproat trail to Alta Lake Road -> Alta Lake Road to Rainbow Park -> Valley Trail from Rainbow Park to Mel’s Dilemma trail -> Matterhorn Drive -> Fissile Lane -> Alpine Way -> climb Ricks Roost dirt access road -> Flank Trail to 200 meters past Paragliding Launch.
distance: 12.0 km | 493m climbing
allocated time: 1h 30 minutes

RACE STAGE 4
Flank Trail -> Billy’s Epic -> Bob’s Rebob
distance: 2.87 km | elevation: start 1118m | finish 675m | change -443m
allocated time: 15 minutes

TRANSITION / LIAISON 5
Parking Lot at bottom of Bob’s Rebob trail on Alta Lake Road to Rainbow Park -> Valley Trail to Village -> upload Whistler Village Gondola -> descend Peak Chair Connector trail -> upload Peak Chair
distance: 6.02 km | 45m climbing
allocated time: 2h

RACE STAGE 5
Top of the World -> No Joke -> In Deep -> Little Alder -> Expressway -> Too Tight -> Upper Angry Pirate -> Lower Angry Pirate -> climb up Lower EZ Does it -> Del Boca Vista -> EZ Does It -> cross Mountain Access Road -> Ho Chi Min -> cross Mountain Access Road -> Longhorn -> Monkey Hands -> Finish Skiers Plaza
distance: 10.63Km | elevation: start 2138m | finish 688m | change: -1450m

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Well that’s a hell of a course. Truly world scale. Could you hack it?