After eight months of training and waiting, since registration was confirmed, Ard Rock 2022 has finally arrived. On Thursday afternoon myself and Paul Travis made our way to the venue in Richmondshire and set up camp in the first field. There were at least 5 fields full of riders camping by the end and the main arena, for all the entertainment.
Late morning on Friday we joined the registration queue which took an hour to get through before taking to the course for open practice of Stages 6 & 7 in the morning and 1 & 2 in the afternoon. It was tough and took a lot out of many of the riders.
Race day arrived on Saturday 30th July. Registration was quick on race day, we collected our timing chips and were on our way to ride the 7 arduous Enduro stages. The ups were relentless, although they felt shorter and easier as the day progressed. The downs had a bit of everything from wet open off camber grass switchbacks to rooty woodland and rock gardens galore. Our bikes took a beating and went through 5 inner tubes, a rear tyre, two rear derailleurs and are in need of a good service now. The greatest achievement of the weekend was seeing Paul crossing the finish line and be elated to have made it when he believed it to be an impossible feat the day before.
Most of the Royal Engineers Gravity Enduro Team also made it including myself (Aaron), Chris, Vic, Lewis, Elliot, Alice and Owen. Making the most of the race to supplement our training for our race series. The whole team completed stages 1-7 of the Ard Rock course. A great congratulations goes out to Elliot who finished 3rd in the Epic race on Friday and then continued to compete in the Enduro race on the Saturday, improving on his race times.
The after party was great on Saturday night and supporting the riders in the Intro and Sport events was also a fantastic experience on the Sunday.
Ard Rock is a great event and an experience that I would highly recommend to riders who are experienced in Enduro, but I would warn you not to underestimate it.
Good luck if you choose to enter in 2023.