If I could tuurn back tiiiime……..if I could fiiind a wayyy……
I swear it happens every year in February. Somebody gets the remote out and puts time on fast forward. How else can it only be five weeks until Clans @ The Croft?!
It just seems like a couple of weeks ago when I was still trying to think of a catchy name for our brand new event. Croftworx was the initial front runner, but as it’s the UK’s first Team Enduro it wasn’t the right name. It had to be something that reflected the team element and preferably sounded a bit Scottish.
Teamduro?
Nah.
What’s a Scottish word for team?
Clan.
Hmmm, that could work.
Where is the event?
The Croft.
2 months later……
I’VE GOT IT, Clans At The Croft!
And so, Clans @ The Croft was born. I could picture it now….team riders in their ‘Clan’ colours doing battle out there on the mean trails of Comrie Croft. Like Braveheart with knee pads.
If you’d like to hear how the UK’s first Team Enduro actually came about, click HERE to read an interview with me (Aaron) and Wideopenmag.
As is the norm in pre-event season, it’s all about planning the year ahead and despite claims by certain ‘friends’ that I sit on my butt all day and watch Homes Under The Hammer – you know who you are 😉 – the past few months have been a blur of funding applications, sponsorship agreements, economic impact surveys, press releases, track enquiries, rotas, event manuals, marshal lists, risk assessments etc etc.
And in the midst of all that there was a crazy day of filming during Storm Ciara.
If you haven’t seen it yet, click below to watch the Clans @ The Croft promo video that we filmed at The Croft a couple of weeks ago. It was totally mad….but much more fun than sitting at a computer. Cheers to everyone who came along to ride, freeze their bits off and help out. Muckin’ legends!
So it seems that we’re about to host the UK’s first Team Enduro at Comrie Croft in a few weeks. EEK! Now, I love the fact that our events are a bit quirky and stand out from the crowd, but trying to explain a new concept isn’t easy. Below are some examples of previous Muckmedden events that you absolutely loved, but maybe didn’t quite “get” at first.
The Eliminator – It’s a head2head downhill tournament based on a farm with no real trails to speak of. You don’t have to be a downhiller to compete and you can ride anything from a Hardtail to a full Downhill rig and be in with a shout of winning. The uplift is by tractor and the track begins in a cow field and ends in a Barley field. There’s an XC Eliminator tournament and an off-road Duathlon too. And something called the Funky Mountain where kids climb a muddy hill and get coloured powder chucked at them. The camping field is on the site of an old dump. You’ll love it.
Forfar Funduro – It’s an Enduro with four stages that you have to ride twice because they’re not very long. The only way to get to the stages is via a path which is known locally as dog sh*t alley. You’ll have to ride up there about ten times. We’ll get the poo cleaned up before the race though. It’s probably the most fun Enduro course you’ll ever ride. Honestly it’s that good.
Cream o’ the Croft – It’s a music festival with a fire-breathing-dragon, some extreme balance bike racing and a Steel Band. There’s also an Enduro and a Magical Fairy Hunt. Cool idea eh?
Fair City Enduro – It’s an Enduro World Series Qualifier and you can dress up like Pamela Anderson if you want to. And you can ride with other people who are dressed up too. It’s Batman’s favourite race of the year. No seriously, it is.
My point is, it’s not easy to explain a new idea and even Chris Ball Managing Director of the Enduro World Series admitted that many riders didn’t quite “get” the team format at last year’s Trophy of Nations until they started to race.
“It was great to see riders embrace the team format and work together on strategy and tactics at our first team event, the Trophy of Nations in Italy last year. The feedback from the competitors was fantastic – racing with friends rather than against them proved to be a massive hit and created an amazing sense of camaraderie – I’d encourage anyone thinking about entering Clans at the Croft to go for it.”
So don’t worry if you don’t quite “get” the Team Enduro thing yet, it’s to be expected. If you have lots of questions about what it’s all about, just click on the button below and scroll down to FAQs. You’ll find everything you need to know there.
Or just enter as a Solo and treat it like any other Enduro…..with a Dual Slalom.
Go on, you’ll love it 😉