While Friday’s Sea Otter Thule Marathon brought out some of the biggest numbers for a marathon in recent history, the weekend is for railing the descent with not one but two enduro races happening across both Saturday and Sunday – the Fox Superflow and the Smith Enduro.
Fox Superflow
The Sea Otter Fox Superflow is one of Australia’s most popular race formats, giving riders of all abilities the chance to climb at their own pace and hammer the descents. Where it diverges from more structured enduro formats is in the way stages can be completed — riders can choose the order of stages, head up with mates, ride in a party train if they like, and even complete multiple laps of each stage to try and better their time.
It’s no wonder this format gets riders of all ages and abilities out the door and onto the trails.
The Sea Otter Fox Superflow stayed true to this approach, with riders lining up to tackle four stages and up to five runs on each. With a focus on fun and accessibility, registration and the start area were located at the base of the trails at Mogo Botanic Gardens. The event was held across both Saturday and Sunday, allowing riders to pick one day to race and another to explore the Sea Otter Expo.
Riders raced the trails Cosmic Thunder, Botany Way, Skyway/Currywang, and Lockdown 2.0/Damview, with many commenting that the tracks were loose, fast, and favoured those who could keep pedalling.
Results are as follows:
Elite Women
1st – Katy Woolley – 7:59.9
2nd – Natacha Grieve – 8:27.6
Elite Men
1st – Tomas Manwaring – 6:52.5
2nd – Edric Alejo – 7:22.5
3rd – James Huggins – 8:05.4
Full results can be found on Sea Otter’s website.
Smith Optics Enduro
While the Fox Superflow is all about flexibility, vibes and choosing your adventure, the Smith Optics Enduro stays closer to the traditional enduro format, with riders completing 10 stages across 2 days with riders only having one chance to put down a fast run on each track. The Smith Optic Enduro also starts at the event hub in Batemans Bay, with riders liaising to the trails and back, resulting in two solid 30+km days on the bike.
Riders are also allocated a start time and have timed liaisons between stages, adding time-pressure to the race.
After one day of racing, Thomas Locke leads Morgan Fitzgerald with Jarrad Davis in third.
Sophia Gordon leads into day 2 with Jessica Hoskin in second and Jess Williams in third.
Full results can be found on Sea Otter’s website.
