Europe Stage 4 - Au Revoir
 

Words & Photos: Joe Houghton

Nestled in the shadows of Mt Blanc, Combloux played host to the fourth round of the Enduro World Cup. With incredible views, awesome trails and the seemingly unavoidable European rain on forecast - it looked set to be an epic week of racing.

After a few days relaxing, practice day rolled around. Almost no one came out unscathed - including yours truly, seemingly forgetting how to ride a bike at one point and having three crashes in the space of five minutes.

Race day started well with the rain holding off and the sun out in full force. And my riding got better as the day progressed. This feeling came to an abrupt stop on the final third of the final stage. I caught the rider in front and started thinking about how to pass them rather than focusing on the track ahead. I had a hugey.

Thankfully I was wearing a back protector otherwise the story might have had a more dramatic ending. After a couple of minutes on the ground checking myself out and working out what had happened, I tentatively rolled down to the finish. Not exactly what I had imagined for the day. As the adrenalin started to wear off, my body stiffened and movement became rather painful. I wondered how on earth I was going to race the Megavalanche in seven days time.

The original plan was to ride to the Mega. This quickly went out the window given how hard it was to simply get to the bathroom. The new plan involved catching the train to Grenoble and staying in a hostel for a few days before hitching a lift with some other kiwis to the Mega. Thankfully those rest few days paid dividends and by the time we arrived in Alpe d'Huez I was feeling well up for the challenge.

After a day of practice on the infamous glacier, riding both the qualifier and Megavalanche course, it was time to lay it all on the line for a chance to race in the big show.

In each qualifier round there were 150 riders with the top 35 going through the finals. Starting in P84, it would certainly be hard work to make the cut. The mass start was something you truly have to experience to understand. It was beyond crazy - racing shoulder to shoulder and frantically passing other riders to claw my way to the top 35. After 19 minutes of racing, I crossed the line in 18th. Not bad aye? All thoughts then turned towards Sunday and the Mega proper.

Unfortunately the weather didn't play ball. After a night of pissing rain, the organisers determined the snowpack was too soft for the iconic Mega glacier start. Instead we rode the qualifier course into the bottom section of the Mega. Still a long 50 minute race run starting in the snow, dropping into alpine rock and finally into the forests of the valley below - which after the rain was one big mudslide full of wheel locking sludge. Getting to the bottom was a battle in itself, let alone jostling with over 300 other riders. The whole Megavalanche experience was insane. I’ll definitely be back to race the full course.

After Mega I was dropped back in Grenoble and caught the train to Lyon to decompress before exiting Europe. Three days in a hostel spent frantically locating bike boxes, cleaning gear and generally organising my life. Then it was wheels up and off to Vancouver, Canada - ready to continue the adventure on another continent.