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take a 100 mile course, divide this 100 mile course into 5 sections per sa. Now you have 5 sections of 20 miles each. But, only 3 sections are timed as your overall accumulation of time vs the other riders. The other two sections are transfer/rest sections, but these transfer sections have to be completed in under X amount of time. But if you’re late off a timed section, you have to race your transfer section and hopefully leave the next section on your minute, or the penalties keep adding up. If you don’t complete each timed or transfer section in x amount of time, you get penalized X amount of time. And each rider is pre scheduled to leave each section on a pre determined minute, you can’t leave before your section time, this helps the flow of the race and allows space between each rider. Obviously, you can waste some energy worrying about all the timing. And you, and only you can work on your bike, a mechanic can hand you tools, but they can’t use them. Most of that should be correct...
The route is divided up into sections. Each section has a schedule that needs to be met. If you cross a checkpoint early or late you receive a penalty. You can show up early just don't cross early. If you cross early or late, the time allotted for the next section does not change, so you need to adjust your calculated check time by the same time you crossed. Easier than it sounds. Say you're supposed to cross check 2 and 10:05 and check 3 at 11:05, but you were 2 minutes late at check 2. That means your new check 3 time is 11:07.
Within the sections there are special tests. These you go as fast as you can and your score is the time it took to complete the test.
At the end of the day, add up time in all tests, plus any penalties (crossing early / late / etc). Lowest time wins.
There are short work periods at the start and finish of each day to change tires, air filters, make repairs, etc. Bikes go into impound in between days.
For the first 5 days of the ISDE here's how it works:
Overall Course: Usually 70-90 mile loop ridden twice per day. Each loop will have 2-3 timed checkpoints. Riders start on specific minutes and three riders ride per minute. This keeps the schedule in order and allows for 500-700 riders to be racing per day. Every rider needs to pass through the next checkpoint on time. Early or late 1 minute earns you a 60 second time penalty. If you arrive 2 seconds late at a time check, you get a 60 second penalty adding to your overall time. They typically keep the speed reasonable so you don't speed on public roads or take big risks. Sometimes they can be difficult to show up to on time.
Special Tests: These are taped with ribbon courses that are 3-8 miles in length. Inside the test your time adds up. The fastest rider through the test is the winner. These are not allowed to be practised and riders walk these to memorize them. The US and most trophy teams walk them twice the week leading up to the event. This stuff is completely wide open and the really fun part of the ISDE. Typically 6-8 special tests per day for the first 5 days.
Day 6: Final Moto
There is sometime a small trail ride to a course where all the riders race each other head to head. I've been to awesome moto tracks (Portugal '09, Slovakia '05), man made tracks (Greece '08, Spain '16) or basically grass tracks (Poland '04, France '17). Whatever the organizer puts together. The time during the moto is basically added to your score from the rest of the week. Usually 40 rider gates.
That's the ISDE in a nutshell. A big part of the race is you are the only one that can work on your bike although nowadays having your oil changed is allowed. If anything goes wrong you need to fix it yourself. You get a specified 10 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon to work on your bike. All other maintenance happens on the trail or at a checkpoint if you arrive early and have time.
The whole event is broken down into classes: Trophy E1, E2, E3, WT. Club C1, C2, C3. E1 and C1 are 125 2t and 250 4t. E2 is 250 2t and 450 4t. E3 300 2t and 500 4t. WT is the women's world trophy and its open displacement.
Trophy is usually the worlds best a country puts together and club is another competition that allows people to ride the ISDE.
The whole gold, silver and bronze medal thing is all based on time at the end of the week. Gold means you finished within 10% of your class winners time, silver is within 40% and if you had a tough week and finished you get a bronze. A gold medal sometimes doesn't sound impressive, but depending on who shows up it can be tough. This year Antoine Meo is riding C2 and he's a 4 time enduro world champion and ISDE overall winner. The club classes can be super fast!
I've never forgotten seeing it for the first time in On Any Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLWuXj9pN6g
Pit Row
here’s a cool behind the scenes look at the training camp they did
I have been doing it this year and it's an absolute blast! Each race is put on by a different D37 club so some courses have been better laid out than others. But all in all it is a fun series and format.
Classic Vital....
But the world's best off-road riders there in Portugal aren't battling it out in the woods! Thats not real off-road!! lol
I wish that the local enduros were more like the ISDE though. Much more an open course with grass track. The eastern PA races are pretty much rocky tight woods with a few fire roads mixed in.
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