This was my first time at the Sumter Enduro, and it kicked off the 2025 National Enduro Series with a BANG! Riding a new bike—without proper setup time—on unfamiliar terrain was an eye-opening experience. The singletrack was tight and the whoops were deep, but the stoke was HIGH!

Keep Endurance in Enduro

I was happy to see the 63 miles laid out on the route sheet. Enduros have been getting shorter in length, as well as becoming sprint speed style test sections. The test sections laid out in Sumter did have some higher speed sections, but the tight thickets and deep whoops forced most riders to tame their speed. 

The thing I liked most about the Sumter Enduro was that it is a true test of attrition. The last three tests were all ten miles long. Just over halfway through the fourth test, the first of these ten mile tests, I started seeing riders hanging out on the side of the trail. As the tests wore on, less riders were starting tests, and more riders were hanging out trail side. This could be a multitude of things, but I believe hydration and nutrition are the main factors. As I try to discuss nutrition with more racers, they continue to stare at me blankly.

An enduro is an endurance event, and as endurance athletes, we have to consume calories throughout the event to have the desired energy to make it to the end. The push back I get is that some racers don’t like to ride with food in their stomach. If this is the case, there are two things you can do. The first is to train your body to function with food in your stomach, and the second is to leverage liquid carbs. I would prefer you do both, helping your body leverage real food lightly throughout the day, while supplementing the extra calories and carbs needed from gels, powders, or bars.

We also can’t forget the importance of electrolytes on how the body functions. Sodium helps us retain fluid and with nerve function. Potassium helps with muscle function & cellular fluid balance. Magnesium helps with energy production and electrolyte balance. Chloride is a hydration partner working in tandem with other minerals and electrolytes.

A hydration and nutrition plan is simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy. Start by practicing what you want to ingest on riding weekends, and then work toward race weekends. Iterate and evolve as you learn what works for you, or doesn’t. Starbursts or Skittles taste great, and they make you feel like you’re doing something, but snacking on those simple sugars throughout the day are not enough to fuel you for a proper enduro.

Tightest Single Track and Deepest Whoops EVER

Leading up to the Sumter Enduro I watched a lot of videos on youtube. I asked questions and tried to understand what I was riding into. I’m here to tell you none of that prepared me for the tight thickets in Test One and Test Three. I have no idea what type of trees they were, but the trail that was weaved through them was twisty, grabby, and straight up mean. I wonder if the club members who laid it out did so on foot, specifically so they could craft a special pattern of crazy for us lucky riders.

I also had no idea whoops could get as deep as they did in the South Carolina single track. If you watch the footage from Test One, you can see the moment I drop into the first deep whoop section. My speed instantly slows, and you can almost feel the tension as my brain tries to assimilate what the hell just happened. 

I never truly got comfortable through the Sumter whoops. Now that I’m home, and working with Brian Storrie again, I believe the GasGas was pretty unstable. This is also exemplified by how much better the bike tracked in third gear. I was still running stock gearing (14/47) and was trying to stay in second gear due to the tall gearing. This caused the bike to rev pretty high in second gear, keeping the chassis tight and the suspension captive. Once I figured out how to keep the bike in third gear, and lower revs, the suspension freed up, creating a much more stable chassis. You either win or you learn.

What’s Next?

The next few weeks are going to be more testing and more riding. The GasGas, after everything we’ve been through so far, still has under 15 hours on it. The suspension and chassis feel like they’re breaking in, which is great for getting a setup to create a balanced bike. I’ve reached out to Nate at DDC Racing and ordered a longer chain and a 50T rear sprocket. 

The Cajun Classic National Enduro is next up on the National Enduro Series calendar in April. There are a few TSCEC Enduros between now and then, but I feel I need to keep getting used to the bike with intentional practice, versus trying to go race. We shall see how the schedule nets out, as I still need to get the radiator tabs welded back into place properly.

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