The Adventure Moto GasGas EX350F, Liam, and I made the trek back into the Ozark Mountains for another White Rock Enduro. This year’s event was their 50th running, and the club put together a worthy experience for the adventurous riders who showed up.

When I raced the White Rock Enduro in 2024, it was my first time coming to the event. I heard so many awesome stories of how this race shaped different riders due to how the event changed overnight due to storms or blizzards. The event in 2024 was one of the driest White Rock’s, but the event in 2025 received plenty of rain in the weeks previous, changing the trail from what I had previously experienced.

If you’ve been following the journey of me and Ginger, the GasGas 350, you know I’ve got the bike pretty well set up for the places I have been riding. The places I haven’t been riding in though are EXACTLY what we were going to ride in North West Arkansas. There’s also something to be said to the fact that I am now on a four stroke, and though I am getting more comfortable on the thumper from the two stroke, the EX350F is not the normal weapon of choice for slick, technical single track.

Let’s Go Racing

The race starts in camp at a bridge that crosses Mill Creek; It’s a neat way to start an event. We transferred 8 miles to the start of Test One. The transfer was mainly a two track fireroad and it was SLICK, giving us a precursor as to what the day would hold. As we climbed higher though, it did dry out, showcasing some primo dirt. No matter how tightly I crossed my fingers, that primo dirt didn’t peak its head very often on the day.

Test One was the same from 2024, a fast uphill fireroad that weaved between different trails until we reached the necessary turn off to enter the thunder-dome. The 350 LOVED those opened fire roads, it gave it a chance to EAT! Once we started weaving our way uphill, through the raw, rocky singletrack, we knew the race had actually started.

The truth of the matter in any race is that it doesn’t matter how well one part goes, the entirety of the section and day, is what you’re scored against. As we were working our way up the last climb out of Narnia, I was feeling it. I lost a bit of momentum, my rear wheel kicked out, and the attempt to loft my front wheel over a slippery rock outcropping left me struggling with a heavy four stroke up in the dreaded uphill direction. As I said in the video, “Yup, I overrode that section”.

There are many other moments from the day we could discuss here, but that’s what the video is for.

Expert – A Only Test Section

Keep Endurance in Enduro

The length of the White Rock Enduro, being 82 miles for the A riders, is what makes my heart happy. The Razorback Riders know what it means to Keep Endurance in Enduro.

We A riders had 8 tests to contend with on the day, and one of those was an A Only section. The mileage from the test sections added up to roughly 45 miles of racing. What a lot of riders forget though is the transfers are still part of the race. The mileage, trail time, and obstacles add to the attrition on the day. Just because we’re not in a test section doesn’t mean we’re not putting wear and tear on the bike, body, and mind.

With the growth of the sprint enduro format in the United States, I believe we’re losing a bit of the endurance from enduros. I do think the spring enduro format has its purpose, as it’s a part of the format leveraged at the International Six Day Enduros. But even there, racers have to ride between the tests, sometimes traveling over an hour between test sections. If we only ever test outright speed, allowing riders to ride back to their pits, are we truly testing their endurance enough for an Enduro?

I would like to see the White Rock Enduro become a true 100 mile enduro. I know I’m asking a lot of everyone involved, but the terrain and technicality of the Ozark Mountains are prime real estate for earning a 100 mile enduro finisher patch/pin. As well, a 100 mile enduro forces more riders to focus on nutrition.

Enduro Nutrition

You can’t talk about endurance without bringing up hydration and nutrition. An endurance event is an eating competition as much as it is about the specific discipline. Admittedly, I didn’t document my exact calories on the day like I did from the Sumter Enduro, but here’s an idea.

In my 2L USWE bladder, I had two liters of water, two scoops of UCAN energy powder (180 calories, 42 grams of carbs) and two LMNT lime packets (2000mg sodium, 400mg potassium, 1200mg magnesium). I ate around one UCAN Energy Gel every hour, which was 80 calories and 20g of carbs. I also supplement my electrolytes with SaltStick chews before each test. I do this as because I have found I don’t drink as consistently as I would like from the bladder due to differing down times between test sections.

Thanks to my Utility Can Caddy, I was able to have everything I needed at the gas stops to refill and supplement. This allowed me to eat a ½ cup of rice each time through; I like the aspect of real food sprinkled in to keep the stomach settled from all the liquid carbs. I also refilled my bladder with 1L of water, a UCAN Scoop, and an LMNT packet I had prepared to pour. Lastly, I have UCAN’s Hydrate & Aminos mixed into a 6 ounce shot. The amino acids help with muscle fatigue on the day and recovery afterwards.

I have an article and video about enduro nutrition if you’re interested to dig in more.

The Evolving Bike Setup

All of the time I spent working with Brian Storrie has certainly paid off. Ginger only has 21 hours on her, including White Rock, but I feel very comfortable on the bike. I do wish I had had time to go back to Barnwell now that we’ve evolved the setup and cockpit, because I would have been able to dial in the suspension better for the slick, rocky terrain.

As I mentioned in the video, Andy from my row noticed my bike bouncing all over the place in Test 4. We removed two “clicks” of high speed compression from the shock to try to get the bike to settle. This helped, but it got me thinking the bike still didn’t feel settled in Test 5. I then removed two clicks of compression from the forks and the shock (low speed). This really helped the bike settle down and feel more stable in the rocks. I wish I had done this earlier, but that’s where experience comes into play.

The gearing choice of 14/50 was primo at White Rock. As we talked about in the gearing video, the 50T rear sprocket allows the bike’s suspension to be free, while allowing me to shift less. When you go to a smaller front sprocket on the current Austrian bikes, it has a tendency to bind up the rear suspension.

In the tight technical parts of the race, I put the EX350 in second gear and chugged along. I could rev it out as the trail opened up, but second gear with the gearing we have was the perfect spot to keep me from needing to over shift. As the trail opened up, third gear was where I would go. Fourth and Fifth were used, but mainly for the fire roads and grass track.

I noticed a tad bit of rub on the top, outside, of my grips. This stuck out in my mind due to the conversation with Jörli from Astra. He mentioned this is a sign of a rider’s handlebars having too much sweep. I’m going to roll them back a tad more to reduce the sweep and see how she feels. I’ll do this as a testing setup, making one change at a time of course.

What’s Next

The Cajun Classic National Enduro was up next on the schedule, but as you know by now it was canceled, last minute Sunday morning, by the Forest Service, due to the amount of rain received. I am signed up for Round 5 of the US Sprint Enduro Series in Dilliner, PA. It is an ISDE Qualifier, and yes, I have submitted a Letter of Intent with the AMA. I don’t know if there’s a Senior Team this year or not, but the time is now to try to qualify.

The National Enduro Series picks back up in Georgia for the Cherokee National Enduro May 25th. Once registration opens, I am going to register again for row 41. Another East Coast Enduro I have never been to. I am looking forward to watching some Cherokee videos, riding new trails, and making new friends.

If you want to support Seat Time, or help with gas money for the travels, buying a shirt or Utility Can Caddy is the best way. Thank You!

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