The 2025 Flying W National Enduro was held on the Flying W Ranch just outside of Cherryville, MO. It is Round 4 of the National Enduro Series, though it’s actually the third race due to the Cajun Classic National Enduro being canceled. The journey to this race for me was a bit different due to needing to pick the kids up from summer camp. They attended Camp Ozark in Mt Ida, AR, so we had their closing ceremonies to attend along with cramming their trunks and dirty laundry into the family Highlander. Every time we needed one thing from the back of the vehicle, eight things had to be removed or shifted; It was quite the gypsy setup.

It was cool to have my family at the race with me. My wife was much more adventurous than my kids were though. Liam has been to a ton of races, but he and our youngest daughter, Norah, seemed to be ready for AC and internet after their week at camp. Though this setup at the race was a bit different than normal, I didn’t let it get in the way of knowing what I needed to do from my learnings from the Cherokee National Enduro. I need to ride with more intensity, and I need to attack every chance I get.

Riding with Intensity and Attacking

Due to the slippery conditions in Georgia, I was riding tentatively. I saw this in the footage as I was watching it back to make the race recap. Though it was very slick, there were plenty of places I could have been attacking the trail more. Looking at test section times in my class, and comparing them to mine, I knew I needed to race the Flying W National Enduro with this top of mind.

I lucked out, because Brendan Griner, a 250A racer and friend from North Texas, was going to be on Row 41 with us. Looking at results from last year and earlier this season, we’d been back and forth speed wise – he’d been faster than me in some test sections, I’d been faster in others. It’s the spread that matters though. When he had beaten me, it was earlier in the day and there was a substantial time difference. When I would beat him, it was later in the day, where my “old man fitness” and nutrition on the day could play a part. I knew he was going to be the rabbit I needed to see where my speed limiter truly was.

Brendan rode exactly how I thought he would in each test section. I was able to use his bike and body movements to read the terrain and plan for obstacles up ahead. This then allowed me to remember to stand up more, and use the throttle to carry more speed through the Missouri single track. It became fairly common for me to be with Brendan for about 1.5 – 2 miles into the test, then I would bobble and he would get 10-15 seconds on me. As we closed in on the last mile of the test section, I would focus to try and catch back up. Lo and behold, I would start to see him between the trees more. This created more drive and determination in me, so I would push harder, and all the sudden I would be back on his wheel. Most tests I came through 2-3 seconds behind him, where our biggest gap was 6 seconds.

This speed helped me realize I am a faster rider than I was giving myself credit for. The switch to the Adventure Moto GasGas EX350F for 2025 has been quite the learning process, but I am starting to find a flow with it. The hardest part has been feeling comfortable enough to ride with the intensity I learned I had in me last year while racing BJEC. Without Brendan, or another faster racer, as a rabbit in Ohio at the Little Raccoon Enduro, I am going to have to remember to always ride at, or just beyond, my limit. I have to get comfortable at reading the terrain at this speed on my own, and not needing another rider to help me with that extra 10% speed.

Evolving Bike Adjustments

Brian Storrie and I have still been chatting throughout the weeks between races. We haven’t had the time to get back together to work on more coaching videos, but his knowledge is invaluable. He reminded me to not be afraid to make adjustments during the event. If something feels off, and you can fix it, try to fix it.

Part of this came to fruition after Georgia where I told him it still felt like I wanted/needed more preload on the rear spring. If you remember from our first setup video, the sag numbers given to us from the manual is a starting spot. As long as you don’t eat into your static sag, playing with different rider sag numbers is ok. So before Flying W, I added a half turn of preload to the shock spring, roughly taking away 2mm of rider sag. I felt the bike was a bit lazy in Georgia, but was afraid to mess with it during the race due to the conditions. I felt that the EX350F had a much more planted, and stable feel, even though the rocks were slick, and the log hopping was entertaining for all who could watch.

When I was at the US Sprint Enduro in April, Storrie and I were also chasing a less lazy front end. One thing we did was open up the fork rebound in hopes of getting the front wheel to track the ground better. I had left this setting since then, but the supple dirt had many ruts forming in Missouri. I could feel my front end popping out of the ruts, and pinging quickly off the rocks. To try and combat this, I was going to add two clicks of rebound to the front forks. I also decided to add two clicks of fork compression because I didn’t feel like the front end was standing up well in the ruts. I wanted the front end to be supple for the soft dirt and rocks, but I also wanted it to be stable enough for the speed I was trying to carry.

Going into Test Two the front end of the bike felt much better. I do think I could have kept adjusting to see what happened, but because I was doing pretty damn good to keep up with Brendan, I felt I’d found a setting that was working for the day.

What I learned in all of this is to stop being afraid of making adjustments. Sure, sometimes the rider is the problem, and we’re overthinking what we’re feeling. But how are you going to know that unless you make a few adjustments and see what happens. We have a minimum of 55 miles on the day at an enduro. This means we have time to test a few things to see what happens. If it feels better, and we went faster, then it’s a win. If we don’t go faster and we feel less comfortable, we can go back to where we started before the next test.

Enduro Nutrition to Finish Strong

When we got back to camp after Test 5, Brendan started eating an uncrustables sandwich. Nothing wrong with eating that normally, but at this point in the day, it wouldn’t give him energy for at least an hour. Since we were about to go into Test 6 within 15 minutes, he needed immediate energy. To get immediate energy, any racer would need to use liquid carbohydrates, like a coke, gatorade, or a liquid carb supplement. This removes the time and energy to digest the food, allowing the sugar in the beverages to get into your blood quicker.

Another racer on our row mentioned he was waiting for the cramps to kick in, since this is normally when that happens in the day. I overheard this and offered him an extra SaltStick fast chew I had. It sounds like it helped him in the next section, keeping his cramps at bay. This is another time I was baffled, because he knew cramps were a problem, but he never looked into ways to make it less of a problem.

This is where planning and preparation for the body, just like the bike, should be front and center. If you wait to eat when you’re hungry, or tired, during an Enduro, you’re behind the eight ball. If you know cramps are coming at a certain time of day, plan to have electrolyte supplements, or fruit, before that time into the race. Racers either don’t know how to, or choose not to, prioritize their hydration and nutrition strategy. This is the equivalent to not putting gas on the gas trailer, even though you know your bike won’t make 55 miles on the bike’s gas tank.

An enduro is an endurance event, we’re riding for a minimum of 55 miles, which is normally a minimum of 4 hours on the bike. Between test sections, you have to take in water, electrolytes and calories, preferably carbohydrates. If you don’t have a plan for that, read my Enduro Nutrition article.

Taking this to the Little Raccoon Enduro

The Little Raccoon National Enduro is next up on the schedule at the end of June. At this moment in time, I might be the “fastest rider” on Row 43, which means I need to take everything I’ve learned and apply it in Ohio. In Georgia, I was 4th in the 45A class and 9 minutes behind Ken Yount. In Missouri, I was 3rd in the 45A class and five minutes behind Ken. I had never ridden in Georgia before, but I did have experience in Missouri. By no means do I think I can make up another five minutes on Ken or Hans Neff in Ohio, but staying consistent toward making up time on them is the goal. There are other riders as well, like Brent Belsole, that could easily beat me on the day. I need to ride to the best of my ability, and we’ll see where the results net out.

I checked in with Barry Hawk again about tire choice for Little Raccoon and Rattlesnake, he’s still trolling me to ride the Dunlop AT82 front tire. As far as rear tires go, he said the MX34 rear should still be good for Ohio, but to run the EN91 rear at Rattlesnake. What tires are you going to run in Ohio and Pennsylvania?

I know the [EN91] is ugly, and it looks like it wouldn’t work, but it works amazingly well, especially in [the] rocks and roots that PA is going to have.

I hope my journey at the National Enduros has helped you become a better rider. If you have questions or comments about what I share, make sure you leave a comment or reach out on Facebook or Instagram. I’ll share whatever knowledge or thoughts I do have, or find the right people to get the answer needed. See ya in Ohio, on the trail, or online. Enjoy Getting Seat Time! 🤘🏻🤙🏻⚡️

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