BRITISH CYCLING ANNOUNCES FIRST NATIONAL ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN AE FOREST

Great news for the Nationals announced today, and I wanted to reach out and explain what that means for you.

First thing is that this news is all extra to the event, not instead of anything and you are not compelled to be part of it.

BEMBA have been running a National Enduro Champs since 2017 – some of you may recall that was our BIG Graythwaite and Grizedale 10 stage, 44km  epic. You can watch the video here to reminisce  https://youtu.be/d0ZhOiCX62s?si=LKcksUZ-fmOyoHTZ

I’ve always been one of the organisers that has pushed for BEMBA to run champs, and run the BNES – British National Enduro Series so that National level of competition remained part of the enduro calendar.  However for some of our top pro riders this was not enough, especially as the UCI took over world enduro then for the national champs jersey/sleeve to be worn at international events it must be earned in a UCI sanctioned event; and for us that means sanctioned by British Cycling.

British Cycling will sanction the 2024 Enduro, and E-Enduro National Champs at Ae Forest 18th August

That’s the news, that’s the headline; but what does it mean to you. The BEMBA National champs will still run just as before, everyone eligible for your category; and that is where the prizes will be handed out for the event too. In addition to this, anyone who is a BC member and has supplied their membership number (you can edit your entry to add it within SI entries)  will also be eligible for the BC podiums where the official BC National Championship jerseys and medals will be presented for following cats.
Juvenile. Youth, Junior, U21, Senior, M30, V40, GV50 these 8 cats will be available for both “Open” and “Female” so that is upto 16 extra podiums for the event as long as minimum numbers per category are achieved. We then have 2 E-Enduro BC Sanctioned cats for ages 17+ in Open and Female.

The UCI Elite British Champion will be awarded to the fastest racer over 17 years old regardless of category.

By supplying your membership number and entering the BC National Champs you will also agree to the decisions of the BC commissar’s including the Chief Commissaire, who will be responsible for enforcing the sporting regulations. These regulations are fully aligned with the BEMBA regulations and I’m sure will be available on the BC website in early 2024.

Hope Women and Hope Academy trail centre enduro on the Saturday.

Stages 1 and 6 and the podium ceremony will be livestreamed.

What do the pro’s say?

Tracey Moseley.
After a long wait it’s an exciting time for British enduro racers to finally have a recognised National Championship for the discipline of Enduro, giving the winner the chance to fly the British flag on their  jersey on the world stage. Which  is always a special opportunity.
It’s also great timing as 2024 will also see enduro awarded its first ever official UCI rainbow jersey in the race to become World Champion in September. 
Exciting times ahead for our enduro as it gets the recognition it’s deserved for many years. 

Mark Scott
Great to see BC step up and legitimise enduro in the UK, having a proper national champs will elevate the whole discipline and hopefully attract all the top in form riders to compete for the title.

Jess Stone

Finally having an official BC sanctioned event is so exciting. As a rider who’s won an ‘unofficial’ National Enduro champs it was a proud moment to wear the GB sleeve at what was my first Enduro World Series round in Tweed Valley, Scotland. However, as it was not official, the UCI wouldn’t allow me to wear the sleeve and instead threatened me with a fine. I then went on to nearly win the race. I just feel it’s a real shame not being able to represent your country as a National Champion in an international event, and therefore I’m so happy that future riders will now be able to wear the honor of the sleeve with pride during international level events and inspire the young riders at lower levels. A massive thank you to all who have helped to make this happen

Matt Stuttard
It’s great to finally see BC recognising Enduro & sanctioning the Enduro Champs for 2024! Being multiple time British Enduro Champion it would have meant a lot to be able to wear the GB sleeve & it would have brought some good exposure.

Polly Henderson
It’s about time enduro gets the recognition it deserves, as one of the most popular racing disciplines in the country. As one of the last countries to hold an official national championship we have missed out on having the British sleeve on multiple World Cup podiums and promoting enduro.

Hopefully the Champs will give the sport and athletes the recognition they deserve and hopefully it also promotes the whole British enduro scene to be taken more seriously and give the younger generation more opportunities.

James Shirley
It’s cool to see that BC have caught up with what has been a very successful sport over the last decade or so. Hopefully it means that Enduro will get a bit more recognition at home and then hopefully it opens up more possibilities for our future riders.

Bex Baraona

Finally a sleeve! This creates a great platform for UK enduro racers to climb up the ladder, gain points and experience racing at the highest national level and I’ll be excited to be there myself.

British Cycling can today announce details of its first National Enduro Championships, which will take place in Ae Forest, Scotland, on the weekend of 17-18 August 2024.
It will be the first time that British Cycling has awarded national champion’s jerseys in the discipline, and with six stages for riders to tackle, it is set to be an epic weekend of racing in Dumfries.
You can now enter and find out more about the championships here.

Responding to the announcement, Tracey Mosely, one of the world’s most successful enduro and downhill riders of all time, said:
“After a long wait, it’s an exciting time for British enduro racers to finally have a recognised national
championship for the discipline of enduro, giving the winner the chance to fly the British flag on their
jersey on the world stage, which is always a special opportunity.
“It’s also great timing as 2024 will also see enduro awarded its first ever official UCI rainbow jersey, in
the race to become world champion in September. Exciting times ahead for enduro as it gets the
recognition it’s deserved for many years.”

Enduro rider Jess Stone, added:
“Finally having an official British Cycling sanctioned event is so exciting. As a rider who’s won an
‘unofficial’ National Enduro Championships, it was a proud moment to wear the GB sleeve at what
was my first Enduro World Series round in Tweed Valley.
“I’m so happy that future riders will now be able to have the honour of wearing the sleeve with pride
during international level events and inspire the young riders at lower levels. A massive thank you to
all who have helped to make this happen.”

The championships have been shaped in collaboration with the Gravity Commission, and chair,
Andrea Lockhart, said:
“The National Enduro Championships is a great achievement by all parties involved, for which I want
to thank each and every one.
“With a strong element of timed downhill and endurance racing for even more testing fun, enduro is a
super accessible, inclusive and exciting discipline. The championships in 2024 will give riders a great
opportunity to race alongside the countries most experienced riders and gain a national jersey. I’m
sure this will be a well-received by all enduro riders nationwide.”