NEWS: THE SINGAPORE OPEN ENDURO 2017

NEWS: THE SINGAPORE OPEN ENDURO 2017

ANOTHER SEASON FOR US TO CELEBRATE OUR LOCAL TRAILS!

 

 

 

The Singapore Open Enduro returns to the mountain bike trails of Singapore on 20 – 21 May 2017, promising new challenges on fresh trails to a growing legion of participants and fans of mountain biking. Read on for what SOE has to share before the event!

 

 

 

 

DO YOU "ENDURO"?

Worldwide, enduro is the fastest-growing competitive event format in the sport of mountain biking, itself a relatively nascent ‘extreme sport’. Unlike the more established cross-country or downhill mountain bike formats, enduro emphasizes ‘social racing’, where competitors get to mingle, chat, and ride together on the non-competitive, untimed sections of the race course. They then race on the timed sections, called ‘special stages’, which are predominantly downhill and consisting of technical terrain, with the accumulated timings from all special stages totaled to determine the eventual winner.

 

 

SINGAPORE OPEN ENDURO

The Singapore Open Enduro (or SOE for short) is based on this format, and challenges participants on 7 timed stages on purpose-built mountain bike trails in the central-western catchment area of mainland Singapore. The route starts and ends at Chestnut Nature Park, and includes trails in the Bukit Panjang, Zhenghua, and Bukit Timah areas. The event is supported by the National Parks Board of Singapore (NParks).

Of the 114 participants in the SOE starting line-up, 14 of them are female. Relatively, this is the highest proportion of female participation in a mountain bike event ever recorded since competitive cycling events started taking place locally. A further attraction to promoting participation across a wider demographic of the mountain bike community is offering equal prize money and product value across all gender and age groups. 6 categories will be contested, with all participants required to finish every stage and cover the full distance in order to be ranked.

A further incentive to encourage and develop local young cycling talent is the offer of a bonus cash prize to any junior riders who can come within 10% of the overall fastest times of their respective male and female adult counterparts.

 

 

 

 

A SUPER-FAST GROWING RACE FORMAT

SOE has grown – from humble beginnings as a Facebook interest group in late 2015 – into its current iteration as a notable mountain bike event in Singapore, with participants hailing from 17 countries, including several regional contenders from Indonesia, Taiwan, Nepal, and Vietnam. The majority of participants are Singaporean citizens, with Singapore-residing foreign nationals forming the next largest participant group. When the event registration opened in January, more than 4 months before the event date, entries sold out within 20 minutes – attesting to the huge popularity of the concept of enduro mountain biking and the enthusiasm for the event conveyed by the local mountain bike community.

 

 

 

 

MORE ON SOE

Singapore Open Enduro (SOE) is a one-day multi-stage mountain bike enduro. It is an independently-organized, community-focused event that celebrates our local Singaporean mountain bike trails. It is the only enduro-format mountain bike event in Singapore. SOE is staffed entirely by volunteers who are themselves mountain bike riders and avid trail users.

The first edition of SOE took place in May 2016 and had 65 participants competing over 5 timed stages on trails including Kent Ridge MTB Trail, the Green Corridor, Bukit Timah MTB Trail, and Chestnut South. 2017 sees the return of SOE to the same time-frame, with more riders, more community involvement, and an upgrade of status from a community event to a full-fledged competitive race.

 

 

 

 

Details and Facts on SOE 2017

  • Date / Time: 20 May (practice day) & 21 May (race day) / 0800 – 1400hrs each day
  • Number of timed stages: 7 on race day (21 May)
  • Total estimated distance: 18km
  • Areas / trails used: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Zhenghua Park, Chestnut Nature Park
  • Current total number of participants: 114
  • Number of categories: 6 – Male Open (18-40 years), Female Open (18-40 years), Male Veteran (above 40), Female Veteran (above 40), Male Junior (below 18), Female Junior (below 18)
  • Youngest competitor this year: 10 years old
  • Oldest competitor this year: 54 years old

SOE2017 will feature equal prize money and product value for podium places across all categories (regardless of gender or age).

 

 

 

 

SOE is grateful for the support, commitment, and enthusiasm from the following past and current sponsors and supporters:

  • National Parks Board of Singapore

  • Dirtraction

  • Outdoor Sports Travel

  • Bikezilla

  • Sports & Travel Magazine

  • Cannondale Asia Cycling Team

  • Yeti Bukit Timah

  • Specialized Singapore

  • Rodalink

  • Funn

  • Oakley Singapore

  • Zero Dot One Medical Conceirge

  • Reevolution

  • Tirecare Sealant

  • Bike Technics

  • Attitude Bikes

  • Unsprung

  • Crankworkz

  • Bike Nest

 

 

 

 

Click here for more information:

SOE Facebook Group

SOE Official Email (for official correspondence and inquiries): so.enduro@kinetik-edge.com 

 

SEE YOU AT SOE 2017!

 

 

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All information by Singapore Open Enduro

Photos by Bikezilla