198 – Vitus First Tracks Enduro Race 1 Review with Glyn O’Brien

Today’s Guest:

He’s the Vitus First Tracks Enduro Race organiser, the man who placed 3rd at Rampage, he’s got more trophies than he can count, he’s the stoke behind it all…He is of course Glyn O’Brien.

On episode #198 it is my pleasure to welcome Glyn O’Brien back onto the show to have a chat about how the first race of the Vitus First Tracks Enduro Series at Bigwood went, what the turnout was like, how the new race format was received, why he was racing an XC bike (which he won on!) and what we have to look forward to regarding round 2 at Ravensdale. Plus much more!

Tune in and check it out. Enjoy the show!

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Find Out:

How Glyn managed to get the Vitus First Tracks Enduro Race Series to happen
How Race 1 was received
The number of competitors that attended
Who the standouts were on race day
What the conditions were like
Why Glyn thinks we seen a rise in lady competitors
How the E-bike category also seen an increase in competitors
Why Glyn decided to race the Vitus Rapide FS XC bike
How he modified it to be ready on race day
The advantages Glyn believes his setup had
Why the Rapide worked on the trail network at Bigwood
Will Glyn be racing the Rapide FS at Ravensdale
What to expect racing Race 2 at Ravensdale (3rd & 4th July)
What the race format will be
How to register, have the correct licences and be ready on race day
How to get involved, help out and follow what is happening

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It is always a blast to get Glyn on the show. He is so well tapped into everything MTB related in Ireland that it is always great to have a chat and get caught up on what is going on. Glyn is the organiser of the Vitus First Tracks Enduro Series and has managed to get 4 race events planned for this year, fingers crossed everything goes to plan. The first race was held on the 5th & 6th of June at Bigwood, Warrenpoint to great success.

We chat with Glyn about how it felt to get back racing and what the atmosphere was like with the competitors over the two race days. Let’s not forget that a load of these guys and gals live for racing, it is in their blood, they thrive off the adrelien, pressure and hope to be standing on a podium at the end of race day. So to have this taken away for almost two years is not easy and the excitement on that hill could most likely have been bottled and sold.

We chat about competitor numbers, conditions, results and who the standouts were over the weekend. We also get into the reasons behind Glyn racing the Vitus Rapide FS XC bike for the first time, what made him decide to hang up his Sommet for the day, how different the bike handles and what changes he made to the Rapide before race day. We also touch on the topic of being ‘over biked’, and how we should possibly look at some different ride setups before purchasing that new trail horse.

We also chat about what Race 2 has in store for us at Ravensdale on the 3rd & 4th of July, what the race format will be and what is included in your entrance fee. Glyn also kindly takes us through the process to make sure you have the correct racing licence etc and be ready for race day. If you have never raced before this process can be a little confusing, but after you go through it once it is pretty simple (if you have never raced before tune in as Glyn takes us through the process in great detail).

If you are racing at Ravendale, have a great weekend and I hope you get to be on the podium of your choice!

So tune in and find out more about how Race 1 went at Bigwood, what Glyn has planned for Ravensdale and why he raced a XC bike at an enduro!

Thanks for tuning in and for supporting the podcast.

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To Connect with Glyn & the Vitus First Tracks Enduro:

Instagram: glynobrien

Facebook: glyn.obrien

Instagram: vitusfirsttracksmtb

Facebook: VitusFirstTracksEnduroCup

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Sponsors:

www.firsttracksmtb.com