Maxx Enduro Report

The Maxx is a unique point to point night time enduro. It starts at dusk at Beachy Head and ends 80 miles later at QE Park, near Petersfeld. It’s a pretty tough event in terms of distance and the night time factor. However the course is simple, just follow the South Downs Way!





I’ve managed to ride this event every other year since its inception in 2005. Work commitments have kept me away too many times, but needs must. Last time I rode in 2009 the weather was perfect and I had a good ride, although the badger I hit en route might not agree. This year things looked promising weather wise and I’d sent an advanced warning to the badger population to stay off the course. As usual at the start there was a mixture of full on 24 hour and endure racers, trail riders and weekend warriors. Alex Davey was there along with two previous winners, Rob Dean and Charlie Esutace. There were a few other handy looking riders including team riders from OnOne and Wiggle, so I knew the pace from the start was going to be fast. Actually it was similar to the start of an XC race, so we were down from 80 starters to a group of four within a few miles. By the first check point, it was down to Charlie and me, with some chasers a minute back. That was the last time I actually rode with anyone. I dropped Charlie on the tough hill directly over the A27 from CP1 at Falmer. After that, all I could see were lights in the distance behind me form chasing riders. Knowing how quickly my luck could change, I didn’t let up and gradually pulled time out on the chasers. Luckily they’d splintered into single riders so there was no organised chase group. I kept with my tactic of super careful descending to avoid flint punctures, which seemed to pay off. It also kept me from hitting any of the roaming wildlife. At some points the visibility was about 30ft. I nearly hit a sleeping cow at some speed in a fog bank, but saw it just in time. It was great to meet Tim, Martin, Andy et al at CP3 at Springhead. By then I had a reasonable lead, so all I had to do was ride safely into my home patch at Cocking and then onto the finish. In the end it took 6’28”. The next rider in, James Braid from Wiggle, came in 17 minutes after me. Alex finished a strong 4th, so a good night all round for the team.

Thanks to Tim for driving me to the start and then cheering Alex and I on at intervals all the way to CP3. Also thanks to everyone at CP3 for staying up all night and some of the morning. It’s a great lift to all the riders to see cheerful faces and get encouragement. I finished before 1 AM. I think CP3 was manned until 4AM!








James D'Arcy