What is Enduro? With Paul Van Der Ploeg and Matt Fairbrother

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Since retiring from the pro pelo, I’ve been itching to dip my toes into as many different cycling disciplines as possible. I raced on drop handlebars and skinny tyres for over a decade, now I want a heap of new challenges to tackle on the bike. 
I love getting out and exploring on my gravel bike, and I’ve tried my hand at some gravel races; but the bikes and bunch dynamics feel a little too similar to road racing sometimes. I want to get out of my comfort zone! 
Cross-country mountain biking was the natural next step. I started out by exploring my own backyard on the rowdy moto tracks in the Cobaws, then some races in Aussie events like Otway Odyssey, Reef to Reef, and Cape to Cape. Every time I got on the XC bike I felt like my skills were improving and I was growing more and more confident - the same feeling I had all those years ago when I first got into road cycling as a youngster. It was new, challenging, and I could feel the progression with every ride. My cross-country journey hit new heights at the end of last year as I took on the creme de la creme of XC MTB; the Cape Epic, alongside my good mate and fellow retired road racer, Ian Boswell. 
Despite completing one of the biggest mountain bike races on the planet, I still feel like there’s more to explore in the world of flat handlebars, chunky tyres, and suspension. I want to keep working on my skills and pushing myself in areas other than pure fitness. That’s why I’m diving headfirst into the world of Enduro.
Enduro is the perfect next step on my mountain biking journey; there’s some pedalling, sure, but it’s more about technique, skill, and balls! In Enduro racing it’s all about the downhill - only the descents are timed. Nobody gives a fuck how fast you can climb, you just need to get to the top so you can send the next trail. Riders race multiple stages throughout an event, and at the end the lowest cumulative time wins.
I started by chatting to Paul Van Der Ploeg. A great bloke, and a fantastic mentor to show me the ropes and teach me the basics, Paul and I headed out to Mount Macedon so he could critique my technique and give me some pointers. Paul has raced all sorts of bikes over the years, and even became a world champion himself in the Cross Country Eliminator in 2013, but was humble enough to strip it all back and teach this newbie some basics.
Next, I spoke to Matt Fairbrother. Only 20 years old and hailing from Christchurch in New Zealand, Matt is a ripping Enduro racer who made a name for himself by bikepacking his way between the races at the Enduro World Series - sometimes thousands of kilometres at a time! Matt and I had a chat on the road to the New Zealand MTB Rally; a brand new event that I’ll be taking on to help me better understand the world of enduro. Despite being almost half my age, Matt’s one of the most experienced riders out there and shared a lot of his wisdom with me on a road trip down the coast of the South Island from Christchurch to Nelson. When we arrived we had a couple of days to spare before the racing started, so Matt took me out to some of his favourite trails in Nelson City and Cable Bay to show me the race course so we could pre-ride, re-ride, and then free ride!
We also spoke about the tech side of enduro. I’ve not got much clue when it comes to tyre selection or suspension settings - so I spoke to Paul and Matt about the bikes to get some pointers. I even learnt that my bike’s got a mullet just like me! 
There’s so much for me to learn about all things mountain biking, but I’m loving being a beginner again and soaking it all in! Have a listen to me talking to some real experts as I send it into the world of enduro.
Cheers!
Mitch