Montana Enduro Series: Rendezvous Enduro 2021 event

MES racers - welcome to the third stop of the 2021 Montana Enduro Series: The Rendezvous Enduro. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort always delivers with some of the best views in the West, amazing trails, and an excellent atmosphere for the Montana Enduro Series. At this point the forecast looks amazing: mid-70s and sunny. But be prepared as mountain weather can change quickly.

Here’s what you need to know:

COVID-19
Teton County is experiencing high rates of transmission. In accordance with Teton County health guidelines, face coverings are required indoors by all guests, even if vaccinated. Additionally, face coverings are encouraged in outdoor settings where social distancing isn’t possible. Please consider wearing a face covering during racer check-in and the racer meeting.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort & MES Waiver
JHMR has a liability waiver that will need to be signed along with the MES waiver. Be prepared to sign both forms during check-in. We’ll have a table for each waiver. If you’re under the age of 18 you will need to have a parent or guardian present at check-in. Your 19-year old buddy doesn’t count.

Racer Check-In
Since we’re starting with an early departure, we will also have racer check-in available on Friday afternoon from 12:00 – 5:00. We highly recommend coming to the MES tent on Friday to reduce the wait on Saturday morning.

Ticketing
Racers are responsible for purchasing their own tickets for Friday practice. Tickets will be discounted 50% for racers – you must be pre-registered for your name to be included on the discount roster. Lift tickets for Saturday’s race are included in the registration fee. Racers will be issued an RFID chip for Saturday.

Important note: JHMR will not allow dirty bikes on the Bridger Gondola. You will need to wash all dirt/mud off before loading. There is a wash station located at JH Sports. The gondola cab will fit one bike and one rider; please hold your bike for the entire journey to avoid damaging the interior. Being good guests is critical to JHMR continuing to allow these special accommodations during events.

Timeline
Friday 9/3
The course will be open for racers only from 8am-4pm. Practice day lift tickets can be purchased at the ticket window. Racer check-in will be open from noon to 5:00 at the Montana Enduro tent located on the Music Under the Tram platform.

Course practice: please note that the race course includes trails not commonly open to mountain bikes, and the general public may be present during practice on Friday. Please ride under control and be courteous to any other guests you encounter. Due to the sensitive nature of the trails we are able to ride for this event, Friday access to the Bridger Gondola is limited to an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. The uplift schedule is:
• 8am-9am – Racers are allowed to load the Bridger gondola.
• 9am-3pm – Racers are allowed to load the Sweetwater chair.
• 3pm-4pm – Racers are allowed to load the Bridger gondola.

Note that our volunteers will be on mountain buttoning up the course throughout the day. Make sure to give them smiles and high fives.

Saturday 9/4
6:30 AM: racer check-in continues at the MES tent, located on the Music Under the Tram platform
7:00 AM: volunteer meeting
7:15 AM: racer meeting (MANDATORY)
7:30 AM: racers begin loading Bridger Gondola – pros first
3:00 PM: course closed
Late afternoon: Podium celebration

Course
The exact course that you will compete is defined by the on-course markings and timing gates. The course and exact start/finish points are subject to change prior to race day at the discretion of MES and JHMR staff. We will be placing start and finish points during the day on Friday.

Timing System
We use the SPORTident Air contactless timing system. This gives the best and most accurate results in our sport. You are responsible for following our procedures for checking in and heading out to the course. The timing chips must be switched on to collect time stamps. Crucially, they must be returned to the timing tent for scanning for you to have results. If you lose your timing chip it will cost you $100 to collect backup timing results. Keep the chip on the right-hand wrist outside of your clothing to ensure good time stamps.

Pro racers will load the gondola first. We will start the race on 30-second timed intervals at Stage 1. We allow self-seeding during the race so that friends can chase each other and transfer together. Don’t keep our volunteers and other racers on mountain all day by taking a siesta at the Rendezvous Restaurant or not giving it your all to get through the course in a timely fashion.

Rules
Our rules are simple and intended to make sure everyone has a high-quality experience. We will cover rules and course-specific concerns during the racer meetings. The basic rules are:
• Enduro format – timed stages are mostly downhill, and transfers are mostly climbs. Transfer stages are untimed, but don’t linger because we have a course closure time.
• Helmets must be worn at all times when on the bike. This includes uphills/transfers. Anyone riding without a helmet will be disqualified immediately. Full-face helmets are recommended but not required.
• You must be able to hear an overtaking rider. No earbuds or external speakers are allowed.
• Our complete rulebook is available on our website.
Volunteers will help us assess if we need to penalize any racers that aren’t following our series rules. Keep it fun and throw out high fives all day

Camping
Onsite camping is not available at JHMR. There are campgrounds on NPS and USFS lands surrounding Jackson, however availability is uncertain during the COVID-19 outdoor madness.

Volunteers
If any of your traveling companions would like to volunteer out on course, we’d be happy for the help. Also, if you can’t race for some reason on Saturday, we’ll happily refund your registration fee in exchange for your volunteer service. True story: running an enduro race takes a lot of volunteers. Find us at the MES tent in the morning or email [email protected].

We’ll see you this weekend!