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Comox Valley riders capture Island Cup Mountain Bike Enduro titles

Courtenay's Chris Makuck in Expert Men and Cumberland's Carter Woods in Intermediate Men
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Chris Makuch of Courtenay successfully defended his Island Cup Enduro Expert Men's title.

After more than seven months of racing, the overall series winners took their places on the podium at the final round of the Island Cup Mountain Bike Enduro Series on Oct. 30 at Maple Mountain.

Courtenay’s Chris Makuch is the 2016 Expert Men’s overall winner, while Cumberland’s Carter Woods took the overall title in Intermediate Men’s.

“It was a tight race for the overall,” says Makuch, who was the series leader going into the final round. “It’s tough because part of you knows that riding a bit more conservative is the smart move, but at the same time it’s the last race of the year and you don’t want to hold anything back.” Makuch ended up with a second place on the day, which was enough to secure his second consecutive overall title.

Makuch adds, “There was definitely some extra pressure this year to back up last year’s overall win, and it’s a pretty cool feeling to see all those hours of hard work pay off.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in making the Island Cup Series happen, as well as Norco Bicycles, Trail Bicycles, Kevin Reid Real Estate, and Comox Valley Nissan for their support this year.”

Enduro racing is a mountain bike race format that consists of multiple stages (usually three to seven), with untimed climbs and timed descents, essentially creating a multi-stage downhill race with climbing between stages.

Races usually take three to five hours to complete, with about 20-30 minutes of timed racing. Top riders need an extremely well-rounded skill set, blending extreme levels of fitness with strong technical skills.

The Vancouver Island Cup Mountain Bike Race Series is B.C.’s premiere grassroots race series, spanning the length of Vancouver Island. XC, Downhill and Marathon disciplines are brought together from numerous local mountain bike clubs.