Quick response keeps Norco Canadian Enduro Series on calendar this weekend

When B.C. health regulations shifted again ahead Norco Canadian Enduro Series’ first event of 2021, there wasn’t much time to respond. Organizers were just one week away from hosting the series’ first race since 2019, when the cap on outdoor gatherings was lowered to 100. With several hundred racers registered, NCES was faced with a decision: cancel or adapt.

At this point, riders and organizers are used to some level of uncertainty. Everyone respects the ongoing importance of health measures (NCES was one of the early organizers to recognize events were not happening domestically in 2019). With all that in mind, NCES set about working with Panorama Mountain Resort to see if the event could be saved.

“That was quite a process,” says Matt Holbrook, who recently took over the CNES. “We had about two days of back and forth with Panorama, working with and off of their health plans, and then figuring out how to make that work with our race plans.”

With the event so close at hand, Ted Morton, the prior owner and now support for NCES, was already at the venue working towards the series’ season debut.

“Kudos to Ted, he’s feet on the ground in Panorama right now working with their staff and safety officers to sort out the details,” added Holbrook.

With the new restrictions, NCES split its single event into four smaller events to be held on the same day. The organizers aimed for 75 riders to stay well under the 100-person limit when volunteers were factored in. With Enduro’s format, where riders race on their own, against the clock, on multiple stages, splitting the event along category lines proved an effective way to limit group size. Large gatherings, like race meetings and a post-race BBQ, were eliminated.

Still, with all the riders racing the same course at some point throughout the day, making sure the smaller groups stayed small was critical, and dificult.

“The hardest part was just figuring out how we were going to get rider flow to work on mountain. Again, Ted Morton and Brooke from Panorama were on the mountain and did a ton of work on that,” says Holbrook. “Getting the traffic flow logistics on the hill was the biggest challenge. We reworked aid stations and stage exits to keep everyone moving safely.”

“Then we presented our plan to interior health, through Panorama, and they approved so we’re good to go,” says Holbrook, who adds that Interior Health was open to holding the event, as long as it was done safely.

“Interior Health wasn’t restrictive,” Holbrook shared. “They wanted to maintain health standards, they weren’t looking to shut the event down. They were really receptive to our plan and appreciated that we were putting in work keep riders safe.”

Working ahead to the rest of the season

Panorama is the first of three events in the 2021 Norco Canadian Enduro Series. The next event, at Sun Peaks, falls subject to the same restrictions. The final, also Canadian enduro national championships in Whistler, is currently outside the area covered by the restrictions. Holbrook knows that can change at any time, and is already in communication with both venues.

“We have to do the same process through Sun Peaks,” the NCES head says. “We’ll put together a post-race recap and sent that to Panorama, but also to Sun Peaks to get our safety plan rolling there.”

“Whistler’s outside that zone, but were talking to them as well. The general situation is always changing – with case counts and restrictions – but as it is right now, they’re really positive about the event.”

Norco Canadian Enduro Series starts its 2021 calendar this weekend from Aug. 28 to 29 at Panorama Mountain Resort. Full details – including a very detailed safety guide – are up on the event sight now.