Weston Rhyn student Ellie is among Enduro elite

Sixth Form student Ellie Jones secured her place among the country’s best female mountain bikers by finishing first in the Ard Rock Enduro, and fourth in the National Championships.

The 17-year-old, who competes in the under-30 category, was inspired by her father who is an avid mountain biker.

She started the sport at the age of 12 and instantly became hooked.

“It’s the less lazy version of downhill,” Ellie said.

“It is so fun. Racing is an escape from everything else.

“Staying on the bike is very difficult. Keeping on your line and not getting distracted by the other racers is hard.

“The level of competition is insane. It is getting better and better.”

Enduro combines the technical and endurance elements of both downhill and cross country.

Enduro racers bike uphill and then go extremely fast down hand-cut, off-piste trails.

Many races have six stages, but the National Championships had 13 stages over two days.

While it can take an hour to get up the hill, the downhill portion can be as fast as two to six minutes.

The sport can be dangerous, with Ellie saying it is not a question of if a racer will crash, but when and how often.

After one particularly bad fall when she and her bike flew separately through the air and landed with a thud, the peak of her helmet broke off, her helmet was dented and she thought she had broken her shoulder.

But after a few minutes, she was back on her bike, in pain, but with no broken bones.

Ellie followed a very successful season before Covid with this summer of wins.

She plans to continue to push herself to see where the sport will take her; more National Championships, or perhaps qualifying for the World Enduro, are among her aims.

Ellie still has another month to rack up wins in this season, which ends in October. At the end of the school year, she faces A Levels, university choices, and a new season of Enduro.