Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546787
8 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com 73rd Annual Corduroy Enduro 73rd Annual Corduroy Enduro Gooderham, Canada Gooderham, Canada By Rachel Gutish By Rachel Gutish Photos By Adrien Geraud Photos By Adrien Geraud It's a crisp, clear fall morning in Canada, though to an American from the southern Midwest, it feels a li le more like winter. The leaves have barely started to change color, and the scent of cold air and hot ex- haust mingle as the riders push to the start pla orm and fire up their bikes… But as usual, I'm ge ng ahead of myself again. Sep- tember 19 th and 20 th were the 73 rd Annual Corduroy Enduro. Deep in Canada's "Co age Country", the ny town of Gooderham (pronounced Gooder-ahm, not Goo-der-Ham – my mispronuncia on marked me as an instant newbie on my first trip up in 2023) plays host to the largest Enduro race in Canada. This year, nearly 700 riders were entered in the event. Besides the quality of the event itself, there are other perks that draw riders from as far as the western reaches of Bri sh Columbia, Canada, the deep American south of Georgia, and this year, even one lone rider who hails from France (Anatole Broglio, 21 st overall), and that is the Canadian Na onal Championship plate up for grabs… and for the pro riders, the generous prize money and con ngency payouts. But the Cord, as most call it, didn't start that way. It began in 1953 with fourteen riders and seven fin- ishers. One of those finishers, Bill Sharpless, is the father of current race promoter and mul - me Cord winner, Blair Sharpless, and the grandfather of two current Cord racers, Meg and Emma Sharpless – who have also taken on behind-the-scenes roles organizing and promo ng the race. The race is what I would consider a "true enduro" in the sense that is a mix of everything, with some truly techy bits. Within the fi een special tests at this year's Cord, riders experienced condi ons rang- ing from flowy singletrack, high-speed grasstracks, two-track snowmobile trails, sandy gravel, plenty of rocks and tree roots and for the Pro/A group riders, three tests with sec ons that approach hard en- duro status. There are also long transfer sec ons through trail, gravel, and pavement, and two nerve-wrackingly deep river crossings that almost always claim at least a few vic ms each year. Though the last few years have been unusually dry, with last year in par cular being so dusty, I am unsure I could have told you what the trails were like because I don't think I ever saw them. In spite