A look back at the MTB Team Up

The Vars area vibrated this weekend to the rhythm of the MTB Team Up, a 100% team enduro race, which brought together 250 mountain bike enthusiasts who came to do battle on trails as technical as they were impressive over a total of 5 special stages: 26km in total / 600m D+ pedal / 3000 m D-.

After a day of reconnaissance on Saturday, the official start was given Sunday 6 July 2025. The event, part of the Trophée Enduro des Alpes, of which Vars represented the fifth stage of the season, offered two formats: a timed enduro race and an endurando version for downhill enthusiasts with no time constraints, on both mountain bikes and VTTAEs.

A major innovation at this year’s event, the MTB Team Up was run exclusively as a team, an original format for a traditionally individual discipline. As a result, 72 teams, made up of 2 to 6 riders, competed over 5 special stages, split into pairs or teams in MTB, VTTAE, mixed or hybrid formats.

This new 100% team format fully satisfied the mountain bikers, who were able to take advantage of the complementary nature of their profiles on the various special stages. Working together, reading the terrain and distributing their efforts enabled each rider to make the most of their technical strengths according to the characteristics of the course. A collective dynamic that provided real added value compared to the more traditional individual formats.

At 9am, the teams set off to tackle the 5 special stages with decidedly challenging profiles. The riders had to demonstrate their technique and stamina on mostly downhill routes, punctuated by restarts, climbs and natural obstacles: rocks, roots, gaps and nervous singles.

Between rocks, roots, gaps and challenging singles, the riders rode through the heart of the Vars domain, alternating between high altitude meadows, torrent crossings and undergrowth, where reading the terrain proved essential.

The final ranking was based on the cumulative times of each team, and although the competition was tough, the atmosphere remained friendly and enthusiastic. All the participants left the event delighted, with just one thing on their minds: to come back and ride the Vars slopes again this summer!