A look back at the MTB Team Up

This weekend, the Vars area was alive with the rhythm of the MTB Team Up, a 100% team enduro race that brought together 250 mountain bike enthusiasts to battle it out on trails as technical as they were impressive, over a total of 5 special stages: 26km in total / 600m pedal-degree D+ / 3000 m D-.

After a reconnaissance day on Saturday, the official start was given on Sunday 6 July 2025. The event, part of the Trophée Enduro des Alpes, of which Vars was 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 ATVs.

The big innovation of this year’s event was that the MTB Team Up was run exclusively as a team, an original format for a traditionally individual discipline. A total of 72 teams, made up of 2 to 6 riders, competed on 5 special stages, divided into pairs or teams of mountain bikers, ATVs, mixed or hybrid riders.

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

From 9am, the teams set off to tackle the 5 special stages, each with a decidedly challenging profile. The riders had to show 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 classification 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 with one thing in mind: to come back and ride the Vars slopes again this summer!