For 13-year-old Bristol resident Tristan Healey, weekends are a series of ups and downs — but in his sport, the downs are the fun part.

He’s spending his weekends (11 of them at least) participating in the Eastern States Cup Enduro Racing series, a relatively new sport in which he’s looking forward to making his mark.

Enduro is a form of mountain bike racing — it started out in Europe, influenced by car rally racing and motorbike enduro racing. The concept was simple: get yourself to the top of a mountain and race to the bottom, time-trial style. For Tristan, like most Enduro racers, it started with cross country.

“They all start with cross country, then they get their adrenaline going,” said Tristan’s mom, Katie.

Enduro races involve timed stages, typically five, though sometimes six in the Eastern States Cup. The timed portions of the race are downhill, varying in steepness, length and difficulty, depending on location. Between each stage, competitors have to get themselves back uphill. This can mean a chairlift, a pedal, or a hike. These sections aren’t timed.

Enduro combines elements of all racing disciplines, from cross-country racing fitness, to the mental stamina necessary for stage races, and the bike-handling skills required to succeed at technical, singletrack mountain biking.

Oh, and Enduro tosses some “features” in along the way — like a 15-foot drop Tristan is looking forward to tackling on his next visit to a New Hampshire venue, two weekends from now.

A biking community

For Katie, the best thing about Enduro might be the community, which she compares to the sailing community. “There are all ages, under 12 to over 50, and like sailing, the pros are right there, on the same course. They’re role models for the younger riders.”

“He’s made tons of friends in the community, friends from all over,” she said.

Tristan races in the U-15 class right now, and it’s a really competitive group, especially as he’s one of the younger racers in the class. “It’s blown up as a sport because of COVID,” said Katie. “It’s inherently socially distanced. Events sell out at 300 riders because that’s how many (timing) chips they have; they could have more.” The only restrictions on Enduro competitions during the pandemic were restrictions imposed by various states.

The Eastern States Cup holds events in all six New England states as well as New Jersey and Pennsylvania. While there are a few events in the spring and into October, most are held over the summer.

“Every weekend we are driving somewhere,” said Katie. They have a camper that they take to events, and gather and socialize with the other families. Katie is particularly grateful to some of the supportive dads who have helped coach Tristan at these events — she claims not to know much about biking but has evolved into a self-described “pit mom” and become handy at working on Tristan’s bike when the need arises.

Youngest rider in the group

During the months of distance learning, Tristan, who will be entering eighth grade, applied to join the Cycle Craft Fitness team, a bike team that practices in Lincoln Woods and Diamond Hill in Cumberland. He was accepted and is now the youngest rider on the team, with lots of older teens and young adults to look up to.

He also took the initiative to apply for rider support, which helps when it’s time to purchase gear. Though it’s not typical for a rider Tristan’s age to be fully sponsored, ultimately he hopes to ride for a sponsored bike company team.

In a typical week, Tuesdays are for training, working out in the Cycle Craft Fitness gym in the morning then training with his team in the afternoon. On Wednesdays he goes to his internship at Bike Newport, a non-profit with a mission to create the conditions that lead to more people biking more often, and to ensure that bicycling is a viable, safe and comfortable primary choice for transportation and recreation. Tristan works with a mechanic, and helps people who come in to get their bikes fixed or get assistance to do it themselves.

Then by Thursday, it’s time to get ready to hit the road for the next competition. A consummate competitor, Tristan tends to focus on areas where he needs improvement, so he can make adjustments for next time, but he admitted that last weekend’s race in Pennsylvania was probably the most fun to date.

“It was super steep, the jumps were just built and fresh,” he said. “It was raining, and rocky — exhausting but so fun.”

Tristan is currently third overall in his class, and while that may change as the season goes on, he and Katie are both happy with the experience. Enduro has a World Series for pros, and they race all around the world. “There are a couple of those events coming to New England next year, to Sugarloaf and Burke,” said Katie. “You do the same courses as the pros — that’s what I like about this sport, it’s so inclusive.”

From Katie’s perspective, these weekends in the mountains are about a lot more than camping out and encouraging her young athlete. It brings her back to her days as a competitive sailor, when her own mother trailered her and her boat around to regattas. “My mother did this for me, and I get it now,” she said. “It’s really valuable time, and I’m taking advantage of it.”