Take a walk through the FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) paddock and there are hundreds of stories to be told. Be it new faces, seasoned professionals or returning old faces, there is plenty of character to be found.
Riding for Team Scotland in the Club Team Awards category is Euan McConnell (TM). A returning face to the FIM ISDE, he is a well-known and much-loved character involved in Enduro since 1999.
Over the years he has represented Great Britain as a World Trophy rider ten times. This year in France will be his thirteenth time rolling off an FIM ISDE start ramp.
“I think if my maths are correct this is my thirteenth time racing the FIM ISDE,” tells McConnell sitting in the Team Scotland camp.
“My first time racing the FIM ISDE was in Portugal in 1999 with the Scottish club team, so it has gone full circle for me.”
“That was my first ever time abroad back then,” he recalls. “I was only nineteen. Wet between the ears as they say!”
“We battered ourselves walking all the tests in the midday heat. But somehow I went on to have a great week and soon after got my first sponsored ride from KTM UK as a result.”
From 2000 until 2009 he returned to the FIM ISDE representing Great Britain on the World Trophy team. But when life and family commitments began to take over, bikes were parked up.
A last minute decision came in 2017 to race the FIM ISDE with Team Scotland and now he is back again for France with teammates Jordan Scott (TM) and Ben Thomson (Sherco).
“I don’t get to ride my bike that much these days,” says McConnell. “Time is of a premium with family, business and farming commitments taking hold.”
“I just like the FIM ISDE format. The longer races suit me. I am not race sharp, so each day is a building block for me. My plan is to start out steady and hopefully get quicker as the week goes on.”
“But it is nice to be back in the FIM ISDE paddock. The three of us drove here together in the van from Scotland and it has been great craic so far. It is what riding bikes should be all about!”
