Pol Tarres is at it again, but this time there’s no reel or stunt showcase, it’s all serious business on the dirt with a camera and his trusty T7.
Tarres made a name for himself riding dirt on one of the premier adventure bikes in the market, the Yamaha Tenere 700. Seemingly out to lunch with the adventurer, he joins the rest of the grid that all have enduro bikes. Lighter and more agile, Tarres got the holeshot and was more or less undeterred in the early sections of Erzbergrodeo even among the lighter bikes on the field.
The rockier sections of Erzbergrodeo posed a bit of a challenge, but not for Tarres. A tip-over caused Tarres the lead, which he held on to in the faster sections of the course. He did catch up to the rest of the pack, however, but the footage after the rocky sections, but the real challenge for Tarres and his T7 lay beyond the gravel and rocks.
Tarres’ held on but once the greenery got thicker, and the trail got a lot muddier, all riders started to struggle. Getting up the hill on a single track had many competitors struggling with their light enduro machines. However, Tarres seemed largely unfazed in comparison. It’s crazy to see just how cool under pressure Tarres was during the run, and also his mastery of his machine.
The climb was brutal, with the rock, shrub, and mud all posing a problem for the racers. There were several instances where I just said, “Nope” while watching this hour-long video. There were several clenched moments that had me on edge, but trust Tarres to put on a show and to do it while on an adventure bike.
Unfortunately, the video ended, but Tarres concluded his run by finishing 131st out of 500 riders in the 16th checkpoint—One Way Train.
The mere fact that Tarres was ranked in the top half of all the riders aboard his T7 is amazing. Also considering the field of light-weight enduro bikes, his achievement stands tall. Also, this isn’t his first rodeo—pun intended. In 2022, he made history by finishing 77th.
