I've loved dirt riding since, well, since forever. And I can now do it pretty much any time I want to due to where I live and the single track I've built in my backyard. But there's an itch I haven't yet scratched and that's off-road racing.
No matter what form they come in, I've always thought I could do an off-road race. I'm find on pavement, don't get me wrong but dirt has a way of evening the playing field that seems to suit my capabilities. Though I wouldn't say I'm the best dirt rider, I'm fine. And that over-estimation of my skills has obviously led me to believe I could compete in Red Bull's positively insane Romaniacs hard enduro race.
Well, sorta.
For a long time, I figured I wouldn't be able to even make it past the qualifier. Sure, given the chance, I'd totally try. But even that introduction to the event was pretty outside my wheelhouse. At least, on a normal enduro machine. That might've just changed as Red Bull has announced that next year's event won't just see the introduction to an Adventure motorcycle class, but also an EV class. And that's where I think I could shine.
Or at least finish the race.
We've covered the insanity of Romaniacs before on RideApart, but for the uninitiated, the race is a multi-day hard enduro race that features all sorts of ludicrous obstacles through the Romanian countryside, with them getting gnarlier and gnarlier each and every year. Sometimes you're blasting down single track, while others you're attempting to go across a slippery, extremely narrow bridge over a river. There are also deeply wooded sections that appear to be perfectly impossible given their slopes are over 45 degrees.
You know, you're average fire road or backyard track...
But what always threw me off was having to navigate all these obstacles and not kill the damn bike. Yes, I know how to use a clutch and all that, but you don't want to be bogging down when you're on a steep-AF hillside with no guardrails and the real possibility of falling off said cliffside. Helmets only can protect you so much and despite my perceived capabilities, eh.
EVs, on the other hand, don't have a clutch. Their power delivery is more linear, more controllable, and easier to unleash when the time is right. And most, if not all, of these motorcycles have one of my favorite innovations: a hand brake that actuates the rear caliper. That means going down hills and cliffs, or sliding around tight turns and apexes through the trees, is far less technical than say a motorcycle with a combustion engine.
Don't get me wrong, I still think I'd be terrible. I wouldn't come close to Pol Tarres or Manny Lettenbichler. But I don't think I'd fail at completing the course. Again, maybe that's an overestimation of my own skills, but this is the first time since I became aware of Romaniacs where I truly believe I have a chance at making it all the way through.
Maybe RedBull will let me test my theory? Come on, RB, let me try the new eMoto class!
