November 2025 17
I also felt a quiet sense of pride. Not just in
what I'd done the day before, but in every step
it took to get here. I looked back thirteen years
ago and was proud of li le Rachel. A er riding
the EnduroGP of Germany, I had an answer to
my long me ques on. Yeah, she wasn't as good
back then… but that just made me prouder of
her, because Germany is brutal. I had no idea
how she even made it through a single day of the
2012 ISDE on that li le KTM 150, much less four.
My dad says sheer determina on. And I hear my
own voice in my head, echoing through the years.
"Despera on works wonders…" I tell Dave Cham-
berlain and Jay Hall. "…I had to make it up that
hill on the first try because I was too red to stop
and push again."
She tried so hard. Never once did she give up.
I'm proud of her. And I think if she could look for-
ward and see where we made it, she'd be proud
of me too.
