Trail Rider Magazine

12 Trail Rider the support truck. I rested every moment of the 20 minute mandatory stop, only using energy to pop some electrolyte pills and chug a lile Jack 3D. Aer gas, we began climbing miles of rocky double track that culminated in the first boleneck of the day - a steep, loose, rocky hill that had at least 30 riders pushing and spinning. It was total chaos and not unlike a scene out of local C class: bikes screaming, rocks flying, riders ducking for cover. Some guys went right around the line of riders and parked themselves in the middle of the trail, requiring people to help them up the trail as they were completely in the way. Inconsiderate, yes, but also effecve. It's too bad that they were squids and were quickly passed any- way. 45 minutes later I slogged my way to the top and got going again, but not before helping the Australian kid with whom I'd made a pact that we would help one another. Most everyone will require help at some point. Aer this brutal effort we were once again rewarded with an amaz- ing rip above tree line. I should have been pinning it in 6th gear but instead enjoyed the view. Crisis Several miles aer the boleneck I was parked on the back fender skidding down a hill that, in hindsight, I really should have bulldogged down. I never even saw the small root that took the front end out from under me, forcing me to fall towards the le and absorb the full impact with my leg. When you hurt yourself on a dirt bike, important thoughts flash through your mind in an instant. So when my le leg absorbed impact and I heard a loud "POP," my first thought was, "Next year, I'll be back next year." When bike and body came to rest, I stood up and my knee slid to the le. Yup, ACL tear. Sll, I wasn't feeling de- feated. I knew my race was over, but this place was way too much fun to disconnue the ride. So I pressed on with my knee popping out of joint whenever I had to dab, which was oen. I quickly went from wanng to finish to wanng to survive. When I finally crossed the finish line, I booked it back to the hotel and wrapped my knee in ice. I then got in touch with Volker Jacob, the Communicaons and Media direc- tor for RBR and explained my plight. If I couldn't connue, he'd set me up with the RBR internaonal press pool, for which I was grateful. I spent that night with ibuprofen coursing through me and with my knee elevated and on ice, praying that it would keep the swelling manageable. The following morning I awoke to a badly swollen knee with a 20 degree range of moon. The pain wasn't too bad so I tried stuffing my knee back into my knee brace, but it was too swollen and wouldn't fit. Applying any pressure beyond body weight would cause it to dislodge. I spent the rest of my me with the press pool, which was fun but nowhere near as fun as riding RBR. As of the writ- ing of this, six weeks have passed since the race and I am no more at peace with this DNF than I was on the day it happened. It was the worst feeling of my 30+ years on a dirt bike, by a long shot. Next year, I'll be back next year. Conclusion So what is it like to race the Bronze Class at Red Bull Ro- maniacs? It's trip between the emoonal poles: one mo- ment you are King of the World, the next, a complete squid that has no business being on a motorcycle. There are more peaks than valleys, more fun than dismay. The rewards outnumber the losses. Honestly, it's amazing. It's crazy. It's scary. I can't wait unl next year. www.TrailRider.com W hile in Roma- nia I had an opportunity to try the Goldentyre GT216 90/90-21 front re, GT216X 140-80/18 rear re, and Goldentyre 120x bib mousse. The terrain we tested them in varied from dry, rocky cart roads, slick greasy trails, rock and root laced single track, and of course several steep hills that varied from loose gravel to rocks and roots. It was a great environment for tesng these res. The GT216X 140-80/18 rear re has a soer com- pound designed to handle extreme enduro condi- ons. It worked well in technical terrain but struggled in the slick soils. I then tried the GT216HB 140- 80/18 model, which is the enduro model and features a firmer compound. I liked this compound beer as it handled a wider variety of terrain effecvely. The front re is compa- rable to the Bridgestone M59, which is high praise. However, the real winner here was the Goldentyre Mousse X. The Mousse X is a special mousse for extreme enduro and is soer than anything I've tried. The mousses I've tried have le me frustrated and re-installing my tubes. Mousses are notorious for deflecng off of rocks and drascally altering the characteriscs of your perfectly tuned suspension. That wasn't the case with the Goldentyre Mouse X. The rear re felt like it had between 8- 10 PSI while front felt like it had around 11 PSI. They are very, very impressive and I will pick up set when they be- come available here in the U.S. As of the wring of this, there are several Goldentyre dealers in the U.S. but in- ventory is low to nonexistent. Keep an eye out for these: they are worth it, parcularly the mousses. GOLDENTYRE ExTREME ENDURO TIRE AND MOUSSE

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