Competitors, all too aware that weather is a key factor in enduro, set out into the wilderness in wet and foggy conditions, heading into an old, dark forest right after the start. Motivation was high and the best times after the start (reported from “The frog valley”) came in from Wade Young, Jonny Walker and Travis Teasdale. Later in the morning, Jonny Walker started pulling some of the best times, followed by Travis, Mario Roman and David Cyprian. After the Service Point and all the way to the finish, the “Young Guns” Mini Letti and Wade Young dominated the day and battled it out like Jarvis and Walker the years before. Both (Mini and Wade) are known for loving the fast sections and for “pinning it”. They were rewarded with a first place (Mini) and a second (Young). Jonny Walker was hot on their heels throughout the day, not letting them out of his reach. Even though Jonny considered himself having made too many mistakes during the day, he finished as a strong 3rd and appears to be quite charged for the next three days of the usual Red Bull Romaniacs “Enduro mayhem”.
The “King” Graham Jarvis, started from 7th position and was seen slightly caught aback by the cold weather during the first liaison, just before the 600cc section. Once he had ploughed through 600cc, feeling cold was not a problem anymore… He started increasing the rhythm in the 2nd half of the day, building the foundation for his strategy to win the race. Jarvis finished forth but reported some fatigue issues.
The top riders didn’t seem to be fazed by the slippery ups and downs, they rode the sections such as “600cc”, “Better stay dry” and “Forgotten trail” without any problems. The same could not be said for the Silver Class who were finding it difficult to negotiate their bikes in a straight line without them sliding out sideways down the steep hills. The Bronze class riders were in for a bit of a “massacre” due to the weather conditions and had their proper Red Bull Romaniacs treatment all day long. They still managed to bravely make it through the day despite being caked in mud from head to toe. The numerous fans on site were offering much appreciated helping hands. Surprisingly many spectators ended up being “out there…” despite the weather - showing true Hard Enduro spirit!
The organizers themselves are also faced with some real challenges - having to relocate to the overnight bivouac location late after yesterday's prologue. The whole headquarters and support team moved ahead of the race circus to the scenic ski resort of “Straja” in the Valcan mountains. Most of the team only arrived around 3am in the morning, expecting to get an average of only 2 hours sleep.
STEP 1
STEP 2