Bengt Laeremans previews the Erzberg Rodeo!
This weekend the mother of all extreme enduro races takes place: the Erzberg Rodeo in Austria! This edition marks the 25th anniversary, because the competition first took place in 1995. After Mathias Van Hoof last year, MXMag once again hired a strong 'reporter on the spot' in the person of Bengt Laeremans. Bengt is looking ahead with us!
The Erzberg is so much more than the 3rd round of the WESS, World Enduro Super Series. It is a monument in itself! “What Lommel is for motocross, Erzberg is for hard enduro,” Bengt explains. “The term hard enduro/extreme enduro was literally invented here. In this mecca you have 4 hours to cover 27 checkpoints over 35 km in and around a huge iron mine. But what a 35 km... The dimensions of the Erzberg in particular appeal to the imagination. This cannot be shown on YouTube or a Go Pro and that was even the topic of discussion here with the Pros at the press conference today!
For many, this competition has also been the start of their professional career and also the ultimate proof that as an amateur you can also make it happen! Taddy Blazusiak is living proof of this: he started in 2007 on a borrowed motorcycle from a friend and won that day.”
The 2019 contenders:
* Graham jarvis: last year's winner thinks he has one more victory within his reach. the 43 year old “silent assassin” has already won here 4 times and his come from behind victory last year was very dominant!
*Johnny Walker is also on edge, last year 2nd, but has already missed out on winning here a few times
* Taddy Blazusiak, the only one here so far with 5 victories
* Mario Roman, winner of the 2019 Extreme XL in Lagares
* Alfredo Gomez, winner in 2017
* Wade Young: winner of the Romaniacs 2018 and the only one in the line of top pilots without a trial background
* Billy Bolt who has not yet fully recovered from his broken leg
* No Colton Hacker or Cody Webb (knee injury) at the start
* Laia Sanz is the first woman to finish the race (all 25 checkpoints). Check here the video interview with her.
The lowlanders are at the start: Andy Truyts, Kevin Standaert, Joey Smet, Steven 'Stoica' Stuyven, Sander Govaerts, Cedric Noppe, Robin Holtmeulen, Alexander De Haan and Nina Klink. Andy Truyts has the most ambitions here: he is aiming for a top 50 result on Sunday!
The prologue is on the program tomorrow. Whoever places themselves among the first 500 after two short, lightning-fast runs gets to start in the Erzberg Rodeo.
Photos: Bengt Laeremans, Marcin Kin
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