Blast from the past! Some time ago, I stopped creating weekly supporter videos for viewers who were financially helping to keep the channel afloat. I'm slowly releasing a few of the more popular ones so you may have seen the much shorter version a few years ago. Enjoy! My apologies to any supporters who feel this is unfair as they had exclusive access to these videos in the past. However, ad revenue from TH-cam has dropped dramatically and as most of you know I refuse to do any affiliate marketing or accept sponsorship in exchange for promoting products.
That looks like a really cool course! Every race I've been to, everyone is always super aggressive off the starts, and into the prologue, even though it's 30 seconds of a 4-6 hour race. That said, there is some strategy there - If it's a mass start, position is important. We have a few races here in the US where there are very few alternate lines, and if you start in the back, you will be stuck behind the less skilled riders of the class for a long time. My strategy at these events is to get up front and if there is a super hard section with everyone getting stuck - I can be the one of the first ones stuck in line. The course pretty much never gets better as more riders go through it either. Romaniacs prologue is a very interesting one. Everything about it is designed to mess with your head. Except for Gold class, nobody gets to do a practice ride though it, and while you want to get through it without damaging the bike or yourself ahead of the 4 days of offroad racing, you also want to get a decent starting position. Starting later in the day is much more likely to result in a DNF since it tends to rain and a couple hundred bikes going through a difficult section make it much gnarlier. Great topic and vid
Good points, Dmitriy. Especially the starting position in some events. Our earlier enduro series had some terrible bottle necks, especially when the prologues were almost motocross style so these very fast guys started at the head of the pack but they had no technical skills and would creat havoc for the riders with hard enduro skills! Weirdly Erzberg continues to work like that which really puts guys like Jarvis in a difficult position. 🤔
Great video Barry, and a timely reminder to keep working on the foundation skills! It's hard to believe those nice grassy hills became impassable muddy slop the next day.
In my experience the prologue is far more difficult than the actual race. They make it harder because it's good for spectators, and it's easier to see people fail on a small space prologue than out in the race.
Yeah … Where I live 🇨🇷 they love this chit, I kind of hate them 😂 because its a show for the expectators waiting for you to crash .. My advice is not do them unless its a race and not a friendly event .. I dont race, I just go to those friendly events and they still put the thing.. I never do them because they are made generally by idiots, then if you do choose to do it you are not ready because your body is not warm yet, you are not in the “zone” yet.. Its taking an unnecessary risk to yourself and the bike and ruin your ride🤷🏻♂️.. I understand the new hard enduro thing, I respect it whatever.. Well you know what I dont respect it I think its too extreme and more dangerous and no fun !! I dont even see the pros having a good time sometimes.. What happened to adventures, flow and nice trails and laughs with your buddies just riding the mountains ?? Hard enduro sucks and dont do the prologues !!! LOL Cheers Barry!!!
Blast from the past! Some time ago, I stopped creating weekly supporter videos for viewers who were financially helping to keep the channel afloat. I'm slowly releasing a few of the more popular ones so you may have seen the much shorter version a few years ago. Enjoy!
My apologies to any supporters who feel this is unfair as they had exclusive access to these videos in the past. However, ad revenue from TH-cam has dropped dramatically and as most of you know I refuse to do any affiliate marketing or accept sponsorship in exchange for promoting products.
I enjoyed this one Barry, nice work!
Thanks Dwayne!
“Remember the tortoise and the hare? Be the hare” lol
That looks like a really cool course!
Every race I've been to, everyone is always super aggressive off the starts, and into the prologue, even though it's 30 seconds of a 4-6 hour race.
That said, there is some strategy there -
If it's a mass start, position is important. We have a few races here in the US where there are very few alternate lines, and if you start in the back, you will be stuck behind the less skilled riders of the class for a long time. My strategy at these events is to get up front and if there is a super hard section with everyone getting stuck - I can be the one of the first ones stuck in line. The course pretty much never gets better as more riders go through it either.
Romaniacs prologue is a very interesting one. Everything about it is designed to mess with your head. Except for Gold class, nobody gets to do a practice ride though it, and while you want to get through it without damaging the bike or yourself ahead of the 4 days of offroad racing, you also want to get a decent starting position. Starting later in the day is much more likely to result in a DNF since it tends to rain and a couple hundred bikes going through a difficult section make it much gnarlier.
Great topic and vid
Good points, Dmitriy. Especially the starting position in some events. Our earlier enduro series had some terrible bottle necks, especially when the prologues were almost motocross style so these very fast guys started at the head of the pack but they had no technical skills and would creat havoc for the riders with hard enduro skills! Weirdly Erzberg continues to work like that which really puts guys like Jarvis in a difficult position. 🤔
Great video Barry, and a timely reminder to keep working on the foundation skills! It's hard to believe those nice grassy hills became impassable muddy slop the next day.
Bloody tough from the looks of them... I was just getting near them when my clutch perch broke. :(
Really nice one again, thanks :)
Our pleasure!
routine tree check was essential, gj out there
😂
That's a really-really good video Barry! A lot of helpful tips there. I'm going to practice those pivot turns between tight logs.
Glad it was helpful, Tim. Our tracks are getting progressively tougher and we are constantly pivot turning nowadays...
Back on the xt Barry? How about a video.
Another great video to watch...key work is watch! Definitely some good tips for the gumby though!!!
In my experience the prologue is far more difficult than the actual race. They make it harder because it's good for spectators, and it's easier to see people fail on a small space prologue than out in the race.
Sums it up well!
It seems like Coxy's bars are quite far forward. How does that affect the handling?
Usually makes the bike steer quicker, which isn't a bad thing for hard enduro usually.
Yeah … Where I live 🇨🇷 they love this chit, I kind of hate them 😂 because its a show for the expectators waiting for
you to crash ..
My advice is not do them unless its a race and not a friendly event ..
I dont race, I just go to
those friendly events and they still put the thing..
I never do them because they are made generally by idiots, then if you do choose to do it you are not ready because your body is not warm yet, you are not in the “zone” yet.. Its taking an unnecessary risk to yourself and the bike and ruin your ride🤷🏻♂️..
I understand the new hard enduro thing, I respect it whatever.. Well you know what I dont respect it I think its too extreme and more dangerous and no fun !! I dont even see the pros having a good time sometimes..
What happened to adventures, flow and nice trails and laughs with your buddies just riding the mountains ??
Hard enduro sucks and dont do the prologues !!! LOL
Cheers Barry!!!
Definitely ain't for everyone, Franco. A touch of masochism helps lol.