Red bull Romaniacs

paintman

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My younger brother Roger has been entering a few Enduro rallies in the Veteran class (over fifties) in places like Greece and Morocco in recent years with some fair results in the teens and twenties overall. I don't know but I think he was goaded into entering this years Red Bull Romaniacs which is on this week, it has a reputation for being one of the toughest rally's to enter and it seems the poor old lad is finding that out first hand!

This is a copy of his F/B ramblings after the second day.

"Shall we talk about something else, loved bikes till I entered this, just to make it clear this is not fun.

How about we discuss something more rewarding like Sibiu architecture?? It's a beauty of a city, those Roman's know how to build with grace, unlike Barret homes, pic attached

No thought not, highlights of the yesterday were stir fried chicken for dinner.
Bike riding always seemed such fun, Not in Romaniacs.

128km in under 8 hours today a distance that normally would not cause to much bother but I'm just not fast enough here, it is brutal in the hills.

Set off at just before 8 and rode non stop up 300 meter hills mixed with off camber hillsides with boulders in the grass mixed with the steepest downhills with fallen trees across the path. Mid morning I stopped at a medical point and got my ribs strapped with tape and some pain killers for my bruised rib, still refuse to upgrade rib status to cracked until tomorrow s failure.

The afternoon had breaks in the constant attack of the morning, but by then I was still not quick enough by the last check so I think I timed out. The maddest part of the afternoon was lifting bike over tree trunk losing balance and falling down hillside unable to halt momentum, closely followed by a cart wheeling enduro bike that has decided it is now the terminator. I do appreciate the bike hates me, at one point I did the equivalent of dropping the bike out of a first floor bedroom window, rather than ride the route which was pretty close to a sheer drop, WTF!!

Zippy and Patsy have given me a motivational talk that tomorrow all will be fine, so I've taken the noose down from the tree temporarily.

Chris Barwick is completely off Desert Rose Racing corporate message with his summary of my situation "Rog is not called the world hardest enduro for nothing"

accompanied with his fabulous laugh.

Today's options then

Quit Bronze class and drop to Iron class, likley hood 2%

Continue Bronze and not get timed out, likleyhood 1%

Continue Bronze and get timed out of race completely, likleyhood 100% quite appealing.

Bale out first thing today, accept complete failure and ask Chris if fancies a days trail riding with lunch, appeal factor 1000%

Have a good day😁"
 
"Extreme Enduro" events have graduated from being a tough race that mere mortals could actually ride, if not compete, into something that only the most talented of riders can finish. Some of the organisers seem to be trying to outdo each other with more dangerous and outrageous obstacles.
Or am I just bitter because I'm past it? :D
Fair play to anyone who has a go, I'll stick to trials.
Mark
 
Your bother is both a nutter and .................... nah, actually he's just a complete nutter!! :D

Good luck to him John :beerjug:

Andres
 
Respect to your brother for even signing on, The prologue looks hard enough. My enduro days are well in the past now :D
 
"Extreme Enduro" events have graduated from being a tough race that mere mortals could actually ride, if not compete, into something that only the most talented of riders can finish. Some of the organisers seem to be trying to outdo each other with more dangerous and outrageous obstacles.
Or am I just bitter because I'm past it? :D
Fair play to anyone who has a go, I'll stick to trials.
Mark

I believe the prologue section (in and out of skips etc) as featured below is not normal on rallies, this determines your starting position. In Rogers case 178th but there were hundreds of starters, so although he was disappointed, I think he's doing fine.
 
Day two report.😊

With three failed attempts to sleep until the alarm signals the beginning of another joyous day in Sibiu, I have abandoned the routine altogether, not once have I slept in until my alarm melody kicks in, for the record it is The Smith's, God knows I'm miserable now :(

It's rained steadily all night and just heard the first rumble of thunder, oh well.

Anyway found out yesterday that I didn't get timed out on day 1, I thought about protesting this decision but chatting with the quick guys I learnt that the last check of the day, was closed for all riders who were as me directed to the finish. So even though I pretend otherwise I was cheered by this news before beginning day 2

Day 2 was more what I was expecting ridiculously hard climbs and descents interspersed with good trails to allow you a chance to get your breath back, we rode ridges in the mountains that were stunningly beautiful, I overtook the Von Trap family escaping to exile on numerous occasions.

The Von Traps, were my only overtaking of the day, I am proper slow compared to most others here, can't believe the organisation have not spotted me as an imposter yet, and banned me from their hard enduro party.

Saying that though I have finished 2 days which means that I get a good shot at finishing Red Bull Romaniacs on Saturday, A lot of people have now been either injured or timed out and now cannot race tomorrow, at the briefing tonight, a room that held 500 on the first night had about 150 attend this evening, though lots could still be in the race but too tired to attend.

Chris my friend (another Chris not of the Barwick variety) took the biscuit tonight, Chris who recommended.....no recommend does not describe events leading up to me being here.

Chris who coerced me to be here compounded by bs ing me to make the mistake of entering a class too tough for Rog, rides into the paddock tonight and says he is baleing out of the race.

Although he has made it in on time today in Silver class, so can ride tomorrow.

Initially I thought he would have a valid reason, but no just feels tired, (urrr yes Chris the rest of us are fresh as a daisy, NOT)

Poor Chris feels tired after further investigation means poor Chris is tired and doesn't want to under perform for his latest girl friend when he fly's home Sunday, FFS

Anyway after an hour of destroying his ego, I find his Achilles heel when I suggest a scenario where I whatsapp him a picture (in the unlikely event) of my Romaniacs Finishers medal

Every morning probably between 4:20am and 4:52am at least for the next year, how you going to feel then buddy?

This does the trick and Chris is back in the game.

Zippy my favorite Desert Rose manager and solver of everything I ask for, asked me how today's riding went?

Zippy is using psycology or a word spelt similar to psychology on me to stop me from baleing out of this race, I could tell him the one sentence that would get me up bright eyed and bushy tailed for the next two days which is,

"Yeah this event is a bit too tough for you Rog, best you bale in the morning"

But his messages of positivity are not hurting anyone so I'm happy, if that makes him happy

So begrudgingly I had to admit to Zippy Day 2 at Red Bull Romaniacs had been a good days riding, fabulous countryside great trails, I back flipped the KTM 300 EXC unintentionally only once, but in retaliation the Terminator scored a direct hit pinning me to the ground until four big mother f***ers lifted the the bike off.

To sum up

Zippy "So you'll be back to Romaniacs then Rog?"

Me "Not in this life or the next mother f***er" we both smiled.

Have a good day !
 
I like the way little bruv writes :) Glad to see his mojo back..........he even sounds like he may be enjoying it ;)

Andres
 
I like the way little bruv writes :) Glad to see his mojo back..........he even sounds like he may be enjoying it ;)

Andres

He's been doing a number of amusing posts from rallies and holidays in the last few years, the family look forward to them, perhaps he's wasted his talents flogging photocopiers.😉
 
is is still going ? great to see an old boy having a go. will he be in a good mood at the end.
 
is is still going ? great to see an old boy having a go. will he be in a good mood at the end.

Roger completed yesterday's 168kms but by mid afternoon parts of the course for the back end runners were so wet and churned up due to rain that the organisers abandoned the last sections and directed those still running to the finish. No one still competing was timed out so with luck he will get a finishers medal/pot if he completes today. No more reports though as his phone got swamped yesterday, I'll update if I hear anything.
 
almost a hero, but with them legs its a stroll in the park.
 
Big bloody respect to him for finishing Romaniacs (or even getting as far as he did).
 
Well my little bro made it to the end, which was the near impossible hill behind him in the photo. He finished 112 th out of 209 finishers in the bronze group, I think the lad done good.

image.jpg
 
superb finish , the will to win and keep going . after all the training he had in competa it seems to have paid off. happy days
 
Well done little bruv.

Something to tell the grandchildren......
 
The delayed last day de-brief.😊

So Day 4 the FINISH

Bikes loaded and Zippy, Jack and me enjoy an hours drive in the van to the start, Zippy is keeping us laughing as you would if you visited someone in Hospital, and didn't want them to focus on their predicament.

At the start the humour stops as we consider another day in Romaniacs, 10 minutes before the start and we attempt to start my bike, I cooked it yesterday and had to refill the rad from a river, bike seemed OK afterwards so didn't mention I had issues. This morning though bike want start despite Zippy trying everything, My start time passes and I am getting anxious.

Bike fires up, Zippy tightens the Cylinder head bolts and I barge in at the front of the start Queue, Not noticing there are two routes away from the start, I take the wrong (Silver) route up an embankment, but I am saved from a major cock up by falling off, allowing Zippy to walk over disparingly, I need pure oxygen to recover from trying to kick start my reluctant bike.

Zippy says "give it here, your not even going the right way!!, Bronze is straight on FFS"

I would like to say It's the first instance of heading off in the wrong direction, but if I'm honest, I'm doing it all the time.

Anyway lesson learnt for the future. I ride for an hour mainly though sloppy mud, big storms overnight. A few errors but nothing too tragic until I pause on a cambered goat track running across a hillside, I focus on this not being a good spot to lose balance, then lose balance tip to the right and me and the bike go over, falling down the hill, luckily a solid tree stops my head and halts the bike too.

I can't ride the bike back on to the track about 3 meters above me and I am reluctant to head lower as it looks steeper.

On the bike I have rope attached to the front forks just for such an occasion, I could never see a need for it and deliberated lobbing it last night. This morning I'm glad I didn't.

All that is required now is a fellow competitor to assist and I'm back in the game.

Fellow competitors fall into four groups from my short study while forty of them passed me without stopping

1, The lookawayer, pretends he didn't notice you and your bike perched precariously down below the track, (I fall into this group)

2, The ERroomassister, would stop to help but only if your missing a head or a limb.

3. The Onlygoodnewsplease, asks if your OK, but only wants to hear "Yeah fine"
Even though the evidence in front of him suggests It's likely not everything is not tickertyboo.

4. The Sucker, stops and helps, wasting valuable energy, I'm probably his third rescue of the morning, Thank God for them.

Back on track, but bike not starting, I am rescued by a man whose job is to close the Red Bull Course, ensuring their are no riders left behind, Tabi is a lumberjack (#mydreamjob), well that's what I decided he is when he told me he works for the Romanian Forestry Commission, probably stares at a computer all day like the rest of us.

Tabi declares that he can fix my bike no issue, just give me your spare spark plug and plug spanner.
Which I do, but he seems positive and a bit frustrated that the spark plug and spanner would be ideal if I was riding a KTM 450 rather than a KTM 300.

After he calms down, we use pliers to remove the plug and as luck would have it a rider appears from the part of the course Tabi has closed, double luck he is on a KTM300 and carrying a spark plug for a 300, weird.

He reluctantly hands over the plug. I then stand aside so he can pass without falling in to the abyss.

So Tabi has got me back in the game, Tabi says I'm to ride with him to the next check, but Tabi turns out to not be as fit as a lumberjack should be, I way up what he has done for me against my own moral code and ditch him, I've got to get to the next time check. not to be timed out for the day, which I manage.

My bike needs to keep firing till I meet Zippy at what he calls the service point, I call it Lunchtime.

Today though for Desert Rose Racing service point turns out to be more than tinging a bit of metal against some spokes, check chain tension, then as I presume upon my departure, return to their slumber. #nicelife

I pull up, Zippy jumps from the Van, I don't know how knows it's me arriving,except that first I go to the wrong service crew, that might of given him a clue.

I have a 20 minute compulsory break + 10 minutes to get down a 2km track to the start point of the next sector.

I ask Zippy to swap the Head Gasket and he tells me they are O Rings now, and If I have any in my spares box in the van? I reply I do but not for a 300 EXC.

The service team next to us XRace Team (their based in Sibiu and you can go riding / practice with them) , lend me the O RINGS and Zippy works his magic, then the mechanics from XRace join in, the result being, O Rings replaced in 26 minutes, 4 minutes to get to the check, which is achievable but I head off in the wrong direction. With Zippy and 6 X Race Team guys shouting after me, I ride back past them sheepishly, they are laughing hard. Then Full Gas for the afternoon trying to get to each check though the amazing forest tracks / boulder streams, before being timed out. I love boulder streams now.

While riding I ruminate how long I would of lasted in Romaniacs without Desert Rose Racing, not long I think.

Two hours later I lose a footpeg on a rock this will slow my progress but not the end of the world.

I ride on and 10K later we are out of the hills and on the 30 K run in to the finish across flatlands.

My leg is aching now and we get across Sibiu by riding storm drains and river banks, but being Romaniacs, this isn't like riding a canal tow path, I'm not enjoying it, I can't balance well and get stuck on various bits, but the real f***er, was choosing the wrong path through some gloop in a storm drain, despite me pausing at the entrance, looking at the 20 spectators who were expressionless, not willing to give me the easiest path through. Of course I pick the wrong path mainly because I am exhausted, They have to winch the bike out with a 4X4, I am so pissed off.

So the finish at the Red Bull Hill, all Desert Rose are there and I point out my missing footpeg, quite rightly they have done more this week, than anyone could reasonably ask of a team.

So now jointly they encourage me to just give the hill a go, and as I sit there at the bottom of the hill, I think to myself I'm not happy.

I give the hill my best shot and get half way, I can then exit the hill on a chicken run to the right and ride round to the finish, which anyone with a correctly wired brain would do and collect their Red Bull Romaniacs finisher medal,

But I spit my dummy out, exit the Chicken lane, bypass the finish, ride back to my campervan and open two cans of Strongbow, one for me and one for my buddy Chris Green.

Chris has timed out of Silver class but is over the moon that he rode silver for three days on the same rear tyre, Chris is Northern that means a lot to him.

Our Success is Jack, Chris B's son finished Silver at second attempt, we are in awe and proud of him.

So will I be back next year?

Yeah probably...

Getting so close to a finish at Red Bull Romaniacs bar the last 500 meters would not of happened without Desert Rose Racing, Zippy Patsy, Joe and Adam are fantastic at what they do, their knowledge, humour, and bike preparation. I am as always really grateful for all they did for me.

Hope you enjoyed it, see you in Serres
 
Redbull

Well its nice to see the lad nearly Finnish, but I would now be classed as a sucker ! Keep at it your only young once!.!.
 


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