“Don’t bet against the house” goes the old gambling adage. Those words to the wise also apply to the Erzbergrodeo. Of the 1,500 competitors that took on the challenge, only 500 progressed to the main event on Sunday, June 19, 2022. With 35.2 kilometers of boulder gardens, steep hill climbs, and muddy forest between the starting and finish lines, only eight contenders actually completed the course within the four-hour race time.
Hard enduro rider Pol Tarres already knows what it takes to conquer the Erzbergrodeo, though. Aboard a conventional two-stroke enduro, Tarres completed the grueling off-road race three times and finished in the top ten in 2019. Apparently, the experienced Erzbergrodeo rider needed an even bigger challenge in 2022, piloting a specially-equipped Yamaha Tenere 700 through the first 17 of 27 stages of the competition.
