OK, so once upon a time, I had delusions of grandeur that I, a middle-aged man of questionable fitness, could head to Austria and "compete" at the infamous Erzbergrodeo hard enduro race. That I, a man with a wonky wrist due to years of moto crashes, could maybe start and get halfway through the race.
Yet, watching this POV video of one of the competitors has wiped that asinine thought completely from my mind. No, I wouldn't last the first few minutes. I'd crash, fall, get hit by another rider, and generally rankle the other actual professionals trying to do their best.
Don't believe me? Watch the video, I'll wait.
The video shows the start of the Hare Scramble and it's pure and utter chaos as countless riders just hammer away from the starting line. It's a symphony of two- and four-stroke insanity. Riders jockey for position, splash through massive puddles, cut each other off, and aim for the cliffs that surround the track's starting line.
It's a wonder anyone even gets to the next part of the course.
And once they do get to the next part, a hillclimb up loose rocks, almost immediately a rider goes down and maybe run over by the guy wearing the camera. But there's no stopping, no slowing down, it's just all gas and go.
More riders go down, pull off, get pushed to the side, and it's soon down to only a few riders at the front of the pack. Whittled down from the hundred or so that started the race only a few moments prior. The attrition is something wild to behold.
What's also wild is the speed of the rider with the camera.
You'd think that a hard enduro would be slower in terms of pace. Navigating through obstacles with more precision vs. downright power. But you and I would be wrong, as the top riders are using every ounce of horsepower their machines offer to get through the obstacles.
I won't spoil the rest, but yeah, I won't be competing at Erzberg any time soon. I'd still like to go, though.
