Being in an Enduro race is not as easy as riding a bike down the road. It takes a lot of effort in ones physical and mental state to properly prepare oneself at a race. Even if you are physically and mentally prepared but your bike is on a sloppy condition, you might find yourself stumbling and crashing halfway through the race. There are a lot of factors to consider in Hard Enduro, but as beginners (or even pros), being in sync with your bike is one of it.
One of the most prominent names in Hard Enduro is Alfredo Gómez. The KTM rider will guide us on how to tune your bike, body and even what pants to wear. Learning from the expert might give you an advantage in your race in the near future.
- Build on solid foundations
“Having a background in the world of professional trials riding is a huge advantage. It’s meant that I haven’t had too many problems adapting to extreme enduro. Trials riding is a great base for almost any field of competitive off-road riding.”
- Make the most of your training regime
“I do a lot of different sports but I always try to focus on things that will help me to improve in my chosen specialty. One of my main priorities is to spend 100 percent of my time practising, but mountain biking is more practical. It’s excellent for getting me into peak physical condition, which is essential for hard enduro, and I can also go riding with my friends, which is important.”
- Keep moving forward
“In extreme enduro it’s vital to run a two-stroke machine, with a softer suspension (it helps to gain better traction) and tyres with softer carcasses to help absorb impacts. It’s also important that the seat has scaled rubber grips to help prevent slipping, and that the seat height is as low as possible as that helps balance and preventing falls.”
- An optimum engine configuration
“The drive-train is standard, but we optimise it for torque. What makes an engine rev high matters little in extreme enduro, because we never ride in a high rev range, so the gear changes are a lot shorter. I also don’t have an electric ignition to save weight. I’m more than good with the kickstart.”
- Looking after number one
“It gets very hot riding in an extreme enduro race. It can be slow going and very draining, so I don’t wear many under layers. I wear compression pants and a Lycra vest, which dry much fast than cotton, because riding with soaked gear is really uncomfortable. It has to be really cold for me to wear a thermal vest, and I rarely use a thermal jacket because it’s heavy and restrictive in terms of movement.”
