Get Out There!
El Rosal Jilotepec. World class enduro riding in Mexico.
A guy I rode with years ago told me at the beginning of my first motocross race; “It doesn’t matter if you are first or last, just enjoy yourself and finish the race.”
I looked at him and didn’t exactly understand why he said what he did? Then the the bikes revved, the gate dropped and I felt adrenaline like never before.
Holy cow! Right at that moment I knew there was nothing better than flying along at speed on a dirt bike with lots of other people who think they are a better rider than you.
Well….. Lots of wonderful races later. And lots of near miss close calls of what could have been serious accidents (due to other people taking great chances). I decided that particular type of motorcycle racing was fun, but not that much fun.. I have always been self employed and was (just a bit) freaked out about not being ambulatory Monday morning due to another’s mistake.
My story kind of parallels the life of Eric Clapton (minus the part of him being the greatest guitarist of all times, being incredibly wealthy, knowing all sorts of famous people. So really we are nothing alike except….).
We both went back to the cradle. As Eric became more and more famous he drifted from his roots of playing the Blues and was forced by his record label to be more mainstream. Years of pop rock (lots of it great). Then as he realized where he was and what he wanted to be he….. returned to his roots.
Well, I did the same with the guidance of a longtime riding buddy. For years he’d remark all matter-of-factly that “everyone in the woods are pretty much equal”. What he meant is no matter how much money you threw at the bike; suspension, engine, etc. it didn’t make up for rider knowledge, or good judgement. That speed doesn’t matter as much as knowing how far the last guy is behind you.
I rode with a guy years ago who was stout to say the least. He was a big dude on thumper 250. Small bike, big dude, absolutely not spring for his weight. This guy was so talented in the wooded forest single track. He would come out of the woods with his shirt torn and sashes on his love handles from squeezing between trees. Not even breathing hard…. He could ride.
Another guy who rode with that same group was at the time, what I thought to be on the older end of the spectrum of twisting the throttle. This guy masterfully sailed along in the woods on a CR 500. Absolutely not meant to be a woods bike. Guy piloted that big smoker like it was an 80! What a beast of a bike!!! Both of these guys as examples were so fast on completely different bikes, different bodies types, ages for sure, but they were suuuuuper fast.
It was there time in the saddle that made them such great riders. Just skill and a desire to stay just far enough ahead of the guy behind them to concentrate on what’s going on ahead of them.
Back to the cradle for me. When I was growing up riding with all my friends. Everyone adventure riding for the shear beauty of seeing the world on two wheels.
Enduro riding/racing was the most natural of all the motorcycle activities to me as this is what I grew up doing.
After some time and the complications of getting everything done in five days of work I couldn’t devote as much time traveling to races and maintaining the bike in between, as maintenance is absolutely key with machines that can do anything one would ask(at speed).
What I did do was keep on riding. Fortunately I’ve for the most part always been able to ride right out of the driveway to the trails. This is such a gift for anyone who likes outdoor activities. Having to drive to what you love can sometimes be quite challenging.
Here where I live in México the riding starts just outside the front gate of the property. Head North and there is a loss of altitude more wide open territory with rocks galore. A bit hot for my liking but interesting just the same. Head South and there is lots of single and double track open riding through huge(and I mean HUGE) fields to gain the mountains. Magnificent riding for those who love to ride. This is who we cater to. The folks who just love to ride and see new territory. Explorers of a type that like to get lost while navigating by the mountains.
When people check out the website they see all the photos and can’t really get an idea of the difficulty as GoPro’s and photographs just can’t give the butt clenching feel of riding down a steep slope with a huge rock waiting at the worst moment……
So I ask? Why would enduro’s be run in my town and all the towns in the immediate areas throughout the mountains here? Because the riding is that good. Come and take a look for yourself.
~S
