July 9, 2017—The Red Bull Erzberg Rodeo Hare Scramble might not be everybody’s thing and I wasn’t so sure about joining Dave but once we got there, I was blown away by what these guys (and one gal!) were doing on their bikes. But I don’t know the lingo about anything motocross so I’m going to pass the ‘pen’ over to Dave now.
I have always wanted to attend an event like this or one of the many others Red Bull sponsors like the WRC (World Rally Championships) and the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) downhill race series. So while on this trip I’d been following their schedules and locations hoping that it would work out and while we have been close many times it hadn’t worked until now.
While visiting Don and Sabine in Wildalpen, Austria I learned the Erzberg Rodeo was only 50 km (30 mi) away. We had to go. So after looking at the course layout the choice was made to get to Carl’s Dinner, (yes dinner and not diner), an awe inspiring section of the course where the riders have to navigate a boulder field (see below) for many miles. Riders had to traverse the bench through the centre of the photo in both directions and the lower bench once.
For many reasons Carl’s Dinner was the perfect spot because the riders would be going slow here, which meant more photo opportunities for us. As a result I took almost 900 shots that day. Also the access was outside of the village area, another few miles up the highway so parking was far easier. It took a long time to edit 900 photos but here are my top favourites from the day.
In case you’re curious on the times for the event:
First place: Alfredo Gomez 2h 17 min 6 sec
Second place: Graham Jarvis +3 min 22 sec
Third place: Cody Webb +5 min 4 sec
Fourth place: Wade Young +9 min 31 sec
Fifth place: Johnny Walker +10 min 41 sec
And now for some video action:
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Good grief !!!! No Dave, you do NOT start doing this. Nor do you try to talk Heather into anything even remotely close. It’s crazy. This has got to rattle the teeth out of their heads. Did the gal finish Heather? It was good you put the video in as I had no idea they moved that fast, or that bouncy. And the people who run the course ahead of the riders, Yikes, is all I can say. And how do they maneuver past the spectators who are inches away ? Nuts…..
Dave say to tell you this is part of the Road of Bones he wants to ride in Russia 😉
I didn’t read this………….
Like. Insane.
We agree with your Mom Heather….CRAZY or what. Think it’s about the toughest course I’ve ever seen…And yes, hope you two don’t try it. Awesome pic’s and video.
Not something you want to take your Harley on, then?
Holly Crap!!!! No place for my 1500cc Honda Trike.
Do not ever attempt to do this sort of madness.
Love to you both.
Neil and Linda
No worries there, it’s not my thing.
This was so crazy to look at!!! The steep “no trick photo” shot was insane. But Pete and I argue about the viewpoint. To me it looks like he is going UP a heinous hill and Pete thought perhaps you are looking down on him (but it still looks insanely steep!). Which is it? We are sure loving your adventures!
It’s straight up! There’s a video at the end that shows them climbing the hill 🙂 Thanks for reading.