Ironstone Extreme.
They don't call it Ironstone for nothing.
Rocks, stones, boulders and rockfaces.
It was bike bending, body bruising, clutch burning,
soul destroying action at the latest event in the Australian Hard Enduro Championship...
courtesy of the masochists at Grassroots Enduro Australia.
We are onboard with Coxy from the infamous Muppets Inc. Youtube channel.
Coxy has spent a few years riding in bronze class.
After a lot of training he has finally progressed to silver class.
This is not a step to take lightly.
Coxy successfully completed one lap
but he was battling cramps and arm pump for much of the event.
And he looked completely shattered at the finish.
I asked him what he would recommend for someone considering silver class.
He said it is a good idea to stay in bronze class
for a while and consolidate all your basic hard enduro skills.
Slipping the clutch.
Maintaining traction.
How to get your motorbike moving again when it's stuck.
Log hops. Riding rocky terrain.
Hill climbs.
He said you really need to learn a pile of advanced techniques for silver class.
You want at many tools as possible in your toolkit of riding skills.
Coxy said very fit riders could probably lift and push their motorbike through difficult sections.
But the ultimate aim should always be great technique, and learn how to conserve your energy.
Setting the correct pace helps to conserve energy.
Coxy keeps the revs low, maintains a steady pace, and sits on the seat when he can.
See our training vid about 'race pace'.
What was Coxy's result?
He placed midpack in silver class, for both the prologue and main event...
an outstanding result given he is new to silver class.
A big thanks to the volunteers who created more than 100km of single track for this event.
You guys are legends.
All the riders were raving about your handiwork.
Like to see more?
We are doing a series of supporter vids
where our group of riders comment on the bronze and silver class loops of this event.
Get into it.