The performance turned in by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna factory extreme enduro rider at last week’s Red Bull Romaniacs extreme enduro in the mountains of Romania cannot be overstated.
At 41, the former trials star-turned-extreme enduro legend proved once again that he hasn’t lost a step as he recorded a record-breaking fifth victory in the notoriously difficult Red Bull Romaniacs event. Jarvis came into Day 4 of the event with a huge lead over his closest rival, Alfredo Gomez of Spain, but the grueling race is anything but predictable. Seemingly huge time advantages can vanish in an instant if a rider should run into trouble in any one of the ridiculously technical sections that the race organizers lay out, sections that are essentially designed to eliminate competitors from the event.
As the video shows, Jarvis’ pursuers never gave up hope for a victory, but the old master did what he does best, ride smoothly and with careful calculation to claim the overall win by an amazing 35-minute winning margin of victory. South Africa’s Wade Young won the day and finished third overall, showing that he has the potential to score a Red Bull Romaniacs win in the future. Likewise, Gomez put together an extremely consistent week, finishing second overall. Even with the early exit of defending Red Bull Romaniacs Champion Jonny Walker due to a leg injury sustained early in the week, the Red Bull Romaniacs lived up to its billing as an exciting event in which the creme of the extreme enduro genre rises to the top.
For now, Graham Jarvis is still “la creme de la creme.”
“It’s a magical feeling to take my fifth Red Bull Romaniacs title,” Jarvis said. “It’s been eight years since I got my first win, so a total of five in this amount of time is pretty special.”