I like to think I’m quite a multi-faceted person. I have hobbies, although they all include motorcycles — well, or dogs. I get a lot of joy from trying new things on motorcycles, and recently, I had the pleasure of competing in two different genres of off-road racing that showcased creative minds pushing the racing community forward.

The first was the TrueTech Enduro Trials, held in Kamloops, B.C. The focus is on hard obstacles and manoeuvres, with the same basis as a trials event, but on a dirtbike. There was a lot of talk about this event among my trials bike friend group. In conversations, friends would chuckle about it, perhaps insinuating it was a bit of a joke competition. I, however, was intrigued. I love riding slow technical terrain, and I thought this was a competition right up my alley. I even convinced another trials rider to dust the cobwebs off his dirtbike and compete.

We arrived with about 45 other riders — kids, men and women — of all different skill levels to test their slow-speed abilities. The goal of this competition was to ride through 12 sections twice over the day, attempting to get the least amount of points over the total of 24 sections. 

Throughout the day, I had heard consistently how enjoyable it was to compete without the adrenaline rush and anxiety of a start line. People could easily walk around and watch riders, and families travelled together through the trail loop of sections. Enthusiasts and non-riding spectators came out to watch a spectacle of skilled riders and, of course, some epic crashes.

In particular, I enjoyed the concept of the competition because, as a short-legged rider, I can’t often touch ground while riding, and if I do, I expect to quickly be laying down the bike, because the ground is always further from my feet than my legs allow for. In saying that, I often see a lot of taller riders throwing a foot out while riding, unconsciously relying on their ability to touch ground instead of riding a “clean” ride. 

The great thing about this weekend is the people it brought out — enduro racers, recreational trail riders, and a few trials riders — with dirtbikes to test their skills together.

We all came away from the competition realizing how much we can improve on our dirtbikes. Slow-speed skills often get overlooked when riders get on a dirtbike, mainly because we like to go fast. It served not only as a fun event but as a reminder that, even if you’re the fastest rider in the trails, your slow-speed technical skills may be lacking.

In contrast, the following weekend, I attempted to go as fast as I could at the S.O.R. Sprint Enduro Race, held in Merritt, B.C. The S.O.R. race series started in Alberta and is headed by Courtney Schmale and Jared Stock, with the aim of creating a race series to help riders train for competitions like the International Six Day Enduro (I.S.D.E.). 

A sprint race is different than most races I’ve done. Instead of having a mass start and racing for multiple hours on a trail or course with every racer, this race is based on quick individual sprint laps on a trail or track. Each rider rode ten laps throughout the day, five laps of a grass track or fast single track, then five laps of an enduro single track course. This is a closed-course event, and many racers come from enduro racing and motocross racing to test their speed against others, racing throughout the day to beat their previous times and attempt to gain the top spot with the best total time throughout the day.

It was another great new perspective on what racing can look like. With most laps being under ten minutes, you ride fast, then relax and regain energy for around 45 minutes before being called for your next lap. These racers are serious about the competition — again, the series serves as a training ground for riders vying to compete in the I.S.D.E. — and riders push hard through each lap. And with riders able to check their times instantly in the standings through the S.O.R. app, it was easy to keep track of their progression.

I challenged myself and found, in both events, many things I had to work on with my own progression in riding. And I stuck with my lesson from my last column to let go of expectation and enjoy the experience. I did my best to shut down my voice of self-doubt and be in the moment, and enjoy time with friends.

Throughout these few weeks, I experienced a whole new side of off-road motorcycle competition. I saw the racers who created these events become visionaries of new avenues of racing and competition to help build riders in different ways than our already-established racing ideals. It was a fantastic way to spend a weekend of riding and seeing new crowds showing interest in motorcycle competition.