60 Second Update – Red Bull Romaniacs, Day Two

With day two of the Red Bull Romaniacs taking riders from Sibiu to Petrosani it was KTM’s Jonny Walker that grabbed the win.

Starting his morning fifth on the road, Walker soon closed in on the leading trio of Graham Jarvis, Alfredo Gomez and Andreas Lettenbichler.

Passing Lettenbichler before the steep descent from Freefall, Walker worked hard to close the gap to Gomez. Overtaking the Husaberg rider shortly after the service check, Walker then road with Gomez to the finish line that was situated on the rooftop of a disused coal refinery to take the victory on corrected time.

Gomez delivered another solid performance to finish as runner-up to Walker. Despite losing his kick-starter towards the end of the day Lettenbichler ended his day in third. Paul Bolton edged out Graham Jarvis for fourth. Jarvis, who placed fifth, still maintains control of the race lead.

Gomez ended day two with another top three result… © Lynn / Enduro21.com

Cristobal Guerrero’s first taste of Hard Enduro was a bitter one. The KTM rider toughed out day one and spent over 15 hours in the saddle. Many expected him to call it quits but the Spaniard was up before sunrise to start day two. In total he’s ridden about 24 hours in two days!

Day two saw competitors ride from Sibiu to the overnight stop in Petrosani. After the torturous start to the race, day two was considerably easier than day one. Fast and flowing, riders still found the day tough but much more enjoyable. A similar stage is expected for day three.

Not all sections were a walk in the park… © Lynn / Enduro21.com

Opening the course is never easy. Jarvis who was first to start day two got lost a couple of times during the morning ride. Lettenbichler spent the majority of his morning opening and closing livestock gates.

“I must have opened and closed about five gates today,” told Lettenbichler. “But Jarvis must also have done the same because he was ahead of me.”

The finish of day two was spectacular. Set in a disused coal refinery competitors navigated their way up three sets of concrete stairs, through conveyer belt shafts and out on to the roof top of the building where the Red Bull arch finish line was waiting for them.

Riders had to navigate their way through a coal refinery to reach the finish… © Lynn / Enduro21.com

Ivan Cervantes was not so lucky as his teammate Guerrero. He finished day one but was unable to start day two due to a small injury. With thoughts of the Enduro World Championship playing on his mind he’s wisely retired from the race but vows to be back next year.

“I’m disappointed to have stopped but I must think of my season. I don’t want to do any more damage,” commented Cervantes. “That was the hardest day of my life. On one hill I had to lie down and rest – I was so exhausted. But next year I will be back and better prepared – I want to finish this race.”

Cervantes vows to return… © Lynn / Enduro21.com