Red Bull Romaniacs
By TMX Archives on 22nd Jun 07
Despres triumphs onboard KTM for third Red Bull Romaniacs victory. Frenchman Cyril Despres was the ultimate winner of the2007 Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rally, his third victory in this tough event in Romania's Carpathian Mountains.
Despres, well-known for his legendary victories, won the event in 2004 and2005 and came home in front in the final special over 190km ahead of NewZealander Chris Birch and privateer Gerhard Forster. Birch finished secondoverall and the German Forster was third in the final rankings. Cyril's friendand fellow Frenchman Michel Gau, who was the leader going into the final leg andwho won last year, crashed into a tree 30 minutes into the start on the last dayand broke his arm. Despres and Gau had shared the lead throughout the rally andhe stopped to assist his friend and to wait until first aid arrived. Desprescontinued the race 20 minutes later unaware of how many riders had passed him.
Although Birch was the first to finish the last special stage, Despres wassecond across the line and a time credit he got for staying with Gau gave himthe deserved overall victory.
"Shortly after the start Michel suddenly fell off his bike and I stopped tosee what happened. He had broken his right arm and I stayed with him until thefirst aid people arrived. I didn't care about the race because we are friendsfirst!" Despres said.
Chris Birch said he was happy to make it to the end but felt sorry for Gau."I think he was the man to win," he said in a show of solidarity. Riders agreedthat the final day had been the toughest in this gruelling event in the wildmountainous landscape of Romania.
Romaniacs 2007 started and ended in the city of Sibiu, the current EuropeanCultural capital. It was opened with a display by the world's first indoorstreet bike freestyle world champion, German Chris Pfeiffer. Then on day two dayout on the tracks, Gau, Alex Antor and Despres crossed the line ex aequo after160 km of slippery ground, river crossings and challenging natural hazards.
The battle of man and machine against nature continued on day three withsteep climbs, 60 descents and rock sections as tough as the legendary ErzbergRodeo. Riders climbed to 2000 meters in the Fagaras mountains and entered a300-year old forest. For the second day in a row, bikes had to be roped overwater hazards in scenes reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie.
The pace continued unabated on day four with just 90 riders remaining in theevent. The first half of the course was technical, snaking up and down throughthe thick forests and providing plenty of excellent observations spots for thespectators. Deep river crossings and steep downhill section made even theprofessionals stop and think before tackling their route
Despres and Gau crossed the line in unison back in Sibiu with Gau assumingthe overall lead going into the final day. The Frenchman was definitely theunlucky rider on the last day but it was appropriate that if he was deniedvictory then it should go to his friend Despres. In the true spirit ofsportsmanship, Despres had proved the hero of the day when disregarded his ownchances to stay with his friend until the first aid team had arrived.
Of the 135 participants, some 78 riders completed the challenging four dayevent in three different categories.
Overall Standings
1. Cyril Despres, KTM FRA 20:13:42
2. Gerhard Forster,BetaGER 20:51:42
3. Chris Birch, KTMNZL 20:54:43
4. Kyle Redmond, KTM USA 21:20:53
5. Alex Antor, KTM AND 21:59:18
6. Frans Verhoeven, KTM NED 22:29:31
7. Dieter Happ, KTMAUT 22:53:48