The 2009 Red Bull Romaniacs is officially over but the results and not yet in. There was a lot of racing going on and a lot of confusion on the course. The race organisation has a busy job sorting out all the information. Many of the racers missed some of the pro sections, some went and re-rode the sections and then others might have has mis-programmed GPS units...
It looks like BMW Extreme Enduro rider Andi Lettenbichler has taken the win. He started five minutes behind the previous day's overall leader Cyril Despres and caught and passed the KTM rider. In fact Lettenbichler was one of only two riders to have reportedly cleared one of the hills late in the day, named, "The Long Way Up." Despres was clearly upset going into the day do to some of the confusion with the scoring from the previous day and was not happy at the finish either, not stopping to talk to any of the press. So results will come later and there is a prize giving party so I may not be able to post any of them. So best to check www. redbullromaniacs.com since that is where even the journalists are getting our information from over here.
Team USA of Chris Denison and Alexander Smith finished strong and it looks like a poduim placing for the young American team.
But the real heros of the events are the hobby riders who struggle through the tough course every day. These guys are riding some pretty tough trails and often spend up to ten hours a day in the saddle. And they definitly get a lot of riding for their entry fee. For the effort they get to ride up to the top of an abandonded building (up the stairs!) in the middle of town and ride across the roof, like all finishers (I'll get pictures later!)
I'll digest some more of the information of the race and try and get some of the photos up here as soon as I have them.
Look for some pretty cool stories in Dirt Rider Magazine soon.