_________Red Bull Romaniacs 2010 Update_ via http://www.redbullromaniacs.com/2010-edition/news/news-details/article/jarvis-dominates-todays-battle-in-the-mud/?tx_ttnews=240&cHash=580a1bb8fb
"Never ever give up" - that's what last years winner Andreas Lettenbichler had to say when he finally crossed the finish line of the Red Bull Romaniacs first "outdoor" raceday. Lettenbichler reached the day's finish more than 2 hours behind stage winner Graham Jarvis (UK, Sherco) and secured a respectable third place on a stage that was regarded as a "little shop of horrors" by most of the riders.
Prologue-winner Chris Birch finished second today and managed to stay close to Jarvis in the results.
A mere 30% of the Pro-Class riders could reach the finish line without exceeding the time limit. The heavy downpoors continued today and turned the track into a real nightmare for the competitors.
Graham Jarvis sets the record
The British Extreme-Enduro expert showed his competition that he's no stranger to soaking wet terrain and slippery descents. Jarvis won today's stage with a margin of 40 minutes over Chris Birch (NZL, KTM) - a quite solid pillow for the upcoming days in the Romanian wilderness.
"That was surely a tough day at the office, but I'm actually used to conditions like that. I found a good rythma from the start and had a good time with GPS-navigation. I'm pretty satisfied with my race today - I just don't like the fact that our soccer team had to call it quits at the World Cup today!", said Graham at his arrival at the stage's finish.
KTM factory rider Chris Birch was all but impressed about Jarvis' accomplishment: "This stage was maybe the toughest one I've ever ridden. I'm happy to have reached the finish only 40 minutes after Graham. He was riding in his own class today - my full respect goes out to him!"
One of the top favorites of the 6th edition of the Red Bull Romaniacs had nothing but bad luck today: Erzbergrodeo "Ironman" and KTM Extreme-Enduro factory expert Taddy Blazusiak (POL) had to drop out of the race quite too early: "First I've lost my way in the early part of the stage. Soon after I was back on track and chasing hard after the leader I lost my front wheel and crashed hard at a gnarly downhill, injuring my shoulder once again. In the end, the pain was just too much to finish the stage, and I have to abandon my first Red Bull Romaniacs.", said a disappointed Blazusiak after returning to the paddock in Sibiu.
The riders of the Expert- and Hobby-Classes didn't had a better day neither - the extremely tough conditions took their toll on all competitors and served "bigger-than-life challenges" to the riders. Only one team and one single rider of the Expert Class reached the finish today, while not even one of the Hobby riders made it to the finish line of today's stage.
