TRAVEL SCENE | KEVIN GALLAS – TO VICTORY THROUGH WILLPOWER
The Red Bull Romaniacs is regarded as the toughest enduro race in the world. This year, extreme enduro rider Kevin Gallas once again took on this challenge. On a Yamaha Ténéré 700 prepared by Touratech Suspension, he won in the Bronze Class.
You could call the decision to compete in a hard enduro rally with a two-cylinder bike brave – or crazy. But that's exactly what motivated me: The feeling of daring to do something unique.
The adventure began in the heart of Sibiu with the prologue. I secured a good starting position with an almost perfect qualifying run, but the real adventure still lay ahead of me.
Things got serious straight away on the first off-road day. Right after the start, my brake lever broke – a minor setback, but one that gave me the incentive to get even more out of myself. I finished the day with a clear head and no major mistakes. And when I learnt that I had crossed the finish line in first place, everything suddenly changed. Victory, which seemed so far away at first, was within my grasp.
I was able to extend my lead on the second day. The flow was there and I felt strong. But on the technically demanding sections, I struggled not only with the track, but also with the limits of my bike. By the end of the day, I had fallen back a little, but was still in the lead.
The last day was to be my biggest test. First thing in the morning I lost valuable minutes due to a navigation error, and then the inevitable happened: I crashed, slightly injured my eye and broke my gear shift rod. For the rest of the day, I was forced to ride with an improvised hand shift. When I finally reached the finish line, it was done. Victory was mine!
It was a victory that demanded more from me than I ever expected. But that's what the Romaniacs is all about – it's not just about speed or technique, but also about endurance and the ability to keep going in the most difficult moments. The race was a constant battle between mental strength and physical exhaustion.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of my team ‘Freshcells Yamaha’ and my partners. The Touratech suspension allowed me to ride the bike at its absolute limit.
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