World Hard Enduro Podcast

The Roof, the mother of hard enduro and a race that we hold deeply in our hearts just as any South African would. James returned this year looking to defend his title but the rest of the South African boys had much to prove to show that they too are able to take the title at a race close to home. Heading into this race it was assumed that the European riders would struggle but that wasn’t quite how it went down. We chat to Mike to get some insight from on the ground. 

This was the first year we saw a bit of a change with the format of the event. Time trial on da one and a long off-road day 2 were consistent with what you’d expect but a multi-lap format for Day 3 was something that catered more to the international riders and evened the playing field. Talking about international riders there were some noteworthy names missing this year. We also chat about how it works logistically for some of the team to race in Lesotho. 

Day one saw Mitch make an impressive run but due to GPS issues it would be James taking the number 1 spot along with a boost of confidence. We of course touch on the topic of another noteworthy South African rider, Wade Young who appeared to approach this race slightly differently this year with a welcoming spirit. Day 2 would be a tough pill to swallow for some of the top riders which would open opportunities for unexpected name to float to the top and keep the win open to the final day. 

Day 3 would bring out the best in most of the riders at the Roof. James made an impressive charge to set the fastest time of the day by 5 minutes, Matt green would have a lot of GPS issues but still finish with an impressive result. Thence had the top 3… Teodor taking his first ever FIM win,  on the Sherco. A rider who’s been chasing a win for a long time finally gets to celebrate with his Shercota. Mani keeping consistent as usual taking 2nd and then only 1 SECOND behind we have Wade finishing the podium in P3. A solid performance and a great result for the South African

We hope you enjoy this episode! 

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:35 The 2026 edition

02:05 Track overview 

03:00 What makes Lesotho so special

07:04 Who wasn't there and why 

08:13 Bike logistics

09:30 Day 1 time trial

16:39 Time trial results 

17:55 Day 2

19:04 James Moore's mousse disaster

31:09 How navigation racing works

35:12 Day 2 results

39:25 Day 3: The first ever multi-lap format 

43:55 Overall results

44:38 A tenth of a second 

46:06 Wade Young back on the podium

49:22 Standout rides

51:28 Championship implications

10 hours of racing came down to 0.1 of a second between Mani and Wade. What did you think of the result? Have you ever been to Roof of Africa … to race, spectate or just experience it? Let us know in the comments ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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We had the chance to have Thomas Scales on the podcast. A young South African rider making waves in the Hard Enduro World Championship. It was surprising to learn that Tom is relatively new to hard enduro but has strong roots and a foundation racing in SA. For the past few years he has been focused on the Junior World Championship had in 2025 finished the season I 3rd overall. This year it is clear that he’s stepping up his game and focusing his sights on the pro championship class and looking to be amongst the top riders in the world. 

This season Tom has been on an upward trajectory with his riding and results and if the trend continues we may see some spectacular results in the upcoming Roof of Africa. We chat to Tom about his expectations for the race which for many young riders from SA is a dream race to place top at. Many refer to Tom as a daring and somewhat crazy rider out on the trails but he is also a confident athlete looking to make his mark in the industry. 

We cover a variety of topics in the episode such as life in Europe and what it’s been like as part of the Beta team. Tom shares his training schedule and some of the key things he’s been doing to improve his race performance. We also chat about some more interesting topics like downhill MTB riding and what it would taker to get Greg Minaar to the ROA. 

We hope you enjoy this episode! 

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:16 Where it all began

03:27 Teammate, roommate & rival 

05:12 Toughest race of the season

06:07 First year on the Beta factory team

07:31 Bike setup

10:05 Life in Andorra

11:07 The downhill MTB question

12:17 Getting Greg Minaar to the Roof of Africa

13:28 Roof of Africa 

14:35 What makes South Africans so good at Roof of Africa? 

15:18 The fearless riding style

16:00 Format changes at the Roof

18:35 What it takes to beat Mani

19:13 The mindset shift

20:02 The stacked junior class

20:34 South Africans in the HEWC

21:28 Racing as the fastest route to improvement 

26:16 Trials bikes in South Africa 

27:01 Training schedule

27:27 Best advice for SA kids

33:54 The height debate

38:36 Going back to riding basics

38:49 Nutrition 

Tom said it straight, he wants to WIN Roof of Africa, not just finish. With the race just days away ad with a changeup in the format, do you think a South African can once again take the top step this year, and is Tom your pick? Drop your prediction in the comments ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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A big thank you to our community for the continued support. This one was a special opportunity and episode and we couldn't do it without you. If you enjoy what we do and want to keep us caffeinated while we edit, you're welcome to buy us a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

We had the opportunity to visit Stark HQ on our way to Romaniacs this year and sat down with Eddie Karlsson and Seb Tortelli to talk about Stark in Hard Enduro. From Eddie winning the Silver class at Romaniacs to Seb taking the top spot at the Erzberg Rocket Ride and of course Stark crossing the Erzberg finish line in a world first… Stark has slowly but surely been inserting itself in the world of hard enduro and we’re stoked! 

Stark is essentially a tech company that sells bikes… and what the team has created is an ever evolving bike. They paved the foundations from the beginning with their forward thinking manufacturing which now allows for constant tech updates that put the standard year on year model changes to shame. Instead of buying the latest release, customers are getting a new bike with an update. Who would have thought?

We chat to Eddie about his experience moving to the Stark, transitioning from trials which is a clutch intensive sport to a bike with just a front and back brake. We also touch on what it’s like to have Toby part of the team and how they have very different preferences when it comes to bike setup. 

While Stark won't be racing the remainder of the HEWC season, this year is clearly just the beginning. The momentum is building and we have a feeling this is a team that's going to be very hard to ignore in the years to come.

We hope you enjoy this episode! 

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:20 Inside Stark Future HQ with Eddie Karlsson & Seb Tortelli 

02:15 How rider feedback shapes the bike

03:22 Racing bike vs consumer bike 

05:25 Enduro vs MX bike

06:25 Riding without a clutch

09:17 Super Enduro 

09:50 Romaniacs silver class

14:08 Erzberg debrief

16:11 First electric bike to finish Erzberg

16:30 Seb Tortelli at Erzberg

18:27 Competing electric manufacturers

21:07 Traction control in hard enduro

25:01 Electric bikes in racing regulations

27:37 Hard enduro championship goals

34:09 The electric bike online debate

35:36 Eddie VS Toby 

37:10 Seb's take on hard enduro

38:42 How the HEWC format helps electric

Are you a fan of electric in hard enduro? Or do you think the 2T and 4T still have too much of an edge? Also, have you ever ridden a Stark? Let us know in the comments, we'd love to hear what you thought of it ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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We have officially passed the half way mark of the season and are well into the second half with round 5 taking place at Abestone Hard Enduro in Italy. A race that has been part of the FIM championship on and off for 4 years since 2021. Minestrone is a section of the race that has been well known since the beginning but this year appears to be the defining section and the true test and separator between the top guys. 

We chat to Mike to get some on the ground stories and a behind the scenes look at what went down. From prologue with 2 juniors on the box we look a look at some of the stats and it was surprising to see Both Mani and Mitch being so wrong in this format throughout the season so far. The spring race proved to be quite a challenge for the riders, although only 1 hour the heat added an extra layer of intensity to the race. A unique race added to this event was the straight rhythm which set the starting positions for the orders for the main race day. This was an unfortunate setup for a number of riders who did exceptionally well in the print race but got pushed back due to poor results in this spectator focused event. 

The main race was a 2 hour run for the riders that resulted in being around 6 laps for the top guys. Some good riders, some not so great results too. There is no doubt that riders who have been traveling between Europe and the US and then back to Europe have been struggling with jet lag and it’s no surprise that we’re seeing some changeup in the results. 

We also touch on topics such as managing frustration when on track, where riders are standing in the championship so far as well as what riders can expect heading to The Roof Of Africa for the next round.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

13:42 Listener appreciation 

14:02 Event format explained

15:06 The straight rhythm  

17:44 Prologue

22:05 Sprint race results

25:14 Main race conditions

29:30 Aggression vs efficiency 

31:09 Frustration in hard enduro

34:22 Billy's return

35:04 The last lap battle 

37:05 Mr 3rd Place 

38:00 Mario Roman:

40:24 Lorenzo Gondola

44:15 Main race results

49:24 The brutal reality of a consecutive race schedule 

52:48 Championship standings

56:04 Roof of Africa preview

58:42 Junior championship battle

01:02:07 Predictions going into Roof of Africa

Mani falls off, picks the bike up, doesn't say a word and rides away. Meanwhile most of us are screaming at our bikes in a rock garden. How do YOU handle frustration on the trail? Let us know in the comments ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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We got to meet Tobin at Red Bull Romaniacs this year and what it pleasure it was to also have him on the podcast. Fresh US blood on the international stage of hard enduro is something we hope to see more of in the future. In this episode we chat to Tobin about his Romaniacs experience from doing Silver class as a “warm up” and getting a good understanding of how things work at an intense race like Romaniacs before entering Gold class this year in 2026. He shares some great insights into how Silver and Gold differ and which riders could be considering entering the class depending on their local US hard enduro results. 

Tobin shares some of his ambitions for the future and his desire to do more races on the international stage if the opportunity were to present itself. He also shares some interesting insight into riding in the US. From training, traveling to different races as well as the do’s and don’ts on riding in different areas in the US. We see Tobin as a rider to keep an eye on in the future and someone who has a bright career ahead of him.

We hope you enjoy this episode

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:28 Meet Tobin Miller, Champion Brick Racing 

01:53 First Romaniacs experience: Silver class 

05:06 Why doing silver first was the right call 

06:22 Gold class in 2026 

08:46 Gold class mindset

09:52 Prologue

10:05 Day 1

16:06 The silver vs gold gap

17:22 How US hard enduro stacks up

19:11 US representation at Romaniacs

21:10 A 4-day rally style hard enduro event in America 

22:03 Day 4

22:55 International ambitions

25:57 HEWC vs USHE

27:08 Champion Brick Racing

28:44 USHE season update

35:00 Training in the US

36:16 Land access in America 

39:06 Enduro Burrows

42:28 Next up, TKO

Tobin thinks America needs a 4-day rally style hard enduro race, do you agree? And if so, where in the US would you have it? Let us know in the comments ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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Round four of the Hard Enduro World Championship was most definitely a unique race on the 2026 calendar. Forza Orza made its debut appearance and was a very unusual location and track for the riders. Based in an abandoned zoo, Mike had to put in a lot of work setting a track in such challenging conditions. Short, punchy and in your face… this race definitely suited riders with more trials and super enduro experience over those looking for long days in the mountains and it showed in the results. 

Prologue was a fast run for the boys with the top times coming in around the 4 minute mark. A very surprising changeup with the results having Mitch, James and Ashton on the box… no Billy or Mani in sight. An awesome showcase of the skills the younger riders have in their back pocket. 

The sprint race was a 1 hour multilap loop with a home rider taking the show. Eddie had some great results finishing in 4th on the day and giving the home crowd a solid reason to cheer. It’s awesome to hear that even without hearing the bike… you knew he was close with the sound of the crowd. Maybe it was this energy that gave him that extra fight he needed to race at the level he is truly capable of. 

The main race on the final day was a 2 hour + 1 lap, multi lap race. This day was definitely a challenge not only for the bikes but for riders too with arm pump, multiple mistakes and crashes as well as some bike issues throughout the race. We see Billy making some big mistakes ghosting his bike off a hill, Mani almost losing his race lead to bike issues and Teo going for a swim with cow bones in the polar bear enclosure. 

We also go a little off topic talking a little more about bikes from frames, old gen to new gen and more. 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:16 Forza Orza: Sweden's first ever HEWC round 

01:03 Track manager Mike

04:12 Making hard enduro accessible for a local crowd 

05:49 An abandoned zoo with skeletons in the lake 

09:25 Event format: Prologue, sprint race & main race 

10:37 Prologue: A race the juniors lit up 

14:51 Sprint race

15:54 Why 1-hour intensity works for hard enduro 

23:57 Sprint race Results 

24:16 The Brightmore progression 

26:51 X-Grip factory bikes & KTM's development

31:32 The main race

34:06 Billy's ghost ride 

38:31 Mani’s battery issues

46:00 Main race results

46:18 Eddie on home terrain 

49:43 Thomas Scales & Justin Elizondo

54:35 Teo's swim in the lake

54:55 HEWC championship standings

55:25 Halfway mark: The 2026 season 

56:49 The Hard Enduro World Ranking system

58:33 Next up: TKO

Mani’s bike and battery let him down again… two races in a row now. Do you think it's only a matter of time before it costs him a race result? What are your thoughts on the situation? Drop your take in the comments ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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Another Romaniacs under the belt and another year with many stories to tell from the gold class track. Four intense days of racing for the top guys with countless kilometers raced and grueling Leatt LiveManiacs challenges. Each day came with its own set of unexpected issues and of course constantly changing results. From crashes to dead batteries, seized forks, questionable tyre choices and shirtless finishes… this year was certainly full of entertainment. 

Once again we have Mike on to chat about some of the behind the scenes of what went down and to give us the inside scoop and a bit more context to some of the unbelievable stories to come out of this year’s race. Some standout moments of course would be Mani dominating the gold class field once again even with a race that certainly wasn’t without its issues. James Moore racing so consistently once again proving he is not only aiming of the top… but has without a doubt arrived! Thomas Scales is a rider who we’d consider a dark horse but one to keep an eye on going forward. 

This year the Romaniacs organizers focused more heavily on the ADV classes, especially the Ultimate riders and there’s no denying that what these guys can do on the big bikes is impressive! From hard enduro favorites like Mario Roman and Dieter Rudolf to ADV legends like Pol Tarres, it’s interesting to see how they are stacking up in a pretty competitive field. 

In this episode we chat about Prologue as well as go though all four race days.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:18 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs recap with Mike 

03:00 Prologue: Teo wins, Manny vs Mitch in a battle 

04:24 Adventure bikes

08:24 Day 1: Chaos, toilet stops & hydration packs

11:35 Manny's dead battery

16:00 Lorenzo Gondola

21:05 Matthew Green's wrong tyre choice

23:51 Teodor Kabakchiev

26:04 Day 2: Straja 180km loop

29:41 Dieter Rudolf's heat sensor 

32:20 David Cyprian

35:20 Day 3: Rolling rocks and sketchy downhills

40:29 Manny’s sketchy descent 

44:08 Day 4: The day that had it all

46:23 Pandora's Box 

48:24 James Moore

50:16 Walkner on track for a career-best

53:22 Thomas Scales: A career-best result nobody saw coming 

58:07 Matt Green’s shirtless finish

59:58 James Moore's collapsed front fork

01:02:19 The reality of pro racing

Every year Romaniacs throws up stories that are just wild… dead batteries, wrong tyres, collapsed forks and a shirtless finish. What was your standout moment from this year's race? Let us know in the comments ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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In this episode we chat to an up and coming US junior rider, Braxton Hintze. This is a rider who is quickly working his way through the ranks of the US hard enduro series at just 18 years old. A rider who  started his off-road career with desert racing, Braxton has had quite a unique history with riding. 

It takes one coach as we discover with Braxton to change the trajectory of a riders career and progression and in this case it was legend Rich Larsson who would take Braxton under his wing and lead him down the path of racing in super enduro. Having someone like that in your corner teaching you the essential fundamentals not only on the bike but mentally too is a game changer and truly allows a rider to progress into a professional athlete. 

Success certainly doesn’t come overnight but with time, determination and patience, Braxton worked his was through the classes and has now found himself competing amongst the top riders in the US. While many riders have considered the US and Europe route Braxton has his sights set on establishing himself in the US series before considering taking on the world stage in the future.

A supportive team doing the ground work is essential to focus on racing and competing at the highest level. Braxton is part of the Champion Brick Racing team who has recently partnered with X-Grip. Two teams at the top of their respective championships joining forces is a sure way to unlock new possibilities. 

Braxton was part of the Fantic team before riding on a KTM and shares some great insights into his own experiences and thoughts between the bikes. Of course the episode wouldn’t be complete without touching on bike setup and Braxton’s non-negotiables for racing. 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:12 Silver Kings

06:49 How Braxton got into riding

08:15 The turning point: Rich Larsson

11:12 From Enduro Cross to hard enduro

13:23 Future goals US vs Europe 

14:03 Champion Brick Racing & X-Grip 

19:34 Fantic vs KTM

22:09 US hard enduro series

23:09 Enduro Cross 

25:29 Bike setup 

28:40 Mental strength in racing:

31:20 Challenges

32:19 Champion Brick Setup

39:43 Super Enduro world championship: Is it on Braxton's radar? 

41:10 Enduro Cross vs Super Enduro 

Has a coach or mentor ever changed the trajectory of your riding? Let us know in the comments ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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In this episode we chat to a top junior rider,  Lenny Geretzky who is a rider for the Mario Roman Sorry Bro Team. Lenny covered some really insightful topics in this episode. 

A standout point was from the mental side of riding hard enduro. A sport known to push riders to the physical extremes, requires a strong mindset which may not come naturally to a lot of riders. Lenny shares how focusing on training the mind is key to staying focused and racing consistently especially when facing a variety of racing conditions across the championship season. 

A rider who didn’t have much trials bike experience when he was younger, Lenny is one of the few riders nowadays that has a stronger “big bike” foundation. Jumping onto a trials bike is undeniably beneficial for technical training but has certainly been an adjustment. Lenny mentioned how he has started to diversify his training to improve on his weaknesses and give the top junior riders more competition. 

Lenny is part of the Mario Roman Sorry Bro Team taking on the Junior Hard Enduro World Championship. We took this opportunity to get a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be part of such a competitive team. From training days with Mario, the way he guides his juniors and how an aspiring rider could look to be a part of it all. 

Of course we dove into some technical talk about bike setup, gear and as Lenny is a Plews supported rider we also discussed tyre choices, mousses, pressure and more!

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:09 Meet Lenny Geretzky 

02:34 No trials background

04:21 Joining the Sorry Bro team

05:50 Red Bull Romaniacs 2023

07:42 Train your head 

08:52 The Mental game

10:30 Silver Kings race 

14:49 The America experience 

15:47 The Sorry Bro team explained

18:19 Bike talk

19:31 Electric bikes

21:57 Racing in the HEWC junior class 

23:06 Dream factory team

26:11 Junior class rivals

28:15 Suspension setup

29:47 Gearing talk

31:41 Tyre choice

Have you had the same experience as Lenny getting some concerned looks when running lower tyre pressure? Let us know in the comments ↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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Silver Kings was a cracker of an event and race as round three of the championship. Three days of racing in the Idaho mountains gave the riders and spectators everything they hoped for! From vibes in the parade, carnage in the prologue, close calls and tight racing on day 2 and ending with a drag race to the finish! 

Once again we sit down with Mike to talk about what went down behind the scenes and on the ground. As you know there was no live coverage of this event so we’re here to give a bit of context and share the stories that would otherwise get missed. The prologue offered some big jumps and sketchy performances and some riders were a little lost without Billy around to show them the ropes. We saw some good saves and some heroic performances. Jonny Walker in 1st, Mitch in 2nd and Trystan 3rd. 

Day 1 was a proper ride for the guys and girls out in the mountains with riverbeds and some scaley hill climbs. Mike shares some noteworthy stories about Mitch saving his bike through quick thinking and Teo almost losing down the hill. The final day was a multi lap race ending with an X-Loop. The first 2/3 of the track wasn’t too technical which made for tight racing between the top guys. It wasn’t until the last sections of the race where riders stared to separate and we ended with a close top 3 fight to the end. 

Mitch Brightmore takes the win! We couldn’t be more stoked with the outcome of this race. The juniors have finally arrived and we can’t wait to see how this boost in confidence will affect the remainder of the championship. Only time will tell but for now, we’re just excited to see a new era of hard enduro emerge.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:23 HEWC Round 3 - Silver Kings Hard Enduro, Idaho 

01:56 Mike's first time in America

03:22 The format of Silver Kings 

04:44 The parade & atmosphere

05:11 Day 1 format

09:04 Day 2: A Longer day in the mountains & the three key sections 

11:26 Trystan vs Manny on the loose rock

13:27 Teo's struggles

14:58 Mitch's mid-race bike failure 

20:43 Final day race format: The X-loop finish

21:59 Stark electric bikes

25:36 The finish: Mitch beats Trystan in a 60-metre drag race 

27:00 The moment behind the scenes: X-Grip

28:12 Mani’s response  

31:02 The Brightmore story

33:32 Ashton's junior class victory

33:32 Standout rides

36:01 USHE vs HEWC: Is the American series a genuine alternative? 

40:27 Championship standings update

With Mitch now in 2nd and only 13 points behind Manny, do you think we finally have a real championship battle on our hands? Let us know in the comments↓↓↓

Support the show

Whether you're driving to work, heading back from a weekend ride or working on the bike in the garage make sure to tune in and if you're feeling generous you're welcome to buy us a coffee to support our efforts with the following link - https://buymeacoffee.com/worldhardenduro

You can also connect with us on socials such as Insta and Youtube

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