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All content © Bob MuIIins | |||
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Cody Webb and Louise Forsley win inaugural Grinding Stone Hard Enduro FactoryONE Sherco riders Cody Webb and Louise Forsley took home top honors in their respective divisions at the inaugural Grinding Stone Hard Enduro in Arizona. The deep desert sand, mixed with boulder filled washouts and sandstone climbs were no match for the pair of Sherco riders. This was the first round of the newly formed Kenda AMA Extreme Off-Road presented by XC Gear. On the men's side, Cody Webb would win the race by a margin of forty seconds over Red Bull KTM's Trystan Hart. Taylor Robert, also with Red Bull KTM, would round out the men's podium. The four-hour hare scramble format provided for some intense action on lap one between a quartet of riders, which included the top three and Rockstar Husqvarna's Colton Haaker. Webb would eventually make a pass for the lead just after lap one and would not relinquish it for the remainder of the hard enduro. Tire strategy played a crucial role in the race with the sandstone eating up rear tire tread. With Webb leading by just over two minutes coming into the end of lap two, FactoryONE Chief mechanic Cody Richelderfer, along with Webb, executed a perfect rear tire swap which kept Webb in the lead despite the time it took to swap the tire and add fuel. Lapped riders would play a part in race as well. Many riders could not even finish a full lap, and thus, were stuck in the main race line. This caused the professionals to find alternative lines, some of which seemed impossible. Of the deep men's pro field, only the top 6 were able to complete four full laps.
Men:
Amateurs could be seen stacked up one behind the other at most of the toughest sections. One of the more difficult sections on the course was Wells Falls. Here you would see dirt bikes flying through the air as riders would "send" their bikes up the steep dry waterfall face. Women:
Photo credit: Mary Rinell
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the women's side, Louise Forsley would be the only female to complete a full
lap in the rugged conditions. She finished 57th overall in a field of almost
200. In the extreme off-road discipline, you are not permitted outside
assistance when overcoming major obstacles. With that, you are only allowed to
receive help from other competitors. This shows you just how amazing Louise's
result is. Louise credits her trials background, along with a rigorous fitness
regimen as the driving force to her success.