Graham Jarvis triumphs, as rain brings an early end to the Minas Riders hard enduro in Brazil.
Red Bull Minas Riders had been scheduled to end on May 21, but torrential rains in Minas Gerais, Brazil, forced an early end to the event.
As lead rider, Graham Jarvis adds the crown to his bulging trophy cabinet, while Cody Webb, a rookie at the event, claimed second place with last year’s winner, Alfredo Gómez, rounding out the podium.
In just two days of competition, the riders had covered more than 240km, passing by mountains, trails, rocks and jungle for five hours a day.
Jarvis made the most of the conditions on Friday’s race from Ouro Preto to Barão de Cocais and used his experience to capitalise on other riders’ mistakes to take the overall lead.
“Cody was very close to me all the time and he supported me somehow, after all”, said Jarvis. “This year, I found my path easier and I knew what I had to do, so I gained a lot of time.”
It was a successful Minas Riders debut for Webb, who finished third in the Prologue and, on the next day, took second place, the same on Friday.
“It was insane. I’ve been part of pretty hard competitions in the past, but nothing compared to an event where you have to drive for five hours a day in a complicated terrain. Mountains here are crazy, I’ve never driven in the middle of the jungle. It was all an incredible experience,” said Cody.
Rigor Rico was the highest placed Brazilian rider, finishing in seventh place.
Final results
Gold class
1. Graham Jarvis
2. Cody Webb
3. Alfredo Gómez
Silver Class
1. Romulo Brottel
2. Rogério Zortea
3. Renan Tonon
Bronze Class
1. Patrik Capila
2. Diego Baesso Collet
3. Marco Tulio Faria
Iron Class
1. Kelder Campos
2. Laurindo Zatorski
3. René Reist