Mud Is the Best: Launch Issue — What's So Fun About Hard Enduro? Let's Be Honest

Paved roads are boring. Dirt, rocks, and mud are the best. That's my conclusion, and it's basically the whole point of this column. Starting off 'Mud Is the Best,' let me be honest right away — hard enduro is an insane sport. But that insanity is exactly what makes it so great. The first time I got into this discipline, I thought, 'this might not actually be play.' That instinct was right. But at the same time I also thought, 'nothing could possibly be more fun than this.' That instinct was right too. In this column I'll report the current state of off-road riding straight from the field. My goal is twofold: to convey the appeal to people who don't know hard enduro, and to dig deeper for those already doing it.

For those unfamiliar with hard enduro, here it is in one line — it's a competition where riders force their way through terrain a motorcycle should never be able to cross. Climbing near-vertical rock faces, hauling up steep slopes tangled with exposed tree roots, pushing forward while stuck in pits of mud. Watch footage from international events like Germany's Extreme XL Lagares or Austria's Red Bull Romaniacs, and some people react with 'should humans even be doing this?' The first time I saw that footage, I thought, 'this is it.' Races with a groomed surface, flags marking the course, and spectators lining up — those are fun too. But hard enduro is different. Nature itself becomes the course. Having no fixed line means choosing your own line as you go. That level of freedom is what gets me. That's what I mean when I say dirt and mud are the best.

Let me be honest about what makes it fun. One thing is the sheer density of the dialogue with the machine. Enduro demands the ultimate level of unity between bike and rider. You take in information from the terrain with your whole body and instantly control the throttle and clutch. And it's not just cornering — you need moves that feel like a cross between cycling and hand-to-hand combat, planting a foot to keep your balance while hauling the bike over a rock. It's a sensation you'll never experience on a sport bike on pavement. The other thing is that failure is allowed. You crash. You get stuck. You push the bike. You backtrack. But all of that is part of the race, and simply finishing has value in itself. That's one reason I say paved roads are boring. On-road racing is purely a contest of speed. Off-road, what's tested is your will to keep moving forward. In some events, top riders complete the course while the majority of the field can't even finish. There's meaning in both of those outcomes.

I've been racing amateur events myself for over ten years now. I started out crashing constantly at a local motocross track, and these days I compete regularly in domestic enduro events. My bike is a KTM 300 EXC, and I do all the maintenance myself. Washing mud-caked boots after a weekend race while already thinking about the next event — that's my everyday life now. Maintenance, staying in shape, all of it — I just love the off-road lifestyle. Monday morning, waiting for my washed boots to dry while I pull up the entry form, might honestly be my happiest moment. I can say paved roads are boring precisely because I know how fun dirt and mud really are.

In 'Mud Is the Best,' I'll be covering the latest news from the off-road scene at home and abroad, gear reviews, and event reports. I'll get into technical details too, but what I really want to prioritize is the urge to make people understand how fun off-road riding is. If you've only ever ridden on pavement, I really want you to stand in the mud at least once. You can't truly understand that dirt and mud are the best until you've experienced it yourself. But if this column can serve as the entry point, that's enough for me.

One last piece of advice for anyone who wants to get into off-road riding: you don't need to buy expensive gear right away. Start by calling a nearby motocross track and asking, 'can I try a demo ride?' Even if you've only ever ridden a road bike, there are places set up to teach you from scratch. Crashing is nothing to be embarrassed about — that's the rule of the mud. You won't understand that dirt and mud are the best until you've experienced it. But once you have, there's no going back. Once someone realizes paved roads are boring, they can't be un-realized. That's my first and last warning to you. See you in this column.