Taylor Robert Earns Enduro X Gold at X Games Germany
Cycle News Staff | June 30, 2013
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Taylor Robert picked a good time to get his first ever EnduroCross win by taking the Gold medal at X Games Germany. He had to survive one of the toughest Enduro X courses ever as well as outlast a tough field of International riders. In the end, Spain’s Alfredo Gomez took the Silver medal and Poland’s Taddy Blazusiak earned Bronze.
Several days of rain forced the event to be delayed by a day and the wet dirt contributed to a rutted course that proved to be extremely difficult, especially an uphill rock section that had all of the riders stuck or crashing at some point. Robert passed KTM’s Mike Brown on the first lap by cleanly climbing the rock uphill while Brown got stuck. But Robert had his own problems with the rock hill and was forced off the side of the section twice and then had a spectacular crash on the top of the hill on the penultimate lap. The crash allowed Gomez to close to within striking distance but Robert blitzed the last lap to get the win.
“It was really hard because the mud still came up through all the dirt. Pretty much every obstacle was wet, and when they get wet, they get really slippery” Robert said.
Blazusiak had a few off track excursions of his own but rebounded to take the bronze medal. Graham Jarvis, arguably the world’s best Extreme Enduro rider took his skills to the inside the arena and took fourth. Brown, the winner of the last three EnduroCross/Enduro X events took fifth. California’s Kyle Redmond finished sixth ahead of Canada’s Cory Graffunder. Great Britain’s Jonny Walker fished eighth and was followed by Gary Sutherlin and Colton Haaker, who rounded out the top ten.
2013 X Games Enduro X, Munich, Men’s Final Results
1 Taylor Robert
2 Alfredo Gomez
3 Taddy Blazusiak
4 Graham Jarvis
5 Mike Brown
6 Kyle Redmond
7 Cory Graffunder
8 Jonny Walker
9 Gary Sutherlin
10 Colton Haaker
KTM’s Maria Forsberg got back on the top of the Women’s Enduro X podium with a win in Munich. The American has won Gold at X Games LA twice but had been shut out so far in 2013. Forsberg seemed to be on a mission in Germany and took the lead on the first lap and held it to the finish despite a few close calls, including a tip over in a rock section on the final lap. Spain’s Lai Sanz, the winner of the previous two X Games events in Spain and Brazil closed to within a few feet of Forsberg on the last lap before she had her own problems in the same rock section and stalled her bike. Sanz still held on for the Silver medal and Sandra Gomez Cantero, the sister of the Men’s Silver medalist, took the Bronze. Maria Franke and Rachel Gutish rounded out the top five.
2013 X Games Enduro X, Munich, Women’s Final Results
1 Maria Forsberg
2 Lai Sanz
3 Sandra Gomez Cantero
4 Maria Franke
5 Rachel Gutish
6 Chantelle Bykerk
7 Tara Geiger
8 Kacy Martinez
9 Steffi Laier
10 Jolene Van Vugt
