Graham Jarvis: The Final Tough One
Jean Turner | February 22, 2016
The final running of The Tough One marked the first victory of the year for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Graham Jarvis. The Brit outdueled six-time event champion David Knight for the big win at the 12th and final running of The Tough One Extreme Enduro in England. Paul Bolton rounded out the podium in third.
Jarvis and Knight put on quite a show, battling for much of the two-and-a-half-hour race before Jarvis pulled away for the victory.
“I was second off the start, which is a huge improvement compared to my previous races,” Jarvis said. “Some riders overtook me but the goal for the first few laps was to look for the best lines.
“I had a decent fight with David Knight today. Knighter knows this place well and is always fast here. When he pitted I decided to push hard and ended up crashing. I quickly got back on my bike and decided to stay behind Knight for a few laps. Shortly after the midway point I passed him and managed to open up a decent gap.”
Jarvis not only had to fend off Knight, but also had to deal with tempestuous weather, as steady rain made the challenging course extremely slippery. But Jarvis showed his incredible skill en route to dispensing of Knight and tackling the technical course to earn a well-deserved victory.
“The track was wet and muddy but to be honest it didn’t really make a huge difference for me. My strongest point was the slower and more technical sections inside the quarry; that’s where my TE 300 excelled, really.
“I’m glad I got the win—my fourth Tough One victory—at the very last edition of the event,” the Brit concluded.