2025 U.S. Hard Enduro Series Round 7 Results

| May 27, 2025

Round seven of the 2025 Bullet Proof Designs U.S. Hard Enduro Series, presented by IRC Tire, took place on May 24-25 and saw FMF KTM’s Trystan Hart cross the finish line first, redeeming his 2024 finish at one of, if not the, toughest hard enduro races in America—Tough Like RORR.

Trystan Hart at 2025 Tough Like RORR — **Trystan Hart won the Tough Like RORR Hard Enduro with room to spare.**

Story and Photos by Stephanie Vetterly

Located just minutes from downtown Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, Tough Like RORR’s courses are carved into the steep, former coal mines and are covered in fields of giant boulders and thick forests. Paired with the Locked ‘N’ Loaded Hard Scramble during a grueling doubleheader weekend, these two races comprise the Keystone Challenge, now in its third annual presentation over Memorial Day weekend.

To ease riders into the challenging sections that awaited them in Sunday’s main event, Tough Like RORR began the weekend with a qualifying race, allowing only the fastest 120 riders to participate. Despite intermittent rain in the days leading up to the race, the terrain effectively absorbed the moisture, resulting in a mostly dry course. Hart led the pack, claiming victory in 43 minutes, just 10 seconds ahead of Rocky Mountain Yamaha’s Cody Webb and FactoryOne Sherco’s Will Riordan. The remaining participants then raced a separate seven-mile loop, competing for one of the 10 additional spots available for Sunday’s main event.

Cody Webb at 2025 Tough Like RORR — **Cody Webb finished second overall.**

With 130 lucky riders chosen, they lined up 10 wide to tackle two laps of increasing difficulty. The first lap featured notorious sections like 409, The Wall, and Wrong Side of Heaven. Hart managed to secure the holeshot, and the top three—Hart, Webb and Riordan—were neck-and-neck. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder LeBlond briefly took the lead, but Hart quickly reclaimed it and began to pull away from the pack. Gradually making their way through the challenging rocky terrain, the front-runners established their positions and found themselves riding at a steady pace, nearly 15 minutes apart from one another.

Unusually cool weather arrived on race day, allowing riders to push themselves harder without falling apart. For Webb, this was a welcome change from last year’s race, where the intense heat combined with strenuous sections resulted in heat exhaustion after he was the only rider to cross the finish line.

Will Riordan at 2025 Tough Like RORR — **Will Riordan found his way onto the podium.**

The second lap revealed some new sections, incorporating Hart Attack and Hart Break, alongside the trio of aptly named Nightmare segments. Although the course was slightly tamer compared to last year, the Reading Off-Road Riders (RORR) club had a surprise up their sleeve. As a reward for reaching the section named Brain Damage quickly enough, a new section called Sad But True was introduced within the last mile of the course. Not only was this section recently created, but it also wasn’t fully marked for riders to notice during their pre-race course walk. Webb was the only rider who anticipated this occurrence, as the club had intended to do something similar the previous year. Sad But True featured rocky terrain similar to 409, but it led riders through a series of ascents and descents, with the finish line tantalizingly close just after exiting the section.

Makana Barger at 2025 Tough Like RORR — **Makana Barger was the top amateur rider.**

Hart maintained a 13-minute lead over Webb to cross the finish line first, securing his third Tough Like RORR victory. Webb took second place, while Riordan finished 15 minutes behind to complete the podium.

In the amateur classes, it was Makana Barger from Kailua, Hawaii, not only taking the overall amateur win on the day, finishing seven of the 12 checks, but also achieving his first career win in the series. Katie Hall-Leah from Pemberton, BC, took the win in the Pro Women’s class, placing her in the lead for her class for the 2025 season.