Bel-Ray Husqvarna rider Graham Jarvis is ready to defend his title in one of the world’s most difficult off-road races, the Red Bull Hare Scramble in Erzberg, Austria.
Bel-Ray Husqvarna factory racing’s hard enduro specialist Graham Jarvis is gearing up for the defense of his 2013 Red Bull Hare Scramble crown. Held as part of the four-day Erzbergrodeo in Austria, the Red Bull Hare Scramble, one of the world’s toughest racess, will celebrate its 20th Anniversary June 1. Jarvis is ready to score back-to-back Erzbergrodeo wins.
“I’m really looking forward to the Erzbergrodeo this year,” Jarvis said. “The race is massive–-it’s my biggest event of the year-–so to go there with the number-one plate for Husqvarna is very important to me.”
Jarvis said that preparing for Erzberg is hard because of the high degree of difficulty present in Ersberg’s colorfully names sections, such as “Carl’s Diner” and “Dynamite.” Jarvis says that there is nowhere in the world like Erzberg.
Erzberg is off the scale–it’s huge,” Jarvis said. “At home I have some difficult sections I like to ride [like Ersberg], but mainly I try to stick to my normal routine of riding, cycling and gym work and just increase the intensity of everything I do.”
Jarvis has to be considered a favorite for the Red Bull Hare Scramble win not only because he is the defending event champion but also because he has been riding extremely well this season. Nowhere was this more evident than when he turned in a dominant performance en route to victory in the Hell’s Gate Hard Enduro in Italy.
“Obviously winning Hell’s Gate by 22 minutes was the highlight,” Jarvis said. “I really enjoyed the race and felt very strong there. It was great to take my fourth Hell’s Gate victory. The Tough One just wasn’t for me. I knew the new venue wouldn’t suit me but I gave it my best shot. I came from a long way back to get up to third but I just wasn’t able to hold that position until the end and finished fourth. It was disappointing to miss out on a podium result but overall I felt I rode well.”
With Erzberg again drawing the best off-road riders from around the world, there are many contenders for Jarvis’ crown. He is well aware of that, but the key to victory for any competitor still lies with the section known as the Iron Giant.
“There’s about 10 riders that will fight for a top five result and there’s at least five of those that could win,” Jarvis said. “Obviously past winners like Jonny Walker and David Knight will be strong, and Andreas Lettenbichler is very experienced around the Iron Giant. My teammate Alfredo Gomez will be good, too. He’s great when the going gets tough and finished on the podium in 2013. But I’m focused on my own race and what I can do. To win Erzberg first you have to beat the Iron Giant.”
Jarvis also said that any victory at Erzberg is huge, but winning the 20th edition of the Red Bull Hare Scramble would be really special.
“I feel prepared, and I’ve got the tools I need to do it,” Jarvis said. “I’ll be giving it my best shot to win again.”
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