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Graham Jarvis wins Getzen Rodeo In Saxony Germany the late October sun still has the heat to burnish the leaves of the trees into infinite shades of gold but the sun cooled in comparison to the warmth of the welcome that the organisers of the Getzen Rodeo extended to the World's Elite Extreme Enduro riders this weekend. The event has thrived on this small team's enthusiasm and their efforts have been recognised as the 5th edition of this unique event was nominated as the final round of the 2014 European Extreme Enduro Championship. The series began in March at the Fast Eddy Extreme in Cown Quarry Great Britain. The wet conditions suited David Knight and Jonny Walker - who both led the race - and in a nail biting finish David Knight took the win for Sherco while Jonny Walker pushed across the line with an empty tank to salvage second. Round 2 was the Pietra Nuerta in Romania . Graham Jarvis returned to form after recovering from a shoulder injury that kept him away from Round 1. Round 3 was the Battle of the Viking in Sweden and Jonny descended on the course like the Viking Hoards to take first. With 92 points there was only an arithmetical possibility that he could be caught.
. On Friday evening hundreds of supporters packed the large marquee for the Presentation of the Riders. To the fanfare of a brass band and led by 2012 winner Graham Jarvis - carrying the Union Jack - the 47 competitors marched onto the stage and drew their starting numbers. In an interview with the MC Graham said he thought the 5km course looked tougher than he remembered it when he won in 2012 and he was looking forward to the post race party. Jonny Walker admitted it had been a long season but he was looking forward to the race and he was hoping to out party Graham. The Hemingway brothers completed the British line up but sadly Paul Bolton was unable to ride due to work commitments. The international flavour of the event was highlighted as the bank of flags became increasingly longer. France was represented by Kevin Rohmer and Magnus Thor flew the flag for Sweden. Irishman Mark Bannon also entered on a Swedish licence so he did. Alfredo Gomez from n Jonathan Rosse, Thomas Schranz and Jung Schutz from Switzerland were at home on the hills. Itaky was represented by European Champion Maurizio Micheluz and Diego Nicoletti.
At the end of the first lap Jonny Walker led from Graham Jarvis and after a long gap came Andreas Lettebichler who had made a great recovery. Marcos Kehr was 4th. Everyone struggler but a stalwart army of marshals linked together to keep the course clear.Getzen is a local delicacy made from baked mash potatoes and the sections are named after the ingredients. There were plenty of tears when the riders diced with the onions. Jonny Walker (KTM) was the best qualifier and Andreas Lettebichler (KTM) was second with 11 laps. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) was 3rd, Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 4th, Marcos Kehr 5th (Sherco) , Phillip Scholz (KTM) 6th, Ben Hemingway (Beta)7th ,Carstan Stranghoner (beta) 8th,Gerhard Forster (Beta) 9th Diego Nicolletti (Beta) 10th, Manuel Lettibichler (KTM) 11th and Jan Peters (Beta) 12th. Dan Hemingway in 13th was unlucky not to have qualified after crashing twice. Once in collision with his brother. The top twelve lined up for the main race at 3.30pm. There was a new start and some additions to the harder sections. Jonny Walker had a poor start after crashing over a long pile on the first corner but at the end of the first of five laps he had recovered and established a good lead ahead of Graham Jarvis. The crowd settled back to cheer home a new champion but as the first bike appeared over the shed roof at the end of the second lap it was Graham Jarvis in the lead. The electrics on Jonny's cooling fan had failed and the motor was overheating. The repair took moments but it was all Graham needed to take the advantage and hold on to it to the end. Andreas Lettebichler was 3rd Alfredo Gomez 4th and Ben Hemingway 5th. As the first rider crossed the line the organisers placed an hour glass beside the finish line which measured the 30 minute allowance to be classified as a finisher. There were only 5 that beat the sands of time. In the evening the massive marquee bulged at the seams as the spectators, organisers and riders gathered for the official presentation. As well as trophies and cheques the burgermiester (mayor) presented the top three riders with cast iron pans to cook their own Getzen when they get home. For everyone else there were a lot of great memories to take home.  Share |
The Getzen Rodeo
takes place in the picturesque village of Griesbach overlooked by the
imposing Scharfenstien Castle. It began in 2006 and was won by Ralf
Scheidhauer who went on to win the double in 2007. The event then took a
break before starting again in 2011 with a win for Marcus Kehr. In 2012 the
reputation of the event attracted the attention of the International Elites.
Graham Jarvis won from Andreas Lettebichler, Fabien Planet, Gerhard Forster
and Juha Salminen. In 2013 the team got their breath back
Clear skies overnight frosted the tips of the grass but
sun - filtering through the pines - soon burnt off the morning mist. The 2 hour
qualifying race was planned to start at noon with the firing of a cannon.
Unfortunately a clown in the crowd sabotaged the start with a firework. It
made little difference to most of the riders who sped away into the first corner.
Graham Jarvis stretched out like a track racer and he took the holeshot. Andreas
Lettenbichler clearly knew there was a problem as he sat on the line.
Jarvis' lead was short lived as he crashed into the trees.