4 minute read
Talking TKO with GasGas's Josh Roper
words and photos STEPH VETTERLY
From Trials to Hard Enduro
Watching a trials rider try their hand at enduros is not new. Over the years, many Pro riders have switched disciplines - among them, Cody Webb, Logan Bolopue, Quinn Wentzel, Pat Smage. So it wasn't a huge surprise for us to see GasGas's Josh Roper don a full-face helmet and goggles, and jump on a big bike.
Because Josh has his AMA Pro card, he was able to skip Friday's amateur hot-lap, and Saturday's TKO1 & TKO2, and go directly to the Pro Hot Lap. Placing 17th on the hot lap put him in a good starting position for Sunday's TKO1, which he finished 19th and moved on to TKO2.
Starting in group 4, he barely missed out on qualifying for the main race by six minutes (the top four riders from each group move on to the TKO Main).
We had a chance to chat with Josh and get his thoughts on his first-ever hard enduro race.
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO TRY A HARD ENDURO?
"I've always wanted to try a hard enduro. It's just that none of the trials schedules and hard enduro schedules have lined up; finally, this event was after our trials season. I figured I might as well give the TKO a shot. It’s a really popular event, and I know it's pretty hard. Typically, it's known for a little bit faster-style racing, so it's not as “trials” technical, but this year was actually pretty technical in TKO2 I've always been fascinated by the hard enduro stuff and always wanted to race Erzberg and do all those cool events. I figured this was a perfect way to start and lead into it.
It’s a different kind of physical fitness when you go into a hard enduro as well, compared to a trials event. Because in trials events, you only go 90 seconds in the section and then you can take a break.
But the hard enduros, you're out there for multiple hours going and your heart rate's maxed at 180 the whole entire time. So that part kind of beat me down. And I think the thing is, I now know what to expect for another future hard enduro, so I can adjust my training regimen a little bit different."
HOW DID YOUR PRE-GAME PLAN CHANGE FROM HOW YOU PREP FOR TRIALS TO HOW YOU PREP FOR TKO?
"For me, it was just getting time on the bike and trying to get comfortable with the bike. That was my biggest thing because transitioning from the trials bike to the big bike is always a little different. It takes me like a day or two to get kind of comfortable on it. For me, it was just spending the most amount of time on the bike as possible."
BECAUSE YOU HAVE YOUR AMA PRO CARD, YOU WERE PREQUALIFIED INTO SUNDAY’S RACES. IN HINDSIGHT, DO YOU THINK IT WAS A GOOD THING TO SKIP SATURDAY’S EVENTS OR DO YOU THINK YOU COULD’VE USED A LITTLE BIT MORE TRACK TIME?
"Yes and no. It's a good thing that I didn't have to race until Sunday because I was able to save all my energy and put it all into Sunday versus racing all day Saturday and then all day Sunday as well. I probably would have been really, really tired by the time the races came around. The good thing is you would have known a lot of the track. They ran most of it the same except for the Pro course, there were a few different hard bits added on and those hard bits were pretty difficult I'd say.
I talked to Trystan [Hart] a little bit, and he said that was probably one of the harder TKO2 races that they've had in a really long time. So to make it through that was a win."
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Read the full article here:
https://issuu.com/on-the-pegs/docs/2023_-_09_september_otp_magazine/82
