Photo: Liveleak
I know there are a lot of guys who love off-roading and enduro and watch the Erzberg Rodeo with its almost silly Carl’s Dinner section or the dementing prolog of the Red Bull Romaniacs with the riders who have to navigate a “pond” full of tree stumps… dreaming to be one day able to ride in similar condition.
And since reaching the Romaniacs or the Erzberg is not exactly an easy thing for the casual rider, how about using a railroad track to simulate a really rough, yet somehow predictable trail? Well, the railroad sleepers can indeed be a really nice treat for these guys, with virtually no surprises hidden in between, such as rocks that are way looser than the rest, potholes and all. Funny thing, that this (surface) consistency and predictability did not include the possibility of riding against an incoming train.
Now, if steering clear from the way of the approaching train only was an easy thing to do… but the height of the track itself and the fact that the bike was traveling parallel to it didn’t help at all. Technically, the good dynamics of the off-road bike’s suspensions would have made passing over the railroad track much easier… with an approach perpendicular to them.
Luckily, the riders barely managed to get themselves and their bikes out of harm’s way, with the train engine missing them by mere inches. A thousand-ton train is not a thing one can stop in several meters, and neither would it have found several dirt bikes with their accompanying riders too much of an obstacle. But these chaps get to live another day and tell the story of how unimaginably stupid they’ve been one day.
Now, if steering clear from the way of the approaching train only was an easy thing to do… but the height of the track itself and the fact that the bike was traveling parallel to it didn’t help at all. Technically, the good dynamics of the off-road bike’s suspensions would have made passing over the railroad track much easier… with an approach perpendicular to them.
Luckily, the riders barely managed to get themselves and their bikes out of harm’s way, with the train engine missing them by mere inches. A thousand-ton train is not a thing one can stop in several meters, and neither would it have found several dirt bikes with their accompanying riders too much of an obstacle. But these chaps get to live another day and tell the story of how unimaginably stupid they’ve been one day.
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