words : Steph Vetterly photos : Patsy Davis
Rieju USA ’ s Quinn Wentzel , completed the latest SEER race 17 minutes ahead of his competition , earning both the event win and the lead for the 2021 season over DRT Husqvarna ’ s Ryder LeBlond .
Hosted by Kairos OHV Park in Glen Lyn , Virginia , SEER added a new challenge to the 2021 season with a one-loop course . It sounds simple enough , complete 26 miles within eight hours . Of course , there ’ s a twist : competitors had to navigate the rocky , hilly track guided only by GPS . With an 8am start time , there was little chance that riders would be riding in the dark , and with a good portion of the course overlapping Karios ’ existing trail system , Jared Spencer and Karios ’ own Travis Jackson made sure the risk of any of the 130 riders getting lost and unable to find their way was extremely low .
SEER Race Director Gary Barr used a random number generator to determine the starting order , which led to a fair blend of Gold / Silver class riders amongst the Bronze / Iron class riders . This also added an extra challenge , as a rider may not be able to follow those ahead for fear they were on a different course .
As Barr was also competing in the