Free riding with the Enduro in Kenzingen

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My buddy Micha, known from the Caterham article, asks if we want to get a bit dirty at the end of the season. Every year at the end of the season there is a“free ride” at the enduro site in Kenzingen. I’ve been enduro hiking several times, including in and Australia, but I’ve never been to an enduro site.

Luckily I was able to borrow the KMT 450 EXC from Steffi, Micha’s daughter. Micha still had some old enduro clothes for me – off we go! We set off on Sunday morning with Micha’s KTM Freeride 250 and the 450 EXC on the trailer in the direction of the . On the spot, we find almost perfect conditions for enduro riding. It had rained lightly the days before, the ground was slightly muddy, so the studded tires could interlock perfectly with the ground and there was no need to swallow dust from the rider in front.

A small steep slope in Kenzingen

I’ve ridden enduro bikes before, but never on a course. That’s why Micha starts by teaching me the basics – how to shift my weight correctly when cornering and how to brake. So far, I’ve always ridden corners the wrong way. When riding an enduro bike, it’s important to put weight on the footrest on the outside of the corner, you take the weight off the footrest on the inside of the corner and can even take the leg on the inside of the corner off the footrest. To be able to ride particularly tight bends, such as a tight slalom, you have to shift your buttocks to the outside of the bend to push the bike even deeper and thus reduce the radius of the bend. I’ve never consciously practiced this before and it’s not intuitive compared to a road bike. You don’t lean into a bend, you lean out of a bend. I was then able to test the difference in a tight slalom. Before, with the normal steering technique, I only got through every second cone. With the right pushing technique and footrest load, I managed to ride through every cone. You can find more information on enduro riding technique here. You can find a detailed report on the subject of footrest pressure from the Institute for Two-Wheeler Safety here.

Slalom riding with the Enduro

Now the real fun can finally begin and we explore the enduro terrain together. The course in Kenzingen isn’t actually that big, but there are so many different obstacles and variations that you can let off steam for a long time. Of course, I didn’t master all the obstacles on the first day, but I was able to try out and successfully master a lot, from various steep slopes, narrow paths and tunnels to hilly tracks and small obstacles. In the end, however, I ended up taking an involuntary dip – in the only deep puddle on the course – it was bound to happen… I’m definitely hooked and will be back next year. Then I’m sure I’ll be able to tackle one or two more obstacles.