by Alex

My name is Alex Grace, I’m 29 years old and I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

I started riding dirt bikes a little over 3 years ago when a few of my friends kept telling me how much fun riding is and invited me out to ride with them. I picked up my first dirt bike without ever having rode one before. Luckily, they guided me in the right (and safe) direction and convinced me to buy a used KTM 250 4 stroke. Fast forward to today and I ride a 2020 KTM 300 XC-W TPI set up specifically for hard enduro. I use a drilled-out mousse bib in the rear with a super gummy tire. The essential bits such as radiator fan, skid plate, full-wrap handguards, disc guards etc. etc. It also has the
suspension re-valved for hard enduro which has really helped in gnarly terrain at slower speeds. Over the last three years I’ve raced in 11 hard enduros with 7 of them being SEER races. Between these events I try to ride at least once a week by doing XC races, going on long trail rides with
friends, or practicing on extreme terrain.

I would categorize myself as an ambitious amateur rider. Recently I raced the SEER “Nightmare”; A 3-hour hard enduro that take place at night! The conditions for the race were about as good as you could get. It was dry for several days leading up to the race and when the green flag dropped it was a perfect 70 degrees. About 80 riders took off in 4 classes; Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron. With SEER, everyone races on mostly the same course, but the bronze and iron classes bypass the most extreme sections. SEER has really done a great job over the last few seasons catering to riders of all skillsets. New this year, they’ve implemented “checkpoints”. Instead of being lap-scored, most SEER races score the number of checkpoints you reach in a time limit. This format gives you incentive to push for as many checks as you can without have to complete a full lap(s). The “Nightmare” started about an hour before sunset which gave most of us a good view of the course before the sun turned off and the lights turned on. I opted for a very inexpensive lighting set up
using 2 led flashlights zip tied to my visor, and a cheap led light bar wired into my headlight harness. This set up worked amazing and I didn’t even have to change batteries mid-race. I was surprised how little light was actually needed once it got dark. The “Nightmare” was my first-time racing in the silver class. With the conditions being so favorable leading up to race, I was felt I ready to test my abilities on the dry, rocky course. Spoiler alert: I was NOT ready! My troubles began at the first Gold/Silver split. The “favorable conditions” I had built up in my mind did not come to fruition. Once the Alabama rocks were marked up by a few tires or contacted with any moisture they became slick as ice. Couple that with huge ledges and rock walls, I was in for a beating. With no outside assistance allowed, it took me nearly 2 hours to reach the next Gold/Silver split (about 1/3 way through of the course). I never made it to the checkpoint after that but I’m told I completed about half the course in total. Outside of Gold/Silver sections the course was really fun with a mix of flowy single track, rocky hills, and couple spots I can only describe as a rock maze where being able to pivot turn was a must. At the end of 3 hours, I had placed last in my class but let me tell you, I’ve never had more fun losing! “Nightmare” was the most badass race I’ve done.

Racing at night was one of the coolest experiences not only in racing but riding. The course was well marked and I never felt like I was lost. I definitely got more than I bargained for racing in silver, but I’m glad I tried it because now I know what skills I need to work on to be ready to eventually try it again. For anyone on the fence about trying this race next year I’d say do it! SEER really knows how to put together a great race. See you the next one!