With the 2012 race marking the eighth edition of the Extreme XL Lagares, it also became the toughest, with only three riders officially reaching the finish line.
With an entry list comprising of some of the best extreme enduro riders in the world, Jarvis claimed a convincing win to place over 29 minutes clear of his closest challenger Gas Gas’ Dougie Lampkin.
Making short work of the incredibly beautifully but equally gruelling scenic landscape, Jarvis quickly opened up an early advantage during the opening stages of the main race after early leader Paul Bolton (KTM) snapped his chain.
Steadily working his way around the two and three quarter laps of the brutal 30km course, Jarvis eventually crossed the finish line as victor after over five hours of racing.
Jarvis battles on... © CMSteffen / KoEE
“I’m really relieved to reach the finish,” remarked Jarvis. “I think that is definitely one of the hardest races I’ve ever ridden. The challenge was to get grip. You had to push your bike in a lot of places with nowhere to rest. At one point I drowned my bike in a river crossing. I lost time trying to restart it and Dougie closed the gap once more. But when I got going again I was able to pull away. I’m really pleased to have extended my lead in the King of Extreme Enduro rankings and now look forward to the Red Bull Sea to Sky.”
Although entering the race as defending champion, Lampkin knew he had a real task on his hands to fend off Jarvis. Qualifying fourth in the prologue, Lampkin eventually came home as runner up though some 29 minutes behind Jarvis after almost six hours of racing.
Sore and exhausted after his ordeal in the Portuguese hills, Dougie explained about his day. "I think that's about the toughest event I have ever ridden in, I have got no skin left on my hands and my backside is pretty tender having ridden almost the last hour of the race without a seat. I would have liked to have been closer to Graham, but when I lost my seat I knew it was just a case of survival."
"Last year the event was pretty tough, but this year it has been bordering on ridiculous. I think the fact that there has only been three official finishers tells you as much as you need to know. Some of the guys who have ridden and completed Hell's Gate and Erzberg pulled out after the first third of a lap." Lampkin continued.
"Given the situation I am happy to have finished second, as Graham was always going to be difficult to beat as he is on top of his game at the moment and has ridden many more of these type of events this year compared to my handful of outings."
Lampkin crosses the finish line in second... © CMSteffen / KoEE
Continuing to show great grit and determination in international extreme enduro competition, Spain’s Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) remained on the podium for the second year running by remaining inside the allotted six hour allowance and placing third overall.
In the KoEE rankings Jarvis now holds a 28-point advantage over KTM’s Jonny Walker with just two races remaining.
*** For complete King of Extreme Enduro rankings visit: http://www.kingsofextremeenduro.com/
Extreme XL Lagares Pro Class Results:
1: Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 5h08m 2: Dougie Lampkin (Gas Gas) 5h37m 2: Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 5h53m
Detailed Results:
