Dirt Riders race in Pendennis

PENDENNIS — More than 200 dirt bike riders from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and North Dakota converged on Pendennis, about 30 kilometres northwest of Brandon, over the weekend for the Rivers Dirt Rodeo.

Organized by Manitoba Dirt Riders Inc., the event featured hare scramble racing, an endurance-style competition that tested riders on a course combining wooded single-track trails, open grass sections, creek crossings, logs, tires, jumps and other obstacles.

Former Manitoba Dirt Riders vice-president Dan Huberdeau said the event is designed to offer riders of different ages and skill levels an opportunity to compete while also bringing families and the dirt-riding community together.

“This is what we call a hare scramble,” Huberdeau told the Sun. “It’s a one-hour or two-hour endurance race.”

The races were held across large sections of land featuring ravines, valleys, grass fields and wooded areas. Depending on the class and course conditions, individual laps could take anywhere from about 20 minutes to nearly an hour.

Huberdeau said the event has become a major family-oriented gathering, with parents and children often participating in different classes and families spending the weekend camping, barbecuing and socializing with friends.

Unlike motocross, which Huberdeau described as intense and highly competitive, hare scramble racing is designed more like a challenging trail ride, with the difficulty increasing as riders push their speed.

“It’s for everybody, absolutely everybody,” he said. “There are 60-year-olds that are still competing, and there are four-year-olds that are competing.”

The event included numerous classes, including the AA class for top-level male riders, an A class, veteran classes, sportsmen, women’s divisions and several youth categories.

The youth program includes a progression from pee-wee racing to youth and junior classes before riders move into the open categories.

Huberdeau said the growth in participation has been significant since Manitoba Dirt Riders held its inaugural race in 2008 in Miniota.

The organization is now regularly attracting more than 200 competitors to its races, compared with fewer than 100 riders at events 10 to 15 years ago.

There were 213 racers registered Saturday, with participation expected to reach approximately 220 by Sunday, according to Huberdeau.

The Rivers-area event was being held for the third year and has sometimes been referred to as the Brandon race because of its proximity to the city, he said.

This year’s event also presented organizers with a particular challenge because of water levels in the area.

Huberdeau said the normal creek crossing on the course was too deep for motorcycles, forcing organizers and volunteers to construct a metal bridge so riders could safely cross.

“There are always challenges, a little bit of last-minute preparation that might just affect the race line, and it gets altered,” he said.

However, he credited the event’s volunteers for quickly responding when problems arise.

“If there’s an issue, right away it gets solved. The people just come together and make it happen,” Huberdeau said.

The races are timed, with riders competing for two hours plus the completion of their final lap. Huberdeau said professional riders can complete a lap in roughly 40 minutes, while amateur riders may take 50 minutes to an hour.

For the top competitors, that can mean completing another lap after the two-hour mark if they cross the finish line before the time limit.

There was no cash prize for the winners. Instead, competitors received wooden trophies recognizing first-, second- and third-place finishes, with the competition also providing points toward season standings and, for many riders, bragging rights.

Among Sunday’s winners was Dunrea’s Teagen Reimer, who captured first place in the AA class.

Reimer, who has been racing for 14 years, said he enjoys the Pendennis course and was pleased with the result.

“It gives me some points,” Reimer said, noting that he is battling Noah Deschambault for points in the championship standings with one race remaining.

Reimer said the track presented some technical challenges but was enjoyable overall.

“It was fun overall,” he said.

The youth races earlier in the weekend also highlighted the organization’s emphasis on developing young riders. Pee-wee competitors, generally about four to nine years old, have their own track before progressing into more advanced youth and junior categories.

Huberdeau said seeing young riders develop over the years has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the organization.

He recalled seeing riders who were about seven years old when the organization began grow into much faster competitors in their late teens and early 20s.

For families involved in the sport, the weekend is about more than racing.

“They pack up the camper, and they load up their bikes, and they come out here,” Huberdeau said. “They congregate with their friends, and they have barbecues and potlucks, and some laughs, and just some good, wholesome racing with some competing in there.”

With participation continuing to grow, Huberdeau said the Rivers Dirt Rodeo reflects the broader strength of Manitoba’s dirt-riding community and the appeal of a sport that allows several generations of a family to participate together.

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