Other than a last-minute trek to Spain for a trackday and spanking a grand in the process, there aren’t many ways to enjoy two wheels at this time of year in the UK. Save for minimotos (the less said about that the better), pit biking or other child’s toys that can be ridden indoors, only off-roading is a viable two-wheeled activity. Even motocross tracks are becoming more prone to closing when the heavens open.
Instead of any of the above, we trekked into deepest, darkest Wales and paid a visit to the Mick Extance Kawasaki Experience for some enduro-based shenanigans. In true Welsh format, the nearest village sounds like someone has poured a bag of vowels onto a table, played a really pissed-up game of Scrabble and conjured up a name that nobody can pronounce.
Mick Extance is the UK’s most successful Dakar pilot, claiming five finishers’ medals and now puts all his experience into his, erm, experience. We joined our friends from Bridgestone for some winter megalolz onboard the fleet of KLX450s and attacked the 1500 acres under the guidance of Mick.
As you can see from the video, terrain ranges from fire roads to single-tracks, from motocross to nadgery trials sections, and the mid-Wales scenery is nothing short of stunning. The beauty of Mick’s school is it caters for every type of rider and every level of ability, his relaxed tuition technique brings instant confidence, and he’ll have you riding stuff that you’d never even dream of riding – total novices who have never even ridden a bike are hugely popular at Mick’s place. And the après ride is also top notch. Muddy rutting.
