Three soldiers from the Welsh Guards took on the worst the British winter could throw at them this weekend when they competed in the RAF Ardura in Bagshot, Surrey. The men make up the British Army’s first Infantry Enduro Bike team and were competing over a tough nine mile loop through the dense Surrey woods. They battled fallen trees, ravines, obstacles and knee deep mud, in raw conditions for a relentless three hours. The winner has to complete the most laps of the course in the time. The Welsh Guardsmen were racing against 150 military riders but amazingly all three ended the day in the top five of their class. Sergeant Paul Simons, from Pontypool, is the most experienced member of the Welsh Guards’ Team, with an incredible 20 years’ Enduro experience. Colour Sergeant Dean Hughes, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, has three years’ experience and Sergeant David Scarf, from Aberdare, has been riding for five years though this was his first outing in the Clubman class. Colour Sergeant Hughes said: “Enduro is a really popular sport in Wales… so it made sense for the Welsh Guards to be represented. As soon as it was recognised as an Army Sport we formed the team, and now that the Regiment has relocated from Hounslow to Pirbright we can train every week, which has made a massive difference to our abilities. There’s an off road driving training track nearby that we can use and military jet washers to clean the bikes down after they’re caked in mud from the course.” Enduro has been popular in the Army for many years but has always been an exclusively Corps sport. The Welsh Guards are pioneers for the infantry and hope other units will join them. “It’s such a friendly sport,” said Dean, “everyone helps you out and passes on tips – which is good because every time you go round the track it’s different. With 150 riders competing on the course it’s changing every minute a rider goes through as they create new ruts and tracks. You have to find your own line, but the biggest challenge is staying on! We all fall off and end up caked in mud!”
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 10:35:42 +0000