Last year, Louise Mitchell and husband Neil Pond tackled the KTM Adventure Rally Canada in its first run-through out of Auberge du Lac Taureau, about 2.5 hours north of Montreal, Quebec. They went back this year, hoping to repeat last year’s win in the R2 category. Here she is, to tell us how that went—Ed.

一程就像没有其他…团队合作是必须的;遵循一个line through the countryside on your preferred Garmin device; socialize; meet old and new friends; and ride! Once again, Neil and I were off to the KTM Adventure Rally Canada; once again, it was based in Quebec.

Arriving at Auberge du Lac Taureau feels like arriving home, with the familiar KTM regalia flying in the wind, and the Red Bull arch set up and ready at the start line. This is my second time at this site for the KTM Adventure Rally and my anticipation is not misplaced! Arriving at one of the most organized registrations I’ve ever seen I was greeted right away like an old friend. In fact there were even old friends in line. After completing registration and finding our room, we relaxed before the mandatory Riders Meeting.

晚餐前我们都满足,得到了to the KTM team. Under direction of the Marketing Manager, Allison Thompson, these wonderful people work tirelessly in the weeks leading up to the event. And to streamline the meeting even further, we have two meetings, one in each official language (a rally in Quebec would pretty much require both French and English meetings). The rules are simple and straightforward, as one would expect, including reminders for safety. Each team is supplied with the track for the day and an InReach device, supplied by the track makers Rando Raid Canada. By now we’ve all received multiple emails reminding us to bring water and snacks, but as usual KTM comes through with bagged lunches and some water for each day. We’re also reminded to bring some repair tools, as we are in the wilderness of the Lanaudière region and there is scant cell service; CAA won’t find you. However, should a real emergency occur, the Guardian Angel, Dominique Lefebvre of Rando Raid Canada, WILL find you. In fact, she monitors all of us as we ride.

Today began with a power failure. It has become more common with the extreme weather, but that does not dampen the spirits of the KTM riders. This is the most relaxed rally start in the lifetime of rally starts. Your team number coincides with your start time. My husband, Neil Pond, and I were Team 34, which meant we should start at 8:34 AM. Teams leave at one -minute intervals to reduce bottlenecks on the trails. But things were relaxed, and with the power failure causing delays, we didn’t set out until about 9:15 AM. No worries from us. This was a relaxed ride and we were excited to see the trails. There is plenty of room for the 43 teams composed of 134 participants.

Today will be 60 percent paved and 40 percent unpaved. Because we’re mainly on road, we’re going to cover ground, and we have to be watchful for a random turn off. Of course I missed the last one of the day and laughed. I zoned out, which can happen. Unpaved surfaces include gravel roads, double track and ATV/snowmobile trails, and single track doable on big bikes—an added challenge they sneaked in this year.

Gravel roads through the Lanaudière tourist region are exceptional. They’re flat and wide and easy to ride. The occasional vehicle kicks up the dust but it settles quickly and gives me the exfoliating spa experience my face has come to expect. With dips and sweeping corners there’s nothing to dislike about riding these. The openness gives me time to think and watch for wildlife. Crows are common, along with hawks, grouse and the occasional ground hog.

The roads and trails have slippery patches in the morning. This adds to the excitement of trying to watch the navigation and the trail. By afternoon most trails are dry, and it is very hot and muggy. I’m wearing full road gear and feeling it. Even though I drink extra water I do not need to make any pit stops. So I drink more, and then get concerned in case I have to make a pit stop in the woods. There are noticeably less mosquitoes this year and they will have a hard time getting through my gear as long as it stays on.

At lunchtime we pull over at the edge of Mastigouche Wildlife Preserve, not far from St. Alexis des Monts. My husband wants to ride over to the picnic tables. Knowing it’s a navigation rally I pull rank. Noooooo! Leave the bikes here and we will walk! We have a splendid lunch and I’m able to use an air conditioned washroom in the tourist center. From here we continue through la Zec Lavigne and Mont Tremblant National Park. The navigation is fairly easy on these well worn trails, and the scenery is spectacular.

Riding along Rang Ste Louise was fun. I’m not often on a self-named road. Laughing out loud as I turn off, I continue to enjoy the scenery of the village of St. Zénon. We stop here for popsicles. As we walk about we notice a beast laying on its side. One of the riders has punctured his crank case. Sadly we don’t have any JB Weld, but they do have someone on the way to assist. This is one of the realities of off-road riding. It’s not necessarily something you did or didn’t do. And it happens more often than you realize.

Day 2 starts much the same relaxed way as Day 1, but without the power failure. The trails will be spectacular today; there is no pavement. I am looking forward to this, and I am not disappointed! We traverse gravel roads putting in some peg-weighting practice to make my ride smooth. Then the fun begins off-road with some ATV trails and some single track. As I approach the single track, I check my navigation. Should I really be turning off here? There are the times you must trust your devices and your intuition. I turn, and I’m rewarded with the vision of previous bike tracks. If you were close enough behind me you would have heard laughter. This sweet single track was just enough to give us R2 riders a tingle. The smooth dirt of the track was guarded by tall weeds and grasses making me feel like I was parting waves in a field. There was just enough forward track visible to keep my ride smooth and accurate, and stay ahead of my husband.

With a few final trails to put in before lunch, we enjoy the scenery. As the front rider and navigator I am the first one to see wildlife on the trail and also the first one to scare it away. As I spot a deer ahead, I slow and reach for my phone to take pictures. They’re never as good as the real thing but they are sufficient for my memories. As we wind our way into Manawan I am amazed that the scenery is as captivating now as it was at the start. There are pockets of homes along the route so we keep our speed reasonable and enjoy the views across many ponds, streams and small lakes. Arriving at the lunch stop we meet R1 and R2 riders. Unfortunately, some riders have had enough, and from lunch they will take the “bail out” route.

“救助”路线提供许多集会。我t’s a safety feature so that you can find your way back to the start in a more direct way. I have to say that sometimes it is a harder decision to take the bail out, than to continue riding. And those who choose to stop are often wiser than those who continue.

After a fantastic lunch in the sun, we head out for the last section of the ride. Unaware that my husband’s GPS is correct and 30 km ahead of mine -even though we’ve ridden the exact same tracks, I feel pretty good about our chances for clean navigation. The afternoon is more of the same, and not. The wild ferns continue to bow to the trails as we pass, and they make me smile. Long after I’m gone, will they remember me? I will remember them!

Stopping by a stream we are not attacked by mosquitoes. Instead I’m captivated by all the butterflies. Neil has gone to the water to refresh his neck gaiter in the cold water and I’m looking at all the plants, and hoping that when we continue we will still be on these narrow gravel roads. The narrow gravel roads give me time to think about how awesome it is to breathe in the greenery. I ride with a grin

Passing multiple beaver ponds we wind our way back to Auberge du lac Taureau. But not before a final surprise, la Roche. La Roche is a cool rocky slope. From a distance it looks intimidating, but I hear one of the voices in my head say, you got this. And I do. Neil Pond blasts up behind me and we continue upward to a breathtaking view. Riding the mixed palette of scenery, trails, rocks, road and sand for two days has regiven me appreciation of nature and confidence in my riding.

At the award dinner I find out that my odometer is “off,” and even though I have ridden the exact same course as my husband, our totals do not agree. Averaging our kilometers we are third. After the initial sting, I am not bothered. Winning is tertiary to the riding and the people! (But I will be talking to a guy about my bike!).

Adventure riding is what it is… adventure riding. Step into your boots, strap on your helmet and slay the trails. No matter where we place, it is always an amazing ride.

Want to try the Canadian KTM rally for yourself? The event never runs in the same place for more than a couple of years, so stay tuned for an announcement of a new location in early 2024.

---

Stephanie Yankovich and the Dirt Riding Dames show female riders a path off-road

Making her debut at the 2023 KTM Adventure Rally, Stephanie Yankovich and the women’s team were unstoppable on the trails. Yankovich rode the KTM 390 Adventure on the R2 section of the KTM Adventure Rally. Allison Thompson said that KTM wanted to make a special effort to promote female participation at the rally this year. ”

“We knew that a lot of ladies were missing out because they were intimidated by this type of riding, especially before the KTM 390 Adventure arrived,” Thompson said. “Now that we have a motorcycle suited for smaller bodies, we knew that we could entice more women riders. We know that you cannot not have fun riding offroad surrounded by beautiful scenery and friends. The KTM Adventure Rally has routes suited for a variety of riding levels so once the message got out that there’s a place for smaller, less hardcore riders, we attracted a larger group of ladies who all had a blast while boosting their confidence at the same time! They are now hooked on adventure riding.”

我caught Stephanie on her way to GP Bikes and we had a chat. After comparing injuries, we talked bike!

Stephanie ended up at the rally when Allison Thompson, KTM’s chief marketeer, sought her out for a spot on newly created women’s team for this year’s KTM Adventure Rally. All of us agree that there is a growing interest from women who want to enter adventure biking and the off-road riding world. Stephanie and I are often the only women, or one of a very few, attending an event, and a team like hers at the event shows even more female riders that they’re fully capable of an adventure like this.

Coming from an enduro background, this was one of Stephanie‘s first times on a larger bike off-road. (And now she wants one.) A fan of long enduro events, Stephanie has been involved for ten years or so, completing Rally Connex’s Dacre event in 2022. She organized theDirt Riding Dames moto group和通用电气一直有意参与tting women into the sport.

Usually found riding her GasGas EC250 Enduro, for this event Stephanie was on a KTM 390 Adventure. This bike is the smallest of the the KTM Adventure bikes and there is hope that it will appeal to women getting into the adventure bike scene. For Stephanie, it proved quite handleable on the R2 section of the Rally.

Led by Yankovich with Cyndi Martin, Cecilia Lai, and Viola Mader the team was made up of a variety of abilities, but gelled quickly as soon as they got together. With her prior experience navigating Stephanie was the natural choice for navigator. Not used to standing while navigating proved interesting. But she was up for the challenge. With two days to practice, and a very supportive team of ladies, she could only get better. Team spirit was not lacking as the new team enjoyed all the roads and trails. Stephanie said, “This event was a class act, well-organized and super fun. I will be back.”