BMW RawHyde Adventure Rider Challenge Photo Gallery

The brave men of Team Size Doesn't Matter (left-right) JC Hilderbrand, Joe Egan and Chad Yoshitomi.

BMW RawHyde Adventure Rider Challenge

We removed the mirrors for the Pit challenge.

Jim Hyde gave every rider a personal send-off to get the 2009 event underway.

We kept a tight schedule in order to be back in time for the Rodeos, but there was plenty of opportunity to soak in the sights.

Riding out of the hills of Castaic was just the beginning of our trip.

Of Oceans and Dirt was the theme for the weekend and the camp awakened to a 300-mile counterclockwise loop toward Santa Barbara and the cool weather of the Pacific Ocean for Day 1.

Jim Hyde is the founder of RawHyde and originator of the Adventure Rider Challenge.

This classic BMW has taken a fair share of spills over the years. It took a few more in the ARC.

Each bike was tied off for safety as we dove into the steep entrance to the Pit.

This was steep!

The F800GS was a good match for the Pit where its narrow engine layout was far superior to BMW's traditional Boxer configuration.

Places to stand up and ride were scarce in the Pit.

The fastest team from Point A to Point B wins – the only problem is that everything between lies down a steep, rocky ravine with nothing more than a few wooden boards to span impassible gaps.

Before the rope was halfway up the hill to start with Joe, I was already forcing my way down the trail, bouncing off the sides and down dried rock waterfalls.

Riders struggled over obstacles with some of the heavier bikes which made the scoring adjustments an important factor.

Sitting in the shade and watching other teams come down was almost as much fun as riding it, and we witnessed skidplates and crash bars held on by a few bolt threads – some carried out by hand.

We paused for a break at one of the many camp sites along the route.

This road was filled with easy rollers that begged for long wheelies.

Miles of dusty roads and lonely highway are what adventure riding is all about.

The majority of the ARC event is spent on the scenic routes of the adventure course. This year had roughly 500 miles of paved and dirt roads.

The hot weather and the difficult terrain started to take a toll as the day wore on.

Brake, clutch and throttle - seems easy enough - but no dabbing your feet either.

Trying to get big bikes through the pendulums was even harder.

Soft soil made instant acceleration difficult.

From the saddle of my F800GS the course looks more like something out of an Indiana Jones flick – piled logs, sand traps, wood ramps and mud pits.

The mud pit was another key element in the individual skills test. It was actually two consecutive pools followed by a steep drop-off.