If you are familiar with the Erzberg Rodeo, you know what kind of amazingly challenging and grueling enduro event it is. And for the most part, riders compete on lightweight enduro bikes. Most of these bikes have displacements around 300cc and weigh about 350 pounds.

But if you are Pol Tarres, riding the Erzberg on a small machine is not enough of a challenge. For the 2023 event, Tarres again decided that his mount of choice would be a Yamaha Tenere’ 700.

He rode a Tenere’ 700 in last year’s Erzberg Rodeo, but the difference between that bike and his 2023 machine is unclear. Even if it was heavily modified, the bike likely weighed somewhere around 450 pounds. That’s about 25% more than most competitors. And in this case, that 25% equates to riding a bike around 100 pounds heavier than most other riders’ mounts.

Tarres ended his 2022 Erzberg Rodeo at checkpoint 17. The result was a 77th-place position, a remarkable feat considering the terrain and the overall size of his bike. For 2023 Tarres hoped to better his previous finish and complete the entire challenge.

At first, Tarres was at the front of the pack, holding off many enduro bikes. But as the course entered the woods, things got difficult for the heavier Tenere’ 700. Steep climbs through the forest, complete with big rocks and tree roots, slowed the going. Ultimately Tarres’ ride ended after checkpoint 16.

For all his effort, Tarres earned a 131st-place finish out of 500 riders. While that may have been a lower placing than in his 2022 run, it was truly an epic performance on a heavy bike among lightweight enduro machines.

And if you would like to see all the action from Pol’s cam, check out his video below.