My First Off-Trail Adventure: Riding in an Enduro Paradise

I can hear myself gulp as Richard, our instructor, goes through the safety briefing and warns us not to put our hands out if we fall. The impact, he explains, along with the weight of your bike, might break our fall but would also break a few bones in the process. “You’ll be fine,” laughs Richard’s wife, Marie-Ange, registering the fear on my face. “Just try to relax and have fun.”

Today, I’m dipping my toe into the world of enduro riding at Exclaim Enduro in Parekklesia, Cyprus, a scenic village in the hills of Limassol with land for miles around that’s perfect for off-road adventures. As a fairly new rider who was quite nervous on the road until recently, today feels like a big step. Even getting onto the 240cc AJP dirt bike feels like climbing onto a horse after a year of riding my little 125cc café racer-style motorbike.

Following an off-road trail in the outskirts of Pareklissia.

After a short ride through Parekklesia, we pull up to a quiet, rocky stretch of land that’s ideal for putting to practice some of the techniques Richard has shown us. At first, everything I’ve been taught—like leaning away from the bike when riding around corners, sitting on the balls of our feet and leaning back when going downhill—feels counterintuitive and I instinctively resist some of this. The bike reacts by bouncing over rocks and making me feel as though I’m one step away from being thrown off. But after lots of patient instruction and careful supervision, I slowly start to grow in confidence (Richard never pushes you to do anything that you won’t feel safe doing, or that he doesn’t think you’ll safely manage). As soon as I start doing some of the things that felt so unnatural at first, the bike feels different beneath me; our relationship has changed.

On a long trail, after a couple of minor mishaps, I start to feel more in control of my riding and begin to enjoy myself and relax, just as Marie-Ange told me I would. Easing into the ride, I feel the freedom of being off-road, as though I’m being carried, rather than dragged, over the rocks and manage to travel up and downhill more smoothly as I take in the vast, dry landscape against a piercing blue sky. As the least experienced enduro rider of the group, I’m a bit slower than the others but the billowing clouds of dust ahead tell me which way to go. The trail feels like a rollercoaster as we negotiate twists, turns, rises and falls on uneven, bumpy ground.

Heather putting some of her Enduro training into action.

Cooling off after a sweaty ride that was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating, I enjoy a cold beer with Richard, Marie-Ange and the rest of the group. At the start of the trip, I was convinced I’d really struggle to adjust to this very different way of riding but am surprised by how far I’ve come in such a short space of time. Most importantly, thanks to the sort of training that takes you just out of your comfort zone while respecting your limits, I was left feeling a more confident rider, keen to get back on the bike and build on the skills I’d learned.

An off-road Autumn ride in Pareklissia with Exclaim Enduro.

Heather Blackhall lives in Working, Surrey rides a BX 125 and has been riding since October 2020. Before this, she had no road experience but was inspired to learn to ride after hearing about some of her partner, Luke’s amazing journeys to Picos de Europa and the Arctic Circle on his Yamaha XSR 700. So far, she’s ridden around Surrey, from London to Wales for a camping trip and has completed her first enduro training day in Parekklisia, Cyprus. She hopes to get her license within a year and would like to complete the Rider 1000 circuit in Spain once she has some experience of riding abroad under her belt.