VIN BOLT ACTION:

WE RIDE MOTORBIKES AND E-BIKES WITH REIGNING SUPERENDURO WORLD CHAMP

-  Billy Bolt

When he's not riding a 50bhp motorcycle up and down cliffs,'hard enduro'star Billy Bolt spends his spare time riding mountain bikes.

So, who better to put the tiresome claim that 'e-bikes are just motorbikes' to rest? I've met up with him at Parkwood Outdoors in Tong, Yorkshire, to find out how he got into mountain biking, what he loves about the sport and whether he's any good at it. But first, he wants to test my mettle by putting me aboard his Husqvarna two-stroke. Gulp!

Kickstart

"You've ridden a motorbike before right?" asks Billy. "Um, yeah," I reply. "I've borrowed my dad's motocross bike and wobbled around an MX track on it, but that's about it. Can you give me a riding lesson? I'm not too sure I can handle one of these things!"

Thankfully, I'm in good hands. Despite battling injuries, 25-year-old Bolt was the first ever FIM Hard Enduro world champion - a discipline that sees riders tackle trials-style obstacles and extreme terrain against the clock on road-worthy enduro motorcycles. He's also notched up three consecutive wins at the FIM SuperEnduro World Championships (an indoor version of hard enduro, also known as 'endurocross') and is a previous World Enduro Super Series winner. All this means Billy's one of the lucky few to have earned a coveted Red Bull helmet, and counts big names including Husqvarna and Michelin among his sponsors - along with Santa Cruz Bicycles.