Thank you to Lawrence Hacking for the following write-up and photos from his and his daughter Mia's trip to the Japan Enduro this year!
Hello fellow CMA members and CMA staff, Just a quick note to say thank you for getting us our licenses for our trip to Japan. Everything worked out really well, we had a great trip, we visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka before heading to the North Island of Hokkaido to ride the HTDE or Hidaka Two Day Enduro. The HTDE is one of the longest running (since 1986) and most famous enduros in Japan and has welcomed many well-known international riders over the years. This was the second year myself and our daughter Mia attended the event and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. The enduro features really interesting riding in some unusual (for us) terrain, it is very well organized with live, accurate timing, a stringent technical inspection and firm time schedule.
Friends in Japan, Mia Hacking in the Cross Test, and the Japanese MJF Federation
The enduro ran like clockwork, many volunteers make the event safe and fun, there were flag-persons at every road crossing and the trail marking system is exactly like the ISDE or a World Enduro. This year’s HTDE had 5 special tests and each day was 126 kms long. The riding varies widely, the cross test is held on a ski slope which is every enduro riders dream, there are lots of river and creek crossings, many kilometres of two-track forest road and the Extreme test is a tricky little section that had a few difficult loose gravel climbs and descents that challenged everyone. The social side of the HTDE is unforgettable, we have many friends who we visit with in the evenings, it makes our trip that much more enjoyable.
Haruki Hisashi (HDTE Organizer) with Lawrence Hacking, and Genji-san (our Support Crew) with Mia Hacking
The scenery on Hokkaido is spectacular, small, lush mountains abound, we felt privileged to be invited to ride once again and hope to return next year. I feel everyone should make there trip to Japan to visit, the culture is amazing, the food is excellent and the people are wonderful.
Very best regards
Lawrence Hacking
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