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Lofting the front wheel over an obstacle at the BMW Performance Center.
Lofting the front wheel over an obstacle at the BMW Performance Center. (BMW Performance Center/)

“The qualifier is not made to be easy,” says Ricardo Rodriguez, lead motorcycle instructor at the BMW U.S. Rider Academy. “It’s going to be challenging. We’re trying to find the best three riders to represent America. This is not a cake walk.”

To expose riders to what they can expect at the Trophy Qualifier and help them develop their own game plan for training, the U.S. Rider Academy offers a Trophy Prep course at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South Carolina, where the qualifier is also held. The two-day class not only exposes riders to an environment similar to what they’ll encounter in the qualifier, but gives them an idea of the qualities they’ll need to possess if they’re to represent their country in the International GS Trophy final—and it’s not all about riding skill.

Doing police-rodeo-style cone courses will be part of Trophy Qualifying. Here, the author successfully negotiates the “Head and Shoulders” course.
Doing police-rodeo-style cone courses will be part of Trophy Qualifying. Here, the author successfully negotiates the “Head and Shoulders” course. (BMW Performance Center /)

“The class is not intended to teach you how to be an off-road rider to get to the Trophy Qualifier,” Rodriguez says. “It’s intended to help build team camaraderie and encourage thinking outside the box. It’s going to let you know where you are physically, mentally, and where your riding ability is at.”

As the summer wound down, and with only three weeks before the qualifier, I made my way to South Carolina to attend the season’s final class. With so little time before my competitive debut, I wouldn’t have a lot of time to practice what I learned, but I hoped the experience would act as a dress rehearsal, that some familiarity with the environment would ease my nerves at the actual event. After two days of enduro riding, physical tests, and team challenges, I gained perspective on the progress I’ve made from two months of training. More than that, the class gave me my first inkling that the GS Trophy is about so much more than individual achievement.

As 13 of us, all astride rough-and-ready 1250 GSs borrowed from the Performance Center, rode toward the off-road area, the low thrum of a dozen other boxers reverberated through my helmet, into my bones, and out through the handlebars. Straightaway, it was clear: I wasn’t the only one out there.

Related: 2022 BMW GS Trophy Daily Report

Physical challenges test strength and endurance.
Physical challenges test strength and endurance. (BMW Performance Center/)

Those accustomed to riding in adventure rallies or in large groups may not be phased, but for those of us who typically ride solo or with a few friends, there’s something nerve-wracking about being surrounded by all those bikes and following a group of strangers around unfamiliar terrain. There’s a lot of input for the mind to process all at once. The butterflies in my stomach were trying to fly out of my chest as I tried to calm my beating heart. But pretty soon I was thinking: “The guy in front of me just made it up that hill, so I can too.” And I did. I stopped thinking too much. I relaxed on the bars. And with a few successes beneath the tires, I was on my way.

Using four wood planks as a bridge. Communication was critical to get the GS across without dropping a wheel in the gap.
Using four wood planks as a bridge. Communication was critical to get the GS across without dropping a wheel in the gap. (BMW Performance Center/)

After that, I began to revel in being out there on a GS. Since the last week of July, my personal motorcycles have gathered dust in the garage while I’ve been practicing slow-speed maneuvers on my GS press bike. I haven’t put a lot of miles on it, but if the odometer measured hours instead of miles (here, the comparison to a tractor is coincidental), it would paint a picture of a full riding season. My familiarity with the GS—its low CG, the clutch’s progressive engagement zone, the abundant low-rpm torque—is a refuge. Irrespective of its ultimate capability, the GS’ super power is the way it facilitates riders’ conquest of their own ultimate performance. Its ease of use is a bulwark against self-doubt and stress, which is especially useful considering the Trophy Prep course emphasized the importance of being able to perform in a stressful environment.

Trophy Prep participant, Mark Guerrero, in the challenge “The Blind Leading the Blind.” Guerrero had to ride through a cone course blindfolded with only the voices of his teammates to guide him.
Trophy Prep participant, Mark Guerrero, in the challenge “The Blind Leading the Blind.” Guerrero had to ride through a cone course blindfolded with only the voices of his teammates to guide him. (BMW Performance Center/)

To describe the correlation between stress and performance, psychologists use the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which states that human performance is at its peak when workload (or stress) is neither too low nor too high. As anyone who’s ridden a motorcycle knows, riding at a spirited pace on the street or track or pushing the envelope on technical off-road terrain boosts mental and physiological stimulation; a sympathetic bump in our own performance keeps us coming back for more. However, as the difficulty and unfamiliarity of a task increases, stress increases, and our performance suffers as a result. This is what we mean when we say we’re riding over our heads.

While our performance potential is inextricably tied to skill level, the Yerkes-Dodson Law conveys the significance of stress, and suggests that it’s a double-edged sword. Bringing the right attitude to one’s riding can curtail the harmful effects of stress, while losing one’s head can defeat even the most technically proficient rider.

Rodriguez says: “You get people who say they want it, but then they get super frustrated on the bike really quickly and they’re quick to quit. I’ve had folks here who will go work on a skill set and five minutes in they’re throwing the motorcycle on the ground and cussing. That type of personality and that type of attitude is not conducive to [performing well] here.”

The author carries a full water jug across a log as part of a physical challenge.
The author carries a full water jug across a log as part of a physical challenge. (BMW Performance Center/)

I’m far from being a zen master, but during the Trophy Prep course, when my early-morning nerves dissipated relatively quickly, I realized that I’ve started to cope with stress better. Two months of training has definitely strengthened my mind-over-matter muscle. When I dropped the bike, it didn’t diminish my resolve. I was quick to regain focus and leave my mistakes behind me. Maybe that’s the silver lining of dropping it so regularly while practicing.

While the prep course is not a skill-building course like other schools offered at the Rider Academy, we did briefly work on power slides, brake slides, and lofting the front wheel—skills that Rodriguez says are necessary in Qualifying and that BMW would prefer people have professional coaching in before trying them for the first time in the competition. I’ll confess that I’m not good enough yet to do a complete 180-degree turn using a brake slide and power slide, but that’s pretty high-level stuff for most riders. Still, I’m getting there and at least I know how to begin practicing efficiently.

While my riding skills have improved and I’ve become better at managing stress, come qualifying, I suspect I’ll be cursing the creators of the challenges when they require moves that exceed my abilities. At least I won’t have far to yell.

Traversing the head of the “Head and Shoulders” cone course.
Traversing the head of the “Head and Shoulders” cone course. (BMW Performance Center/)

“I love to create challenges,” Rodriguez says. “The semi-final is something I put together using elements from the Germany action pack. They give us a game plan and I pick ‘𝑥’ amount from there and then I go out on the property and figure out where it fits. The 21 challenges you’ll be doing out there [during qualifying] are prescribed from Germany, but I created some fun ones that you will be challenged by.

“With the Trophy prep class I take a lot more liberty on how I use the skill sets. I talk to the previous Trophy teams to learn where they did well, where they did poorly, and what challenges they saw. Then I design the prep course to have elements like they had in the final. It’s just to push people.”

Some of Rodriguez’s challenges have little to do with riding skill. For instance, “Hold My Beer,” a challenge he devised after being inspired by a bar game, is more about teamwork and honing communication skills.

Rodriguez explaining “Hold My Beer,” a GS-mounted version of a ring toss–style bar game.
Rodriguez explaining “Hold My Beer,” a GS-mounted version of a ring toss–style bar game. (BMW Performance Center/)

For much of the two-day course, I was part of a five-man team. We cheered each other on, looked out for each other, and helped pick up each other’s dropped bikes. Working together to transform a personal goal into a corporate goal became the most rewarding part of the entire experience.

Other than a half-day training with Shawn Thomas and Louise Powers and two days with Ben Phaup, my Trophy journey has been a solitary one. It’s been me leaving my family on the weekends to get in some practice. It’s been me and the GS in deserted parking lots. It’s been me waking up in the middle of the night, my mind racing through cone courses.

No matter how prepared I am—or am not—for qualifying, I know my experience is about more than just me. Qualifying is, after all, about forming a team—even, I suspect, for those who don’t earn a spot on Team USA. As qualifying approaches, there’s a lot to anticipate. Most of all, I’m excited about riding with my Trophy Prep classmates again, cheering them on, and celebrating their successes. I’m more prepared than ever.

The Trophy Prep class.
The Trophy Prep class. (BMW Performance Center/)

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