DECEMBER 3, 2022
EL HONGO, B.C. MEXICO
P62
OFF-ROAD I LOS ANCIANOS TECATE ENDURO
for life now, so I'd say I'm a
little tougher than before," said
Ramirez. "I literally dealt with
death a lot when I was really ill.
There were times I didn't know
if I would make it out of this
disease, so just to be out here
is a huge accomplishment. I had
some mental barriers during the
race that I had to like, just moti-
vate myself and stay calm and be
patient and told myself 'you'll be
fine, you'll be fine.' And I know
Kurt [Caselli] was watching over
me the whole race. I thought I
wasn't even going to finish after
loop two because I was pretty
much done, the longest that I've
win for me. Being able to actu-
ally race at a professional level,
is unbelievable, I am so grateful.
I haven't trained in six years; I
haven't been healthy enough. I
decided two weeks ago as I feel
kind of good. I did treatment on
Monday, and planned the week
so I could feel okay by Friday.
"This experience—this is just—
a big win for me."
Ramirez first raced the Los
Ancianos annual event when he
was just 11 years old on an 85cc,
and is one of the most beloved
racers to ever grace the Tecate
Enduro grounds.
"I have a new appreciation
for six long years due to a fierce
battle with Lyme disease, and
the last-minute decision to come
to Tecate was his debut return to
racing after the illness kept him,
at times, close to death's door
for so many years.
"I've been out for six years
battling Lyme disease," he said.
"So this is my first race back
since 2016."
When asked how it felt to be
back on a podium he replied,
"Amazing. At the beginning of my
diagnosis, I thought I wouldn't
ever be able to ride a bike again,
so just to be out here and be
able to ride again—it's a big, big
Maloney and Ferrante celebrate their 1-2.
