Jasperite tops dirt bike circuit

It’s a long way to the top, but dirt bike racer Joe Bartziokas has made it. 

But it didn’t come easy.

The Jasper man trained harder, rode more and pushed through extreme conditions to finish first place in the provincial dirt bike circuit, finishing the last race at Crowsnest Pass with more points than any other rider in the province in the intermediate category.

Based on cumulative points system throughout the year, Bartziokas was only two points ahead of the second place rider going into Crowsnest Pass.

“I came third. It was actually one of my worst races. I still managed third, so I was pretty happy. I knew I had to beat one guy, it was pretty close,” he says.

But winning races isn’t just about pushing the gas pedal, it’s like taking a dirt bike through a mountain bike trail, going over waist high logs. There’s a trials element to riding in the bush too, he adds, a lot of throttle control, a lot of balance, but fitness is the biggest part. It’s all cardio he says, the riding is the training.

“It’s harder than any sports I’ve ever done. You know, we’ll race for two and a half hours in plus 30 weather. You have your gear on, some of the these guys I race with don’t even finish, they just pull off, it’s too hot.”

On one of the hottest races of the year Bartziokas actually threw up in his helmet. Despite having to stop and throw up in the middle of the race, he still finished third that day.

More than 50 racers compete in the Alberta circuit, and after 10 races, riders are allowed to throw away their three worst scores, after which the rider with the most points wins. While some riders were throwing away DNF’s, Bartziokas says he threw out an eighth place, a sixth place and a fourth place – meaning he was more consistent throughout the whole series.

But Bartziokas isn’t alone on his ride to the top, he has the help of his girlfriend Valerie Grunwald who is at every race in the pit, fueling his bike, giving him food and cooling him down with water on the hot days. “She was a huge part, she has helped me in the pits, and I definitely couldn’t have done it without her this year.”

Along with Grunwald is Bartziokas’ friend Bob Jones, who helps him with his bike. They had brake issues throughout the season, and he says he raced quite a few races with bad brakes before they found the problem.

Now that Bartziokas is the intermediate champ, he’ll be racing in the pro series next year, where there is prize money to be won, but where the competition will be much tougher.

Realistically, he says he’ll be lucky to break into the top five in a race next year, but he’s optimistic, and will be looking for some new sponsors more along the same program as him. “I’ll look at dirt bike shops, anything, gear, tires, goggles,” he says.

Just from going to races alone this year Bartziokas estimates it cost him more than $6,000 for the gas to get there, race entry fees and hotels. That doesn’t include the four days he trains during the week, usually near Hinton, since he can’t ride in the national park.

But will the Jasperite be looking to make this a career? Not likely, he says. “I don’t think full time is realistic. The number one pro who’s racing is a firefighter. So, he even has a job. We don’t do it for the money, we do it because we love it. Racing is fun.”

It’s a big social event he adds, explaining he knows a lot of the other riders, and only has a friendly rivalry with them.

“It’s not all serious when we get there, we all have fun. I’ll be at the starting line joking with a guy. It’s two and a half hours, so you can’t be angry. You just go, and you ride your own race for two and a half hours.”

And that’s what he’ll be doing next year, except now we can call him a pro.