When Nickolas Wortham first entered the Red Bull Romaniacs Competition in 2023, some people doubted his odds. On a mostly stock dirt bike, he joined more than 200 competitors in the silver class of the world’s toughest hard enduro race. By the end of four brutal off-road days, fewer than 70 riders finished. Wortham was one of them.

“I don’t necessarily race for a position,” Wortham said. “It’s not about being top ten. If you get to the finish line with a medal, you’ve won.”

A challenging course set in the Carpathian Mountain course lives up to its reputation. Riders face more than 400 miles of terrain, with endless climbs, steep descents and conditions that change by the hour. During the four-day off-road race, Wortham logged 260,000 feet of elevation change.

“It’s relentless,” he said. “You’re always climbing, descending, or side-hilling. There’s no time to relax.”

To train for Romaniacs, Wortham said he spent seven and a half hours on the bike each day. But preparation goes beyond strength; it’s about endurance and strategy, he said. A single mistake on a climb can sap energy and momentum. “It’s about being fast and smooth but also conserving energy,” Wortham said. “If you blow a hill and have to go back down, it takes a huge toll.”

For 2025, Wortham returned to Romania with bike suspension upgrades and setup from a close friend. Those improvements allowed him to ride more aggressively while managing fatigue. “The bike changes made a big difference,” he said. “It helped me push through long days and keep my focus.”

Even with added support, Romaniacs remains as much a mental test as a physical one. Wortham described entering a flow state to stay locked in over the long hours. “You can’t think about how far you’ve gone or how much is left. You just stay present, ride smooth and keep moving forward.”

The Grand Lake native said he credits Grand County’s high-altitude training environment with giving him an advantage overseas.

“Living and training at elevation definitely helps,” he said. “It makes race week at lower altitudes more manageable.”

For Wortham, extreme enduro is about grit and personal growth.

“I’ll keep racing,” he said. “It’s always been a passion. As long as I’ve got good people behind me, I’ll keep lining up at the toughest races.”