Sharpening off-road moto skills with Gnarly Routes.

We recently had the opportunity to ride with Gnarly Routes, an off-road training and tour outfit owned and operated by former national-level riders and moto-industry veterans Cole Kirkpatrick and Russell Bobbitt. Cole, a professional racer at one point in his life, has nearly a decade and a half of national-level experience under his belt – including seven championships in a variety of series. Russell, on the other hand, is a five-time national Enduro champion who competed in that series for nearly 20 years – and is still going strong.

Gnarly Routes was born out of their desire to provide unique riding instruction and skill building for all levels of riders. It began when they searched for what they deemed the “ultimate riding experience” but couldn’t quite find it. Not your typical riders, the duo definitely has the qualifications to determine what falls into that “ultimate” category.

Cole and Russell each specialize in a different type of terrain, with Cole’s emphasis being riding in dry conditions, like riverbeds (or anything in Texas, really), and Russell tackles the woods and technical trail riding, which includes a good bit of needing to read terrain to successfully navigate a way forward. They also personally go with groups out on some of their rides, so you’re hitting the trails with some of the best of the best when you try out Gnarly Routes. They offer several trails across the country, which Cole and Russell refer to as “riding vacations.”

We met Cole outside of Post, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle for some dirt-bike fundamentals while working in some legendary red soil that includes some big elevation changes. The area has a long history of enduro racing and dirt-bike action, hosting numerous national races over the years. It was the perfect place to get a little dirty and up our game on the bikes.

Day one started with bike setup and ensuring all the equipment was up to the work ahead of it; that meant checking tire pressures, control placement, and setting the sag (how much your bike settles with your full weight is on it). Things like this was the focus before training even began.

After that, it was time to put in work. We started with corner drills in a rut track to ensure we got body positioning right, and we learned how to line up a turn with proper braking and exiting the turn with a controlled throttle. This was all accomplished while hitting the same marks in the corner within a rut, over and over again. The challenge came as the corner changes, which could bite a rider if they’re outside of the proper line. As a final test, we moved on to a figure-8 track, where body and bike positioning were learned, as that placement is paramount to stay smooth as riders transition their weight from side to side.

Cole emphasized the importance of using every ride to sharpen skills. These small incremental improvements can lead to big gains in confidence and bike-handling ability, which we saw firsthand. “We’ve got trails and even dirt roads that beginner riders can ride safely, and then we’ve got extreme terrain that AA and pro riders will also be entertained on.”

Over the next three days, we covered over 4,000 acres of private trails not even available to riding clubs. The last day was by far the most challenging, as we encountered the same trails on day one, but were offered the chance to purposefully take a few more gnarly alternate routes. The nights concluded with dinner in camp – which featured a large firepit surrounded by items found on the ranch over its century-long history. The final night was a little bit different; after riding ended for the day, everyone went back to Lubbock for dinner, and then we were driven to the local airport to head out the following morning.

Day two was where we put some of the lower speed skills into practice on the fast, open, and varied terrain. We learned to trail ride properly, pick the right line through obstacles, understand different traction levels, and how to actively respond to trail changes.

Following an AA rider like Cole enabled us to learn how to read the trail and adjust speed effectively to stay smooth and upright, no matter what was on a trail. In short, it’s all about progression; Gnarly Routes is dedicated to teaching the knowledge needed to get faster, and stay safe doing so, as we saw in our course.

Between the scenery, the top-notch instruction, challenges, comradery – and overall experience – it was clear Cole and Russell love what they do. They have a deep-seated desire to share their passion of riding with anyone willing to go the extra mile – or several – to find out what really makes for an epic trail ride, even if it means going through the gnarliest routes to get there.

For those looking to take their riding skills to the next level, check out Gnarly Routes and book a trip for you and your crew.