Romaniacs is arguably one of the most iconic hard enduro races in the world and a bucket list event for many offroad riders. While everyones experience of the race is unique and undoubtably challenging, it’s the gold class riders who take riding in the Carpathian mountains to a whole new level. Matthew Green and Francesc Moret, our Plews supported riders took on the 2025 Game Changer edition. Let’s take a look at how their racing week unfolded.
Prologue
No matter how many times you’ve raced Romaniacs the prologue is always an exciting yet potentially terrifying track. This was Matt’s 7th time at and Francesc’s 3rd taking on the iconic prologue. This year the course was considered easier than in 2024 but not as flowy, which meant riders had to constantly stay alert and navigate through each section. Matt said it was a sick track and finished in P14 with Francesc closely behind in P15.
Photo credits: Attila Szabo / Red Bull Content Pool
Day 1
The first offroad day of racing is often approached with some excitement to get out into the mountains but also hesitation. It is well known that while you certainly don’t win Romaniacs on the first day, it is a crucial day to put down some fast times and clear the track with as few mistakes as possible as this day can really set riders up for success in the long run.
Matt finished day 1 in P9 with a total ride time of 7h20m26s.
Francesc finished day 1 in P10 with a total ride time of 7h37m33s.
Photo credits: Attila Szabo / Red Bull Content Pool
Day 2
Offroad race day 2 is the first half of the marathon stage where riders spend the night in a different city. There are no teams or service crew, just the riders and a very limited amount of tools available for riders to work on their own bikes. It’s important to ensure not only rider but bike safety on this day as any issues will most probably be carried into day 3.
For Francesc the goal is to finish each day with no mistakes and no crashes. “If you have one big crash, you’re out”. He had a solid day of racing on day 2 and finished in P7 on the day with a total ride time of 5h20m19s.
Matt was running in P6 on day 2 but had some technical issues which affected the day and left him pushing the bike close to the finish. Not only that but his cellphone was emergency locked for 17 hours which is undoubtably the last scenario you’d want to find yourself in after a long day. Matt finished day 2 in P14 with a total ride time of 6h39m33s.
At this point it’s important to know that riders have results for each day that are combined into overall results. Overall after offroad day 2 Francesc is in P8 and Matt in P11.
Photo credits: Attila Szabo / Red Bull Content Pool
Day 3
Another early morning for riders, especially for the gold class. Most riders are eager to make it to the service point of day 3 as they get to connect back with friends, family, teams and service crews. It generally consists of a good debrief of the previous day’s racing and events and some strategy heading into the final day. On day 2 service point riders usually change their tyres to last until day 3 service point. Looking ahead at day 4 riders will need to choose wisely as their next tyre will probably need to last 1.5 days and bring them across the finish line.
Matt mentioned that is was a “pleasant day” consisting of nice easy flowing sections. The hardest section for gold class riders on this day was the LIVEmaniacs.
Francesc finished day 3 in P9 with a total ride time of 6h53m37s.
Matt finished day 3 in P10 with a total ride time of 6h54m54s.
Overall after offroad day 3 Francesc sits in P7 and Matt in P9.
Day 4
The final day of Romaniacs is where most riders need to dig deep. The last day of waking up early, blistered hands, soggy feet and aching muscles. Riders are pushing against mental and physical constraints to make it up the final hill and across that finish line.
Matt ends offroad day 4 in P9 with a total ride time of 6h1m43s. OVERALL Matthew Green finished his 7th Red Bull Romaniacs in P10 having spent 26h59m16s on the bike over 5 days. Having had 2 bike breakdowns and his race team unavailable for full support, this is an impressive performance, especially if you’ve seen the what the gold riders are up against. It may not have been the result he wanted but certainly a decent result considering.
There is almost nothing sweeter than a Romaniacs finishers medal and a good glass of cold beer! Doing well at Romaniacs is an incredible achievement, it is not by chance but rather proof that you have been fast and consistent all week. Some say Romaniacs is like a drug, it just keeps you coming back for more. Even though you are fully aware that a finish is not guaranteed you come for the challenge, the community, the experience, the view and of course to cross that finish line.