When 9-year-old Lee Fryberger’s eyes crossed the glossy pages of a dirt biking magazine for the first time, his future was decided.
“A neighbour of mine raced Suzukis at that time and then when I found his magazines, I was sucked in deep,” Fryberger said.
The first motivating experience Fryberger had was watching the USGP (United States Grand Prix of Motocross) at Carlsbad on ABC’s Wide World of Sports way back in the day. In more recent years, Fryberger was able to pre-ride the ISDE (The International Six Days Enduro) courses, officially with the organization, in New Zealand, Chile, and Portugal.
“At the time, I was still in shape and had decent speed and I didn't have to worry about test speed,” said Fryberger. “It was really neat to ride with former trophy riders from France, Italy, Sweden, and Spain.
“In Portugal in 2009, my speed was down so I was riding way back in the pack. We were travelling along a dirt road that wound through a forest. Suddenly we were climbing and I was passing the odd guy, then a few more guys, then I was wheelieing across deep rain ruts to cross the trail to get by other guys. When I came to a stop, I was an arms-length from the top of the hill, looking at the tops of everyone else's helmets. I had to brag to the riders at the paddock that I redeemed my poor performance on the trail by passing them on the vertical. Small victories, ha ha!”
Back in 2006, in Gorman, California, Lee Fryberger participated in Dirt Rider 24. “My one claim to fame,” he said. — Photo courtesy Lee Fryberger
Fryberger loves to travel and share racing experiences overseas with his friends. He even helped to create Xtinction, said to be one of Canada’s toughest off-road races, and ran it in 2010 and 2011 in Alberta.
“It gave us great pride to bring world class talent such as Graham Jarvis and Mike Brown to our community and—not only entertain—but show Canadians what is possible with a motorcycle in the world of hard enduro,” Fryberger said. “I value all the experiences I've shared on a bike with my friends and family.”
ON OUR RAD RADAR:
Rider: Lee Fryberger
Where: Wardlow, Alberta
Occupation: Runs a commercial cattle operation on the family ranch
Bragging rights: Pre-rode the ISDE (The International Six Days Enduro) courses, officially with the organization, in New Zealand, Chile, and Portugal.
Weapon of choice: 2018 Husqvarna FE 450 and KTM 990 Adventure
Local ride recommendation: All over Western Canada. “The land here is all private property—either highly productive farmland or prairie grasslands for grazing—so not much access to trail systems. The badlands near my neighbours’ are close and we take care of it as a token of appreciation to get access to it. For summer riding, when we have more time to travel, I ride eastern slopes. Mountains are the best. We are very fortunate to have such a great area to ride. I've reminisced with buddies that have ridden other countries in the world—whether it was six days or tours—and it's unanimous: Western Canada has epic lands to enjoy.” — Lee Fryberger
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