A 21-year-old Teifi Valley motorcyclist is flying the flag for Wales in one of the toughest off-road races on the FIM calendar.

Rhys Evans from Newcastle Emlyn , is currently enduring extreme heat as temperatures hit over 40 degrees in the FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE), held in San Juan, Argentina.

Rhys is riding with the Dyfed Dirt Bike Club, based in Lampeter, which is the only UK club team represented at the event.

The event began on Monday and as the riders entered their third day, Rhys and his racing colleagues, namely Neil Hawker and Jac Proberts, were still going strong, flying the flag for their local club as well as for Wales.

The FIM ISDE is the longest-running off-road motorcycle race on the FIM calendar, after being established 110 years ago. The first event took place in the United Kingdom back in 1913.

The race is held annually, with the only exceptions being stoppages for world wars and most recently the COVID pandemic in 2020.

As the name suggests, the FIM ISDE takes place over six days of racing and is a true test of the rider and the bike's mechanical reliability in a format that has largely remained unchanged during the last one hundred years.

Each day competitors face a course of over 100 kilometres that will be completed twice. Riders must adhere to a strict time schedule to complete each day without time penalties.

Along the loop are three timed special tests of varying length. These times are added together, along with any penalties accumulated, to determine the overall results. The day six final test is a mass start motocross race.

Adding to the uniqueness of the event, no outside assistance is permitted. Once a rider and machine start the event, it is their responsibility to reach the finish line unaided.

At the end of each day riders are allocated 15 minutes for necessary work, including tyre changing, oil changes, and servicing. Their motorcycles are then placed in a restricted access area overnight and riders are allowed a further ten minutes each morning prior to starting, to do any additional work.

Help is only available from service crews for refuelling or the cleaning of number boards.