Three days of mud, climbs, and controlled chaos – the KTM Adventure Rally 2026 in Goa pushed riders to their limits. Shaun Pais shares a first-hand account of navigating punishing terrain, testing his machine, and learning a thing or two from some of the best.
The adventure biking storm has boomed in India and how. There’s an Xpulse, Himalayan or an ADV 390 at every corner. And it all makes sense, especially when you see the road conditions. Potholes the size of craters, speed breakers that compete with small hillocks and the odd patch of loose gravel that’s out to surprise you. Every time you step out in India, an adventure lies ahead, whether you like it or not.
So it’s only natural that the Indian bikers would arm themselves with ADVs. But do these motorcyclists ever experience true adventure beyond the concrete jungle? Will they ever get to operate their motorcycles in the conditions they were designed for? Do they know where their own and their machine’s limits lie?
That’s where the KTM Adventure Rally comes in. And the answer lies in a multi-day, off-road riding event organised exclusively for KTM adventure motorcycle owners.
Some of the previous countries to host the rally have been Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and a couple of European nations. And for 2026, the Adventure Rally finally landed on the shores of Goa, India. And if the rally itself wasn’t exciting enough, we’d be riding alongside the legendary Chris Birch. To the world, Chris is a champion at the 2010 Red Bull Romaniacs, has had multiple wins at Roof of Africa and was even a finisher at the Dakar Rally. To me, though, he’s the superhuman who tosses around big 800cc motorcycles as if they were bicycles. Yeah, we’ve all seen those YouTube videos.
It’s been around six months now that I’m a proud owner of Lambi – my 390 ADV S, what better place to break her in than here? And with that, I, along with around 100 enthusiastic participants, made my way to the Club Mahindra Assanora in Goa.
KTM Adventure Rally 2026, here we go!
Day 0
The 9.5-hour sprint from Mumbai to Goa was hot and sweaty, but the second I parked my motorcycle in the sea of other KTMs, my excitement spiked. Our schedule showed no programming till late evening, so I looked forward to a cold shower to wash and maybe taking an old-fashioned susegad siesta. That’s just when the PR team let me know that they’ve got me 15 minutes for an exclusive chat with Chris. The shower could wait; off I went to meet the man himself, still in half my riding gear.
We gathered in the evening for the briefing. Nelly, the famed motorcycle trainer, explained this year’s format to us. We were to be split into five teams with an expert trainer leading (trying to make sure that we wouldn’t do too many stupid things). Ouseph Chacko, Navi Kumar, Sangram Patil, and Altaf Khalifa are some of the finest names in Indian motorcycling and having them lead us and teach us along the way was a treat we weren’t expecting. I was elated that the leader of my team was none other than threetime National Champ Dev Venkatesh on his brand new 890 ADV R.
Day 1
Quick breakfast, and we gathered at the KTM Village – parking lot filled with a swarm of orange motorcycles and excited faces. Dev barked, “Team Bravo, assemble” – and gathered us for the final briefing. We’d be riding northward to the Arambol plateau. What Dev told us is that a ‘GPX’ location would be dropped, and we could use it to navigate or just tail them to the location. What Dev didn’t tell us was that he’d be zooming off the first chance he got, so we’d eventually have to resort to navigating everything ourselves. After getting lost at a couple of spots, I finally made it up the incline and reached the location.
The Arambol plateau is the last piece of land between Goa and Maharashtra, and just the Tiracol bridge separates the two states. Here’s where the KTM team had a couple of surprises for us: The Chillies. A set of obstacle courses that use natural geography to test our capabilities in different off-road situations. Some Chillies had us riding in mud at tripledigit speeds, while some tested our riding over rocks at crawling velocity.
The final and most difficult obstacle was the Quarry. A low-speed but highly technical circuit that tests your control, body movement and decision-making. It ends with a steep climb that looked almost impossible to scale on a motorcycle, at least to me. I saw a few guys crash out at this final incline, which was indicator enough that I shouldn’t attempt it. But then again, mama raised no quitter, so I cracked open the throttle and went hard. I ended up crossing the climb, but landed all weird, finally crashing with Lambi planted over me. Good boots and gear saved me from any serious injury, and I walked away, unhurt but definitely shaken.
Back at the hotel, the adrenaline finally wore off, and that’s where the pain came in. Ice the foot, pop a painkiller and say a prayer. Just Day 1 and I was overwhelmed already!
Day 2
The longest day of the rally had us in the saddle for around 200 km as we made our way to Netravali. Nestled deep in the southeast corridor of Goa, this route had us cut through a forest. Warning signs of monkeys, bisons and leopards passed us as we kept our eyes peeled for wildlife on the road. Fortunately, the growl of our motorcycles was the only one heard as we crossed a river and made it to the base camp.
And here’s where I got a good look at all the motorcycles. Every single variant of the 390cc adventure lineup stood alongside some of the older models, which had clocked over a lakh kilometres, while some of the new ‘R’ variant bikes were delivered a day before the rally. Beyond these, there were a few of the big 890 Adventure R’s, a couple of the non-road legal SX bikes and even a Husqvarna enduro motorcycle that I couldn’t recognise! All these motorcycles and their motorcyclists, ready for another day of Chillies .
If we thought that the Day 1 Chillies were challenging, Day 2 was another level. The Jungle Sprint had us pacing through the forest and dodging trees. Traction Action had us ride up the riverbed, fighting the current and all the smooth stones unseen to us. And then, the Hill Climb not as steep as the previous day’s incline but significantly longer and thus scarier.
After seeing a few of the participants crash out, many, including myself, decided to skip this and live to fight another day. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was this guy on his motorcycle who attempted it at full pace. Steady throttle, quick turns and confident body movements – it looked like he could do no wrong! The guy pulled a wheelie mid-climb and scaled the rest of the hill on just one wheel, continuing in a wheelie. He came down to us all dumbfounded, took off his helmet and revealed – it was Chris Birch himself! In new gear, hence we didn’t recognise him. Chris then explained the physics of the climb to us, breaking down each segment and helping us understand how we could be better.
Everyone who was a part of that small knowledge group attempted the Hill Climb again and did much better. I was able to use my body weight so much better, letting the motorcycle do the work for me instead of trying to outmuscle it. Learning outdoors beats the classroom every single time!
A day without incident for me as I made my way back. However, everyone wasn’t as fortunate as me and I did see a couple of people nursing injuries, and the service guys doing their best to fix bent motorcycles at the hotel. The Rally takes no prisoners, you have to be cautious, always.
Day 3 The final day.
You’d think that the craziest Chillies would await us now, no? Wrong, no Chillies. We stepped out into the real world and attempted the Orange Earth Run. A quick hop east from our hotel and we were back in Maharashtra to scale Pargad Fort – built by Shivaji Maharaj to monitor Portuguese movements across the border in Goa.
Just before we could start the ascension, Chris noticed that his bike was filthy from the previous days’ activities. In search of a quick solution, the man rode down a small dam and crossed a river that was maybe 80-100 feet wide. His making it across to the other end was the signal for us to get our boots wet, so we all ended up crossing the river, recreating a scene that wasn’t far from the great migration in Africa.
Fresh with clean motorcycles, we began the climb. A broken trail with dust, stones and orange mud. Ahh, so that’s where they got the name ‘Orange Earth Run’ from. And this was fairly steep, enough for you to lose balance if you decided to stop at some places. The sun didn’t make it any easier on us. None of this really mattered to us though, as we kept trundling along just like the soldiers who did on the very same path a few hundred years ago. Here’s where the experience from the Chillies came into practical use, and after what seemed like an eternity, we finally reached the peak. My fitness band showed an average of over 160 bpm, while my helmet had soaked in enough perspiration that I could feel it weigh me down. Anybody who says that riding motorcycles isn’t a real sport, needs to scale Pargad Fort in the afternoon.
After snacking and hydrating ourselves, we made our way to the open section where all of us gathered around Chris. He had been observing us over the last few days, noticing things we’re comfortable doing and what we struggle with. He was also fairly acquainted with our topography and understood this Indian terrain well. He sat us down for a session that all of us will never forget, explaining concepts to us and then demonstrating them in person. Learning from the best in the world at a fort 4,000 feet above sea level? Only at the Rally!
Post lunch, we headed back to the hotel. The entire downhill section was an under-construction mud road, which had us sliding and drifting. I was tailing Rishaad Mody, who seemed to enjoy throwing all the dust up on me. On the outside, I was covered in thick orange mud. Under the helmet, I had a smile plastered from ear-to-ear across my face. Park the hot bike, wipe the filth off and hug the guy next to you. The KTM Adventure Rally 2026 in India had come to an end!
The look on everyone’s face at the certificate distribution ceremony later in the evening was amusing, to say the least. All of us were relieved to be in one piece, walking around the hotel with a little more swagger in our step. We were the finishers of the first-ever KTM Adventure Rally in India after all, a good bragging point.
Not all of us walked effortlessly, though. Some wore casts to protect broken bones, some had bandages to cover wounds, while most of us smelled like pain-relieving sprays and balms.
It’s important to remember that the Adventure Rally is neither a motorcycle tour nor is it a training session. It’s a rally. You’re supposed to show up with your motorcycle in fighting condition and some skills in the tank that will get sharpened along the way. And most importantly, you need to be mentally prepared to give both your body and the motorcycle a beating like never before.
I was a participant just like Varun Painter, Meghna Mandke, Atharva Udawant, Yogi Chhabria, Russel Jossy – some of the coolest people who ride motorcycles. I’ve seen them all fall multiple times. I’ve also seen them get back stronger and at the end of these three days, I think it’s fair to say that we’re all better now than when we left our homes.
After almost a week of riding, we were all home with gear that’s soaked in dust and sweat that deserves a good wash. You know what won’t get washed away though? The skills we’ve all acquired over the last few days. I already know so much more about my motorcycle and where its limits lie. By the time you read this, I will have swapped all the panels on my bike to the white theme of the ‘R’ variant. I’ll also have swapped out my ‘Indian spec’ variant for the hardcore global one.
So yes, first in my bloodline to attend a KTM Adventure Rally. Will I do it again? No, not like this.
As my motorcycle goes for an upgrade, it’s only fair that I do too. This time, I survived the Rally. Next time, I want to thrive. So be it fitness, skills or mentality – I’m gonna be spending the rest of my 2026 working to get harder, better, faster, stronger in every aspect. And then when the Rally comes down next, I will be there. And if you’re someone who wants to experience the truest form of enduro and rallying, you should too!
