First Enduro Race Report -- Now with pix!!
First off let me say it was fun and I'll be back to do another one!
Apparently I picked one of the harder enduros to try for my first one. But, this was the first time it had been run, so nobody knew what to expect. (Warning bell #1, DING DING DING)
On the way to the race one of the guys I was riding with was telling us how his friend rides in that area all the time and it was going to be dusty, technical and really rocky. (Warning bell #2, DING DING DING)
We get to the race site about 10PM and go to sleep right away.
Wake up, sign up for the race, get the route chart and start getting nervous. Try to figure out the times for the sections then give up after I was told that it was going to be hard and just ride as fast as I can. (Warning bell, #3 DING DING DING) Get more nervous.
Both guys I went with had early minutes so they left and I am sitting there stewing by myself for about 30 min, then head up to the start. Meet the guys on my minute, 2 of us never raced an enduro before, the other guy claims to not know what is going on either. Figure oh well, time to race. Dead engine start, my minute comes up, kick, bike doesn't start. 2nd kick bike starts, take off, already eating dust. Can't see anything, 3 minutes in, uh oh where did that corner come from, slam, hit the ground.
Get up, take off again. Blast into secret check WAY early. Take off again, get to special test section early, sit there until it is time to go. (Note: This is the last time I will see the guys on my minute) Hit the section , nice single track, good ride. Hit some technical stuff, not too bad. Ride ride ride, get to some check point, told I am 11 minutes last. Oh well, ride ride.
Hit some dirt road decide to try to make some time, cruising along, left turn, Now hit the slow motion button:
1. Tires with 14lbs of pressure for the rocks.
2. Turn with soft, soft Colorado dry powder dirt.....
3. Me on a 2-stroke instead of my usual thumper.....
4. Front tire washes and I'm on the way down!
SLAM! Big time. SMASH knee into ground along with shoulder.
Thanks to ASTERISK :worship: knee braces, knee only got a lump, still hurt but no where near what it would have!!
Get up, nothing hurts TOO bad, bike is OK, starts up and I'm off again. Much slower now. Ride ride ride.....
Get to downhill, and when I say downhill, I mean DOWNHILL!
Survive that pretty easily though, some more single track, starting to climb again.....(now I know it tends to get harder once the climbing starts, WARNING BELL #4 DING DING DING)
Also note, I am not nervous anymore, tired, but not nervous!
Come up to a HUGE bottleneck on the uphill technical section, something like 50 people stuck. When I arrive I am told all minutes up to 52 are houred out, (I was 49) and there is a wait of about an hour to get through. Take off helmet and rest, the day is over.
From there on out we just helped each other get up the trail and back to the pits. So basically I didn't just hour out, I 2 houred out.
Hopefully the next one will have an easier C loop.
Until then it is off to practice my trail skills, this sure isn't like the MX track!
First off let me say it was fun and I'll be back to do another one!
Apparently I picked one of the harder enduros to try for my first one. But, this was the first time it had been run, so nobody knew what to expect. (Warning bell #1, DING DING DING)
On the way to the race one of the guys I was riding with was telling us how his friend rides in that area all the time and it was going to be dusty, technical and really rocky. (Warning bell #2, DING DING DING)
We get to the race site about 10PM and go to sleep right away.
Wake up, sign up for the race, get the route chart and start getting nervous. Try to figure out the times for the sections then give up after I was told that it was going to be hard and just ride as fast as I can. (Warning bell, #3 DING DING DING) Get more nervous.
Both guys I went with had early minutes so they left and I am sitting there stewing by myself for about 30 min, then head up to the start. Meet the guys on my minute, 2 of us never raced an enduro before, the other guy claims to not know what is going on either. Figure oh well, time to race. Dead engine start, my minute comes up, kick, bike doesn't start. 2nd kick bike starts, take off, already eating dust. Can't see anything, 3 minutes in, uh oh where did that corner come from, slam, hit the ground.
Get up, take off again. Blast into secret check WAY early. Take off again, get to special test section early, sit there until it is time to go. (Note: This is the last time I will see the guys on my minute) Hit the section , nice single track, good ride. Hit some technical stuff, not too bad. Ride ride ride, get to some check point, told I am 11 minutes last. Oh well, ride ride.
Hit some dirt road decide to try to make some time, cruising along, left turn, Now hit the slow motion button:
1. Tires with 14lbs of pressure for the rocks.
2. Turn with soft, soft Colorado dry powder dirt.....
3. Me on a 2-stroke instead of my usual thumper.....
4. Front tire washes and I'm on the way down!
SLAM! Big time. SMASH knee into ground along with shoulder.
Thanks to ASTERISK :worship: knee braces, knee only got a lump, still hurt but no where near what it would have!!
Get up, nothing hurts TOO bad, bike is OK, starts up and I'm off again. Much slower now. Ride ride ride.....
Get to downhill, and when I say downhill, I mean DOWNHILL!
Survive that pretty easily though, some more single track, starting to climb again.....(now I know it tends to get harder once the climbing starts, WARNING BELL #4 DING DING DING)
Also note, I am not nervous anymore, tired, but not nervous!
Come up to a HUGE bottleneck on the uphill technical section, something like 50 people stuck. When I arrive I am told all minutes up to 52 are houred out, (I was 49) and there is a wait of about an hour to get through. Take off helmet and rest, the day is over.
From there on out we just helped each other get up the trail and back to the pits. So basically I didn't just hour out, I 2 houred out.
Hopefully the next one will have an easier C loop.
Until then it is off to practice my trail skills, this sure isn't like the MX track!
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