Anne - ride report?

[Michelle]

Anne, not sure if you got my email or not (must admit in cases like this DRN v3.0 will be handy).

I'm sure everyone will be proud of how well you did (you weren't bragging, it's way cool, but I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag). Just not sure if any of my emails are going through or if I'm on everyone's ignore list.
Michelle

 

[AnneBrooks]

Sorry, Michelle. I did get your emails, but it was too late last night to do the ride report. So, here goes:

I did the Hare Scrambles race that the Forest City Riders put on at the Byron Motocross track in Illinois on Saturday. We had 4 women sign up, so we had a full women's class. The course was made up of about 1/2 the motocross track and a loop through the woods. It rained quite hard on friday evening so the conditions were damp, at best. There were quite a few mud holes to conquer also.

The first lap the 4 of us made a pact to stick together to help each other out, then after that it was everyone for themselves. We started last (of course)and damn if that XR250 didn't start right away! I picked up the tail end on the MX track and then we headed into the woods. They had to reroute the trail, as the landowner didn't want the trails trashed because of the rain. A lot of the trails were on quad trails, so they were fairly wide and fast. There were some single track trails that were also neat. Only 1 big log crossing though, and a few BIG hills. I made it through all the mud holes fine, however, on the first big hill I killed the motor and dropped the bike, which then proved to be very hard to start again (typical of a 4 stroke). When I finally got it started again, we still had 1 other lady stuck on the hill, and we worked on getting her up. Then it was on our way again. This is where it got interesting. There was 1 other downhill section, then a creek crossing and another big uphill. I looked for a different line, and not the big hill. I found what looked to be an easier hill on the right, and I motored right up it. I then looked back and felt sorry for 2 of the other women, 1 was in the trees and the other in the weeds. We got them going again and headed for the SUPER mud holes (unbeknown to us at the time). There were something like 4 DEEP mud holes to go through that had lots of spectators (which proved to be very helpful), and I have to say, Bob's advice ran through my head to "roll through it" "don't stop and try to power through it, use momentum". So, that is what I did. And I didn't get stuck at all!! I also think the new tires (Michelin S12's) Bob put on my bike also made a HUGE difference!! They handled the mud superbly!! The other women did not fare so well. 1 was stuck up to her back axle, and waved me on---She was done. The other 2 looked quite frazzled and said "where the hell is the end??" "We are NOT doing another loop." So I took off on my own and went through the checkpoint (received lots of cheers) and went a 2nd lap all by myself and had minimal trouble. The 3rd lap was different. By then my arms started to feel like noodles and I started making lots of mistakes. When I dropped the bike 2 times in a row on logs (small ones), and Ryan (FlyinRyan) showed up to sweep the track (thanks again Ryan!!!!)I knew it was time to quit. I was not going to finish a 3rd lap. He kindly showed me the easiest way to the road--making sure I was absolutely ready to quit. I headed for the road and went back to the van. When I came up the hill, Bob could not have looked more proud! He thought I would do a 2nd lap and call it quits. I had a bad experience last year at a Hare Scrambles race and vowed NEVER to race again, so he was quite pleased. When the trophies were given out, I won first place!! Bob also got 3rd in +30B, so it was a good day all around for the Brooks clan!!

I also have to thank all of the guys who raced that day and were courteous with their passing and letting me know they were coming and not knocking us down!

I also want to thank the other women, Sue Diaz---you were fun to ride with and I look forward to riding together again soon, and Theresa Juodis (who Bob works with) and Sandi. I hope you guys had as much fun as I did!

The club members were very gracious and hospitable, making us women feel very welcome as beginners to the sport!

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[CNM]

Congrats Anne! It sounds like you had a good day! Be proud...you did great!

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Neelys Photo Page

 

[MXbabe]

Congratulations Anne! :) I don't know how you ladies do it... riding trails and all. I am a full on MX racer. We practice on a track and rarely ride trails. Whenever I go on a trail ride I find myself thinking of you guys and your accomplishments. It gives me the motivation to pull through. I am very impressed with your stories. Good job! :)

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[Michelle]

MXBabe, I think it's different folk for different strokes ;) Seriously, I've been on a MX track 2x, the second time I admit I had fun (any slower and the grass would be faster), but the first time scared me stupid (and hurt like heck, but had to pretend I was okay otherwise they'd have made me stop riding and it wasn't that bad). I don't know how you girls do it, give me trails any day :)

Again, Anne, congratulations on your 1 trophy, ya did great :)
Michelle

 

[KTMster]

Anne, congrats on the 1st place finish! That's great. In CA when we do Hare Scrambles it takes 2-3 weeks to get our results in the mail, and then another 2-3 months before we get our trophies. I wish we found out how we did right away, that's great. Our postman must think we get money or something in the mail on a regular basis the way we are always running out to get our mail as soon as it gets here when we are waiting for results.

It's kind of funny how you said you vowed NEVER to race again after your experience at a Hare Scramble last year because me and another girl who races with me have said SO many times after a difficult race that we were not doing any more of these races & then sure enough we sign up again. I sometimes feel like it is more of a "survival of the fittest" rather than a race with some of the stuff they take us through.

Glad you had a good ride!

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'01 KTM M/XC400 (My bike)
'00 Yamaha TTR225 (My old lead sled, but new night rider/camp hopper & pit vehicle)
'00 Honda CR250 (Hubby's bike)
AMA D37

 

[LoriKTM]

Good job, Anne! Gee, four women! When I signed up for that race last year, I was the only one. I know the hills and logs that you're talking about, but I remember the race last year didn't use any of the quad trails, it was almost all fresh single track. Of course, we didn't get a bunch of rain the night before.
So, what kind of bikes were the other women riding? Did they at least have fun for the time they were out there, or were they too discouraged?

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Lori K.
Y2K KTM200EXC
1995 KDX200
BRC, AMA D4
Southern Tier Enduro Riders
"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way."

 

[sdiaz]

Just joined DRN...read Anne's report on the Hare Scrambles and upon seeing my name, I figured I should chime in.

Anne, it was a joy to run the Hare Scrambles with you and the other 2 women. Thanks for not telling about my spread eagle backwards fall into the muddy creek.

It was a *great* day. Even my one lap around the course was beyond my self-expectation so your 3 lap crusade is an inspiration. I keep thinking if I hadn't lost that 15 minutes in the mud, I could've done more...but there's always next time!

Looking forward to listening in to the conversations.

Sue
TTR250

 

[Michelle]

Welcome to DRN Sue :) Congratulations for doing so well yourself - is your spread eagle in the creek the reason Anne enjoys riding with you? j/k

As for 15 min in the mud, that would be totally exhausting. Do you ride with a rehydration system? How do you like the TTR250? How tall are you?
Again welcome, and congrats :)
Michelle

 

[AnneBrooks]

Thanks, everyone!!

LoriKTM--I did hear from several people that you were the only woman there last year--still wish I could have ridden with you!

The other 2 women were on a XR200 and an XR250--newer than mine. I have ridden with them a few times last year and 1 time this year. Sandi rides an XR200 and just got into dirt riding in 1999. Theresa has a lot of street riding experience and is a former motorcycle safety instructor. They are both learning, but seem to be a bit timid on the more challenging terrain, i.e. mud, hills, creeks, etc. I think they both really want to learn, but they need to get over the initial fear they are harboring.

One of the reasons I have been improving over the last 2 years is that I am always riding with guys. When you are the one they are always waiting for, it makes you speed up! Theresa and Sandi mostly ride with each other, and I think their learning curve would improve it they rode with other riders more often. Hopefully we will get them out more this year! :)

Michelle!! Thanks Alot!! :) :) I think Sue rode with me for my winning personality!! :)Just joking, Sue. I didn't tell them about the barbed wire either.. :)

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[bbbom]

Way to go girls!!! Welcome to the site Sue.

Originally posted by AnneBrooks:
When you are the one they are always waiting for, it makes you speed up!

That's for sure! I usually catch up to them at the rest stop just as they are getting ready to leave again - guess I have more stamina than the boys do! ;)

MxBabe, I'll take a mean nasty trail over a crowded MX track any day. The beauty of the trail is there isn't usually an audience to watch you if you feel the need to go slow (as I usually do) or when you crash. Plus, few of the obstacles on the trail tend to be moving although I'd swear some of those trees and rocks do jump in front of me! MX looks very fun but I'd be scared to death to go flying through the air like that. :eek:



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Bbbom’s Picture Page

 

[FlyinRyan]

Sorry to jump in ladies, but I wanted to make sure the ladies had some fun at my clubs HS. Also wanted to say sorry for the mudholes that got really bad. I sort-of mis-judged on how soft the ground really was. I think it's great to see more women involved in riding and racing.

I am in the process of getting my girlfriend an XR100 so she can start to ride (she has never ridden before at all), plus she is short like me so she fits the 100 for know. When I told her that we had 4 women race she immediately asked where is my new bike.

My other club is putting on a hare scrambles on June 9 & 10 just south of Rockford. This one will be single track with no quad trails, and I won't have to reroute the course in the morning. If you ladies are coming just let me know and we will have trophies for you.

Once again thanks for coming!!

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Team Funmartcycle.com
2000 KTM 200EXC & 250EXC

 

[wroof]

this is a great thread post! really encouraging, its really nice to see the support you girls give each other. over here where i race, it gets lonely most times but after reading posts like these its really heartwarming.
i do mx but i rode trail a couple of times and the never ending rocks and trees and roots and humidity...dont think i wanna do it again.. :confused:

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[Michelle]

Wroof, we'd love to see some pics of where you race, and you racing, and hear some reports from you too. Also, tips on how to cope with the heat ;)

Heck it must get stinkin' hot over there (I remember being there at age 7/8, and loving the air conditioning of the shops).

Not all of us have met, but doesn't mean we can't be thrilled with their successes - same goes for you, we'd love to share (heck, to me even getting on a MX track is an accomplishment of its own).

Ryan, let us know how she gets on. Five women next year or more?

 

[sdiaz]

Hi Michelle,

I'm 5'7" and the TTR250 is just about right. A tad heavy so at some point in the future I might opt for something else. Meantime, the TTR is a good do-everything kind of bike. And the starter button makes me happy.

I'm just starting out in the dirt, rode a bit last Fall but still getting my bearings. I love it! At this point, I'm sitting on the fence, liking both track and trails. I love the intensity of doing practice lap after lap on the track, trying to go faster and faster but in a competitive situation, I might feel differently.

I'm no speed demon at this point but figure if I learn technique going slowly, it'll translate into speed later.

Thanks for the welcome!

Sue
TTR250

 

[AnneBrooks]

Hi Ryan, glad to see you joined us! You can count me in for the June race! I had a great time at Byron--despite the mud! As you can tell by my story, I am very grateful for such a good group of people at the race. I will definitely do it again! Be sure to post the race, as I will keep my eyes peeled for information. Thanks!

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[wroof]

i'd love to share some of my riding stuff once in a while! how often do you all have races? are there ladies class? i dont have ladies class here.i have a mx race every month, but this mth theres a race coming up nxt weekend! yea!! i almost always die from waiting for 4 weeks till the next race.

michelle, as for the heat, i would practice under the afternoon sun, hotter the better. its like fight fire with fire. then when we have good weather during races, the sadistic training comes in real handy. :p


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[Michelle]

I replied to this on the old board, so sorry if it ends up being two posts by me here.

Wroof, let us know how you get on in the weekend. I can't imagine riding once a month (actually I can at the moment, and hate it). I don't do MX and locally there's only one woman who does so she had to run in the 80 class. I can't imagine riding in that heat all the time, but guess you'd have to get used to it or not ride.

Sue, lucky you being tall. As for the starter button, yeah, I could see that would be brill on a four stroke (I hate trying to start them).

Have a great ride & weekend everyone, look forward to your reports next week :)
Michelle

 

[Michelle]

Anne & Sue check out:

http://dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php&threadid=12418&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
I thought you may find it cute ;) The post I'm refering to is by Dsalton, regarding you women riding (and the fact he didn't complete lol).
Actually it's an interesting thread (it's the one about finishing an enduro)
Michelle