I did China Hat last year and some of you might remember the description, but will repeat for the newbies...
Its a baby ISDE, follows the rules where you have your bike checked out the day before and leave it outdoors in a guarded impound over night. Then at race time you are allowed in to get your bike 10 minutes before your race start time (Which is assigned ahead of time by your race entry date, they send out 3 riders at a time in batches a minute apart). Then the course is divided into segments, first was 5 miles long and we were allowed 24 minutes to get there, if you're early, you wait in a clump of riders before going through the checkpoint, they dock you points if you're early or late. And they have special timed tests within the segments which act as tie breakers for all those guys who hit their minute every time.
The race site is 20 miles east of Bend, OR, high desert, sand, rocks, really dry dirt. Luckily it had rained in the days before the race so no dust early on, and as the day wore on it got a bit worse, but there was a breeze to clear it out.
So I have 2 problems...one, I'm always nervous before a race and can't eat properly. Two, I'm afraid my bike won't start. No one can help you, you have one minute from the start shout to get going and ride beyond some white flags about 50 yards away....my bike was a little balky when cold the day before. So reread the start procedures, says about 8 times in 4 steps to Not Touch The Throttle. But position myself next to a log fence just in case I had to try and kick it.... started right up - no worries!! Let it warm up, and took off. Big cheer from the crowd. Randy's start minute was 10 minutes behind mine, so figured this'd give me plenty of practice on my own, but if I really got into trouble he'd be along soon.
I got passed all day long, but there's usually enough room for folks to get by, most shout thanks.... and then I see them all again waiting at the checkpoint, I made my first minute, then they get to pass me again. I actually passed one person who was still upright and moving on my first leg!
First crash. About mile 20, I'm cruisin along a reasonably straight stretch in 4th gear, feeling a bit tired, basketball sized rock, target fixate, hit rock, end over end. Two guys right behind me stop, "are you okay?" "Yeah I'm fine, don't know if I can pick up my bike tho", and one of the guys has me hold his bike, picks mine up (!) waits til I get started and then takes off. Pretty nice.
But I'm shaken up a bit, caught my right hand in my guard or hit it on a rock, it's sore, am not riding well... so find a shady spot, stop, drink a bunch and eat a Clif Bar. Maybe 10 riders go by, still no Randy, take off again and feel loads better.... guess I needed the food! Back on track.
But lost about 12 minutes into my next checkpoint so go right thru, fell one more time where I was going up a steep hill with big rocks, started to bounce off the back, hit the gas and supermanned over a log and into a big sagebrush - actually two, one for each wheel. Was able to pick the bike up since it was kinda of supported by the brush, but couldn't budge it...put the kickstand down, and went round the bike pulling out chunks of branches and generally clearcutting the area so's I could get out again, bulldogged it back to the trail, still no Randy, took off feeling pretty good about another self rescue!
Ultimately finished I think about 15 minutes down, 3 minutes in front of Randy, he said every time he'd come through a particularly hairy section, and no Susan, he'd think "Wow! She made it through this!"
Am pretty sore today, legs from all the whoops which I don't do very well, hand is about half black and blue but not too swollen - can see all my knuckles! Ankle sore from some crash or other.
Scariest downhill was after coming up a steep pitch, trail loops left and before you have time to really register, there's a rock shelf, maybe a foot drop off, followed by another, shelves are undercut even, and then a really steep runout... with folks at the bottom cheering if you make it... thankyou Strick and the waterfall trail at Moonrocks - DON'T TOUCH YOUR FRONT BRAKE, get way back on the pegs and let her roll. Actually, there were lots of sandy rocky whooped out turny steep hill climbs that Moonrocks really helped me on. And Heather's coaching on how to start on a steep uphill without going back to the bottom came in handy more than once!
All in all had a grand time, bike goes in to get the new lighter fork springs today so will be more balanced, and set up for me in time for Baja! Yippee!!
-SusanP.
CRF250x
Its a baby ISDE, follows the rules where you have your bike checked out the day before and leave it outdoors in a guarded impound over night. Then at race time you are allowed in to get your bike 10 minutes before your race start time (Which is assigned ahead of time by your race entry date, they send out 3 riders at a time in batches a minute apart). Then the course is divided into segments, first was 5 miles long and we were allowed 24 minutes to get there, if you're early, you wait in a clump of riders before going through the checkpoint, they dock you points if you're early or late. And they have special timed tests within the segments which act as tie breakers for all those guys who hit their minute every time.
The race site is 20 miles east of Bend, OR, high desert, sand, rocks, really dry dirt. Luckily it had rained in the days before the race so no dust early on, and as the day wore on it got a bit worse, but there was a breeze to clear it out.
So I have 2 problems...one, I'm always nervous before a race and can't eat properly. Two, I'm afraid my bike won't start. No one can help you, you have one minute from the start shout to get going and ride beyond some white flags about 50 yards away....my bike was a little balky when cold the day before. So reread the start procedures, says about 8 times in 4 steps to Not Touch The Throttle. But position myself next to a log fence just in case I had to try and kick it.... started right up - no worries!! Let it warm up, and took off. Big cheer from the crowd. Randy's start minute was 10 minutes behind mine, so figured this'd give me plenty of practice on my own, but if I really got into trouble he'd be along soon.
I got passed all day long, but there's usually enough room for folks to get by, most shout thanks.... and then I see them all again waiting at the checkpoint, I made my first minute, then they get to pass me again. I actually passed one person who was still upright and moving on my first leg!
First crash. About mile 20, I'm cruisin along a reasonably straight stretch in 4th gear, feeling a bit tired, basketball sized rock, target fixate, hit rock, end over end. Two guys right behind me stop, "are you okay?" "Yeah I'm fine, don't know if I can pick up my bike tho", and one of the guys has me hold his bike, picks mine up (!) waits til I get started and then takes off. Pretty nice.
But I'm shaken up a bit, caught my right hand in my guard or hit it on a rock, it's sore, am not riding well... so find a shady spot, stop, drink a bunch and eat a Clif Bar. Maybe 10 riders go by, still no Randy, take off again and feel loads better.... guess I needed the food! Back on track.
But lost about 12 minutes into my next checkpoint so go right thru, fell one more time where I was going up a steep hill with big rocks, started to bounce off the back, hit the gas and supermanned over a log and into a big sagebrush - actually two, one for each wheel. Was able to pick the bike up since it was kinda of supported by the brush, but couldn't budge it...put the kickstand down, and went round the bike pulling out chunks of branches and generally clearcutting the area so's I could get out again, bulldogged it back to the trail, still no Randy, took off feeling pretty good about another self rescue!
Ultimately finished I think about 15 minutes down, 3 minutes in front of Randy, he said every time he'd come through a particularly hairy section, and no Susan, he'd think "Wow! She made it through this!"
Am pretty sore today, legs from all the whoops which I don't do very well, hand is about half black and blue but not too swollen - can see all my knuckles! Ankle sore from some crash or other.
Scariest downhill was after coming up a steep pitch, trail loops left and before you have time to really register, there's a rock shelf, maybe a foot drop off, followed by another, shelves are undercut even, and then a really steep runout... with folks at the bottom cheering if you make it... thankyou Strick and the waterfall trail at Moonrocks - DON'T TOUCH YOUR FRONT BRAKE, get way back on the pegs and let her roll. Actually, there were lots of sandy rocky whooped out turny steep hill climbs that Moonrocks really helped me on. And Heather's coaching on how to start on a steep uphill without going back to the bottom came in handy more than once!
All in all had a grand time, bike goes in to get the new lighter fork springs today so will be more balanced, and set up for me in time for Baja! Yippee!!
-SusanP.
CRF250x