First NY race this weekend

[LoriKTM]

Well, I haven't been to a harescramble since the Spodefest last year, but this weekend is the second HS of the year for our local series. Our club put on the first event, which was held last weekend. It was very cool to be on the other side of the ribbon, so to speak! We had a turn out of almost 300 riders. The local promoter actually has a women's class, and we had 6 women racing last weekend! It was pretty cool, considering when I was in IL, there was NO women's class. ( I guess you just have to get a bunch of friends together like Anne did and go and demand your own class! :D )
We test rode most of the race loop last Saturday, and I just have two words for the conditions up here-- Steering Damper. Definitely next on my shopping list. Trails and woods are about the same tightness as IL, but they are covered with more rocks and roots, which makes for a rough ride.
So, I'm gonna prep the KTM tomorrow and go out and race the Women's class on Sunday. Cool. I won't feel like a weirdo being the only woman at signup anymore.
Hope everyone else has a great weekend!

 

[AnneBrooks]

:cool: See, if you were still in Illinois, we could race together and you could whoop my butt!!:eek:

Good Luck in the race! Let me know how it went!

They have a GP at Buffalo Rock this Sunday, and I am going to try that. I will let you know how it goes. I think Sue is going to race again with me, so it should be fun!

Have a great weekend!!

 

[Tree Crippler]

Good Luck! I got my plate and can't wait to get a ride in. Tell us how you did I think your going to like our area. Be careful and have a good time.

 

[Michelle]

Good luck & have fun Sunday Lori, Anne and Sue :)

All the rest of you have a great weekend too. I worked an enduro today, but maybe next weekend I'll be riding again (I'm hoping). Please post ride reports, they're saving my sanity (if possible/if I had any to begin with).
Michelle

 

[LoriKTM]

Race Report

Well, the weather was just about perfect Sunday, 60 degrees and sunny. The track was only 45 minutes from our house, and we arrived with trailer in tow at 8:00am. Went through sign up, and got bar-code labels for the helmets. I signed up for Women's class, and Dave signed up for his first ever B-class (Vet B). Walked the track for a bit. Lotsa fast grass track and some woods, shouldn't be too bad. Talked to some of the neighbors in the pit. One gentleman came over and commented that it was good to see more women in the sport, and asked about my bike. Then, he mentioned his daughter was riding, so it was really a ploy to check out the competition! His daughter, by the way, rides a YZ250F, and is tall enough not to need it shortened! :eek:

Anyway, we got geared up, stretched, and warmed the bikes up and rode over to the start area. Dave was lined up somewhere in the middle, and the Women's class is the last wave off, so I knew I had a while to cool my heels. I wandered up and said "Hi" to a couple women, but none seemed interested in talking (to me, anyway). There were 8 of us in the class, on everything from TTR125's, an XR200, a couple KDX's, me on my KTM, and the YZ250F.
I did strike up a conversation with another girl on a XR250, and she was nervous because it was her first race. I'm ALWAYS nervous before a race, no matter how much I talk myself down beforehand. (Just remembering some of the details as I type this gets me hyped up again!)

Our line came up, and we were off. I didn't do too bad on the start, and ended up right behind the girl on the XR200. I was looking to try to pass her, and one of the other gals ahead wiped out on a corner. XR200 went around to the right, and I went around to the left... into some pine branches. Drat! I had to back my bike up and get out on the trail. Went a bit further, and came across another downed rider. I think I hit the brakes too hard, and went off the trail a bit and wedged a sapling in between my front fender and tire. If you haven't done this, it can be really difficult to get your bike out! So, I finally get going again, and now I've practically worn myself out. Go a bit further, and saw that I missed an arrow going down the hill. I go through a couple trees to rejoin the trail. In the process of trying to avoid another rider, I clipped a small tree on the right side, which tossed me and slammed my bike down. I get my bike back up, and fix the handguard deflector. Then I notice the bars are tweaked. Ooh, hard enough even to bend the crossbar a bit!
So here it is and I'm only about halfway through the first lap, and I can barely hang on anymore because of arm pump and having to pick up the bike. Way to go. :think

I keep plugging, though, and things gradually get better, although the trail got worse. A couple sections were the most rock-covered, root-infested piles that I had ever ridden on. I really, really, wanted a steering damper at that point. Out of the woods, and onto a long stretch of grass track, and then it was the end of my first lap. I went another lap, and then a third. I stopped for a brief rest and a drink at the trail side, and then saw Miss YZ250F go by me. D'oh! With all the time I'd lost, I figured she was probably lapping me, but I got back on my bike and followed for a bit. We were back in the rough woods section, and I was actually keeping up with her, and then I caught her. I bobbled in a section and lost her, but then passed her as she was stalled on a hill trying to get her 4 stroke started again. :p She then passed me back in the grass track section soon afterwards. Ah well, it felt good while it lasted! (I don't think she realized she was lapping me, as her dad came up after the race and asked if I had run with the front of the pack!) I finished up the grass track section, and that was the end of the race.
I did three laps, and most of the other women did 4. So, I ended up in 6th place out of 8 riders. Not great, and I'm disappointed. As with all good dirt bike riders, I have excuses for my perfomance. :p
1) I'm not used to the terrain
2) I had a very bad first lap, and
3) most of these women (girls!) are younger than me by several years!!
So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)
Dave didn't trophy his class either, getting 14th out of 20. He seemed satisfied with that as his first attempt at the B class, in a new area. So, we talked for a bit with some of the other club riders, then loaded up the bikes and went home to clean up. Next HS isn't until June, so we have some time to fix bike parts and let bruised body parts (mostly mine!) heal.

So what did YOU do this weekend?

 

[gospeedracer]

Great ride report Lori. That is exactly why I don’t do trees!

Congratulations on the road ride Kali! Will the TTR be ready for this weekend? Cuz, yanno, I could step up the KTM purchase so you could use my RM as a spare if ya want. ;)

Eddie and I went riding on Sunday a little later than expected due to the fact my bike wouldn’t start! I couldn’t believe it, there have been plenty of times my bike has sat for months between rides and always started right up. Yup, I learned a lesson that I’m sure all of you already knew. There really is a reason for that little gas shut off thingy! ;)
It had been on since the last time I rode on St. Patrick’s Day!
I changed the oil and noticed it was pretty runny, then I changed the spark plug and it still wouldn’t start. Then Eddie comes over, pulls out the plug and begins to kick it over. Gas spewed everywhere! My cylinder was full of it and it took him nearly 2 hours of kicking/pumping it out before it finally fired up! I was so embarrassed by my stupidity.
We rode at a new place that I had never been to before right near my house. Aside from nearly becoming a hood ornament, we had a good time. I’m not used to sharing the trail (fireroad) with vehicals, hikers, mountain bikers, etc. The views were amazing, Kali you would have loved it.

 

[LoriKTM]

Gospeed, trees can be your friends, too! They don't always want to jump out and whack your handlebars (just mine, I think!)

Kali, there were two gals out there on TTRs, and one of them had the whole BBR seat/tank graphics thing going. I didn't see what else she had done. Totally reminded me of you when I saw her bike. Believe me, some of those tight sections I was wishing I had your TTR.

The shorter seat height was great. Able to start the bike more easily, and at one point I had to put a leg out to pivot around to get an alternate line up a hill. It was a stretch, but I made it and didn't tip over!

 

[CNM]

Great job Lori! It sounds like it was a really tough course. I think finishing 3 laps is great! :)

 

[MotoEnduro]

Good race report Lori! Sounds like a pretty tough course. Is the HS part of the ECEA series, or another? Hopefully my bike will be ready for the next enduro, I plan on doing your club's race too, I think its in August.

I know what you mean, most of the girl riders at the races do not want to talk or even be friendly :( I don't know why, there aren't that many of us.

If you are doing any enduros or HS in PA or lower NY state let me know, I will try and go too!

 

[LoriKTM]

Hey MotoEnduro-- the HS is part of the WNYOA (www.wnyoa.net) series. There are also a few ECEA enduros in the schedule, too. Our schedule is set up so that people can run the HS and the Enduros without conflict.
Our club (Southern Tier) holds their enduro in July. There's a couple races in PA that we'll probably hit. I'll e-mail you when time gets closer!

 

[AnneBrooks]

Hey Lori, good ride report!! Just remember that it is early in the season and you will get those young girls back later on!!:p Hang in there, and try, try again!

 

[Tree Crippler]

Good Job!!!!!!!!!! One of your club members helps set that Van Etten race up. I won't tell who. You will do better as the year goes on. It always takes a couple of races to get back into it. The enduros are a lot tighter. Some clubs never heard of roads. When is the 2 day summer fun run this year? Your club puts it on. Good luck in your next race.

I'm riding the Mill Hall National Dual Sport on June2/3. Its always 300+ miles of fun.

 

[Michelle]

Cool report Lori. I reckon trees want their own bikes & that's why they try to steal our bars ;)

Aimee, you're not the first or last to do it (the friend who keeps his bike here is renowned for it, so I've learnt from his mistakes hehe).

I just worked an enduro which was sort of fun but am aiming to ride again this weekend (fun harescramble type race) where my aim will be to survive. I've lost so much fitness through this damned disease, it's driving me nuts, but hopefully I can spend more time on the bike now as the past few months have been pathetic.

Kali, every time I see a TTR I think of you (there's only one around here, ridden by a teen male).

 

[RM_guy]

Lori,
Sounds like you had a good time in spite of everything. Does this mean that Dave is going to have to “roughen up” the woods section we put in? Or actually cut a trail through the “section from hell”. You know, the one we could barely walk through?

 

[LoriKTM]

RM_Guy,

We have nicknamed our little one mile trail the "trail of tears"! Even though it hasn't rained much in 3 weeks, we still have mud in a couple areas! :eek:
The trail usually gives me arm pump about halfway through, so it's a pretty good workout. Dave is planning on cutting a trail through the "section from hell", just because of all the rocks. His name for it is going to be the "hedgerow of sorrow"!

You sure you don't want to come up and ride with us sometime? :p