Harescrambles

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

Hey everybody,
A few weeks ago I saw a flyer for a harescrambles race, a few hours away from where I live. I was thinking of signing up, and was wondering if anybody can give me some words of wisdom/advice. If I sign up this will be my first race of any kind , so naturally I have no idea what to expect. I have never even been to a harescrambles, so I'm gonna be kinda lost. I ride a KDX, which I think will be a great bike for that type of race, and I am beginning to get excited about giving it a shot. The terrain is very challenging it is mostly rocky, steep hilly terrain, with a forested section somewhere in between. Any advice you could give me I would really appreciate. I haven't even signed up yet and I'm already nervous..lol :)

 

[Imho]

I can't offer any advice specifically about harescrambles but in general treat your first event as a learning exercise and don't let the nerves convince you not to enter. Enter, race, learn and you'll never look back! ;) If your not sure about something when you get there, ask someone at the event. Most of all, enjoy yourself.

 

[truespode]

Start hydrating today!!!

The biggest thing with a harescramble is the endurance it takes.

Ivan

 

[Kawidude]

I would say don't worry about winning a trophy on your first shot. Focus on finishing the race and having fun. Ivan's suggestion is also golden. Drink, drink and drink some more. Water, that is.

 

[zero_it]

*Make sure your bike is in tip-top shape. It has to carry you to the finish line, so go to the race knowing that it is as reliable as possible.
*Make sure you do a little warm-up ride before the race starts. Warm up your body and bike, wake up your brain, get focused on riding.
*Don't let the "Joe Racer" types psych you out. Just go there, ride your own race and keep it fun.
*I also think it's helpful to go to the starting line with a friend. Line up next to a riding buddy so you have someone to BS with while everyone is getting sorted out. It might help calm your nerves. (Trust me, almost everyone on that starting line will have some amount of butterflies in their stomach. Just roll with it.)
*Concentrate more on riding consistent and strong than on going fast. If you're riding well, then the speed will come. Going too fast and crashing takes lots of time and energy - it will kill a race.
*Throttle up and have fun!

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

Thanks for the advice, I'm definitely not looking to win a trophy at my first event ( heck i'll be lucky if I ever win anything..lol) I'm just hoping to be able to finish, without embarrassing myself to badly. About hydration, is it better to drink lots before the race, or is it better to buy a camelback and drink during the race. I really have no idea about this stuff. How long is a typical race??? I don't know anyone that races harescrambles so I have no one around here to ask. Thanks for the help.

 

[zero_it]

The best program I've found is to drink lots of water the day before the race, hit the Gatorade the morning before the race and water from a Camelback during the race. Hydrating before the race is a huge benefit. The Camelback just keeps you topped off and gives you an occassional boost. The typical hare scrambles in the NMA (Washington state) and PNWMA (British Columbia) series is 1 1/2 or 2 hours for the C (Beginner or Junior) class and 3 hours for the A (Expert) & B (Intermediate) classes. At the WORCS races the C classes only go 45 miutes or an hour. Check the flier for actual race length. The PNWMA series in B.C. just started offering a Women's class about two years ago, I don't know what you've got out there in Alberta. Ask the sign-up folks for suggestions on what class to ride. The start will be a mass start done in waves by class or perhaps a couple of classes grouped together. If it's rough terrain off the starting line (i.e. not a road, track, gravel pit or flat piece of ground), then be sure to walk around out there and check out potential trouble spots to avoid and choose a couple of good lines.

 

[Imho]

I've heard of a number of approaches to hydation but universally they say not to try and hydate on the day but start 1-3 days before the event. Also, keep sports-type drinks to later in the day and stick with water in the morning. A Camelback is well worth the investment and helps hydation during the event.

 

[Chief]

Camelback supports the greenies and is way overpriced. Go to target and get a hydro-pak. 12 bucks for the bladder (will fit in any backpak) or 20 with the pak, zip tie it to the back of your chest protector. (2 litre)

I fill mine up before every ride and love it. I find I drink a lot of it when I'm prepping, I guess I get the cold sweats even if I'm not racing.

Maybe some day I'll race but then again probably never. Good luck and DO NOT buy camelpak. It's a scam and not worth the $ once you shop at target.

GoodLuck and GodSpeed,

Chief

 

[TheJunkMan]

I tried the hydro-pak,one thing about the hydro pak is it is hard to clean and ice cubes do not fit in the mouth of the bladder but other wise it is a cheap way to go if you do not use hydration alot, I am into all types of riding/competition (eduros,scambles,trials,MX,mountain biking) so a camelback is a worth while investment for me anyways

 

[JPIVEY]

Like Ivan said, start drinking water now, bayer asprin in your hydro system and pace your race.

And if you can figure out who the hare is before the race, put Ex-Lax in his drink system, you'll catch him shortly after the whoop section.............hehehe

 

[truespode]

You can't hydrate enough a day or two before the race. Hydration has to be a lifestyle or at least started 4 to 5 days before.

For a good watering system to use during the race I suggest checking out www.nohvcc.org Look in their products section. They sell water systems.

They train land managers on OHV use and help fight to keep OHV parks open.

Ivan

 

[Kawidude]

I usually also use the first lap as sort of a "sighting" lap. I don't run at top speed because I'm trying to pay special attention to any extra-difficult spots on the course. Once you've got the rough spots memorized, you can crank it up a little more and be ready for them on your next few laps. Let us know how you do!

 

[Zerotact]

The hare scrambles I go to allow some practice time, I take a practice lap. I try to remember the bad technical spots, and look for a way to get past them if mud gets bad. And last but not least, Don't quit... I have yet to not finish a harescramble even with my pathetic slow times. I have finished covered in mud, and handlebars bent in multiple places.
P.S. don't run out of gas.....

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

Thanks again for all of the advice, I appreciate it. I'm really hoping I can sign up, I still have to convince the parents...lol.That could take some time. I'm just going to look at it as a learning experience, I definitely have my expectations set pretty low. I will not be racing the main day, but going for the family race day. My bike is completely stock, I haven't done a thing to it. Do you think there is anything that I should get before/if I can go??? Right now it only has the stock plastic handguards.

 

[kx134]

when you go riding at the track do you quit first or last out of your buddies? I knew I would do fine in HS because I naturally have good endurance. NEVER RIDE MX STYLE. take the first lap medium and keep it there. I beat 35/70 guys in my class and my bike was 17 at the time. You will get passed by so many guys (and gals) that you will be sure you are in last place. You aren't, unless you are the guy in the big bad 4 stroke that wont light and never lights and is left at the line.

Now that I have a real bike, I can't wait to own the hare scramble series, all winter in Colorado! Have to find time with all the snowboarding I do. Anyways, have a great time, my favorite part is the fact that you go in and stay in the zone for 2-3 hours. better than crack, not that I would know :eek:

 

[Mrobbins]

After racing a few enduros for the first time last year and my first hare scramble about two weeks ago their advise is spot on. Rode my hopped up 97 KDX220 and got 4th out of 10 in C-Vetern (over 30 novice). A few tips to summarize/add:

Bike in good running condition and enough gas to finish
Bike protected with at least hand guards and hopefully a skid plate
You protected with helmet/gloves/goggles/chest protector/elbow and knee pads/boots
Water pack for hydration and spare plug/wrench (in case of water/mud in motor)
Arrive and sign up early to get a feel for the course and rules/calm nerves
Warm up the bike, check gas, tire pressure and stretch excercises before the start
Have fun/ride the best you can but not over your ability
Move over for much faster riders (they will yell or rev the bike) and don't take it personal
Dry clothes and a couple of cold ones for post race BS'ing
Trash bag to hual muddy gear home
Don't leave the parking area with your trophy left on the roof of you truck (Don't Ask!)

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

Ok another question, I doubt it would be necessary but if you have to can you stop for gas??? I don't think this would be a problem but you never know I guess. I have handguards for my bike but at the time can't afford a skidplate ( I need a job bad..lol) have a helmet, gloves, workboots and goggles so I have most of the necessary gear I suppose. Thanks.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Get barkbusters! I find I go way faster with them because I'm not afraid to bang trees. Also, don't try for the holeshot, as it's nuts up there. Pace yourself, never give up, and most importantly, HAVE FUN! I've done 4 races to date, and keep improving with everyone. In my last race, I raced intermediate class and ended up 9th against all the guys on the big four-strokes that cost about 4 times as much as my little 200. The thing is, I never had to use all my gears, and my bike is nice and light and nimble in the woods, so I could haul pretty good. Where abouts is the race you're going to?

 

[WWR]

Run. Like 3 miles, 3 times a week. Your endurance needs to be in top shape.

When you can handle running 3 miles at a decent clip (for your legs/stamina), ride your bike intensely for 2 hours at a time (to get your upper body muscles to complement your new stamina).

With your body in good condition and bike in good condition, it should be a walk in the park. :)

Here is a good tip: be sure your grips are glued/safetied on the bars. The last thing you need is a loss of control from such a small item. Go over your entire bike and make sure EVERYTHING is torqued down and/or safetywired.

 

[kx134]

i hate the barbusters, but I know people who swear by them. My kx came with like 3 sets of the damn things lol (anybody want some barkbusters for like 4 bucks? 8) ) and I can't imagine racing (MX no less )with em. the guy who owned it before me swore by them.

Another tip...Think about the details! I had a camelbak(made it a pleasure to ride) but the way I had it setup if I dropped my left shoulder the water tube would fall out and I wasn't about to stop! It was really irritating....Also, if you fall, get up as fast as you possibly can in order to not get run over, in the scramble I did, the dust was ridiculous and I had no clue where anybody was. I don't think I ever picked up and started a flooded bike that fast. It was seriously like 10 seconds, including like 3-4 kicks with the gas wide open. I was starting for my life, lol. I swore for the rest of the race that I was behind a friend of mine (thought he passed me and I didnt' see him) and busted my ass to catch him. I skipped the PS and tried to get caught up. When I ran out of gas like 1/4 mile from getting another lap (7.5 mile circuit), my buddy caught up to me like 4 minutes later and passed me, even though I though I was behind him all along. Moral:gas is good.

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

Run. Like 3 miles, 3 times a week. Your endurance needs to be in top shape.

When you can handle running 3 miles at a decent clip (for your legs/stamina), ride your bike intensely for 2 hours at a time (to get your upper body muscles to complement your new stamina).

:ohmy:

Wow I can run for about three miles without stopping, but I must admit I do it very slowly. About as fast as a slow jog..lol. Maybe it would be better to wait for another race to come up later so I can get in shape??? To be honest I am not a great rider to begin with, so I am not very confident. I rarely have a chance to do real trail riding as I have a hard time getting away from home. My skills are not to great, I was hoping to improve them a bit by going to this race. I'm sure that it will be an eye opener for me..lol :eek: I want to race but I don't want to get in everybodys way either.

 

[Michelle]

I've not read the whole thread, so not sure if what I'm saying has been covered or not & apologies if it has.

I've mainly ridden at our club rides & lack confidence anywhere. In january this year, a friend & I decided to do a harescramble, which was a two-person one bike affair, except for the women's class, which was two women, two bikes. Last year, I decided to try a club harescramble (we had about 40 riders) but my friend was told she was too slow & wasn't allowed to ride. I laughed & made some dumb decisions, but did have fun & came dead last. (sorry, the background is sorta necessary). Anyway, when our club had a two man race, I told my friend she had to be my partner. We had a ball & so when this race came up in January, we were keen to give it a go. It was going to be her 2nd "race" & my third.

Anyways, at briefing (about 80-90 bikes, so roughly 160 riders), the guys were told there were 12 women out there & to be nice to them. The guys were great, they mainly passed cleanly. BUT, one took out my friend (I said most were great) & didn't even stop to make sure she was okay (her bike had red paint/plastic on it, the impact was that hard) - she went flying & had a huge haematoma on her arm at the end of the day. That really pissed us off. I clipped bars with one guy, which was totally my fault, but thankfully neither of us went down (I would've felt really bad if he had've as it was dumb on my part). I was holding my line, waiting for this dude to pass me, then decided I obviously wasn't giving him enough space, so moved to the right - precisely at the time he'd worked out I was holding my line - of course, he went to pass me on the right. Either he or I clicked early enough that it was only a minor bar bang.

What took me a few days to realise (I'm slow) was that the guys were great & because they were aware of us women, they were passing us as nicely as they could. But, as soon as they were past, they'd get hard on the gas again, roosting us along the way. I'd thought they were being assholes & just roosting for the sake of roosting.

My friend & I were talking about the race a couple of months later and worked out that both of us were as bad as each other. I was having a really good lap, doing really well & then I started concentrating on that rather than having fun & stuffed something up, dropped the bike, got stuck, got unstuck & kept riding. I then kept dumping the bike & having no fun whatsoever. My friend was having a really fun ride & doing well, then she thought, hey I'm meant to be racing, not trailriding, so wicked it up a bit & promptly started falling over. Our pact for next year is to have fun, ride to have fun & not even think about results (hey, we came last but in hindsight we had fun).

The lessons I learnt that day was: race your own race, have fun, don't feel like the world's out to get you, chances are it's trying to be nice just forgetting that you're still there behind them when they're past you, hold your line (I knew this one, I just stuffed up), keep hydrated and have fun racing your own race.

Everyone starts somewhere & so long as you have fun, don't worry, be happy. Hold your line, maybe indicate you're aware of the person behind you, pull over if it's a tight area, otherwise they'll get past, so long as you hold your line & they see that you can.

The other thing is, if it's a harescramble, if it gets too much, pull out after doing a lap or two (chances are you will have finished a lap before the lead riders come past, otherwise you'll be close to it). At least that way you've got a taste of racing & can decide whether you want to do it or not.

Good luck & let us know how it goes :)