Little Bear Beginner Enduro and Black Bear Enduro

[MACE]

This week we return to Capitol Forest for Enduro weekend.

Saturday starts with an enduro school and at noon we hit the trail. The course is between 30 and 40 miles long. Some fast sections - some slow sections - some breaks - some sweat -and you have to THINK as well as TWIST.

If it's dusty, we will start one rider a minute. You can ride with your buddy if you request.

Entry is $20 and includes your roll chart and class materials. You need a roll chart holder and a watch. No odometer required on Saturday - I will put up mile markers every 1/4 mile or so. We always have a few roll chart holders that you can use for a $20 deposit. If you want, you keep the roll chart holder and we keep the twenty. This is about the easiest opportunity you will find to give enduros a try.

This is an NMA Poker Run Points paying event - even though it is not a poker run. Like all enduros, it is for two wheelers only. We enforce NMA sound test rules.

 

[MACE]

http://www.nmaoffroad.org/graphics/posters/0823littlebear.gif
http://www.nmaoffroad.org/graphics/posters/0824blackbear.gif

 

[MACE]

Sunday is the Black Bear Enduro. The Black Bear has been NMA enduro of the year for the last five years or so. This year we are at Capitol instead of Naches so the trail boss is working overtime to keep the string of top notch enduros going. Long course riders get about 90 miles of riding and that should about satisfy anyone... Short course is similar to the beginner enduro course with an added loop of ten miles or so. Call it 40-50 miles.

This is an NMA points enduro so Washington state residents need to be a member of NMA to enter. Competition license is optional.

See you there. Don't be late....

 

[fishhead]

Come on you Poker Running Animals! Splatt , Pat, Wa-, Canook, T-Rat, Steve, Hondaxr on a kx, highbeam, Kevrm, etc. You know the terrain now so give this thing a shot. Even old farts like me can do this one! Might even take Craig. :yeehaw: :yeehaw:

 

[Hondaxrguy]

Originally posted by fishhead
Hondaxr on a kx

:moon: :thumb:

It's tempting, but I work on Saturdays, so I can't make the beginner enduro. This is the one enduro that I said I really wanted to do this year, but that was also when it was at Naches......

Jeremy

 

[WA-Rider]

Sounds very intresting! I'll have to see how this week goes but I think I'll be down for sure!

 

[Highbeam]

That whole NMA member, license thing is confusing. Is it the same old deal where any fool can show up, pay cash, and compete? I'm not interested in points.

I will be there. Haven't missed an enduro yet. Considering the long course so I will have to claim to be a better rider than I am.

 

[KNeese]

Highbeam,

You just need to be a member of the NMA. You don't need a competition license unless you want to compete for season awards.

I'll be there for sure. Not sure what minute yet. I think they had the drawing yesterday so I'm anxious to get ready.

Threw the ol' riding gear in the wash just now. It was gettin a little ripe. I'll probably give the bike the once over tomorow after work. New tires on Wednesday or Thursday. Then I'll be good to go.

 

[fishhead]

New tires are like cheating! I hope it doesn't rain! :laugh:

 

[Highbeam]

Bizarre....

I've never been a member of NMA before, or for any of the other enduros. Is this requirement unique to this particular enduro? I rode it last year without a membership. It sounds like one of those pseudo requirements. What's the real deal, can I ride or not? Sorry, I do not plan on buying an NMA membership.

 

[fishhead]

mum's the word. Ride on! ;)

 

[KNeese]

Yeah its one of the rules but I've never seen it enforced. I know of one other person who rode in the past without NMA membership. Go for it.

Or you can use the old classic 'I sent the application off the other day but haven't got anything back yet'. I've heard from others this works too!

Just got my starting time today. 8:52.

Short course ends at 55.6. Gas available at 39. Speed averages around 15 with a few 25's and 21's thrown in for good measure. And some really slow averages like 4, 5 and 6's. Also a few resets. Sounds like a timekeeper.

Long course ends at 101.5.

 

[MACE]

Originally posted by Highbeam
Bizarre....

I've never been a member of NMA before, or for any of the other enduros. Is this requirement unique to this particular enduro? I rode it last year without a membership. It sounds like one of those pseudo requirements. What's the real deal, can I ride or not? Sorry, I do not plan on buying an NMA membership.

Look me up. I'll buy your freaking membership. Jeez.

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks for the offer Mace, but no thanks. I'll pay my 40$ and be happy... well, pretty happy.

 

[MACE]

Highbeam, sorry I was a bit snippy. NMA is such a vital organization for our region that I get impatient with non-members. Just one of my many personality flaws. Again, no hard feelings.

The membership requirements for comp events are on the books but have never been enforced. I expect there will be more enforcement in the future and am trying to plant the seeds for folks to be aware.

BTW, Individual membership is $25.

 

[fishhead]

Be patient with us, Mace, a little help answering the question "Why be a member?" will go a long ways here and on the website and in the OFFROADER as well.

Back on topic. The beginner enduro was great except for one turn :o and the check location and speed averages were great to get the feel of time keeping. Sending out the riders one to a minute really kept down the dust so it wasn't a factor. Good Job! :thumb:

The Black Bear was the best event this year! I didn't hear any riders complaining about anything about the event and everyone is looking forward to next year. The course design and check locations were very intelligent considering the number of other users in the area and the test sections on the short course were challenging enough to make it interesting. It looked like the long course riders had enough mileage to be happy. Tell Dean he did a great job also! :thumb:


BTW. Highbeams buddy got a medal so give me a holler and I'll get it to you Ken :thumb: Highbeam has got to quit checking his tire pressure by turning his bike upside down. :laugh:

 

[Highbeam]

I agree, great ride. I had a couple of crashes with the last one being my most spectacular ever. I was down 5 minutes on following check but was able to catch up and enjoy the rest of the ride on time. Too bad there are no more enduros this year. We were just starting to get the hang of it.

 

[mudrat]

What a great ride! Loved it, bit dusty... made for a bit of the loose on top of the concret-ish dried up terrain, added to the time challenge. Couldn't beat the weather or the ride. Look forward to next season's enduros.

Fishhead, when is your next planned ride. We could hook up then to get the medal. Thank you for picking that up, didn't expect to do so well. Must have been 3rd out of 3.... Well, we seem to meet at all the enduros, but no more of those planned for the season. BTW... what place was it?

Kenny (Mudrat)

 

[fishhead]

It was 4th or 5th I think and Joe was right behind you. I don't remember your aggregate score but it looked like you did better than average in the test sections. :thumb: My s -12's were not the tire for those hardpack conditions. It sure felt good to get over on the Porter side where ther was some moisture.

I think I might run a few HS events to get a bit of speed up before next year. Cranberry Lake, The Cowbell 1 Day Isde, and the White Knuckle are coming up.

 

[MACE]

Thanks for the nice comments guys. Putting on an enduro is probably the toughest of the three offroad series events. But at least you get to lose money. ;) That kind of explains why there are not more enduros. You have to love enduros to do this. Really makes you respect River City MC who does two enduro events each year.

I'd really like to see some of the clubs do enduros or beginer enduros in conjunction with their poker runs. It would be pretty reasonable to have an enduro on the morning of a poker run with an 8am key time and the first PR rider out at 10am. You could at least run a short course enduro that way.

Anyway, see you on the trails.

 

[fishhead]

perhaps a long course also with a series of special tests emergency checks and resets to shorten the trail miles.

I think if more people tried them more people would like them.

 

[Highbeam]

It's funny how people are afraid of the enduros. Maybe the idea of timekeeping is overwhelming, maybe the "endurance" part of enduros makes the unknowing leery, maybe its the 2x cost. I don't know, but there are definitely fewer people showing up at enduros than at poker runs.

I rode every enduro this year. If there were ten, then I would ride all 10. I just can't get enough. This type of event is superior in my opinion.

Is the lack of participation why these events are money losers? Is there an additional insurance type cost due to the competitive nature?

 

[MACE]

Yeah, you lose money because of the small entry. Poker runs are really easy to set up and you get maybe 300 entries at $20 per rider. The hare scrambles get large entry numbers with the high entry fees associated with comp events. The HS series is a moneymaker for most clubs. Our club makes money on the HS and PR and uses that to subsidize the enduro plus we make significant donations to the NMA.

I like enduros because I know I will never be the fastest rider, but I hope I might have a chance to be the smartest. Never seems to work out like I plan....

All I can say is if you like enduros, enter them all. Encourage clubs to put on more. The enduro series is just hanging on by a thread. :ugg:

 

[fishhead]

Mace, Just a thought.

The enduro school was a bridge between a poker run and an enduro and it seems that a 1 day ISDE could be a bridge between an enduro and the HS crowd. Yet there is only one ISDE event in the NMA. Are ISDE's that hard to put on or do they suffer the low turnout that plauges the enduros?

 

[KNeese]

Great Job MACE! The Black Bear is always one of the best enduros every year. Your club does an excellent job with course layout and speed averages. You have to keep time plus you have to go really fast in the special tests and the course is long enough to get your moneys worth. Tell all the club members THANKS. I will always ride the Black Bear and encourage my friends to ride it too.

I also wish there were more enduros. Only 5 events is really disappointing and I work one of them, Shelton Valley, so I only get 4. I e-mailed some clubs to request more enduros but so far no luck. Maybe next year.

Maybe if the enduros gave away riding gear, trips to Vegas, tires, handlebars, etc. How about a Poker Run class at the events where they could ride the short course. I think they do this in California. How about giving away a new bike or truck each year to a random Enduro series rider who rides all the events. How about prize money? How about a National?