Post, Tx. enduro

[craig_enid]

Well, I twisted some arms and ended up forcing Justql and TJDJOK into making the trip with me to the Renegade. Justql drove to Enid and picked up Terry and I on a cold and blustery Saturday afternoon. We headed to Lubbock and arrived at LaQinta Inn late that evening. We locked up the bikes and trailer to make sure we'd have rides the following morning and hit the sheets pretty early. All of us were wired pretty tight and heard some noisy neighbors all night and watched the hours crawl past.
We made the site in time to catch the riders meeting and get signed up on row 66. That gave us a 10:06 start time and we got the computers programmed and all set for the start. There were a couple of MX young guys on our row, and didn't see them much, past the start.
We took off with me in the lead, Terry in the middle and Justin bringing up the rear. We hit some slower riders and last time I looked around mile 3 we were a little late. I went into late mode, pushing hard. I could hear the their 4 strokes behind me and was trying to get back on our minute. We hit the first check around mile 4 and I mindlessly blasted into the check. I see him write a 65 on my score card, and THEN look at my computer.... oops. Terry followed me into the check so we burn the first check. :uh: Sorry, guys. Justin saw the check and looked at his computer and was able to scrub off enough time to zero the check.
Once through, Justin blasts off, with Terry and I giving chase. We don't see Justin till later in the race. I went back to race mode figuring we were in a test section. I kept checking and Terry was having no trouble keeping up.
From that point on, we never caught back up to our minute and we had a 3+ hour hare scramble for the rest of the race.
Ground conditions were about perfect, with just a few spots where dust was a problem.
After the race, we loaded up and touched base with enduro_nut and Keetoman.
I ended up dropping over 80 points, and had a blast.
We hit the road for the long drive back home. Somewhere before the TX/OK border, we entered the path of a winter storm that had gone through earlier in the day. There was alot of 5mph travel and several 'oh no' moments as we traveled over very slick and icy roads.
Terry and I were able to hit the sack around midnight, with Justin hoping to be able to take a shower before he had to leave for work, with an additional 4-5 hours of driving ahead of him. :ohmy:
Many thanks to Justin for pulling the load to make the trip happen, and to Terry for jumping into the unknown and making the trip. :worship:

 

[BSWIFT]

I think I may have picked a good race to miss. Nice report. Justql rode ahead of you? Atkins must be doing him some good.LOL

 

[Enduro_Nut]

Race conditions were perrrrfffffeeeccct. A bit cold in the morning though :laugh: .

A little sand,cactus,rock,a few water crossings and a few good friends - now that's a good enduro! :yeehaw:

Hats off the the Okie/Kansas group(Craig_Enid,Terry & Justql) for their dedication to making the event. :thumb:

We'll see you guys @ Zink on the 7th(?) !

Oh yeah - Terry and Keetoman, how did you like it - ready for the next one?? These guys did great on their first enduro.

 

[Danman]

I stayed home, but I think the day would have been perfect to ride. Glad you guys have fun. I sure hate to miss the ones close to the house.

 

[justql]

As I left home and headed across southern Kansas Saturday morning towards Enid OK ice was forming on the windshield. I was a little concerned but with Caig's gaurantee for a beautiful day of racing I forged ahead. I managed to arrive in Enid at Craig's house at 12:45. Upon arrival I found Craig and Terry already had the trailer loaded and were ready to go. After a little improvising we had the trailer hooked up and were on the road. It was a great trip down with good stories of past rides being the main topic.

After a rough night of sleeping we were up and at it early Sunday morning. it was a little cool but it was dry. We managed to get to the race sight prep the bikes program the computers and be ready to go by our keytime.

After two nights of little sleep, Friday was 6 hours, Saturday night was some sleep with tossing and turning in between, I figured I'd wear out really quickly. I followed Craig and Terry off of the start. After Craig's blunder of burning the check he stopped and was shacking his head in disbelief. I took the opportunity to take the lead. The next fifteen miles were the best riding I have had in close to two years. Although, I was not that fast I was still having a ball, doubling through whoops, wheeling through sand washes, hitting the flat corners perfect, hoping over rocks, all around great fun. :aj:

Around mile 17 I realized I had been dragging the rear brake and not using the front.(hey it's been awhile since I have ridden) this resulted in a case of brake fading. The brakes came back about the time I realized I had a flat front tire around mile 18.5. I soldiered on. I then saw a nasty little (10 foot) ravene that ran ride beside the trail. Yep I did just what you're not suppose to, I looked at the thing and ended up dropping the bike in it. I stayed on the trail unhurt and the bike ended up on its wheels at the bottom of the ravene. Craig came up behind me while I was looking at the bike below me. He, being the true friend he is stopped and helped me muscle the bike down the ravene which included another good size drop. Fifteen minutes later we were all three on the trail again. We made it to the gas stop wa late. I aired the tire up and straightened the front end and we were all off again. Even though we were very late due to my lapse in judgement that resulted in my trip to the Grand Canyon we made good time. The remainder of the race was pretty much so a hare scramble. Terry did a great job! The first time enduro rider stayed close behind Craig and I all day.

My impressions of west Texas races stayed the same. Lots of cactus, mesquite, and nasty, DANGEROUS, single track downhills. This was my fifth ride in that type of terrain and I still do not know how they go that fast in the stuff, You can't see whats over the little drop offs yet the guys bail off of them at 30+ mph.

My bike was GREAT :thumb: Couldn't have asked for it to be any better. Lots of power to fly through the sand (which I still hate) and very stable and manuverable in the tighter technical stuff.

The Trip home was not as good as the rest of the trip. VERY SLOW and long. I got in the house at 4:15, took a quick shower and laid down for an hour long nap before I was up and off to work. After a 13 1/2 hour long day I finally got home tonight.

Everything considered it was a great trip. Terry and Craig were the perfect traveling companions. Thanks guys. I needed that trip. :) :)

 

[tdjok]

I'm alive!!! That is exciting news considering three nights of little to no sleep, my first enduro in very unfamiliar terrain and several hours of ice skating on I-40 and highway 81.

The trip was great. Craig and Justin were wonderful. They tried to school me on the finer points of enduro riding and provided much encouragement as I was looking for a bus stop where I could get a ride back to Enid before the race started. I was a little concerned about this whole enduro race thing. I haven't been that stressed since my last high school cross country race some 20+ years ago.

I started the race extremely nervous and made several silly blunders within the first half mile. Justin was probably having second thoughts about my riding skills after seeing these errors. Not to blame any of this on the bike, but that WR250F sure takes its time in warming up. At least three times right off the start, I hit the throttle coming out of the turn and "blughhhhhh" it stalled.

Once warm, the bike ran great and I just had to focus on relaxing. The terrain was challenging for me and I never really got into any kind of comfortable rhythm. The trail was marked very well, which came in handy when I lost sight of Craig and Justin at a water crossing. That's where I learned to not be so patient when waiting for others to "find their line".

All in all, it was a great experience. I have a much better understanding of what enduros are all about and actually think I learned from my many mistakes. Thanks again Craig and Justin for your patience and guidance on this trip. I would not have tried it without your encouragement.

 

[Enduro_Nut]

Glad you enjoyed it!! :thumb: It was great meeting you.

 

[craig_enid]

He's us 30 minutes before our start time....
http://community.webshots.com/photo/30145277/115662548Geydjz

 

[Enduro_Nut]

Craig - Forgot to ask, how was the criuse-o-matic KDX???
I could have used it!

 

[craig_enid]

Oops, TJDJOK = tdjok :|
Roger, I liked the auto clutch. It is different, and some people may not like the operation, but it worked well for me. It has a very linear and predictable power delivery. You get a sense of what gear you are in by how long it takes to 'hook up' as you accelerate. When I was in a too high gear on a rocky uphill, it accelerates but the rpms stay the same. In the 'right' gear, the rpms will rise with your speed as it locks up and directly delivers the power, with no slippage. When in a too high gear, if I had opportunity, I would downshift. If not, keep gassing it until out of trouble.

 

[KNeese]

Great report guys. Sounds like a tough enduro.

 

[DWreck]

I can't believe you guys went! I just gave up on riding altogether when the weather went to pot, but it sounds like I missed out on a good time. Justin, nice helmet, I would have bashed the other one with a rock for you if I would have known you were going to get one with some color! Glad everyone made it out alive. I swear that I am going to do one of these with you guys one of these days. :thumb:

 

[Enduro_Nut]

DWreck - You CAN have redemption! Show up at Zink on the 7th! Look forward to seeing ya' there. :thumb: