So Cal Enduro - TWMC's 10th Annual SweetHeart

[the Eel]

Adult race on Sunday. Kid's race on Saturday.

February 16th & 17th

TWMC Outing - 10th annual SweetHeart Enduro, at El Mirage dry lake (near Adelanto). Curtis Cram, "Evil" Jeff Browne, Phil White, and company.

Directions:

Take I-15 north to HWY 395 (16 miles). Take HWY 395 north to Adelanto (14 miles). Turn left on El Mirage Road, go about 6 miles to the BLM access road. Turn right, follow TWMC arrows to camp (about 2 miles).

Good fun !

 

[JWW]

:)

 

[oldandslo]

I think I finally chased this flu bug off. Can I do this enduro like a trail ride. I don`t know anything about timekeeping. Also what time does it start and what time should I get there. Is the cost 7 dollars? Hopefully I`ll make it this time.

 

[JWW]

Originally posted by oldandslo
I think I finally chased this flu bug off. Can I do this enduro like a trail ride. I don`t know anything about timekeeping. Also what time does it start and what time should I get there. Is the cost 7 dollars? Hopefully I`ll make it this time.

Yes I rode my first few enduros with no equipment. I just stayed between the rows around me. I think I had my best finishes doing this.

99% sure it starts at 9am. I would try and arrive and be ready by 8. They usually have a meeting before.



I will be out there Saturday. I will post here if the start time is different.

 

[ktmboy]

I'll try to come out Saturday and hang out for awhile. (That's if I get time to pop my new tube in Fri. night!):)

 

[holeshot]

I'll be there as early as I can on Saturday, so I can get in a little riding before the kid's event in the afternoon.

I barely looked at my timekeeping stuff last time out (I was too busy riding). Now, what do I do when I go off course and my mileage is all messed up?.....:ugg:

 

[placelast]

what do I do when I go off course and my mileage is all messed up?.....:ugg: [/B]

Perhaps the WD manual can help, but if you didn't mark the beginning of the excursion, then it's be a shot in the dark.

Once back on the course, you'd have to wait for the next following posted reset or check, where the mileage is shown on a plackard or pie plate adjacent to the trail. Then @ when there, make the adjustments (down in your case, as on the excursion you added mileage).

Since my tire's path does not perfectly match the course captain/boss who did the layout, I make my adjustments there or at the start of the consecutive loop as needed.

 

[holeshot]

.

The manual shows to adjust mileage (I read it the day after the last enduro). Posted mileage points aside, I figure that if I note the distance back to the trail and decrease the mileage by twice that amount, then I should be close to the correct mileage (in an ideal world). I'd then adjust exactly at the next posted mileage.

Looking at the numbers of the other riders was a good tip in the enduro forum - I wonder why I didn't think of that -doh:confused: .

 

[placelast]

Re: .

Originally posted by holeshot
if I note the distance back to the trail and decrease the mileage by twice that amount, then I should be close to the correct mileage (in an ideal world). I'd then adjust exactly at the next posted mileage.

Looking at the numbers of the other riders was a good tip in the enduro forum - I wonder why I didn't think of that -doh:confused: .

Adjusting mileage readily may be a good approach, but once you venture off the course and get back on, you would almost certainly be behind, perhaps even way behind to a point where it's futile to mess with the mileage. @ that point, just scoot along @ a good clip & don't worry about resetting your mileage just yet, as dong so would cause you to drop further behind. 1st get back to where you think you ought to be; you'd know for sure @ a reset or check; then adjust mileage.

The club events don't usually require #s since they are used for photo ops. ID only, of which they rarely do. What Jeff did, I believe, was become familiar with (the gear & bikes of) those in front & behind, to "roughly" key off of. Those on your minute would be even better. The problem with the former is they are a minute away, +/-, from where you need to be ideally, so use them as an vague guide.

The latter, those on your minute, are the best to use, but then again, you become subject to their timekeeping abilities or flaws. Example: a year ago, before I got my PaceMaker, I was doing just fine (unkowingly) approaching the 1st check on the 1st loop of the Black Hills Enduro, using my stop watches & roll charts; I was moving along right on time. Then this higher-ranked rider on my minute goes blazing by me; as he passed I noticed he had a ICO, so I reasoned "he must know what he's doing" - NOT! We both raced into that check shortly thereafter & burned it well, so much that it put me out of contention for the day :(

Moral of the story: while the "other guy" may have some good reasons for doing what he's doing, or seems like he knows what he's doing,it's best to figure it out on your own, for your confidence's sake.

Timekeeping is not that hard, but it does get a little hectic once you give in to the temptation to doubt your own logic, what you can confirm using yopur own tools & brain.

 

[Boodac]

Boy I cant say Ive tried an enduro, but Im thinking I couldnt fight off the temptation to just ride hard. Anyways, I rode the course last weekend and from what I could see, you wont have to many problems getting lost. Its extremely well marked.

 

[*william*]

Re: .

Originally posted by holeshot
Posted mileage points aside, I figure that if I note the distance back to the trail and decrease the mileage by twice that amount, then I should be close to the correct mileage (in an ideal world). I'd then adjust exactly at the next posted mileage.

You guys are makin' my head hurt with all this math. Ridin' is supposed to be fun! How do you know when to get on the gas when you're doin' all that computin' !?

Already got plans, but maybe I'll try one of these enduros sometime. LOL, I think that's what I told Lastplace what, 2 years ago? :eek:

 

[placelast]

Re: Re: .

You guys are makin' my head hurt with all this math. Ridin' is supposed to be fun! How do you know when to get on the gas when you're doin' all that computin' !?

It is fun; doing the math makes it that much more! 2x, I'd say.

As far as when to get on the gas, there cannot be two checkpoints within 3 miles of eachother (watch out for resets between, which effectively narrows the gap), so for those 3 miles you can ride as fast as you want, if need be, to get back to where you are supposed to be. And you can arrive up to 15 min. early before a know contol, eg: an end of a loop, if identified as such on the route sheet; district clubs do this, but the TWMC doesn't often as it's all voluteer work & help is scarce & they like to keep you "thinking/on the lookout" for possible checks to the end.

You can also ride the "possible" checks (because they cannot have a check on every minute for all speed averages). IOW, ride fast (hot) between where there wouldn't be checkpoints, then ride in the middle of your minute where they might occur.

Or you can get lazy & buy a computer which calculates all this stuff for you.:D But it's better to do it on the cheap 1st (roll chart, stop watches) to get the hang of it. Then once you've done a few & decide enduros are the thing, buy a computer w/the features you like.

Mine allows data setup & entry via a laptop, & can be set to "toot" (yes, it has a horn) when a possible check is coming up. Once I'm in a check while the worker writing down my score, I hit a button & the tooter doesn't sound off for 3 miles. The restof the time it (& other brands do this too) tells me how early or late I am; if I need to slow down or speed up. My job is simply to keep it reading/displaying -30-, that is, right in the middle of my minute - which I can control by one thing: the throttle. Sounds simple, & for the most part is, but your mind & the course layout crew do little things to mess with your thinking, cause you to doubt & not trust your instruments or calculations. And that is what makes it even more fun, the cat-and-mouse thing.

 

[Boodac]

Im with William on the complexity of this stuff. Im thinking I better plan to go to Enduro 101 Class before I think about trying one of these.

 

[holeshot]

Originally posted by Boodac
Im with William on the complexity of this stuff. Im thinking I better plan to go to Enduro 101 Class before I think about trying one of these.

Enduro 101 classes won't help much if you're used to MX or GP style racing. When it starts, the temptation to go for broke will be overwhelming (it was for me). If it's like the last enduro they had, the speeds later on in the event will be harder to keep pace with, so you may find yourself going as fast as you can, without much regard for timekeeping. It really depends on how difficult the organizers decide to make the event and how many tricks they have up their sleeve.

Those that have raced desert scrambles type events will be accustomed to following markers and reading/riding desert type terrain, so they will probably catch on quicker (less things to think about at first).

The most insane thing is when you've been riding as fast as you can (to the point where you bail hard) and then find out that you DNF'd (missed a check) an hour before you crashed. All that intensity for nothing. :whiner:

The only way to find out why they call 'em "enduros" is to ride one. Come to think of it, I've only ridden one enduro so far.:eek: Maybe I should try and finish one before giving advice. :confused:

 

[holeshot]

.

Doh:ugg: . My home was broken into and trashed today. They got a Game Cube and my new mountian bike, but must have been scared off before they got away with anything else. Stuff was scattered and thrown all over the place (I just got the computer back together).

I'll have to get the window repaired where they broke in. I don't much feel like riding right now.

I was really looking forward to this enduro, because it's close, and my daughter would have fun riding near the dry lake bed.

Creeps. :mad:

 

[the Eel]

That's beat. :(

At least they didn't get your 4-2-6 ! :)

Anyway - ride report in .... "Ride Reports".