the Eel

~SPONSOR~
Sep 23, 2000
1,747
0
Raced in the TWMC Sunrise Run last Sunday. The 8 am start time had me rolling out of bed right around 4:30 am - which was especially painful since I spent the day before checkin' out cool bands and drinking beers at KROQ's Weenie Roast.

I blasted out to Spangler and arrived around 7:30 AM ... then hopped to it - sign up, program the WatchDog, suit up, and time to race.

The amateur race was 48 miles long - twice around an 18 mile loop and then another 12 or so. It was in the 90's so I was pretty hurtin' by about 40 or so. The course was fairly tough as TWMC's go and some of the speeds were higher than we've seen in awhile ... howzabout 48 MPH and 72 MPH in spots !?!! So this race actually had people dropping minutes. But June events are notoriously tough and this one kept the tradition. It was fast but if you rode hot then you could do OK. I found out later that there were no checks within 3 miles of the resets at free time back at camp .... wish I had made the rider's meeting to find this out. If you got a head start at the resets you could do well. Alas, I did not get a head start and only pulled 7th amateur. Not too bad I guess .. always learning, always learning.

The course was a combo of quite chewed-up flat trail ... real loose ... alot of deep whoops, some very loose hillclimbs which gave some people problems, and one winding rock littered gulch with a little rock waterfall. The course was UGLY with a capital U but it was actually pretty cool ... pretty demanding on the legs and arms, especially with the heat, but once again the result of someone's hard work and creative choices (Hats off to Fred Mulder and company! ). I did some mighty dog-paddling to get up a few of the hillclimbs .... I bet that looked creative !

KelsoRat was the only Wrecking Crew member to show ... guys, what's up ? You are really missing out here. Kelso rocks ... he was out there in the 100 degree heat racing on a big-boy DRZ ... give the man a freakin' medal for that ! What's up with the crew ? Oh yeah, it was father's day wasn't it ... well maybe next time.

Hope to see you then ....
 

kelsorat

Knucklehead Newbie
Nov 5, 2001
916
0
Eric joined a pretty cool club. TWMC. I already belong to another club called SVRG that holds Vintage MX races every month and each race I can easily lay down 80 bucks. The TWMC enduros held every month are a bargain-I think I spent 8 bucks total.

I arrived Saturday night about 6:30, rode around the Spangler trails around camp til sundown, and participated in the poker run. Slept in my truck and awoke 6 am. The desert chill was still around and the weather was decievingly cool. Rider's meeting was at 7, and all I could do was hope that the Sunrise course was easier than the last enduro I rode out at Cougar Buttes. Well the course was perfect. I lined up on minute/row 3 with 2 other riders that knew time-keeping. Let's just say I could only keep up for about 2 minutes.
The course was my type of riding-wide open desert singletrack. Even the tricky sections like the sand uphill, and rock waterfall were difficult but not bike-busting tricky like the Cougar Butte stuff. I've rode Spangler a couple of times and this course was set up along great single that I've never seen before. Great Event
 

scar tissue

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 27, 2000
1,429
0
Originally posted by the Eel
KelsoRat was the only Wrecking Crew member to show ... guys, what's up ?
......
What's up with the crew ? Oh yeah, it was father's day wasn't it ... well maybe next time.

Hope to see you then ....

Exactly. Fathers day and mothers day for the AMA outdoors a Glen Helen. A little event planning for both would definately jump attendence. :| :think: :uh:


I was really bummed I missed it. Hope to see you at Kennedy Meadows on the 4th. (I'll be there from the 2nd- the 6th)
 
Top Bottom