Things I have learned from my 1st enduro in 15 yrs

BRush

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Jun 5, 2000
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Last Sunday, against my better judgement, I let WoodsRider talk me into racing the Tri State Enduro in Oxford, Mass. My first enduro in more than 15 years. I though I'd share a few little lessons I've learned the hard way:

Lesson #1: Bring more water!

I drank my quart of water a little more than half way to the gas stop. Naturally, it was one of the hottest days of the summer and I was sweating buckets. Dehydration saps my riding energy and I was looking enviously at the 70 oz drink systems of those riders zipping by me.

Lesson #2 Go to the gym more.
Lesson #3 No, really, go to the gym more. ;)

Man, I was whipped by the time I got back to the van! I trail ride a lot - in very rugged single track. There was nothing in the race that was more difficult that what I normally ride, but the *endurance* factor was a whole 'nother thing. Riding long sections without stopping to rest and B.S. with your riding buddies, requires a huge amount of stamina! It gets bad when you don't have the energy left to be aggressive enough to get over the nasty sections. I was in total "survival mode" by the end.

Lesson #4 Don't race.

At least if you're at my level :) . I was pushing too hard on the first section, letting my rhythm be dictated by other riders, and the nagging sense that this was a "race" so I needed to push, right? After a succession of near wipeouts, I decided to treat it as just a nice fast trail ride, and not ride over my head. After that things went much better and I was actually a lot faster through the next section.

Lesson #5 Don't assume the rider you're following knows what he's doing!

This was my biggest mistake of the day :( . I was following a rider who completely blew a key turn and we went zipping along the highway for five miles before I figured out something was wrong. On the way back to pick up the trail, I got stopped by the cops. The officer was nice enough and did not cite me (bike was plated & insured, but no mirrors, horn, brake , etc - lesson 4a: carry the registration & ins cards!) but it took 15 minutes of explaining before he let me go. So that little exercise put me into the last section before the gas stop about four minutes before houring out.

Lesson #6 If, before the race, every bike you see has new tires, be worried. ;)
 

WoodsRider

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Damn Yankees
Oct 13, 1999
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Originally posted by BRush
Last Sunday, against my better judgement, I let WoodsRider talk me into racing the Tri State Enduro in Oxford, Mass.

Aww, c'mon BRush, admit it you had fun. You just need to get yourself an odometer. By the time the next one rolls around I should have those Brand X rules down. ;)

For a complete report from a spode perspective, click on this!
 
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Farmer John

T.C.F.<br>(tire changin' fool)
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Mar 8, 2000
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I've always found better judgment & common sense to be highly overrated ;)

The only thing I can add to what you have learned from you foray back into enduros is: carry a full size drink system, & always fill it full. It is easy to poor excess water out after the event is over.
 

BRush

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Jun 5, 2000
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Originally posted by Farmer John

The only thing I can add to what you have learned from you foray back into enduros is: carry a full size drink system, & always fill it full. It is easy to poor excess water out after the event is over.

You can be sure I'll have a 70oz system in place before I attempt another!

I forgot to mention that the WER steering damper I installed a few weeks back was worth it's weight in gold. I'd have been on my butt more that a few times without it.

Hardships aside, there were a number of highpoints: I take some perverse satisfaction that Mr. Enduro Expert (aka WoodsRider) got a rude awakening to riding enduros in the rocks. "Welcome to New England" :p

(ps. Making the 3-hour drive home without passing out at the wheel from exhaustion was it's own form of endurance contest :) )
 

DANIEL JOSEPH

Damn Yankees
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Sep 14, 2000
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#7 Don't pick one of the tougher events to get started again.



By the time the next one rolls around I should have those Brand X rules down.
Don't judge this event as a typical brand X event. Normally there are only three known controls. The Start, the gas, and the finish.
 

teton

Member
Dec 13, 2000
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Hey BRush, can you tell us (or me) how that bike of yours ran and handled with all those mods in this race, sounds quite rough and techincal. Race speeds are alot faster than trail riding like you said, you can sure find out just how good those mods and trick parts are during a race!!

Thanks, Bob
 

BRush

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Jun 5, 2000
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The bike was great, particularly the suspension (MX-Tech , not that they're the only ones who'd do a decent job). The stock suspension would have beaten me up. It tracks *so* much better now. The bike was quite capable of going faster, only the rider was not up to it :). Setting up the bars and ergos to make standing more comfortable is another thing that helps a lot.

The porting and bigbore helped most when I was too tired to stand on the pegs anymore. Having that smooth power and low end grunt available to get me re-started up a nasty hill that I just stalled on was really great. I came across a rider on what looked like a CR-125 set up for woods riding. This kind of bike with an aggressive rider will typically spank a KDX in fast riding, but the rider was played out and in total sit-down mode and the bike looked like it did *not* want to be ridden that way and was making life rough for him. The KDX may not be the fastest thing around, but it is good for "energy conservation" when you have to ride that way.

My one setup thing that I would change would be tire pressure. I run a Dunlop 755 on the front and normally run 10psi. Because of the rocks I bumped it to 12-13 psi. Big mistake, changed the whole feel of the front end. The front was a lot more slidy. If I had to do it again I'd keep to 10 and take the chance of a pinch flat (the 755 has a heavy carcass and I run heavy MSR tubes)
 

WoodsRider

Sponsoring Member<BR>Club Moderator
Damn Yankees
Oct 13, 1999
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The front was a lot more slidy.

Did you quote that phrase directly from MXA or what.:p

You can stop sticking needles in that voodoo doll you had made in my image anytime now.
 
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