One of these times I will finish a TWMC enduro. I enjoyed the course, and actually the trails were the easiest TWMC enduro yet. Probably somewhere around mile 2.9 the course opened up to some fast desert trails that were really a blast to ride. In true TWMC fashion most of the uphill runs couldn't just end with downhill once you crested the hill--they prefer to turn you right or left exactly on the crest-- and that keeps you on your toes. Since I was in the back of the pack and way off my time, I tried to work on some of my riding skills-mainly downhills, of which there were several. Some of the downhills were fairly clean trail, others were littered with ruts, rocks, and boulders. Most times I freak out and just lock up the rear brake to skid down steep hills, this time I tried use some advice Kiwi Bird gave me and look past the bottom of the hill and ride through the decline smoothly. After I tried doing this a couple of times, I actually felt more comfortable rolling down the hills as opposed to slowly skidding.
I also used Eel's advice on rock riding. If I used more speed through the rock sections and let the suspension work I actually got less hammered than if I went through the rocks at my normal slow speed. Thanks Eel.
Anyway, somewhere in Loop 2 (probably around miles 10-14), my KTM 540DXC was wearing me out, I had leg cramps, was hot, and since those particular miles winded up back near the start area, it was just too easy for me to quit. This portion of Loop2 was actually different from the same section of Loop 1. The course was some tricky up-down hard lava rock,up-down loose rock, up-down.... I had just had it.
Great event---thanks Eric and Tim for good campfire chat.
Now let's all do a group ride damnit. :aj: