LoriKTM
Super Power AssClown
Hey everyone, I sure haven't had much to post about lately, but this time it's a good one! I've been waiting a few years to say this...
I finished my first enduro without houring out!
Now, for some this isn't a big deal, but East Coast enduros are fairly well known for being pretty tough events. The terrain can be unlike anything else in the U.S., and I've been to several over the past couple years and haven't been able to make it past the half-way or 2/3 point without houring out. Pretty depressing, for sure, when you're taking the "short cut" back to the pits and end up waiting for everyone else to come back.
This weekend was different-- Dave and I drove into southern NJ for the Beehive Enduro. Now, you may not have heard of Mauricetown, but it is the home of National Enduro Champ Mike Lafferty (they even have signs on the main road as you come into town!) And the Beehive Enduro is typically listed as a good enduro for beginner & C riders. Because of this, turnout is usually very high-- in this case, almost 400 riders yesterday. We arrived on Saturday, and signed up-- Minute 55 was the next available.
By Sunday morning, the rider count was up to row 70-something, and that's with 5 riders on a minute! I was a bit worried about the weather, as it was going to be warm and humid (mid 80's), and dehydration can be a problem. But, we filled the canteens full and went on our way. Dave promised to ride "with" me at this event, in case of trouble. In reality, I only saw him at the check-outs and at the gas availables, as the terrain wasn't too gnarly.
The first section was a great warm up, and with a bit of road to get us back on time, we zeroed the first check. After that, it was eveyrone for themselves. The next trail section was a points taker, but road and a gas available helped to recover some time. I never caught completely back up, in the next couple sections, but by the second gas available I knew I was going to finish, as long as I just kept moving. The last major trail section was set at 24mph, and a real hoot to ride, even if I couldn't maintain the speed average. After that, it was a bit more road and I was done. Turned in a completed score card, not a DNF card! :)
103 enduro miles, which came out to 77 ground miles, all covered in about 4 1/2 hours. And since it was NJ, you have to expect a few sections of "ignorant tight"-- trees so close together you have to come to a near dead-stop to wiggle your bars through. And in some cases, it was like that for a hundred yards! Pretty tough even for the fast guys to maintain 18mph through a section like that.
Since it was a 6 hour drive back home, we didn't stay for the final results, but I figure I was about mid-pack for the Women's class. Doesn't matter-- the finish is what counts for me.
Man, am I glad to have that monkey off my back! It has been bugging me for a long time that I haven't been able to finish one of these things.
Entry fee: $45
T-shirt: $10
Finishing an enduro without houring out: Priceless!!
I finished my first enduro without houring out!
Now, for some this isn't a big deal, but East Coast enduros are fairly well known for being pretty tough events. The terrain can be unlike anything else in the U.S., and I've been to several over the past couple years and haven't been able to make it past the half-way or 2/3 point without houring out. Pretty depressing, for sure, when you're taking the "short cut" back to the pits and end up waiting for everyone else to come back.
This weekend was different-- Dave and I drove into southern NJ for the Beehive Enduro. Now, you may not have heard of Mauricetown, but it is the home of National Enduro Champ Mike Lafferty (they even have signs on the main road as you come into town!) And the Beehive Enduro is typically listed as a good enduro for beginner & C riders. Because of this, turnout is usually very high-- in this case, almost 400 riders yesterday. We arrived on Saturday, and signed up-- Minute 55 was the next available.
By Sunday morning, the rider count was up to row 70-something, and that's with 5 riders on a minute! I was a bit worried about the weather, as it was going to be warm and humid (mid 80's), and dehydration can be a problem. But, we filled the canteens full and went on our way. Dave promised to ride "with" me at this event, in case of trouble. In reality, I only saw him at the check-outs and at the gas availables, as the terrain wasn't too gnarly.
The first section was a great warm up, and with a bit of road to get us back on time, we zeroed the first check. After that, it was eveyrone for themselves. The next trail section was a points taker, but road and a gas available helped to recover some time. I never caught completely back up, in the next couple sections, but by the second gas available I knew I was going to finish, as long as I just kept moving. The last major trail section was set at 24mph, and a real hoot to ride, even if I couldn't maintain the speed average. After that, it was a bit more road and I was done. Turned in a completed score card, not a DNF card! :)
103 enduro miles, which came out to 77 ground miles, all covered in about 4 1/2 hours. And since it was NJ, you have to expect a few sections of "ignorant tight"-- trees so close together you have to come to a near dead-stop to wiggle your bars through. And in some cases, it was like that for a hundred yards! Pretty tough even for the fast guys to maintain 18mph through a section like that.
Since it was a 6 hour drive back home, we didn't stay for the final results, but I figure I was about mid-pack for the Women's class. Doesn't matter-- the finish is what counts for me.
Man, am I glad to have that monkey off my back! It has been bugging me for a long time that I haven't been able to finish one of these things.
Entry fee: $45
T-shirt: $10
Finishing an enduro without houring out: Priceless!!
