This isn’t about the Plymouth or Barred either, for the poultry aficionados. It is more like the White Rock Enduro held in the White Rock Wildlife Management Area in NW Arkansas, and which I took a shot at as a participant Sunday. I was scheduled to ride on the same row with Rick Owens, president of the sponsoring Razorback Riders, and his son Jonathan. Since it was raining Saturday night, Rick put us on row #1 to avoid rutted trails. He is an A Senior rider, the club grounds are behind his house and the area is his ‘back yard’. Jonathan would be on an YZ 125 and is no slow poke for a 14 year old. As for me, I would just do my best as usual and take things as they came.
At the start I waited for two kicks on the Yamaha next to me. It didn’t fire up, so I left around the corner and up the hill. By that time Rick was out of sight and I didn’t see him again until he got back to the house for a little hot tub time. Jonathan had stopped for some reason and was ready to go again, so I kept up my momentum and passed him. It didn’t take long and my place was 4th along the trail. About two miles out was the last I saw of Jonathan until he was back playing a video game.
The first loop is what the women and youth classes run, so it isn’t bad at all. Although we are on an 18 MPH schedule, I’m still late at the first check and get into a little ‘trouble’ before finishing the loop. About 12 miles out a left turn going up rocks around a tree puts me down on the low side. Still being ‘fresh’ for the day, it’s not a big deal or time loss, just another mistake. On the gas pipeline ridge, the fast guys miss the turns into the woods and get a little lost. There are Woodsy types in Arkansas too. My next encounter is a low arching branch as I come up the bank from one of the many stream crossings. It catches me in the face and I know blood has been drawn. Such are the trials and tribulations of enduro riding. I finish the loop OK and start out on the second one across the road and up the hill, five minutes down even after the reset.
It isn’t long before we’re in some tougher riding. The many puddles or water spots are OK as the bottoms are rock and the good guys just take them on the back wheel – another Woodsy style. I did see one rider ahead of me go down in one though. As I come up on two riders waiting at the bottom of a steep hill where another one is having a problem trying to get up, this doesn’t look good. Looking closer I see arrows to a bypass through the woods that may be longer but nowhere as steep. No idea why those riders were just sitting there. The next rider I see taking a break is part way up a hill below a downed tree across the trail. He tells me his legs are too short to try that. I do but don’t get the back wheel over, back down enough to go right through the woods and around. One more obstacle behind and the next one is a steep downhill where several people are there to caution you. This one I manage to conquer without incident. The luck of the Irish doesn’t hold though. I go by another rider taking a break, see two choices ahead, clip a tree on the left, go down on the right side and INCA is crosswise to the trail with the front wheel headed downhill. I drag him back on the trail and start walking him up from the right, uphill side. Next thing I know I’m down with my right leg against a rock and INCA on top of me. The other rider comes up and helps, for I was well pinned. By now my main interest was in getting to the next check but I still managed to go down in a minor way once more.
At 49.2 miles I pulled in at check #7 with 4 minutes from houring out. The reception was akin to a ticker tape parade. There were offers of food, some 100 proof or other drinks, had the blood washed from my face, told to rest a minute, the trail was probably the shortest way back after consulting the route sheet, (picture #1), and to play it smart so I can come back again. The reset gives me almost 17 minutes and I head for the next check in section after experiencing something you can’t buy.
The trail is now wide, as I poke along looking for the next turn into the woods. I’m like the song - Taking It Easy. The reason for the skimpy route sheet is that at every mile there is a marker with the time on it. When I get to the mile 60.4 reset I find out why there was no check. We are now back to the end of the first loop for the last 7 miles. Having been through once before should be no big deal the second time. How wrong I was. On the same rock turn I went down again, a little worse this time. With help from another rider we got INCA back on the trail to take a better way around the turn. Shortly after this episode I was houred out and decided I might as well stop and take some pictures of the trail to give an idea of what it’s like at the White Rock Enduro. Pictures 2 and 3. To be continued.
Young Ted
At the start I waited for two kicks on the Yamaha next to me. It didn’t fire up, so I left around the corner and up the hill. By that time Rick was out of sight and I didn’t see him again until he got back to the house for a little hot tub time. Jonathan had stopped for some reason and was ready to go again, so I kept up my momentum and passed him. It didn’t take long and my place was 4th along the trail. About two miles out was the last I saw of Jonathan until he was back playing a video game.
The first loop is what the women and youth classes run, so it isn’t bad at all. Although we are on an 18 MPH schedule, I’m still late at the first check and get into a little ‘trouble’ before finishing the loop. About 12 miles out a left turn going up rocks around a tree puts me down on the low side. Still being ‘fresh’ for the day, it’s not a big deal or time loss, just another mistake. On the gas pipeline ridge, the fast guys miss the turns into the woods and get a little lost. There are Woodsy types in Arkansas too. My next encounter is a low arching branch as I come up the bank from one of the many stream crossings. It catches me in the face and I know blood has been drawn. Such are the trials and tribulations of enduro riding. I finish the loop OK and start out on the second one across the road and up the hill, five minutes down even after the reset.
It isn’t long before we’re in some tougher riding. The many puddles or water spots are OK as the bottoms are rock and the good guys just take them on the back wheel – another Woodsy style. I did see one rider ahead of me go down in one though. As I come up on two riders waiting at the bottom of a steep hill where another one is having a problem trying to get up, this doesn’t look good. Looking closer I see arrows to a bypass through the woods that may be longer but nowhere as steep. No idea why those riders were just sitting there. The next rider I see taking a break is part way up a hill below a downed tree across the trail. He tells me his legs are too short to try that. I do but don’t get the back wheel over, back down enough to go right through the woods and around. One more obstacle behind and the next one is a steep downhill where several people are there to caution you. This one I manage to conquer without incident. The luck of the Irish doesn’t hold though. I go by another rider taking a break, see two choices ahead, clip a tree on the left, go down on the right side and INCA is crosswise to the trail with the front wheel headed downhill. I drag him back on the trail and start walking him up from the right, uphill side. Next thing I know I’m down with my right leg against a rock and INCA on top of me. The other rider comes up and helps, for I was well pinned. By now my main interest was in getting to the next check but I still managed to go down in a minor way once more.
At 49.2 miles I pulled in at check #7 with 4 minutes from houring out. The reception was akin to a ticker tape parade. There were offers of food, some 100 proof or other drinks, had the blood washed from my face, told to rest a minute, the trail was probably the shortest way back after consulting the route sheet, (picture #1), and to play it smart so I can come back again. The reset gives me almost 17 minutes and I head for the next check in section after experiencing something you can’t buy.
The trail is now wide, as I poke along looking for the next turn into the woods. I’m like the song - Taking It Easy. The reason for the skimpy route sheet is that at every mile there is a marker with the time on it. When I get to the mile 60.4 reset I find out why there was no check. We are now back to the end of the first loop for the last 7 miles. Having been through once before should be no big deal the second time. How wrong I was. On the same rock turn I went down again, a little worse this time. With help from another rider we got INCA back on the trail to take a better way around the turn. Shortly after this episode I was houred out and decided I might as well stop and take some pictures of the trail to give an idea of what it’s like at the White Rock Enduro. Pictures 2 and 3. To be continued.
Young Ted
