who has colorado natl enduro results

Buckholz

Member
Mar 15, 2000
396
0
We left early, before the awards. Not sure who won.

Check RaceRmec.org for results in the next couple of days to a week.

Also, Cycle News sometimes has info.

Also the Garrahan website, I'll go check it now.

Mark Buckholz
40+ A, 6th place at best at the 2mile high enduro (Boot Hill)
 

enduro8

Member
Sep 22, 2000
31
0
http://www.ama-d36.org has em

1) Lykke
2) Davis
3) Hoess
4) Lafferty
5) Hawkins
6) P Garrahan
7) B Garrahan

I believe Lafferty clinched with the 4th place finish.

It was definately different then what I expected. There were a ton of short tests with long fire road transfer sections in between. Nothing too tight, but some technical rocks and a few sections that bottlenecked up. I personally thought the course was on the easy side for a National. But, I got super tired early just by falling down. My California ass cant breathe and 10-12K feet. After that I just trail rode and tried to stay on the bike and not die of lack of oxygen. Still i thought it was alot easier then the other Nationals I have ridden. If it were not for the altitude it would have been too easy. We dropped a ton of points (Lykke won with a 38), but all the points were because the speed averages were 36 and 39mph. It was not like they were long tests and the points were compounding. I think the club did a great job and it was a fun event.

enduro8
 

enduro8

Member
Sep 22, 2000
31
0
Yeah, just read it too and was about to post....
I think their results is right with Ron Shmeazle finishing 3rd. I heard a local guy did really good, but I did not see him on the board probably since he was riding A and not AA. I believe the rest of the results i posted above are right if you insert the local guy into 3rd and move everyone else down one.

enduro8
 

P. Pinestraw

Member
Jun 28, 2001
41
0
What?!?!

You A & B riders are amazing! I am a "C" rider & I thought this was the unquestionably the hardest event I've ever done. This was the 3rd national I've participated in, and even though it had some relatively easy & long transfer sections, I had to throttle-walk my bike thru the special test areas. I am from the 100 degree/90% humidity/nearly sea-level stae of Texas and I didn't have any more problems breathing than I do in the muggy, soupy atmospheres of Louisiana & TX. However, I made a conscious effort to train for this event & it paid off. I believe my physical tolerance for hot climates made it possible for me to complete the spode course, but my lack of riding skills in the tests caused me to spend an inordinate amount of time pushing, pulling, & picking up my (& many other riders') bike. I have never spent so much time out of the saddle at any event before. To me, the tests were VERY hard! But it's because I've never encountered that many rocks in my entire racing experience. But hey! I finished the thing & didn't get last place, and somehow didn't damage my machine, so I'm thrilled about that! All in all, I'd have to conclude that I actually had FUN! Pretty good considering I almost decided not to race it because of all the horror stories I heard -- by the way, most of them turned out to be true. Boy, I'm glad to be back in the lowlands with the heat and the sand whoops and the rooty trees though!!!!
 

enduro8

Member
Sep 22, 2000
31
0
What were the 2 other nationals that you rode that were easier? Arizona is always tougher, and Coalinga is always tougher with the exception of this year's event at Coalinga which was not too tough due to weather reroutes. Idaho City is the only other National Enduro I have done and that is harder each day separately and there are 2 days!

enduro8
 

reynome

Member
Sep 1, 1999
143
0
I didnt think it was a bad race but 2 years ago it was harder. The C loop was way too short. Way too much road riding. I wore out my new tire on the roads not the trails. I think that they intended to have all the loops longer but must have changed their mind. My other complant was the super late min. we got. We sent our entrys in the first day you could and got row 63! We spend the day trying to get around all of the bottlenecks.

Personally I think the Texas races are the easiest there are. You spend 90% of the time slowing down because the speed averages are way too low. We spend most of our energy making sure we dont burn checks. The point of having possibles is so you cant get a head start on a percieved hard section coming up, not to keep you in slow motion all day.

Enough flaming, probably sound like a old woman. :)
 

P. Pinestraw

Member
Jun 28, 2001
41
0
Yes Your Holiness!

Oh mighty god of enduro! JUST JOKING! I freely admit I'm a spode & I'm probably one of the guys who would "get in your way." But I paid the same entry fee as you & did the 1st 3 test sections you did. You surely were once a novice, overwhelmed by this new, challenging sport (or maybe not!). Cut me a break why don't ya! Reynome, you need to do a Texas race in July or August & see if you can become in danger of burning checks. I don't think enduros should be about impossibility, but rather about perserverance and consistency. I would much rather be able to actually RIDE an entire course to see how much distance can be covered at the same rate than have to score a race like most of the RMEC ones because the average rider would hour out. Don't get me wrong. I respect & appreciate the event put on by Mr. Bright & I've already admitted it was fun -- just not what I'm used to. Be careful what you say about other circuits. You kinda come off sounding sorta arrogant about how tough your stuff is & how lame the rest of us are! But who cares what I think? After all, I'm just a lowly "C" rider (who combined with all the others makes up about 1/3 of all entrants) anyway, right?!?! By the way. To answer the post written above, I have actually competed in 3 nationals: New Waverly TX, Forest Hill LA, & the qualifier @ Muenster TX last summer (spode loop of course). Nobody can tell me that last one was easy!
 

reynome

Member
Sep 1, 1999
143
0
You take it too personally, I am just expressing my opinion about the enduro. What I said about the Texas enduros is only true. There are RMEC ones that are the same. The word enduro says it all. It isnt a trail ride but a test of you and your bike.

When we werent on the road it was very technical, dont let anyone tell you different. Even the pros admitted that the first tests were just as hard as the rest of the course. I swept part of the A/B and A only sections and they were similar to the rest of the course. One A rider quit after the second test!

My complaint is directed at the clubs not you. There is a group of us that are at the top of our division ( C also ) and wont move up unless it is deserved. That is why I am cranky about the bottlenecks as one of my main competators got min 9 by signing up the day before the event! That is a unfair advantage.
 

P. Pinestraw

Member
Jun 28, 2001
41
0
Fair enuf rey, but ...

regardless of where you go with this thing, the Texas group is a VERY good one (as is yours -- I was impressed) & I see at every event there MANY very happy riders & virtually no protests or poor sportsmanship either. Compared to the hare scramblers, cross country, or ESPECIALLY the MXers, the TSCEC is head-&-shoulders above them in class, respect, courteousy, and maturity. I gathered that it is about the same way with the RMEC. The only difference, I suppose, is that the RMEC puts on harder events. I will meet you halfway on this one, so let's leave it at that. By the way -- IT WAS FUN!
 

johnf3

Member
Mar 21, 2000
85
0
Reynome,
I share your opinion about our enduros being too easy, but unfortunately our view comprises the minority opinion. At the LTR enduro, we were working the check after the A/B split (A only). It was around 5 miles (with free time after the test) and we had a few riders complaining how hard it was--to the point of being upset. Keep in mind these were "A" riders! The truth is that these races are being set up for how the customers (riders) want them to be. This is especially true of the C course, which has the most riders and therefore is the target customer. The "C" course in most instances is little more than a brisk trail ride. Based on feedback from the riders, this is what they want. Believe me, we have plenty of veteran riders who are able to set up awesome races, right on up to survival type runs. Frankly though, it is the paying riders that dictate how we set up the races, and unfortunately they will probably get easier, especially the short course. It is time for you to make the switch to the long course.
 

reynome

Member
Sep 1, 1999
143
0
No argument about the sportsmanship of the enduro riders, they are head and shoulders above the mxers and HS. I have to agree about the C riders being the majority, this year they have been complaining about too short of courses up here.

I think both clubs put on a great organized set of events! The riders are good people and I have made alot of friends in the enduro circuit.

Yes I am despirate to move up to the B class now, but have to stay in the C class for the remainder of the year. If it is possible I will ride the long loop from here out.
 

Girlrider

Member
Sep 1, 2000
313
0
Reynome,

You don't have to stay in the C class. 2 years ago at Boot Hill Shawn Stretch begged me to move up to B so she would have a better chance at winning the women's overall and I did. I did it at the hardest race of all that year and I loved it. And before I knew it I was winning trophy's again. I moved to A this year to challenge myself. Why do people ride to win a $5.00 trophy? I ride to get better and when I am with the A riders that is exactly what I do. "Everyone races the same rider. . . not the one beside them but the one inside them." Every race I come home with a trophy in some way or another. Most of the times it is just a HUGE smile knowing I would have beat most all the B riders and that I beat some of the A riders. That is what racing is all about. Only 1% of the population makes a living racing.

As for the events and the promoters. My parents put on the Timberline Enduro for 21 years and called it quits because they could never meet everyones needs. It was time and money and no one was every happy. That is why I always thank the promoter before and after a race and when I am racing I don't complain because I know how much hard work they had to put into it. Sign up for B in New Mexico. You will probably love it!

The RMEC will let you move up at ANYTIME but then you can't move back to C class and be scored. So you can move up.
 

WoodsRider

Sponsoring Member<BR>Club Moderator
Damn Yankees
Oct 13, 1999
2,812
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I totally agree with Girlrider. Personally I think many riders stay in the C-class for too long. I would probably still be in the C-class had I not gone to a district 15 enduro back in '99. There they only allow you to ride the C-class if your AMA card is less than one year old. Last season was the first time I competed an entire enduro series in the B-class. Fortunately I just happened to win the district 17 enduro 200 B-class... thanks to worker points. I could care less about a cheap plastic trophy. I just hope I can continue to improve so one day I'll get that special letter at the end of my AMA number.
 

dirt bike dave

Sponsoring Member
May 3, 2000
5,349
3
Reynome,
I hear many promote themselves out of the C class whenever they feel they are ready and don't want to wait for the district enduro steward to promote them.

Woodsrider - I think most of the A riders do not have a letter after their AMA number. My buddy with an A on his card says his got that way by winning the B class at a national enduro, and the AMA automatically promoted him to A. He told me the only guys with A are the ones promoted directly by the AMA.

His was earned in the early 70's, so maybe things have changed. I can't call him an oldtimer, cause he can still smoke me. :)
 

Buckholz

Member
Mar 15, 2000
396
0
Dirt Bike Dave, you are exactly right about the A after your ama number. I got promoted to A class by the RMEC back in '97 for overalling B's and finishing high in my class, but don't have an A behind my number. My buddy finished well as a B in alot of National's and got bumped up by AMA so he has the A.

I'll call AMA and see if we can request a letter behind our card number and will let yawl know.
 

Timr

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 26, 1999
1,972
6
The B to A thing seems to vary a bit from series to series. I would say that 85-90% of the A riders in SERA have the A on their card. We use the AMA's B promotion rules to a T. The races are scored for overall B and advancement points are awarded on a 20 point scale. 20 points go to the overall B winner, 19 to 2nd and so on down to 1 for 20. Riders also get 5 B points if they win their class. The overall B winner always gets 25 points because you win your class when you overall. So, 4 overall Bs gets you 100 points. The points DON'T go back to zero each season. It's cumulative. If you reach 100 points in the middle of the season, your A card will be issued and your name will be in the AMA magazine. Our series (SERA) allows the rider to stay until the end of the season. Then it's off to A land for the next year and forever more.

I hope to get that A on my card even if I'm the slowest A rider ever! I'll probably never win my class in B, but I'm still earning advancement points with top 20B finishes. I think I have about 20 advancement points now, only 80 more to go. I figure at the rate that I earn points, I should get my A card in about 5-6 more years. :cool:
 

reynome

Member
Sep 1, 1999
143
0
I am not staying in the C class till the end of the year to just nab $5 trophies. The trophy I am after is the honor knowing that I earned my B ranking. If you think that the top the the C class is not competative think again, just check our scores. At Peetz my special tests and a two of my competators were faster than all the 250B and Vet B times for the first 2. My point is that people are so woried about what class they are in they move up without earning it. Your just in the class inside yourself right?

As for complaining about a event I will let you know that I didnt just say what I thought should be changed but volunteered to help change it. Specifically I voluntered to write a program to automatically set the pre-entry minutes according to division rank.

I will ride the B loop for fun at the remaining enduros if it is possible, but officially I am staying in the C class till the end of the year, Ill just pretend the rider inside is allready a B. :)
 

Girlrider

Member
Sep 1, 2000
313
0
I think you are missing the point here. First no one said C class was not competitive. Of course you are going to race hard to beat the next guy. There is nothing that says you have to EARN your right to race B class or even A class. I have placed 13th overall in an enduro before which means I beat some of the AA riders. That is a choice. Some people prefer going the distance and some prefer the shorter course. My hero Kerrie Brokaw started racing by entering the men's B class about 20 years ago because she liked the long course. Everyone told her to race the ladies class so she could get a trophy. She didn't want to go only half the course. She did not have to ride C class first. People who did earn the right to ride A this year I am beating even though technically I did not have to move up to A. Since I have ridden a qualifier that was also a National in the Women's A class then I have to race A in Nationals now according to the AMA. And since there were 2 Nationals in our series I decided just to ride A or I would not be scored in the B class for the 2 nationals.
 

reynome

Member
Sep 1, 1999
143
0
I do see your point. This year I am going to finish out in C as there is alot of friendly rivalry going on. No matter what I will be in B next year.
 

DKT735

Sponsoring Member
Mar 16, 2000
118
0
Girlrider

Everyone has a level that they are comfortable competing at. To some riders the challenge of the meeting the critera to advance the next level adds to the fun of racing. To some, year end points are important. Riders that fit into one or both catagories won't advance to the next level until the meet the advancement critera or until end of the season.

You felt compelled to advance yourself, if that is what you wanted to do, good for you.
 
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lips

Member
Apr 6, 2001
8
0
The reason that there are separate classes for A, B and C is to allow folks to compete with each other in specific skill "ranges". In District 36, each class is drawn separately to avoid having riders with less skills get in the way of riders with more skills. This ensures that B riders (for example) do not get in the way of faster (assuming that they are) A riders in any given special test section.

The AMA "loophole" that allows a rider to "move themselves up" is frowned upon in our district unless the rider "moving up" has great skills. The idea is to allow "skilled riders" to move themselves up, but I recommend that one does not use this rule to advance themselves just to "ride with faster people", because there is a good chance that you may just become "a roving bottleneck".

Even in the AA-A classes in Nationals there is a huge disparity in skill level. Did I mention how many AA riders I pulled over (a skill in itself) for at the Boot Hill event.:)
 
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