fastlearner
08-11-2008, 11:08 AM
I had a pretty good run at a VERY tough enduro on Saturday. The 2006 Noble Woods enduro is my favorite ride ever with lots and lots of loamy single-track throughout the whole event. No rocks, few roots, and just plain fun for 5 hours.
This year was a very different story. The area was hit by heavy rains in the weeks leading up to the event...to the extent that public roads were washed out and houses isolated by blown-out bridges.
I pre-entered with 3 fellow club members so we got a pretty good starting line (12). Within the first half mile it was obvious that it was going to be a survival run. Very, very deep ruts and lots of slippery roots. Throughout the day, ruts, puddles, and stream crossings up to your seat were not uncommon. The trailboss provided ample resets but I never stopped at a single one, always trying to get back onto my minute.
I passed a bunch of riders thoughout the day...none of them moving. Lots of guys were stranded with drowned bikes. The key was to forget about style and good form and just do whatever it took to keep moving forward.
Only about 10% of the Novice class made it to the 3rd checkpoint out of 13 checks.
I ended up with a score that would make a professional bowler happy (264), but still got a 3rd in my B-heavy class. That shows you what it was like out there. The guy that took 4th in my class scored a 379.
This was my return to the series after hurting my leg in late-May and I was happy with how I felt and rode.
:thumb
This year was a very different story. The area was hit by heavy rains in the weeks leading up to the event...to the extent that public roads were washed out and houses isolated by blown-out bridges.
I pre-entered with 3 fellow club members so we got a pretty good starting line (12). Within the first half mile it was obvious that it was going to be a survival run. Very, very deep ruts and lots of slippery roots. Throughout the day, ruts, puddles, and stream crossings up to your seat were not uncommon. The trailboss provided ample resets but I never stopped at a single one, always trying to get back onto my minute.
I passed a bunch of riders thoughout the day...none of them moving. Lots of guys were stranded with drowned bikes. The key was to forget about style and good form and just do whatever it took to keep moving forward.
Only about 10% of the Novice class made it to the 3rd checkpoint out of 13 checks.
I ended up with a score that would make a professional bowler happy (264), but still got a 3rd in my B-heavy class. That shows you what it was like out there. The guy that took 4th in my class scored a 379.
This was my return to the series after hurting my leg in late-May and I was happy with how I felt and rode.
:thumb