'02 Speedsville Enduro

[WoodsRider]

LoriKTM, OffRoadWarrior, dirtybkr and myself were all riding on minute 36 at this year’s Speedsville Enduro hosted by the Ithaca Dirt Riders over in Speedsville, NY. Unlike last year’s enduro, IDR decided to punish us early this year. We had two miles of road before they dumped us into the tight, twisty singletrack with a 21 mph speed average. Dust was definitely on the menu. Whenever a faster rider passed me I’d try and hang with them for as long as I could just so to be able to see the trail. There was a lot of off-camber stuff, several sections running through dry creek beds and some nice long hill climbs with no big stoppers… except for the two crashes I had between checks 8 and 9 :ugg: . IDR does an excellent job of laying out this event. I could swear that last year’s enduro used more road sections though. There were times when I really needed a break that wasn’t there, but I blame that more on poor conditioning. A few times I was able to catch up and zero three easy in-checks. At the ’01 enduro I realized IDR likes to check riders in and out of sections. So I only rode “hot” on the roads. To me, this meant that every section was a test-section. I made it to the gas stop dropping only 54 points.

I had a 30-minute rest at the gas stop so I repaired the crash damage to my scoot, downed some carbohydrates and Gatorade and filled up on gas and water. OffRoadWarrior, dirtybkr and I made it out for the second loop. Two miles of road took us to the final two sections that covered 15 miles of trail. We waited for our minute to come up before heading into the woods. By this time my left arm was starting to cramp up. We rode in at the top of our minute only to discover there wasn’t a check at the first possible. When I reached the in-check I was already a minute down. At this point my legs were cramping up. The first section on the second loop was very fast and chewed up. I made it through dropping 12 points. The second section was tighter with a long stretch running through a creek bed. The last 5 to 10 miles I was simply in survival mode and dropped 10 more points at the final check.

When I reached the truck I was officially whipped. I peeled off my gear and attempted some form of clean-up/recovery. After a few minutes dirtybkr pulled up looking just as bad as me. I’ve got to give him credit. It was his first enduro and he ended up finishing the entire ride :cool: . OffRoadWarrior had a great ride picking up some hardware for third in VetC :) . LoriKTM had some problems earlier and ended up with a DNF :( , but she still picked up some hardware for third in the Womans class. I certainly hope to ride with her and OffRoadWarrior at the Wayne County Enduro on Oct. 6th. Despite my dismal performance I got some hardware for 2nd in 250C. I still find it hard to believe that overall C dropped 28 points :think: . Fred Hoess was grand champion dropping a whopping 7 points. Another friend of mine was two rows ahead of Fred and all he said was Fred would pass him like he was standing still.

A big thanks to IDR for hosting this enduro and to LoriKTM and OffRoadWarrior for signing us up Saturday afternoon.

---Woods

 

[weimedog]

Over all 250 C dropped only 28....wow. One of the folks I was there to watch took 3rd in the 200 A class with 28 points. I think that "C" guy was a bit of a ringer. The other guy I was watching broke his chain. He started out on time for the first few checks then started burning checks. When his riding partner slowed him down he slowed too much for one check and then it took two more checks for him to get the right pace. Then he broke the chain out in the middle of nowhere between check 8 and 9. Looks like something got in the rear sprocket as we found a couple of just crushed teeth on the rear sprocket. (He had no computer) It was his first Enduro...to see if it was fun. He seemed to enjoy it right until the chain broke.

I have the entire crew on film at a couple of places. (You too woods) LOL do you really want to see it?

 

[WoodsRider]

I think it was Open C that dropped 28 points.

I'm sure that film is pretty amusing. Is the video from the last creek bed or some other place where I was flailing about... or maybe after check 8 when I center punched that tree while in the air. :eek:

 

[weimedog]

So who was that guy who missed the bridge just before that check by the parking lot? It looked funny as hell on film...Actually both my riders were on minute 37 so my bet is you saw both of them. One on a KTM200 and the other on my bike.

I wanted to enter but chickened out a day or so before. I don't have the conditioning or speed right now to go for a days ride. Came close to having two lines of DRN'ers. Hoping to make the next Enduro.

 

[WoodsRider]

So who was that guy who missed the bridge...

Sorry to dissappoint you, but it wasn't me. Must've been one of the other riders on minute 36.

... both my riders were on minute 37 so my bet is you saw both of them.

I saw lots of riders, those I passed and those who passed me. Unfortunately I passed more riders at the resets than on the trail.

I don't have the conditioning or speed right now to go for a days ride.

Conditioning??? Speed??? We don't need no stinkin' conditioning or speed. Riding enduros is the best practice for enduros. ;)

 

[Timr]

Woods,

250C?? Do they have some different way of determining clasess out there? Did you win a B class in D17? I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just curious so don't consider this some type of flame or anything.

You're right about condition. Enduros are the best training for enduros. Get out there and make it happen.

 

[WoodsRider]

Timr - Figures you would catch this. It is much different out here as compared to D-17. I would be totally uncompetitive in the B-class out here. My score still had me in the bottom of half of the C-class and there were only 3 of us riding 250C.

 

[Timr]

:) No problem. I was just curious. I've seen enough pictures and read enough articles to know that they run "real men" enduros up there in the east, and they do it at 24-mph all day long. Get on your scooter and go, and don't stop until you get to the end, or you can't ride anymore. Maybe we can hook up for one of those next year. Good luck with the rest of your season.

 

[dirtybkr]

Originally posted by WoodsRider
IDR decided to punish us early this year. ---Woods

They punished us late also , that rocky stream bed in the last section was just plan MEAN .
Weimedog , I would have given you one of these :moon: if that was you video tapeing the exit out of those rocks , but I was just to beat .

It was my 1st Enduro. I was glad just to finish, and I paced 5th to boot :yeehaw: .
I don't think I ever had so much saddle time in one day . I was late to all the checks but for the one big reset when I got about a 15 minute rest . After that it was right back at it . I was pretty beat up but happy at the end .
Congradulations to Dave and Bill for thier 3rd and 2nd place finishes , respectively .




Did I forget to say that there were only 5 people in my class . Naaaaaa, I wouldn't forget something like that .

 

[LoriKTM]

Originally posted by WoodsRider
LoriKTM had some problems earlier and ended up with a DNF :( .

Sometimes, I am my own worst problem. :ugg:

Well, I haven't been writing ride reports this year because I didn't want to come out every Monday and write that I didn't finish yet another enduro. It's too frustrating, and not something that I want to share. I had great hopes for Speedsville. Dave had made this out to be a great race, based on what he remembered from last year. Nice trails, good resets to get you back on time. Short this year, at only 63 ground miles. No sweat, I thought. Speedsville will be the first enduro I finish, and I can write a nice, happy ride report on Monday about how I finished my first enduro.

:think:

Friday night and Saturday Dave and I spent some time in the garage getting the bikes ready-- new air filters, new silencer packing. Then I thought--I know, I'll reduce the compression damping on the forks to make the bike more supple in the rocks! The bike had worked great up at Turkey Point in Canada, which is a lot of fast, sandy trails with whoops in it. It would probably work even better in the rocks if I softened it up a bit, right? So, I backed the clickers out a few positions, then loaded the bike up.

We arrived bright and early at the enduro Sunday morning. It was promising to be another warm day, but I was prepared with a new set of Moose Sahara gear. Back canteen all set up with plenty of water, bike ready to go, a bit of stretching before getting on the bike, and we were off. A mile or so of road, then we turned off onto a gravel road. Hmm. Bike sure feels squirrelly on the gravel. Funny, never did that before. Followed Woods and ORW into the woods, with dirtybiker right behind me. I figured I was probably holding him up, so I waved him past. Some tight trees and rocks, very dusty trail. Front end continues to wander, dive, and twitch with every dip in the trail. Weird. Then I remembered changing the fork clickers. I told myself I wasn't used to the new handling, and to give it some time. Ok, I try to adjust. Got a little further, and something kicked me off the trail. Ok, first biff, got that out of the way, now I can relax. Rode down into the creek bed. No real problems until I came to a section where the rocky creek bed turns right-- over a log at an angle. Rear wheel slid and I went down again. Got the bike up, and continued. Exited the creek section a little early on a valid line, but there was a log right there for my front wheel. Fought with that for a minute. Finished up the trail section, and went out onto a short stretch of road. I saw a couple spectators and trucks, pulled over, and asked for a flat blade screwdriver. (I had one in my fanny pack, but figured I could save time if I didn't have to mess around with it). Luckily, a guy pulled a screwdriver out of a toolbox, and while they held the bike I re-adjusted the fork clickers back to their previous setting. Many thanks, and I was off again. Bike was handling better, and my confidence improved. Next check, I was down by 14. Check after that, I was only down by 17. I continued to push on, and had only a couple mishaps. No stoppers, the hills were fun, and I drove like heck down the roads and through the resets. It was a race of two steps forward, three steps back. The only good part at this point was I was riding by myself, so the dust that plagued all the other riders was not really a problem for me. I left check 7 with a 77, I think. I was bound to try to make up time, but the trail conspired against me. It was one of the longest on the course, and set at 24mph. I came in to check 8, and saw 98 on the board. I had houred out by 2 lousy minutes. I put my head down on the bars, and said "Phooey". Well, I said worse than that, but can't print it.

After that, my motivation and will had gone out the window. I just wanted to go home and cry. I had tried, really tried, but just didn't have the speed or endurance for this event. I took my time, and kept riding out the trail to the next gas available, which was back at the parking area. I rode through check 9, seeing as how the crew had already left. Check #10 was packing up as I arrived, but they dutifully wrote my score down anyway. I rode the last bit of trail to the parking area/gas available. I looked at my clock, and realized that Dave would be finishing the event any minute now. :ugg: I parked my bike, grabbed the bottle of Gatorade, and sat down in the shade.
Frustrated, disappointed, hot and sweaty. One more enduro DNF on my scorecard for the year. :(

After a couple hours of sitting around with club members and bench racing, it was time to hand out trophies. Woods got his 2nd place, Dave got his 3rd place for Vet C. Surprisingly enough, they handed out trophies to 3 places for the Women's class. Due to an injury from one of the other riders, I ended up with 3rd place, even with the DNF. Small consolation, but next time I'll have to make sure I earn it, I guess! The other winners in the Women's class were none other than our very own Amanda Mastin, and Lissa Arsenault. (Of course, they both finished, and Amanda was competitive enough with a score of 43, which would have placed her in the B class!)

Lissa and I took the opportunity to talk with Amanda after the trophy presentation, and gave her our support for the ISDE this year. It was great to finally meet Amanda, and good to see Lissa again. I'm glad Woods and dirtybiker were able to make the long trek down for the race. A whole row of DRN's! How cool is that?!

 

[weimedog]

Woods, the reason I asked about the guy who missed the bridge was it looked like he had a Gas-Gas or some other unusual bike in a sea of KTM orange, Yama blue, and Husky yellow...I figured you knew everyone with one of those. Too much glare on the number plate to get his number. It was the last picture I took before leaving there. Actually I don't know if I had the camera on when you went through either as I was walking back to catch up with the KTM rider I was tracking by then..I'll look ;)


Anyone know who that lady was who either broke her clavicle or separated her shoulder? My wife helped her with sorting out a sling and was concerned. I guess she was from Canada and my wife said she was tougher than nails dealing with that nasty injury. When my wife got there, she was trying to tie a knot to make a sling...at her neck. And STILL had enough grit to pack the truck before her buddies got there....amazing. :ugg:

 

[LoriKTM]

The woman who injured her shoulder was Ellen Steger, she's a Canadian national champ. She came and rode our enduro in July, and carded a 29, I think! Tough gal, for sure! Hope she's feeling better soon.

 

[WoodsRider]

Enduro riders are a tough breed! :aj:

weimedog - I rode across the bridge on minute 40. The only other GG I remember seeing was dirtybkr's 300.

 

[dirtybkr]

Originally posted by WoodsRider
Enduro riders are a tough breed!

Geeks :p