- Aug 2, 2000
- 13,510
- 19
There are lessons to be learned every time you ride, no matter how long you have been riding. I learned some more yesterday.
The day started off almost perfect. The temperature had been approaching 100 all week, and I woke up to an overcast day and fairly pleasant cool morning air. Vic was loaded up at approximately 7 am, and we were off to Deary to meet with the rest of the group. There would be five of us this day. We got up to Goldcenter Creek just outside Clarkia about 9 am and unloaded. We head up the trail. This is where Lesson 1 comes into play: The dust was a bugger! For the life of me, I don't know why I have not tried that baby-oil treatment on my goggles yet! Anyhow, lesson learned.
So we continue on, and even though the ride is somewhat uneventful to this point, it is a blast! So we get to the first real creek crossing, and Marble Creek isn't all that narrow. I get to the other side with little trouble, but then Vic coughs and sputters and dies. Lesson 2 learned. Vic obviously took on a little water thru the vent tubes. Nothing serious, just need a little rest and he fires up like a champ. While we are resting, I notice another lesson learned. I'm sitting on my bike and my cousin says "your tire looks a little low". I push on it and holy cow, it is low! Lesson 3 learned. While I'm learning Lesson 3, Lesson 4 comes into play. I brought CO2 cartridges, but I left them at the rig! They sure did me a lot of good back there.
So we continue on, along the creek for a ways, cross it a few more times, then head up a hill where there has been some new trail reconstruction. Again, dust is a factor. Not too far into this, Lesson 5 happens.
I'm heading up a hill, cut so the bank is close by on my left. I go around a rock that juts into the trail, dab a bit with my left leg, and all the sudden I get a cramp in my calf. This happens often enough that I know I can get it to go away if I put my leg out in front of me and stretch my calf as I go. This is working out well, but I notice I could use another gear. I think to myself "Self, I've seen how the pros will sometimes shift with their heel. Let's try it out!" So, with my calf still stretched and the cramp being alleviated, I proceed to lower my heel toward the shift lever and make the upshift. (mind you, this is all happening within a span of 3-5 seconds) Just as I grab that next gear, I realize how close I actually am to the uphill side of the trail, because my toe hooks the bank. Normally, this would not be a problem, but my heel is in front of the footpeg. (see where this is going?) Since Vic is approaching a fairly high rate of speed, and my foot is approacing the speed of zero mph, things did not turn out all that well. So, my toe is into the bank, my heel catches my footpeg, and while my left leg has now stopped, Vic hasn't. I believe for a moment there, my foot was actually pointing backwards. After I screamed like a little girl and almost peed my pants, I dogged Vic down, but I had to keep going. Nice thing about it, though, is my leg cramp went away!
So, battered but not broken, I continue on. I catch up to the crew and we decide we are going to head on over to a lookout. I go partway up, and realizing that I have low pressure in my back tire, I try to be gentle (besides, my knee is freaking killing me!) The rocky trail is not as easy for my brother with his YZ426 as it was for the rest of the crew (a YZ450 with 8 oz flywheel weight, a WR426, and an XR200, and, of course, Vic the mighty 525EXC). He just can't keep the momentum up, and keeps on killing the bike. Then the trail gets very technical, and we are all working our machines pretty hard. Then we stop and Vic decides to blow off some steam, literally. This is where Lesson 6 happens. My brother hollers "Those KTM's are smokin' trail bikes!" And vic was smokin', er, steamin' anyhow.
We get to the top and look off to the east at Lookout Mountain (we are on Willow Peak), and my cousin says "should we go on over and check that out?" Now, this is where I apply Lesson 7. I know I am already injured, and I see the rock strewn "trail" over to Lookout. I know I won't be able to dab my foot as well as I'd like, and I know Vic's back tire is low on air. So I beg off and head back to the prior trail intersection to wait out the rest of the crew, and let Vic get a much needed cool-down.
So I wait a while, and everyone makes it back, and now everyone gets to know Lesson 8. My brother had just bought a brand new Maxxis before this ride, and it looked like it had been chewed up and spit out by a tyrannosaur! Talk about a tough trail! I'm glad I didn't ride that extra 5 miles that day.
So we start on again, coming to the finish of our loop (about 10-15 miles to go) and this is when I realize Lesson 9. A 70 oz camelback just doesn't cut it all the time! I run it dry, but I realize that I'm almost back to the rig. You know how they say a herd of cattle can smell water from several miles away? Well, I think I could smell beer, and by golly, when I got back, there was a cold pounder ready for consumption. Lesson 10 achieved!
All in all, even with my injuries, it was an awesome day! I'll for sure go back there again, because the trails, while dusty, were beautiful. Next time I'll even bring a camera to take in the awesome scenery.
By the way, my lovely wife, the certified athletic trainer and EMT, said I may have some damage to my medial collateral ligament and strained my achilles tendon, neither of which would have been helped by a knee brace, unfortunately, due to the torsional nature of the injury. At least I can walk, and I for sure proved to myself I can still ride.
- dust is not our friend
- carb vent hoses should be teed off
- check air in tires before leaving the rig
- if you bring CO2 cartridges to the ride, put them in your tool pack!
- Just because the pros do it doesn't mean everyone else can
- "KTM's are smokin' trail bikes!"
- know your limitations
- rocks are hard on new rubber
- bring lots of water
- cold beer is always good after a 50 mile ride
The day started off almost perfect. The temperature had been approaching 100 all week, and I woke up to an overcast day and fairly pleasant cool morning air. Vic was loaded up at approximately 7 am, and we were off to Deary to meet with the rest of the group. There would be five of us this day. We got up to Goldcenter Creek just outside Clarkia about 9 am and unloaded. We head up the trail. This is where Lesson 1 comes into play: The dust was a bugger! For the life of me, I don't know why I have not tried that baby-oil treatment on my goggles yet! Anyhow, lesson learned.
So we continue on, and even though the ride is somewhat uneventful to this point, it is a blast! So we get to the first real creek crossing, and Marble Creek isn't all that narrow. I get to the other side with little trouble, but then Vic coughs and sputters and dies. Lesson 2 learned. Vic obviously took on a little water thru the vent tubes. Nothing serious, just need a little rest and he fires up like a champ. While we are resting, I notice another lesson learned. I'm sitting on my bike and my cousin says "your tire looks a little low". I push on it and holy cow, it is low! Lesson 3 learned. While I'm learning Lesson 3, Lesson 4 comes into play. I brought CO2 cartridges, but I left them at the rig! They sure did me a lot of good back there.
So we continue on, along the creek for a ways, cross it a few more times, then head up a hill where there has been some new trail reconstruction. Again, dust is a factor. Not too far into this, Lesson 5 happens.
I'm heading up a hill, cut so the bank is close by on my left. I go around a rock that juts into the trail, dab a bit with my left leg, and all the sudden I get a cramp in my calf. This happens often enough that I know I can get it to go away if I put my leg out in front of me and stretch my calf as I go. This is working out well, but I notice I could use another gear. I think to myself "Self, I've seen how the pros will sometimes shift with their heel. Let's try it out!" So, with my calf still stretched and the cramp being alleviated, I proceed to lower my heel toward the shift lever and make the upshift. (mind you, this is all happening within a span of 3-5 seconds) Just as I grab that next gear, I realize how close I actually am to the uphill side of the trail, because my toe hooks the bank. Normally, this would not be a problem, but my heel is in front of the footpeg. (see where this is going?) Since Vic is approaching a fairly high rate of speed, and my foot is approacing the speed of zero mph, things did not turn out all that well. So, my toe is into the bank, my heel catches my footpeg, and while my left leg has now stopped, Vic hasn't. I believe for a moment there, my foot was actually pointing backwards. After I screamed like a little girl and almost peed my pants, I dogged Vic down, but I had to keep going. Nice thing about it, though, is my leg cramp went away!
So, battered but not broken, I continue on. I catch up to the crew and we decide we are going to head on over to a lookout. I go partway up, and realizing that I have low pressure in my back tire, I try to be gentle (besides, my knee is freaking killing me!) The rocky trail is not as easy for my brother with his YZ426 as it was for the rest of the crew (a YZ450 with 8 oz flywheel weight, a WR426, and an XR200, and, of course, Vic the mighty 525EXC). He just can't keep the momentum up, and keeps on killing the bike. Then the trail gets very technical, and we are all working our machines pretty hard. Then we stop and Vic decides to blow off some steam, literally. This is where Lesson 6 happens. My brother hollers "Those KTM's are smokin' trail bikes!" And vic was smokin', er, steamin' anyhow.
We get to the top and look off to the east at Lookout Mountain (we are on Willow Peak), and my cousin says "should we go on over and check that out?" Now, this is where I apply Lesson 7. I know I am already injured, and I see the rock strewn "trail" over to Lookout. I know I won't be able to dab my foot as well as I'd like, and I know Vic's back tire is low on air. So I beg off and head back to the prior trail intersection to wait out the rest of the crew, and let Vic get a much needed cool-down.
So I wait a while, and everyone makes it back, and now everyone gets to know Lesson 8. My brother had just bought a brand new Maxxis before this ride, and it looked like it had been chewed up and spit out by a tyrannosaur! Talk about a tough trail! I'm glad I didn't ride that extra 5 miles that day.
So we start on again, coming to the finish of our loop (about 10-15 miles to go) and this is when I realize Lesson 9. A 70 oz camelback just doesn't cut it all the time! I run it dry, but I realize that I'm almost back to the rig. You know how they say a herd of cattle can smell water from several miles away? Well, I think I could smell beer, and by golly, when I got back, there was a cold pounder ready for consumption. Lesson 10 achieved!
All in all, even with my injuries, it was an awesome day! I'll for sure go back there again, because the trails, while dusty, were beautiful. Next time I'll even bring a camera to take in the awesome scenery.
By the way, my lovely wife, the certified athletic trainer and EMT, said I may have some damage to my medial collateral ligament and strained my achilles tendon, neither of which would have been helped by a knee brace, unfortunately, due to the torsional nature of the injury. At least I can walk, and I for sure proved to myself I can still ride.
