craig_enid

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Mar 23, 2000
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Here's my ride report:
Took Thursday, Friday and Monday off to be prepped, and recover from my first long course event.
Thursday and Friday, prep bike, gear and grub for epic event.
Saturday morning, get out to Highway 51, 3/10's mile away from the house in 'the blizzard'. Decide I'm not a real enduro rider, after all. Tuck tail between legs and go home. :yikes:
Maybe Dwreck, the REAL rider will post his experiences. (I got the word that he earned the 5th Place A-Senior plaque... :cool: )
Jeff Y. got the Overall 3rd Place in the C division. :ride:

Good Job HL Spodes!
 

Lorin

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Jun 25, 1999
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I cant say that I blame you. The weather forecast pretty much canceled any intentions I had of going. I wouldnt have been suprised if it had been canceled.
 

BSWIFT

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Nov 25, 1999
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I didn't know the race schedule took you into Colorado!
 

mx547

Ortho doc's wet dream
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craig_enid said:
Maybe Dwreck, the REAL rider will post his experiences. (I got the word that he earned the 5th Place A-Senior plaque... :cool: )

senior! senior? he's just a kid. am i really getting that old?
 

DWreck

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Apr 14, 2002
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The real adventure was getting there. After Craig called and said he wasn't going Jeff and I almost backed out. One of the forecasts was calling for 6-9 inches of snow in Combs. Then Jeff's phone started ringing and ringing and ringing. Mom, Brother, Girlfriend all with your not going are you! Finally I'd had enough. I told Jeff I was going and completely understood if he didn't but after looking out the window at the snow and checking the weather a couple more times he said he was in. Glad he did because he had a 4 wheel drive and Swift's old box trailer. Off we went, the trip to Tulsa wasn't bad but from Tulsa to the Arkansas border was mostly 25 mile per hour. I bet we passed 40 cars spun off the road. The snow finally turned to rain around Fayetteville and what should have taken a little over three hours took 5+. We pulled into an already full camp ground unhooked the trailer, checked in to make sure we were both on row 9 and headed to the awards banquet. (for last years season)
The table I sat at made out pretty good. We had helmets, trophies, plaques, jackets piled all over the place, I think it got Jeff fired up thinking he needs to do some more of this. By the time we left to head back to camp it was snowing pretty good. We unloaded the bikes and slept in box van with a propane heater and were actually pretty comfortable. Next morning we geared up and headed to the rider meeting.
 

DWreck

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Apr 14, 2002
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At the riders meeting everyone was just shaking their heads and laughing about the weather, (It had been 74 degrees on Friday) it was still snowing pretty good and I heard someone say they hadn't seen this many stupid people in one place in a long time. The organizers smartly decided to shorten the race in order to get everyone headed home quicker, I didn't hear anyone complain.

I wasn't sure what to expect having never ridden in snow before but was really surprised at the condition of the trail. I was having a blast and riding much faster than I expected to be able to until I ran out of tear off's. Big wet snow flakes are a nightmare, my goggles looked like someone had smeared Vaseline on them. Finally I gave up and took them off. Bad idea, really bad idea. Remember riding into a swarm of gnats while riding your bicycle as a kid. It was kind of like that except it went on and on. Finally I stopped, planning on putting my goggle back on except now they were full of snow on the inside so I trudged on without them. People are now passing me like I am sitting still and I am thinking about how this is my A class debut and just shaking my head. I was so sick of getting hit in the eyes with snow flakes that I stopped again, beat my goggles on a tree to get the snow out of them and used my fleece jacket to dry them as best as I could. I was now in the don't quit, don't hour out, find the finish mode. As I pulled into check 4 I see Jeff sitting there waiting for me. (When did he pass me?) We take off from there headed for the last short course check, one more than that for me. Most of this was service roads and it was the only time I got cold all day, after the next check I took the long course split looking for my final check. This section was tough. Crossing downed trees that are covered in snow is challenging but put three of them together all angled different directions and you get plenty of practice picking up your bike. I finally hit my last check and headed back to camp. 6-8 miles of road...brrrrrrr.

We loaded up and hit the road the minute I got back to camp. We were worried about getting home as it was still snowing hard. The roads are pretty curvy and narrow until Fayetteville and passing people coming from the other way was pretty dicey. Luckily we drove out of the front and the roads were clean the rest of the way. We made it to my house by 5 and Jeff was home by 6:30.

I guess they had to throw out the last check. I do remember a split right at the beginning where I saw tire tracks going both ways and no arrow. All in all it was a fun race, quite the adventure and I felt sorry for all the guys who put so much work getting ready for the event only to have Mother Nature throw them for a loop. It had to be miserable working a check, I bet those guys were frozen. As Craig said I ended up a distant 5th and Jeff won Vet C. When I told him his first question was when is the next one! I'll see if I can post some pictures of Craig and my awards from last year.
 

DWreck

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craig_enid said:
Just saw Donald's finish....
he crash out or a cold-a-phobic like me?
Broken bike. Look at his first check score. Only the AA guys did it faster. I think he broke his shifter off and then fried his clutch having to rely on the Rekluse.
 

BSWIFT

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Cool! You got one of the neat Cowboy mugs!
 

DWreck

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It holds a six pack. :)
 

crashnburn

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Apr 24, 2004
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http://s188.photobucket.com/albums/z71/crashnburn715/WR round 1/

Had a lot of fun in the snow but it was shortlived, shifter stripped out on the first hill rode in third till I got hung up on a hill and smoked the clutch. On the plus side my fancy new enduro computer let me know I waited exactly 2 hours in the snow for the sweep riders, once there they gave me directions to camp and I informed them I was not stopped to make some snow angels my bike was broke, they got me a pickup ride to camp, this is becoming a habit for my enduro experience. Good to see Dwreck and the tulsa crew again, Did Absent Craig really imply that I wimped out b/c some snow? Going to try to make hardwood and leadbelt see you guys there.
 

DWreck

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Apr 14, 2002
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No Leadbelt for me this year. I should be at Hardwood though, have a score to settle with that place after last years fiasco. Hopefully the weather will be a little better than White Rock.
 

craig_enid

Member
Mar 23, 2000
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"Did Absent Craig really imply that I wimped out b/c some snow?"

Now don't go and take that comment personal-like... a classic case of 'projection'!

Psychology.
a.
the tendency to ascribe to another person feelings, thoughts, or attitudes present in oneself, or to regard external reality as embodying such feelings, thoughts, etc., in some way.
b.
Psychoanalysis. such an ascription relieving the ego of a sense of guilt or other intolerable feeling.


Not an insult, but insight into MY point of view! :laugh:

See ya at Hardwood?
Unless I wimp out, AGAIN?!
 

crashnburn

Member
Apr 24, 2004
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I should know by next week whether I'll make hardwood or not due to my schedule, my bike is a different matter, looks like the clutch basket is torched as well as the plates, working on getting another one, will just have to see if it works out. No I didn't take it personally so you don't have to go dig up a high school pysch book to give me a hard time, check out my pics on the link there's one for you Craig. Cya.
 

craig_enid

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Mar 23, 2000
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"check out my pics on the link there's one for you Craig"

OUCH! Does the wound inflicter get to suture the injury? ;)

I had a 5 day weekend arranged around that event. That still wasn't enough reason to press on and join you guys. :(

I'm glad that there were only mechanical injuries, and no physical injuries that needed fixing. :cool:
 

crashnburn

Member
Apr 24, 2004
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bruised ego, having a hard time figuring out how to finish one of these enduro's. 30-35 harescrambles= 1DNF, 5 enduros = 4dnf. I am going over the bike twice before the next enduro will at least be mechanically prepped.
 

craig_enid

Member
Mar 23, 2000
872
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Two leadbelts, last year, and white rock this year were brutal rides. I'd grade anyone on a curve in respect to those man/bike eaters.
Dropping 15 at the first check was way more than respectable.


/ A dnf is better than a dnegtd (did not even get to derek's)
// ;)
 

DWreck

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Apr 14, 2002
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tx246 said:
Its all about the ride. Good job fellas.
And then you look at the results and see all who beat you that you KNOW that you are faster than and the second guessing starts. But a bad race is better than no race at all. It's funny, I think I enjoy riding more every year.
 
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