Checked results, looked like a lot of dnf's, what is that about?
Couple of guys I talked to said they thought this was one of the "harder" enduros they've done. The organizers did a great job on re-routes to make it smooth, but the 5th test was pretty rutted out as it was a redo of tests 1 and 2 together.
It wasn't too wet, but would be chilly if you weren't prepared. Dirt was excellent.
Here's my mini ride report.
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Heather had some things to do Saturday morning, so she took care of those while I loaded the trailer and did a few last minute improvements on the ever-evolving toy-hauler build.
We started the 3.5 hr drive to Callisburg with a cup full of Texas Pecan coffee and a few nervous jitters about my first enduro.
About 8 miles outside of Sherman a passing car motioned to us that something was amiss with the trailer. We didn't feel a thing, but pulled off to find the left rear tire going flat. At least it wasn't a fire or a KTM bouncing down the road. I've changed my share of trailer tires and had us going in 10 minutes. Heather made sure passing saw us and kept me from getting run over. The nice weather was a plus.
Fortunately there was a Discount Tire in Sherman, but would you know it?...they were out of Goodyear Endurance trailer tires. I bought'em from Discount last year and paid for the free replacement *that seems smart now* and so we headed to McKinney to the Discount Tire location there. While the pit crew at Discount got us a new tire we grabbed Thai food at the adjacent eatery. Pro tip - don't eat Thai the night before a race.
Per usual we arrived in the dark and made our way out into the pasture to find our spot among the toy-haulers, tents (brrr), and motorhomes.
Photo of our setup the next morning...
When we arrived on Saturday night it was in the high-50's with a calm breeze, but by morning that had given way to gusty-spitting-30's. BrrrrrrRRrrr.
I recently installed a furnace in the trailer (a must for Heather to tag along) and this was its maiden voyage. Pleased to report that I didn't blow us up, give us carbon monoxide poisoning, or encounter any other mishaps. It felt balmy in the trailer...
...and putting your mx boots in front of the furnace before slipping into them is a REAL treat!
I was up by 5:30 on race day and had breakfast, coffee, and the Thai food all taken care of before 6:30. Registration went smoothly and they had a riders meeting at 7 to tell us not to smoke in the refueling area, etc., etc.
Doing a few pre-race squats to warm-up before our start of test 1. That's me breathing 2-stroke smoke.
Ready to start.
I'm 2nd from right.
The start is nothing fancy. Everyone is VERY friendly and since you're all in different classes we quickly sort out who is fast and who is slow. I was in C vet and several of the other riders were A and B classes, so I sorted to 4th of 5 on the starts. A couple of times I caught one of the B riders, but he was probably twice my age, so I can only gloat so much.
The 1st test was a little under ten miles of single-track. It only took about 20 minutes and I was kind of surprised that we finished so quickly. I took one slow spill when I got crossed up in a set of ruts *doh*, but otherwise had a grand time.
The second and third tests were much of the same, but over different terrain. Between each test I had ~20 minutes to pee, grab a snack, let Heather know I was still in one piece, and clean my goggles. The mist let up by the end of test two and the conditions were pretty good considering it was in the 30's.
Somewhere between tests 1 and 4.
Test 4 was a bit more intense with multiple step-ups out of creeks, hill-climbs, and snotty-slick, off-camber descents. The Rekluse did its job and made me feel like a rockstar. I passed a lot more people on this test and had my best place. By the end of test 4 we had done a little over 35 miles of single-track, but test 5 was a rerun of test 1 and 2 together bringings us to ~53 miles on the short course. The long course (A and B riders) had a 6th test. Thank goodness that didn't include me.
About 1/3 of the way into the 5th test I went into trail-ride mode. I was
trying to go fast, but I was also trying to stay up-right. Faster riders from rows (like 7 rows) behind me were catching me and I could tell
they were racing where I was more trying to finish. The trail was not only well marked, but was well grooved due to us running it a second time, so I was carefully watching the mile-markers ascend to 17.
The finish seems anticlimactic (shouldn't there be fireworks or something?), but I completed my first enduro and with a smile on my face.
What will I do different next time?
I was running a worn rear tire. I sometimes felt like the rear was breaking loose unexpectedly, so a fresh tire and Tubliss would have helped.
A steering stabilizer seems like it would have helped me to mellow my handle-bar inputs. I often felt like I was over-steering, but perhaps that's just my inexperience.
Ride more. Fore-arms, hand, and specific leg muscles only gained through riding were fatigued. I work-out regularly, but there is no substitute for seat-time.
No Thai food the night before. Nuff-said.
I finished 5th out of 13 in my class, C-Vet (30+), and 21 out of 82 in the C Overall. Only 44 of the 82 C riders even finished the race, so I guess that's an accomplishment. I'm pretty happy for my first race given the conditions and my fatigue. I can definitely see a path to improvement. My best test was #4 where I was 19th and my worst was test 5 where I was 26th in C Overall.
If you're reading this you should join us on the next one!!
After-race bike shot. Bike ran like a champ!
More info on this race series here:
http://blackjackenduro.org/