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I was expecting more of the same from the weather gods...it was raining/snowing in the riding area all week, and on Thursday-- it was rumored that the Ramblers were contemplating not having the race at all... They eventually decided to shorten the course due to the nasty conditions on their planned route. Consequently, they laid out a 39 mile loop to be run twice by the C riders and an additional Special Test for the A and B riders. I was minute 66B and rode with Dustin Dressler who was looking to move up to B class. The day was promising to be cold and rainy-- for the first loop it was-- the second loop had the sun poking its head through the clouds...amazing how the sun makes a tough ride nicer. Outfitted in a heavy riding jacket, we started the race. I zeroed the first check, Dustin burned it since his timing was a little off... The next section had me a little behind, but coming up on a mileage reset, I had about 13 minutes to wait to get back on time...as I roll into the check, I am marked 19 minutes late!!!! Needless to say, I figured this would finish me off for the enduro. Apparently, the reset was after the check... I got on the gas and made up the time at the next check and only lost a couple more points for the rest of the loop. I hooked back up with Dustin and the other 66 rider and we zeroed the last few checks on the loop. The second loop-- being the same course had the speeds bumped up making it a little more difficult to stay on time. It started off with a tough hill climb which I had to take a second try at... At this point in the day, the top 1000' of elevation which was covered in snow, had degraded to a slushy mud bog with deep ruts. I had a tough time staying near my minute, but did ok...
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By the end of the race, I was pretty beat, but still riding well. I was looking forward to finishing though... The Ramblers did a great job of getting the scores recorded, and standing in line heard some big numbers getting kudos-- I figured they might be in a different class or something since a 71 would normally be a losing score. Lo and behold...I ended up winning the C division. Dustin was second 4 points behind. Thanks, Dustin, for the tips on riding in slick mud during the first loop-- I'm sure it saved me at least 4 minutes!!!! He clued me in to get weight on the back of the bike going through slick muddy areas and unload the front end. He had watched me wipe out several times...
See the Enduro Results page for more info... coming soon... |
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