So I hear...sallydog wrote: broad mtn is not the enduro to pop your cherry on
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Broad Mtn Enduro
Re: Broad Mtn Enduro
Re: Broad Mtn Enduro
you can do it, grasshoppa. Just be the knobby or whatever. anyways, good luck.
Re: Broad Mtn Enduro
Bottom line up front: As mentioned before, the Broad Mountain Enduro is not the one to do as your first enduro (unless your last name is Lafferty). Me: DNF.
Here's the story:
Row 28...lineup...I mention it's my first time. Guy next to me says "I'll keep time so don't go flying by me and burn a check....but if I'm in your way on the trail, holler and I'll move." HAHAHA, was my response..."I'd be happy to see you twice today (I was counting the start and finish). You see where this is going but I'll continue anyway.
15 seconds...start your engines. She fires right up - so far so good. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go. And we're off. Turn right into the woods and that's the last I saw of my row. Every chance I had to pull out of the way of other riders I did. I probably spent the first mile or so sorting out the order. Well, I keep pushing and get to the first check...ok, tough section but I should be good now. Yeah, so apparently that wasn't a "section" that was the whole race! I figured there would be rocks. I figured there would be hills. I figured there would be tight single-track. What I didn't count on was for all of those things to be going on at the same time for the entire race!
By the 1st check, I was less than 5 minutes off. There was still hope. I was falling a little back still but blew through my 10 minute reset/rest and was right back on track. At some point though, I got whooped and things got stupid. I went from hope to hoping...for an exit! It was a very sudden thing even if I did see it coming.
Every time I passed through trees, my bars hit (thank you barkbusters). I probably killed the engine about 100 times (thank you e-start). It has taken me a very long time to type this due to the dead left forearm (hello rekluse - someday). Before the halfway point on the first lap of two, I was so exhausted I could no longer control my bike. I kept pushing (relatively speaking) but by the 4th check I had houred-out. I was actually very relieved to hear this! It would have been stupid for me to keep going at that point as my bike was riding me instead of the norm.
Needless to say, I have learned a lot today. I like to think that I'm a pretty fit dude but today I have found out otherwise. I don't know how you enduro racers do it and make it look so effortless. I am going to have to figure out what I need to do to get to this level but today I realize that my efforts may have been a bit premature. So, back to training and dual-sports for a while until I can find an "easy" enduro to get my confidence back up a bit.
And I leave you with two words: Good night (yes at 6:15pm).
Here's the story:
Row 28...lineup...I mention it's my first time. Guy next to me says "I'll keep time so don't go flying by me and burn a check....but if I'm in your way on the trail, holler and I'll move." HAHAHA, was my response..."I'd be happy to see you twice today (I was counting the start and finish). You see where this is going but I'll continue anyway.
15 seconds...start your engines. She fires right up - so far so good. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go. And we're off. Turn right into the woods and that's the last I saw of my row. Every chance I had to pull out of the way of other riders I did. I probably spent the first mile or so sorting out the order. Well, I keep pushing and get to the first check...ok, tough section but I should be good now. Yeah, so apparently that wasn't a "section" that was the whole race! I figured there would be rocks. I figured there would be hills. I figured there would be tight single-track. What I didn't count on was for all of those things to be going on at the same time for the entire race!
By the 1st check, I was less than 5 minutes off. There was still hope. I was falling a little back still but blew through my 10 minute reset/rest and was right back on track. At some point though, I got whooped and things got stupid. I went from hope to hoping...for an exit! It was a very sudden thing even if I did see it coming.
Every time I passed through trees, my bars hit (thank you barkbusters). I probably killed the engine about 100 times (thank you e-start). It has taken me a very long time to type this due to the dead left forearm (hello rekluse - someday). Before the halfway point on the first lap of two, I was so exhausted I could no longer control my bike. I kept pushing (relatively speaking) but by the 4th check I had houred-out. I was actually very relieved to hear this! It would have been stupid for me to keep going at that point as my bike was riding me instead of the norm.
Needless to say, I have learned a lot today. I like to think that I'm a pretty fit dude but today I have found out otherwise. I don't know how you enduro racers do it and make it look so effortless. I am going to have to figure out what I need to do to get to this level but today I realize that my efforts may have been a bit premature. So, back to training and dual-sports for a while until I can find an "easy" enduro to get my confidence back up a bit.
And I leave you with two words: Good night (yes at 6:15pm).
Re: Broad Mtn Enduro
I am too chicken to even try! Ken
Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris
Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris
Re: Broad Mtn Enduro
Oh, I forgot...one more thank you goes out to my ballistic jersey. Best $80 I ever spent - I would have paid ten times that today!!
Re: Broad Mtn Enduro
Good job Chris! You got out there and gave it a go.
Ask Wingfixer, Rob, and I about the harescramble we tried to do a year ago. We were all pretty much defeated.
Ask Wingfixer, Rob, and I about the harescramble we tried to do a year ago. We were all pretty much defeated.
Yamaha WR250R
Yamaha TW200
Yamaha TW200
Re: Broad Mtn Enduro
Congrats!!! You did very well. Very respectable showing and a great write up too, had me smiling start to end, dont worry everyone on the course has had a taste of that hell. I have been there many time, probably more times not finishing it!! You even had it tougher on row 28, all them fast guys making you pull over is a quick way to hit the wall, as in tired and cant control the bike. You would of been better off in the back rows, then you wouldnt of had to pull over as much.
they put the older slow guys in the early rows say thru 15, then then put one AA (pro basically) for each line as many as they have sometimes as many as 15, so basically the 20s is all very fast guys with others filled in, then you have most of the B Guys, Vets and stuff thru 30s and 40s with C riders mixing in there some where depending how many pre signed.
Next time even on an easy enduro I would sign up the day of the event and ask them to put you on a late row it will be way less pressure and many more squids. but ask them to put you on a row with a, A, B or Vet rider that way you will have more of a chance to find a guy keeping time. Or just go and trail ride, to generally keep around your row,say if your row is 56 then dont pass row 55 or 54 and so on you wont burn a check if you remember what the fast guy on your line looks like just never pass him, helps to have two in case one drops out.
Fast Jersey sand fleas get taught to not ride over their heads, that you can't just throttle in and out of everything and anyone who hasnt done Broad Mt find out how in shape they are. Rocks take skills, even though it is a trail full of jagged rocks, theres a line or two in there.
No matter who you are, its hard to keep their pace all day. It is hands down the toughest enduro around, they will drop you off cliffs and expect you to run up the same and all the while relentless rocks then give you a 10 minute break and expect you to do it again. I love it
they put the older slow guys in the early rows say thru 15, then then put one AA (pro basically) for each line as many as they have sometimes as many as 15, so basically the 20s is all very fast guys with others filled in, then you have most of the B Guys, Vets and stuff thru 30s and 40s with C riders mixing in there some where depending how many pre signed.
Next time even on an easy enduro I would sign up the day of the event and ask them to put you on a late row it will be way less pressure and many more squids. but ask them to put you on a row with a, A, B or Vet rider that way you will have more of a chance to find a guy keeping time. Or just go and trail ride, to generally keep around your row,say if your row is 56 then dont pass row 55 or 54 and so on you wont burn a check if you remember what the fast guy on your line looks like just never pass him, helps to have two in case one drops out.
Fast Jersey sand fleas get taught to not ride over their heads, that you can't just throttle in and out of everything and anyone who hasnt done Broad Mt find out how in shape they are. Rocks take skills, even though it is a trail full of jagged rocks, theres a line or two in there.
No matter who you are, its hard to keep their pace all day. It is hands down the toughest enduro around, they will drop you off cliffs and expect you to run up the same and all the while relentless rocks then give you a 10 minute break and expect you to do it again. I love it