Season's-end fun ride

Well, the enduro season's over with the Gypsy Moth/Dan Salamone ride.  It was a good time and a real, classic enduro.  I'll end up with 2nd in B-vet on the season.  The rider in first place did 10 runs with 2 DNFs, and I did 8 runs with zero DNFs.  He beat me by 15 points, I think.  I did the math.  He averaged about 12 points per race and I averaged about 18, but it wasn't enough to get by him.  I feel pretty good about my chances for next year.  I'll get in better shape over the winter and try to get some practice in on tougher terrain.

Tomorrow I'm going to Meriden for their Poker Run.  Should be a good time.  Last year it was snowy.  This year it looks like good weather.  We'll see if I get anything decent at the raffle.

Gypsy Moth Enduro

This year's Gypsy Moth was in honor of Dan Salamone and the SRCR club raised over $4k to support Dan's family.


First the prep:  Yesterday accidentally ended up being full of bike prep.  Took a ridiculous amount of time to get the spark plug in.  Don't know how KTM expects anyone to get their fingers in there.  I messed up the master link while doing the chain to that was an extra 2 hours while I drove to every shop between here and Manchester looking for a Regina m.l.  Should have just driven to Manchester in the first place.  While I was finishing, my neighbor Ted came over and had a package for me that had gone to his door.  It was the post for my GPR, so that was another hour of work.


The race:  Terrain was very, very challenging today.  Mike D., Mark P., and I were on line 5, and with line 1 being held open in honor of Salamone, that didn't leave a lot of guys in front of us to burn in a line.  Mike passed me within a quarter mile of the start and I didn't see him again until gas.  He was going well.  Never saw Mark P., at all.  The wet leaves on top of slippery rocks and off-cambers made for some really tough riding.  All this was made tougher by my worn tires.  After gas we doubled back on a couple of the same sections that we'd done earlier.  I guess the club didn't put in enough turn-around time because some of the late-minute riders were coming at us!


I pushed as hard as I could but it was hard to be very aggressive with the slippery conditions.  We hit some of the same sections for a third time at the end of the day in the A-B section.  Conditions were worse and very slippery again.  I kept pushing.  Mark W.  and I swapped places a few times in the last sections.  Right after he passed me within 2 miles of the end, he went into a puddle before and and swamped his bike.  I probably would have taken the same line if I were in front..  I made my way around him.  


I ended up 3rd B-Vet on the day.  Two guys that beat me don't run the series.  I ended up a little better than some of the guys that usually beat me.  Just one of those days.  Jim D. came away with B-HP.  Great ride by him.


The suspension:  The bike felt pretty good today, just a little harsh in the slower stuff.  Talked to Gilles and this is probably just a clicker setting.  Both ends felt very balanced.  I haven't touched the clickers since I went 3 softer on both ends from Gilles's stock settings.


Thanks to Jay Chittenden for the pics:


First section:  Not too muddy yet.

LOOK AHEAD YOU IDIOT!

I think Jay was expecting me to be in the air much longer on this log jump.

Gypsy Moth Tomorrow

Last race of the year is here.  The twice-postponed Gypsy Moth is tomorrow and the weather is looking perfect for this time of year.  It will be a tough day to dress for:  mid-30's in the morning and mid-50's in the afternoon.  I haven't yet installed the heated grips on the bike, they'd be good to have in the morning.


I have a good amount of prep to do on the bike today.  I've got sprockets and chain to install, a new sparkplug too.  Plus the typical checking of everything, clean air filter, oil change, tire pressure, etc.


Looking forward to a fun ride.  The Gypsy Moth is the shortest enduro on the schedule so you can ride hard without as much need to conserve energy.  Mike, Ed, and I pre-entered back on the original date, when the leaves were still on the trees.  Now that the leaves are down, an early line might be a disadvantage.  We'll see what we get.

Thanksgiving

I've come to realize that lots of companies are just dying to give riders sponsorships.  Granted, these are not for completely free stuff, and so far Brooks H. has not offered me a free bike, but every little bit helps.  Most of these companies give 40-50% off.  You have to buy direct, so after you pay for shipping it's more like 35% off.  But hey, not bad.


So thanks to the companies that are sponsoring my 2010 season:  MSR, Cycra, One Industries, Spectro Oils, Twin Air, and Gaerne.

Part list

Needed to order a chain and sprockets.  The teeth on the rear look like toothpicks after Beartown this weekend.  These are still the stock ones on the bike now.


Sticking with the same ratios.  Ironman front and rear with a Regina chain from MSR.  The 50% off sponsorship they give me really helps a lot on big-ticket items like this and with gear.  Should be here by Wednesday.  Plenty of time to get them mounted for the Gypsy Moth this weekend.

Wet leaves ride

Got in about 15 miles at Beartown today.  The suspension was MUCH better.  The rear worked well whether sitting or standing and the front tracked really well.  Just a couple hits caught me by surprise in the front, but that may  be more of a function of the leaves hiding everything rather than the settings.  I didn't touch the clickers.  There were some specific trail sections that I specifically remember having trouble with the rear and they were no trouble today.

Fun ride.  Good people.  Good food.  Great to see 10 Pathfinders there!

Spokes

Found 5 bent spokes on the rear wheel.  I think it was probably at Black and Blue.  I got stuck a bunch of times and leaned the bike back and forth to free it.  There was probably a rock in one of those mud holes next to the rear wheel.  Cheap fix, but one of the many, many small things that happen over the course of a season.  Fixed 4 of the 5 spokes because that's what I bought at Manchester the other day.  Found the additional one tonight.

Shock update:

Just got in from the garage.  There was about 1/4" too much sag in the shock.  It took 4 rounds on the preload collar to bring it to 120mm = +/- 4.75 inches.  With this being a progressive spring it could make a really big difference.  The stock spring was a straight-rate.


Between the sag and the unaligned forks, I'm expecting improvements when I ride this Sunday.

Sick Day

When my dog snores, she sounds like a tuba.  She woke me up at 1:00 AM this morning.  I'd gotten to bed by 10:00 because I felt just a little off after spending a few hours on the 950.  I was sure that some good sleep would have me feeling fine in the morning.  Well, Calla the tuba took care of that.  Went back to sleep around 5:00 AM after emailing school that I wasn't going to make it.


Part of what woke me up was one of those semi-panicked thoughts that just popped into my head.  I never finished aligning the front axle after installing the new forks and wheel.  That certainly could have a huge impact on handling and seal life.  Went to the garage around 3:00 AM and, sure'nough, found the pinch bolts loose on one side.  A dumb ass move on my part.


So, after I woke up around 10:00, I got the bike washed and aligned the forks.  Tonight when Linda gets home we're going to recheck the sag in the rear.  Have to remember to bring a 20lbs dumbell to account for extra weight of riding gear.

Test Ride

Spent all morning working around the house, cleaning gutters, sweeping the garage, etc.  Then, headed out to pick up Ed V. to head to Beartown.  Didn't get on the bike until after 1:00, so this time of year that left just about 2.5 hours of riding light.


On the first trail the new suspension felt good but choppy.  I later just decided that it was the thick blanket of leaves more than the new suspension that was pushing the bike around.  On a couple steep climbs, the bike really bobbled when I tried to sit to get traction.  


I went 3 clicks softer on compression on front and back.  Didn't really see much difference.  It took me a while to figure it out, but the bike really likes me to stand right now.  Again, pretty tough to tell with the very slippery conditions, but it really drives well when you're on the pegs over the bars.


Gilles recommended 120mm of sag.  I'm wondering if maybe that's not a little too much for me.  I'll going to try a little more preload before the next ride.  Hopefully next weekend.  Even though the rear felt harsh while sitting, when I stood, the rear really drove much better than it did previously.  So, I'm satisfied that we're on the right track.  I'm sure when I can get on some trails w/o the leaves it will feel totally different.


Gonna hit the gym tomorrow and try to get in at least 4 good workouts this week.


Today's setup:  Same as Black and Blue, Bridgestone 403/404 both well worn, 10.5lbs in both, 3 clicks softer from GT's stock clicker settings.  Rear rolled off of the side of rocks more than usual.  Tough to say if this is the leaves or the suspension or the tire.

The fitness trail:

The Snow Run back in February was a wake-up call.  I was riding pretty well but then I really bonked on a tough uphill in a way that I'd not experienced before.  It was one of those times when you have to say, is a little plastic trophy worth a trip to  the hospital.  No.


I would say after that, I got "kinda serious" about my fitness.  I ate a little better.  Worked out a little more for strength, but didn't really do much cardio.  So, as usual, I kind of rode my way into moderate shape and muddled through the whole season that way.  Looking at my scores, I've got the consistency thing knocked.  My relatively good results come from not getting stuck in holes or on hills, but don't come from outright speed.


So, since switching to a job in my hometown that gives me access to a gym for free in the morning, pretty much all of my excuses are gone.  Since July 2009 I've been pretty good about getting into gym at 6:00 AM, doing a mix of strength and a little cardio but probably not enough.  If I'm going to up my competetiveness for next year, I'll need to get there at least 4 times a week and get in a solid hour...not the 35-40 minutes I've been doing lately.


Tomorrow will be the first time this week I'll get to the gym.  Gonna spray down the whole place with antiseptic and go at it.

Suspension upgrades

The 300xc's suspension is well known for not being well suited to the New England terrain.  I had the front done by C-Cycle a while back and was pretty happy with it.  But, getting the front done just made the deficits in the rear more obvious.  Lots of guys have said good things about the work that Gilles T. has done for their KTMs.  He's an engineer by trade and a AA level rider.  He knows his stuff.  Dropped off my parts to him tonight and spent a while bench racing.  Impressed with his knowledge and commitment to testing.  He says I'll have my parts back by Saturday which hopefully means test ride on Sunday!

Almost the end for 2009

I decided to start this blog now, rather than wait for the end of the season or the start of the next.  Doesn't really make much difference, the seasons just blur into each other anyway.


The Black & Blue Enduro 2009:  


The run:  This event is always well run and a popular one on the circuit for good reason.  The CT Ramblers have been putting on events for a long, long time and they've got it pretty well knocked.  The course was well arrowed and the routesheet was challenging.


The first section was a perfect indicator for how the rest of the day would go.  Rocky, snotty, with lots of wet leaves on top of wet rocks.  A big challenge for me and I just did whatever I could to keep smooth and consistent.  My buddy Ed V. went by me early in the section but I got him back when he took a mud bath soon after.


The rest of the ride went like this.  Joe F. the trailboss saved some pristine singletrack for the first A-B section in the morning...lots of fun.  I left gas 15 minutes after my original row.  In that section I caught and passed the guy currently leading my class.  I tried to pour it on and make some time on him.  Got him by 4 in that section but he got two of them back in the next.  In the A-B section where we literally rode upstream I was steadily catching him after he passed me on a road section.  I got along side of him and that's when my bike died.  I hadn't ever rerouted my carb vent lines on the new bike.  Cost me about  6 minutes and I was out of contention.  Checked into the next-to-last section with one minute left before hour-out.  I just cruised that section and then headed back to parking where I found Ed and his flat rear trials tire.  He had too quit in the section after gas.


All in all, a great event even though my results weren't what I was hoping.


The damage:  Two blown fork seals, lots of slack in the chain, I've got some doubt about the pickup cable for the Watchdog, a couple bent spokes on the rear, graphics coming off, sore back, sore arms, and hands barely holding together.

What Am I Doing Here?

What am I doing here? This is a good question about this blog. But it's one that most enduro riders ask themselves at every event. The blog: thought it would be cool to track my preparation, disappointment, minor successes, setup and repairs over the course of a season. The enduros: at almost every enduro, I (and most other guys, I think) bonk and start asking "What the hell am I doing here?", "This is fun?", and "Why am I not sitting on my ass on my couch watching football on this rainy autumn Sunday?". What is the sadistic pull that keeps us coming back to this sport that pounds rider, bike, and wallet into the ground a dozen times a year?

With all of the aspects of an enduro season, I thought it might make a cool blog to track my activity in the sport for a year. Success in enduros requires attention to detail and preparation in series of areas that one wouldn't necessarily connect otherwise: mechanics, physical fitness, mental fitness, strategy, knowledge of the game, riding technique, navigation, time-keeping and math.

So that's the plan, track my enduro activities at home, in the garage, and on the circuit for about a year or so.