Rhody / Leyden Memorial:
As usual, the Rhody was a blast with tons of excellent trail and really good organization. As usual I felt like I rode pretty well. And as usual, my results were terrible. Don't really know what it is about that enduro. I always feel like I'm riding well and that I'm close to my max but my scores are pretty terrible.
The first section was basically the same as the past couple years, out the back of the tree farm in the twisty single track. Scott, Ed, and me on the same line with a few other PFers on a later line. Like last year, the route went up the sluice that drains the irrigation pond. This year they let the water flow for everyone in the morning and afternoon. Last year it was pretty dry on the first loop and then they let it rip for just the A's and B's at the end.
I think it was the second of the third section that they're now calling Sahara. Last year it was maybe just half a mile or so. This year we zigged and zagged across the dunes and it was a ton of fun. Section after that was LONG, fun, twisty single-track....about 18 miles in all, I think. Incredible riding. In this section, Ed and I were having a great battle back and forth. He was right on my rear and then I'd pull a few yard. This repeated four of five times until...... Less than a mile from the end of the section, Ed was again right on my tail. Over a small rise with a curve in it I heard a THUNK behind me. The hit was loud enough that I could hear it about 20 feet behind me over the motor, wind noise, etc. Looked back and saw Ed on the ground with his bike pointing the wrong way. Ran back to help him out. He and his new 'Berg were not looking good. After he regrouped he told Jim S. (who had also stopped) and me to take off.
The only glitch of the day for me was the long road section out to the "dash for cash" section. The mileage markers seemed a little wonky and I got the timekeeping wrong. This made Scott and me one flip late on the check in. This section was short, tough, and fun. After that it was out to the Pachaug section with the big rock garden that seems to get bigger each year, then back to the tree farm for just a quick mile there.Already looking forward to the next one!
Clarkie's Closed Course Enduro:
Twice before, I've promised myself that I would never go back to Clarkies. Not sure what it is about that place.....just don't find a groove there. This time, I really give the trailboss credit for adhering the the NETRA rules. In years past, this was not true. The terrain is what it is, tough and technical. It lets you know where you stand. The course was laid out as three repetitions of the same 20-mile loop. The first time around it was two miles of free territory, about ten miles of timed section, then eight miles of free back to the trucks. I was already feeling like I'd had enough. The second loop started with a quick "extreme" section which......I was too stupid to realize that it was a timed section so I just lolligagged through it. Then TWELVE MILES of free territory that required me to ride pretty much at race pace in order to get the the Known start of the timed section of this loop. By the time I'd covered those twelve miles, I was pissed and called it a day. Scott was there too and he was riding well. At the start of the first loop I pulled away from him a little but by half-way he passed me. We got out on the same flip, though. He gets props for finishing the whole event when I wussed out.
KPTR enduro:
These three enduros where on three consecutive weekends. The day after Clarkies we had an awesome private track day with the club. At the track I could tell my back wasn't right. The enduro the day before had beat it up and I was in a lot of pain. The riding was too good to stop, though. I nursed it all week hoping that it would be good for the KPTR enduro.....one of my favorites even though I almost broke my femur there a few years ago. It didn't quite work out.
Scott, Ed, and I carpooled up there and pre-entered on row 3. It was a beautiful day and trail conditions were perfect. Like in years past, we started on the grass track and the whole first section was a ton of fun. I rode well in this section and ran the helmet cam the whole time. I think that this section is one of my favorites on the whole circuit. Grass track, lots of technical woods, grass track, woods, grass track, woods, grass track. Just a ton of fun. But, as we got out on the road after this, I could already feel my back tightening up.
The second section was typical KPTR. Flowing, rocky, technical single track. I was riding pretty well....for a while. I was flowing well and Scott was riding particularly well. He passed me about mid-section and pulled a gap. Ed and I were pretty close for the rest of this section. After that, it was all downhill for me. My back hurt so bad that I was at about half-speed and trying to avoid as many bumps as possible. I just struggled into gas. Ed and Scott were there long before me. I couldn't stand up straight. I muddled through one more section just to get at least half of the check and then called it a day.
It's ten days later as I write this. I did not ride or do the club work party this past weekend and the back is still a little sore. It's getting better very, very slowly. Going to skip riding this weekend too, even though I'd really like to do Sportsman at the BTR HS.