Off Roading First enduro last sunday (LONG)

[Steve St.Laurent]

I entered my very first enduro last sunday. I started riding trails a year and a half ago and wanted to ride the whole series this year but that just hasn't worked out. This was the first event I was able to enter - and it was a national enduro! Thought you guys might enjoy seeing me suffer so I thought I'd post it up here. Here's a couple pics to set the stage:



Waiting for my minute to come up (fresh, clean bike, and ready to tackle the world):



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Out of the gate heading for the adventure of a lifetime:



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At the end - TOTALLY spent (didn't even know they took this picture):



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Now for the story (I did this ride report for the guys on a street bike site that I'm on that asked for it):



Ok, after 12 hours of sleep here's the ride report. BTW, EVERY muscle in my body hurts - did you know you have a muscle on the back of your head? :doh It's hard to remember what happened where but I'll try to do my best.



At the start my plan was to ride at 70% of my ability so that I could hopefully finish the full 104 miles. Pulling into the field there were trucks and bikes EVERYWHERE. The factory KTM team was there with their semi and one of the large freightliner haulers (which was their CHASE truck!). Lining up I found out one of the guys on my minute was also a first timer. I figured I'd let them all go take off first and I'd take the back of the pack until I figured out where I fit in. We all took off into a cloud of dust - this would be a repeating theme for the day. I was almost totally blind - we've had very little rain here this summer so it was extremely dusty. The guy in front of me crashed in the second turn and I passed him on the outside. Since this was all on private property and this is the only event run on it I was expecting very good trail conditions - boy was I WRONG! The first 1/2 mile or so was in the field where we started and was bordered by tape. It was deep sand was rutted out badly from the previous 200+ riders.



After that we cut into the woods and to my shock (horror?) the trail was one tire width and was about 12 inches deep! I thought oh man is this going to be a long day. I crashed in the second turn in the woods and the guy I passed in the 2nd corner repassed me. I got back up and running pretty quick. It was TIGHT - and by tight I mean it was tighter than any trial I've ever ran and I've ridden some extremely tight ones. In the woods it was mostly 1st gear because it was so tight - usually I'm in 2nd or 3rd in the woods. There were many places where the bars couldn't fit through the trees at all - I had to put my front tire through then turn the bars and get one bar end through, lean the bike the other way and turn the bars to get the other end through then I could go. One set of trees was so tight in the middle of a corner that I had to get the bars through, then get off the bike and pick up the rear and and move it over so I could get the back of the bike through - and there was no other way to get through there. On another set of trees they were so close together that my radiator shrouds hit both trees - I didn't think it was possible to get through but I knew it had to be because everyone else had. Once I had the bars through I had to squeeze my legs against the tank hard and they were rubbing the trees as I went through. There were many log crossings, LOTS of roots and rocks, etc. I learned in this section that any trees 1" or smaller you just ignore - they will get out of your way. There were 2 2 ft+ log crossings that I got hung up on and had to lift the bike over - and many smaller ones that I just got over. The first tree section was 5. 05 miles and it was BRUTAL - it felt like about 40 miles of our normal trail riding. I passed one guy that had already pulled off and given up in this first 5 mile sectoin - it was that hard. It was towards the end of this section that I was thinking there's no way I'll be able to finish this thing.



At one of the checks before the first gas stop (I honestly don't remember which one) the guy asks "is this your guy?" and I'm there panting thinking WTH then I notice my friend Randy who had ridden his street bike up to watch. I just kind of nodded my head towards him, he patted me on the back and said go for it man, and I took off (I might have said something but I don't remember). I found out afterwards from Randy that the organizer of the event was there at the check with him and he said the section up to that point was the hardest of the day, he said it was all extremely tight and just never let up - he was RIGHT. At the very first check I was running 3 minutes behind - not bad. I think when I got to the check where Randy was I was 23 minutes behind. I caught back up some with the resets. When I got to the first reset my group had just taken off (I was on minute 43 and the minute 44 guys were lined up waiting to get let go), they had me pull through the 44 guys and take off. Right before that reset Jon was there at the road and said "you gotta pick up the pace buddy" and I thought "oh yeah, I'll get right on that" - probably would have hit him if I could've gotten up the strength lol. No rest on this reset (this would also be a recurring theme all day) - DAMN.



They did have the road sections placed pretty well. I'd be banging and slogging my way through the woods and I'd think I sure hope there's a road section soon I don't think I can continue and then I'd hit a road section and get some strength back. Through all of this I'm getting passed left and right. I'd hear them coming up behind me and I'd pull off the trail as soon as I could find a spare foot on the side of the trail and they'd go by yelling thanks. Only once all day did I go to pull over and the guy was already there - he started yelling "HEY HEY HO HO HO HO" and I cut back to the right and he went by, he was the only guy I cut off. One guy ran into the back of me but didn't cause any problems. Slowly but surely the trail was less rutted as the day went on - it was obvious that a lot of people were dropping out.



There were some open fields that we'd blast through that you'd think would be times that you could rest up but with the dust you couldn't see hardly anything (sometimes you could pick out the helmet of the guy in front of you) and you'd hit rocks that would just launch you off to the side. The sand was SOOOOOO deep in many places that I could have used a paddle tire. You'd go through sections where even at speed (30+ mph) and on the gas the back end of the bike would just start digging in and you'd start slowing down. It was by far the deepest sand I'd ever ridden in. There were obstacles everywhere that I wouldn't have even considered attempting 2 months ago that I was riding right up or over.



I made it to the first gas stop 30 minutes past my time so I didn't have any time to rest. I had planned on sitting in a chair for a few minutes and downing a couple bananas. Braxton (Jon's son) fueled up my bike while Jon filled my Camelbak. I guzzled a gatorade between spewing oh my gods, this is the hardest thing I've ever done, pant, pant. Randy was there saying "yeah you dummy, enter a national for your first enduro" - he had helped talk me into it prior to the event btw :doh Found out afterwards that after he saw me the first time he figured I'd give up at the first gas stop. Jon thought I'd make it to stop #8 on the spectator list which was past the first gas stop and about 20 miles short of where I quit. As soon as the bike was gassed up and my water full I hopped back on the bike and took off. Never got to sit down.



After the gas stop whenever I'd pass spectators they'd be cheering and clapping, the checkers would be saying stuff like "don't give up - you can do it", etc. That stuff REALLY helped! When I'd pass someone cheering me on I'd get a couple minutes boost of energy - then it would fade away. Any time we were in the woods it was just brutal. By this time I had figured out log crossings and was just blasting over all of them. My thinking as I came to the first big log (2 ft) was "well, I don't have the energy to lift the bike over it so I'm just going to go over it and if I don't make it I'll just lie there" - I made it. On one log that was about 2 1/2 feet tall I bounced the front tire off it and the skid plate slammed into it HARD and I was over it. A skid plate was a mandatory item on this ride. I've never hit my skid plate in 75 hours of riding this bike - I hit it 10 or 15 times on this ride and not all on logs, some were just on the trail.



One of the hills was so rutted that I was on my knees so that I could reach the bars and crawling up the hill - the entire bike was in the rut, the bars were about 3 inches above the ground on either side, and my footpegs were folded up dragging through the walls of the rut. At another hill the arrows were pointing to the left, I could see a deep rut ahead that would be almost like that one but when I looked to the left the rut would swallow the bike and it would have been hanging from the bars - at the end of the rut was a 3 foot vertical wall with a root above it. I figured no way I can make it up that so I guess I'll try the one in front of me not sure if I could make that one either - I did. I got to one hill where there was a spectator running down the hill to I think help me get up it - it was VERY deep sand and VERY steep. As soon as I got onto it the bike started digging in - I just pinned it and paddle walked the bike up it. I must have been sending roost 200 feet behind me and I was just hoping that guy wasn't back there. I made it up it!!



(continued)

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

There were two hills that I didn't make. On one, you were going downhill and there was a hard right to an immediate uphill with a left turn as you were climbing and a tree down on the inside of the turn and on the other side of that tree it was a bowl that dropped way down. I'm not sure exactly what happened but the bike spun out from under me and got tossed down into that bowl along with me - it was one of those that you see where the bike wheelies out from under the guy and gets tossed away. I'm lying down in that bowl with the bike upside down and I hear "are you ok?" "uh, yeah" "do you need help?" "uh, yeah"! Then I notice there's a large crowd of spectators watching that hill. They climbed down there and three of them got my bike out of it and around to the other side of the hill (it dropped back down after the left) and told me if it helped that I wasn't the first (hence the crowd) - lol. Man was I glad for their help!! It was at that point that I noticed one of the buckles on my left boot was loose and one on my right boot had pulled itself right out of the tongue. I clamped the left one down and fixed the right one. Took my helmet off while I was doing it and laid there on the bike for a couple minutes before I took off again. I was exhausted - about 600 feet later there was a check and then a road section - WHEW.

The other hill I couldn't make was REAL steep (I'd guess 60-70 degrees and 30 feet tall or so) and sandy - I was almost to the top and got off the right side of the trail and stalled the bike. I grabbed the front brake and it was so steep that I couldn't hold myself on the hill. The bike and I slid backwards all the way to the bottom of the hill. I kept it upright the whole way and the bike stopped about 2 feet short of the bottom when the right footpeg caught on a tree. I tried it again but couldn't make it. Then I looked to the left and saw fresh unridden hill over there (just as steep but about 5 feet shorter). I went up it and as I got to the top noticed it dropped right off on the back side! There was about 2 feet on the top of the hill so I cut hard right when my front tire crested the hill and made it - it would have been ugly had I gone over the other side. Rode another 20 feet to the right and got back on the trail. At another point the trail ran along the edge of a corn field - there was about 3 feet between the last row of corn and a metal fence on the right. The trail was loose sand and it was quite scary having the bike moving around in the sand with that fence right there - I kept thinking man I don't want to get tangled up with the fence. Then I hit a rock that launched me to the left into the rows of corn. Corn was slamming into the bike and my forearms - it was LOUD "pop, pop, pop, pop" and I was ducking flying corn cobs, etc until I could get it slowed down and get back over the furrow and onto the trail - WHEW.

Before the event I had been talking to Randy about conditions there (he rode nationals in the late 70's/ early 80's with many class wins, some B high points, and high placings overall and had ridden this enduro before) and he said he didn't remember many rocks - he was WAYYYYYY off, they were everywhere. In one of the fields we ran through they ran us over a rock pile (where the farmer had piled all the rocks he'd tilled up over the years) - it was about 15 feet high and 200 feet across. First time ever doing something like that and this was about 15 miles from when I quit so I was REAL tired. Made it through it ok by paddle walking the bike over it and taking it slow.

In one of the fields I went through I got lost it was right after a check and there were arrows angling to the right and just ahead the two track veered right so I thought that's where the trail went. About a mile down that two track I didn't see any more arrows so I figured I missed the turn. I went back and still didn't see the turn so I turned around and rode about 2 miles down that two track until I ran into the course coming AT me! I knew I'd missed it then so I headed back and found the turn - it was about 100 feet BEFORE the arrows and was about 3 feet wide into the corn whereas the two track was about 10 feet wide. So I blasted down it and missed the next turn which was about 60 feet down and went to the right (the arrows were hidden by corn stalks) - I ended up looping around and came back up the two track that I just ridden down! UGH The checkers were waving at me and trying to help me find the turn and I finally did - added about 5 miles going in circles there.

That was one place that I missed turns - the others were on road sections where I had probably taken my goggles off to cool my face or something and blasted past the turn. The worst one I went about a mile down the road too far before I turned around - another rider did the same thing right behind me. I'll know better what to look for now having done it before. When we were running through a field HAULING and then it would cut into the woods the last 50 feet or so would be stutter bumps from braking and made for some exciting moments. The bike would be swapping directions left and right and hopping up and down, etc. On one turn I was about 2 feet in the air completely sideways with the bars full lock left as the turn blew by on the right!

The only real good crash that I had was about 300 feet after coming out of the woods into an open section and I was WOT in 4th in deep sand and it started swapping ends and tossed me over the left side and onto my shoulder. I ran back to the bike and got going immediately - this was before the first gas stop (I think).

Getting close to the 2nd gas stop I was thinking "man maybe I can make this thing yet" because I was only 30 minutes off my time - I hadn't houred out yet. I had been getting cold chills periodically and I wasn't sure what was going on there and shortly after that I started getting BAD leg cramps - on the back side of my right thigh and my left calf. I started riding with my water hose in my mouth and drank whenever I could thinking maybe I was getting dehydrated. There was about 4 miles of road to the gas stop and as I got onto the road thought that might be able to give me enough energy to finish but then I started feeling naseous. Thought I was going to have to pull over to let it fly but was hoping I could make it to the gas stop so I didn't have to get back on the bike afterwards! I pulled up to the truck and Jon and Brax grabbed the bike. I said "someone take this bike away from me" and then laid my head down on the bars. I couldn't even get off the bike. I waited a few minutes and then took my helmet off and asked them to help me off the bike. I just kind of collapsed on the side of the road. They kept asking me if I wanted water or gatorade and I couldn't even talk. They poured ice cold water over me and put that cold towel on my forehead. At some point Jon lifted my head and put that towel under it. After 5 or ten minutes I was able to roll over and stand up and they helped me get all my gear off. I've never been so exhausted in my entire life! When I pulled into the gas stop I was 32 minutes off my time so I could have kept going had I had more energy but I knew that I was going to hurt myself bad if I continued.

I got changed and they loaded our stuff and we headed back to the start/finish so that I could turn in my sheet (to get scored and so they would know I was off the course so they wouldn't send a search party out). We watched the AA riders come into the finish and then headed home. Had this been a regular D14 enduro I would have finished with the mileage I put in - the Jack Pine was 85 ground miles this year and I rode 80 plus in talking to guys the terrain is far easier. Entering a national for my very first enduro was probably not the smartest thing I've ever done in my life but I sure had a BLAST and I survived it. Given the conditions, etc even though I didn't make my goal of finishing I'm happy with making it to the 2nd gas stop. I enjoy pushing myself to my limits and this was DEFINATELY pushing myself to my limit - now I can expand that limit!

I have absolutely no doubt that my riding skills took a HUGE leap forward this weekend - regular trails are going to be sooo much easier now. Log crossings used to intimidate me and I'd usually walk/lift the bike over them - now I'll be able to ride right over them. I've yet to hit a log crossing on the trail that was as bad as the ones I rode over in the event (unless they were ones that were completely unpassable). I rode in sand WAY deeper than anything I've ever ridden in, over rock piles like I'd never seen, through tighter trees, up steeper hills, through deeper ruts, etc. Man what a blast!!

There's stuff I've missed in this report I'm sure but there was just SOOOO much stuff that happened I doubt I'll ever remember it all but I'm sure you get the jist of it all! Sorry for the long report but I don't know how I could have shortened it.

BTW, the results are in - I finished 27th out of 37 riders in the C senior (30+) class and 50th out of 65 in the C class overall (junior & senior). Here's a link to the check detail - http://www.moto-tally.com/d14/ama/Results.asp?EY=2007&EID=4&OCID=C15&vT=Score+Cards and score cards - http://www.moto-tally.com/d14/ama/Results.asp?EY=2007&EID=4&OCID=C15&vT=Check+Detail

Picture gallery here - 2007 Harrison National Enduro . Not many pics because it's hard to get them but that's all I have.

 

[BPINE]

Welcome to the world of Enduro's. I have been doing them for about 15 years, I am getting old now and cringe every time when I sign up for A Sr class. I just can't be that old can I ?????



My goal was to do the whole series as well this year but so far I have only done the first National at Clearcreek Ca. The conditions were just the opposite as yours, Snow and rain all night before the start but I still had a great time.

 

[Jaysyl]

That looks like it was fun. Thanks for story. Nice to see you are riding a TWO-STROKE, pre mix is the only way to go. Death to Four strokes:-laf





My first 3 races were enduro races, 11 years old riding a Tm75(Suzuki). I raced in the 125cc C class. No watch or speedo, just went as fast as I could that sure was alot of fun. I was just happy to finish those races. When is you next race?

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Well, there's one this weekend but I'm already committed to riding up in the U. P. and I'm not going to back out of it. The next one after that is September 9th and I may try to hit that one but I've got a wedding I have to go to the day before. The next one after that is Sept 30th. We'll just have to see what the schedule brings. Just as sore today as yesterday (a little less in some places, a little more in others) - should be getting better by tomorrow.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

That looks like it was fun. Thanks for story. Nice to see you are riding a TWO-STROKE, pre mix is the only way to go. Death to Four strokes:-laf

At least around here 95% of the trail riders and enduro riders are still riding two strokes. They are just so much cheaper to run and our woods are so tight that every pound counts. Watching guys on 450 4 strokes trying to wrestle them through the woods is hilarious!

 

[BPINE]

At least around here 95% of the trail riders and enduro riders are still riding two strokes. They are just so much cheaper to run and our woods are so tight that every pound counts. Watching guys on 450 4 strokes trying to wrestle them through the woods is hilarious!

Hey carful I resemble that remark, I ride a 450 X but have a 250 X just in case it gets really tight. The only real reason I ride a 4 stroke now is it is the only bike you can ride year round. Here in Ca you cant ride a 2 stroke or MX 4 stroke in the summer.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Yet another reason to not live in California any more!! I've heard all about the crazy rules you guys have to put up with. Here in Michigan I made my '04 CR250 street legal for about $200. I got my headlight from a CRF450x from a company in California that does street legal conversions on them - they have to have DOT lights in CA, here I just have to have A headlight with high and low beams. I can hop on my CR250 and ride it to the store if I wanted to - I don't because it would be a waste of the bike. It sure is nice being able to ride down roads from campgrounds to the trail head or down road sections to connect trail systems though.



BTW, I've seen what the magazines call "tight" out west! :-laf:-laf:-laf We laugh at the magazine write ups, they are pretty much useless for us because the terrain is SOOOOOOOOOO different back here and all the magazine writers seem to be on the left coast.

 

[Jaysyl]

Green stickers, Red stickers Got to love California:-laf





Steve, you are right about two-strokes. They are cheaper and way easier to work on. I think even I could still do a top end job on a two stroke.



KTM 300 KTM 300 KTM 300, only a dream for me:{:{

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Most of the guys I ride with ride KTM 200's. They are pretty much the perfect bike for the tight stuff we have here. The sicko that I am though I like the hit of the 250! Almost everyone I ride with are on KTM's these days. In the groups I ride with there's one other CR250 and a YZ250 - and about 18 KTM's.

 

[NVR FNSH]

Congrats Steve. There is no way I'd even consider trying a National Enduro - I'm not a good enough rider and I'm no where near the shape I need to be in... .



I like the nice D36 Family Enduros like BPine's Wild Piglet



Brian

 

[Dodge-Tech]

You have to come to New Jersey and try some of the famous "South Jersey Ignorant tight"!! Our ECEA enduros sound like what you are describing-minus the steep hills. I also race a 2-stroke, KTM EXC 250, which is the best woods machine I have ever owned.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Update - here's the last enduro of the year report. I ran a total of 4 enduro's this year and had a blast. Can't wait for next year:

Another enduro update - last one for the year:

This was a 2 day enduro and I had to miss day 1 because I was out of town in Las Vegas for the SEMA show all week and needed to spend saturday with the family. Loaded up saturday night and hit the road with Jon at 5:45. The clocks changed saturday night which gave an extra hour of sleep which I was VERY appreciative of! I walked about 30 miles this week in Las Vegas and was still a little sore yet. Wasn't sure whether I had it in me to do the event but I didn't want to miss the last race of the year. By the time I got to signup the latest minute they had was minute 24 so I grabbed it and hoped for the best. At the riders meeting they talked about some problems with a bunch of guys missing a check the day before and emphasized the need to follow the arrows - if you saw a trail leading off that wasn't necessarily the event trail. Someone spoke up that at minute 20 there was no visible trail in many places. I thought oh great, I'm only 4 minutes behind that!

3 friends drove down to watch the race because it's a great event for spectators (so I was told - and there were LOTS of spectators around the course) and as I said above Jon rode down with me to crew for me. There were 5 guys on each minute and on my minute I had 2 AA riders, 1 A rider, a B rider, and then the tortoise (me). The first 1/4 mile was across a corn field and then a mile and 1/4 of road then there was a reset which was the true start to the event. The trail was very technical with a lot of logs (I'd guess 500 or so), rocks, limbs across the trail, etc. Coming into the first check that was a couple miles into the woods I zero'd it! At about the 5 mile mark I found out after the event that there was a danger sign and a sign above it that said "he man bridge" and a mud section after it and to the left there was a man made bridge with a sign that said "girly man bridge" (it's in the pics). My friends were there and asked each other which one they thought I'd take. A bunch of guys got up to it and then looked left and saw the girly bridge and took that one. When I got there I saw a couple lines (trenches) through the mud and a clean line along the right edge so I just ran across it. Truth is I didn't see the girly man bridge or I probably would have taken it - lol. There was a long grass section (a couple miles) where we were snaking around in a tunnel cut out of tall grass on either side. In this section I lost the front in 4th gear and crashed HARD. I jammed my wrist although it didn't bother me for very long. At the end of this grass section there was a check that I was 5 minutes late to. Then there was another reset but it was only 5 minutes long so after stopping and seeing that I took right off.

The next check I was 4 minutes late so I had made up a minute. There were quite a few mud holes in this section and I would pause before each one and pick a line through it. There were always lots of deep ruts but there was usually one clean line and I passed a lot of guys in this section. There was another reset at 19. 43 miles and I got to it with about 6 minutes to spare. I zero'd the next check after a few miles (man that feels good)! The next section was NASTY!! It was this real thick loamy dirt like peat moss. You could get pretty good traction in it as long as you didn't get on the throttle too hard. But then there were logs in the middle of it and your tires were all loaded up and didn't want to grab on the trees. There were also a lot of roots hidden in the loam that would try to yank the bike out from under you. This section was rough and although I didn't crash in here I took some pretty wild rides! I also popped a tree on the left hard that threw me to the right and on the ground. It was also in this section where there was a low limb across the trail and I slowed way down because I'm very careful with my neck since I already have 2 fused vertabrae in there. The rider behind me slammed into me which pushed my head into the limb and my neck stopped the two of us - OUCH. The next check I was down 25 minutes. The very best time on this section was a AA rider and he was down 7 minutes.

Next up was gas after a 22 minute reset (actually during) at 60 miles (route miles). I was tired at gas but I was still feeling pretty good. It was at this point that my race took a turn for the worse. Looking at the results I was in 3rd out of 5 in my class (C senior) at this point and in 10th out of 19 in the C overall. After gas there was a cut off for the A/AA riders and somehow I managed to take it - so I was now riding the A/AA loop although I was being scored on the C route sheet. This terrain was HARD!!!! I was banging my way through really tight stuff on pretty virgin trail and figured out that I was probably on the A loop but it was too late now. I was having a good time through the tight stuff although my left thumb did start cramping to where it would lock up tight and I'd have to force it open from running on the clutch so much through the tight stuff.

Then we came to a section where we were climbing up and down some very steep and technical hills. On one of them I got hung up on a tree and a root and backed up about 5 A riders behind me. They eventually got around me and I got restarted and going again. There was one other hill I got hung up on in this section. Then we got to the rock quarry. There was a VERY steep and long downhill going down in the rock quarry and as I came over the rise my eyeballs got as big as saucers! As I was riding down it I was praying that there wasn't going to be an uphill like this to get out of it! Well, we got to the big hill climb and I made it about 3/4's of the way up when I stalled the bike and had to ride/slide it backwards down the hill. It was soon after a turn and I didn't have much speed when I got to it so I looped back around and came at it with some momentum. I was at the very top of it and the bike started to wheelie and I knew if I let off I wouldn't make it so I gassed it and when the bike was about vertical I just pushed with my arms and legs and threw the bike on top of the hill. Then I was tumbling/sliding down the hill by myself and grabbing and every little tree I could to stop my descent. I finally got stopped about half way down and then I crawled back up the hill by digging in my toes and pulling on trees to claw my way back up the hill - it was too steep to walk up. When I got to the top my bike didn't really want to start because it had laid on it's side so long, not to mention I was just a tad winded! A few hills/turns later I see my 3 friends waving me down in the middle of the trail and they told me I was on the A loop and if I took this exit and took a left there was a reset right there - thank god for friends!

So I pulled up to the reset and I was about 10 minutes past my time to leave the reset - the rest of this enduro was going to be one long ride with no resting at the resets because I was going to be late to them all - ugh. Plus I was whipped from being beat up on the A section that added a number of miles to my ride that I could have avoided completely! Oh well, it was fun trail to ride. I was worried that I had missed a check though in all of that and was going to completely ruin my results. My goal at this point was just to survive this thing and finish the enduro - I was just hanging on. I had gotten pretty good at jumping logs from having so much practice and I was so tired that I had no choice but to jump them because I wasn't going to get very far lifting the bike over them so I was jumping some pretty big logs. The next check I was down 13 minutes and the one after that I was down 22 minutes. Somewhere in one of these sections I gave a great show for a few guys. It was a loamy section and there was a 12" log diagonally across the trail followed by an 18" log straight across the trail about 4 feet later. I hit the first one at an angle and the bike shot out to the side but I somehow kept it upright, then I hit the 2nd log and did the flying W over it, then right after that there was a root in the loam that shot the front end out to the left but then it hooked up. I nearly crashed 3 times in about 10 feet. There was a corner about 30 feet down the trail with 3 guys standing there clapping as I went by - would have been hilarious to have on video. There was also a long hill climb with turns around trees in this section I was on the climb when a rider in front of me got hung up on a root at the first turn around a tree and I had to stop on the trail. He managed to get going and then I got hung up on the same root. Then I dumped the bike downhill to the right and then ended up sliding backwards to the bottom of the hill and got a tree stuck between the rear tire and fender. It took me a total of about 10 minutes to get unstuck, the bike started, stalled and stuck again, restarted, then up the hill. When I got to the top I was wasted - I waited about 30 seconds to catch my breathe slightly and then I got moving (albeit VERY slowly) to just put some ground under the tires while I regained my breathe (my side was hurting at this time). I got to the next reset 3 minutes late so I blew right on through it.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I think it was in this next section that I came to a VERY LARGE tree down across the trail - WAY bigger than anything I've jumped over before (by at least twice)! There was a bridge just after the tree with people spectating on it. There were two riders on the left hung up trying to pull their bikes out so I knew I couldn't go that way and there was a rider hung up on top of the tree with a couple waiting behind him. I went to the right to try to get around the tree jumped a ton of logs, etc to get there and found a river bank with a deep river below. Turned back around to try to jump the tree. When I got back there a few other riders had ridden up and being wasted like I was I didn't want to hang them up so I waved them on first. Then a guy on minute 36 rode up and I waved him on and he shook his head no and waved me on. Oh well - I guess it's my turn! There was a smaller log (that was rolling around) just before the big tree (I'd guess it was about shoulder height) so I launched off the smaller log and got the front tire over the big one and landed on the skid plate. Fortunately I was far enough forward that I was tipped to the other side of the log and I climbed off and pulled the rear end over. I of course stalled the bike and it took me at least 10 kicks to get it started (I usually get it on the first kick). I can't believe I made it over that tree - I wouldn't have tried that in a MILLION years on a trail ride!

After that we got to a ski resort that we rode around, up and down hills, through valleys, etc. I was making ridiculous mistakes at this point just falling over in corners that I'd never fall over in if I weren't so tired, etc. I was in full on survival mode at this point. I started getting some muscle cramping in my left leg. I was just holding on and kept saying to myself just take it easy and finish the ride - I wasn't going to let it beat me. Every 100 feet seemed like a mile. There were very steep hills climbs and descents through here and I was just trying to maintain just enough momentum to carry me up and over them without carrying so much speed that I was going to crash my brains out. I got into the last check down 28 minutes and I asked the guy if it was free territory to the end because I thought that's what my route sheet said - he said yes and I just said thank you.

I pulled onto the road, leaned on the bar with my left arm and cruised up the road at about 20 mph. I hurt all over, was winded, exhausted, etc. I was SOOOO glad it was over! After ~5 miles of road I pulled into the parking lot and pulled up to the truck, shut the bike down and laid my head on the bars. Jon came up and grabbed the bike and asked how I was doing - I told him lol. After a couple minutes I tried to lift my head and I moved it about 1/4 inch and laid it back down. It felt like I weighed 100 lbs. A few more minutes and I was able to lift my head and I crawled off the bike while Jon held it for me and I laid down on the tail gate of the truck.

I ended up finishing 5th out of 5 in the C senior class for district 14 and 13th out of 19 in the C overall for the event. I'd dropped 107 minutes over the entire coarse. I was doing great until I hit that A section and it took all the wind out of my sails. This was the last event of the year and I finished in 9th out of 33 in the C Senior class and 19th out of 59 in the C overall for the season having run 4 out of 10 events. My goal for this season was to finish an event without houring out and I finished 3 out of the 4 events I entered (the Harrison national was the first event I entered and the only one I didn't finish, I still had time left but I just couldn't continue after the 2nd gas stop). So by that measure I had a successful season. I've learned a TON and am looking forward to running the full season next year.

Pics:

The Girly Man/He Man options:

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My line through the He Man section:

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Another rider riding through the He Man section:

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One of the hill climbs near the end in the ski resort:

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[MA2LA]

I never ran enduros but i used to run GNCC and distric 7 hair scrambles and I know all to well how hard it can be. I always had wished they had a atv catagory for endros when I raced. Just be carefull I had the bad luck to hurt my neck at a race in pine grove PA on a motocross track that we had to run on for our points series in distric 7. Its funny when i started racing i figured run 70% or so and i'll be fine but there was no way that you would ever get a trophy doing that and i worked hard to get in shape and get the bike setup so i could run 2 hours all out.

 

[Matt400]

Minute 43 in the C class? How many on a row?

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

There were 5 on each row at Harrison (where I was on minute 43) and I saw minutes out into the 70's.

 

[Matt400]

You must have gotten a pretty good number then for your class. Did you pre or post enter?

I ran D36 enduro's pretty consistent in the 90's working my way through the classes. Now days I will run one just for fun, I will be 49 soon.

If you press on with it I bet you will cave eventually running an MX bike in that stuff.

When I switched to an EXC250 in 91 it really changed things for me.



For a fun project I bought an 03 RM250 new and did everything I could think of to make it enduro worthy before I even rode it, either I got old in a hurry or my EXC was just that good. Today I ride a Husky TE250.



I enjoyed reading your ride report, have you cut your bars down yet?

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I post entered. In our district you can be on any number in any class. The only riders restricted on where they can ride is the AA riders and they on rows 21-35, one on each row in the order they finished the previous year. Everyone else gets all the other numbers. It depends on the individual event how they're picked. The two enduros down in Indiana you just got to take your pick of whatever numbers were left. Same thing at Harrison. The other Michigan enduro I ran you got to pick two numbers out of a hat and take your pick of either one.

Most of the guys I ride with ride KTM's and I imagine that's where I'll eventually end up. I got a screaming deal on this Honda - $4200 out the door brand new - so it was hard to pass up. EVERYONE cuts their bars down here in Michigan - you'd never get through the woods otherwise. I cut mine down so that they're 30 inches wide at the outside of the bark busters which is taking about an inch and a quarter off each side.

 

[Matt400]

I see, out here its AA, A, B's then C's. If you want a low number in your class you have to pre enter and post mark the entry no sooner than a pre deturmined date. They get the entry's and draw your number for you, then assign numbers as the entry's roll in.



Post entry gets what ever is left over which is what I do now days. I always ran 30" bars too but have not cut the TE yet. Like you said. . our tight stuff is not like the east coast!