Big 6 Grand Prix #2 (Taft) - 2015

In pursuit of my goal for achieving 20 races this year I decided to try another Grand Prix - this would be my second Grand Prix - the first for this year.

I started in row 5 with several other fellows and got a pretty good start but slowed down and took to the outside to let the faster riders go ahead.  I took the first lap easy to get to know the course and get my rhythm.  I was passed by four or five of the expert riders who started in row 1.

Early in the second lap one of the fellows from row 6 passed me and I decided to try to keep up with him.  For the rest of lap two and lap three we had a great back and forth battle.  We both got passed by many of the faster riders and finally he made a mistake and I went around him.  I was able to get around another two guys and almost got a third one but the race ended a little too soon.

I believe I'm honing my skills that will allow me to ride faster and to continue to stay in control.  I'm reading the terrain better which is certainly one of the critical skills I'll need for the rally races.

Thanks for reading and following along.

NHHA #1 - Desert MC Hare and Hound 2015

After watching the Dakar coverage I just couldn't wait to get out there.  I almost always have butterflies the first few races and this time was no different.  My mindset when this happens is to just go out and have a nice little trail ride - keep the bike and body safe.

So I lined up in between a couple of fellas and noticed there was a bush in front of me.  I told the guy next to me he could go first, I wasn't out there to race.  But then there was one minute before the banner dropped and I saw that I could probably bump up over the bush roots and go through the bush.  I usually get a good start - so when the banner dropped I started, hesitated to see what the guy next to me was doing, his first kick didn't catch so I popped the clutch and went through the bush.  I ran up to third gear and then backed off.

I had a pretty good jump on maybe half the line.  I moved left out of the dust and onto a good line.  I got up near the end of the bomb run and pulled over to turn on my handlebar mounted bluetooth speaker and turn on my GoPro.  Like I said, I wasn't there to race - just get better and finish.

I rode along fairly slowly and very in control for several miles and even at that slow pace I started catching people.  When I see someone in front of me that I can catch I just can't help but try to run them down (catch up to them).

So I picked up the pace a little, caught a few guys, picked up the pace a little more and passed some more.  It felt like I was moving pretty good (for me) and still in control - maybe I am getting a little better.

It was a pretty uneventful race.  I kept up my pace pretty good, passed several more people and didn't crash.  My fitness still isn't where it needs to be but I have decided to make this my year.  I've set a goal to race 20 times this year.  It's going to be hard on my family because the boys can be a handful.

2015

Wow.  It's been two years.  Let's recap them.

2013 - I only did a few races, maybe 4, but had one great accomplishment - I finished both loops of a National Hare and Hound race.  It was excessively difficult fitness-wise.  The course itself wasn't beyond my skill level but it was for my fitness level.  It took more than 6 hours for me to finish the course.  But I finished!

2014 - I sometimes have a punctuality problem, the first race I drove for 3 hours and ended up being late.  I started packing up to go home and thought, why not ride the course for fun?  So I did.  It didn't count as a race (points-wise) but I did ride it and had a good time.  The second race was uneventful, I only did one loop and didn't crash so that was a 'win' in my book.

2015 - I bailed on the first Grand Prix race and the first Hare and Hound.  I had also decided to skip the second H&H but after watching coverage of the 2015 Dakar this week I am now considering it.

I have several very time consuming goals this year including starting a 'real' business instead of putzing around with hobbies so I don't know where racing will land on my priority list.  If anything happens I'll update the blog.

Thanks for reading.

TC

Jackrabbits 2013

The first D37 race of 2013 did not go as planned.   I did not hurt myself or the bike but I also did not finish.

I spent the night in Ridgecrest and met up with a friend, Ron, Sunday morning.  He had driven up in the morning and was already signed up and had done a bomb run before I even arrived.

Here he is next to his awesome F-350 Dually before his first race.

We eventually got dressed and rode up to the starting line.  It appeared the expert line was just about to take off so we waited until they finally took off in a curtain of dust.  We moved upwind towards the end of the starting line to avoid the dust when our time came.

Another rider's meeting and the Ammie line took off (or so I thought.)  We rolled our bikes up to the line and a guy from Jackrabbits noticed my green bar and black numbers and asked, "Weren't you supposed to go?"  I said, "no, I am on the third line."  He said, "That *was* the third line."  Oops.  I took off about two minutes after the rest of the pack and rode slowly up the bomb - as was my plan -'just take it easy and I should be able to finish both loops'.

Just after the bomb I came upon a downed rider and another guy who was with him.  I stopped and asked if they needed anything.  They said no and the guy didn't seem like he was in trouble so I took off.

I was riding along nice and slow, enjoying the ride when I came upon another guy who was down and yet another guy attending him.  I again asked if they needed anything - no.  This guy seemed like he had rung his bell pretty good so I memorized his number and continued on.  I went through some big boulders and then started down a small hill when I saw a jeep driving around a little ways off the course.  I rode over and found out it was an EMS crew so I told them about the guy I just saw, rode back to the course and continued my nice ride through the desert.

About 20 miles in, just over half way, I stopped to enjoy the amazing views around me.  Here is one panorama shot I took - and no, this does not do it justice.

As I was looking around I heard some bikes coming up so I switched to video mode and recorded the video below.

Now realize that those guys who just passed me were on the beginner line probably another 10 or 15 minutes behind me.  They may or may not have been riding faster than me but with stopping for riders, chasing down the EMS jeep and stopping to 'smell the roses' allowed them to catch me pretty easily.

About a mile later I was passed by a few more racers and just after that one of them went down.  I stopped to make sure he was ok.  His foot was hurting and he asked if I could start his bike for him so he could get to the check - we could see it just a half mile away or so.  I tried to get it going but couldn't so I held it while he gave it a mighty kick - and he was off.

A short while later and the second loop merged in with the first and I started getting passed by the 'A' riders.  Man are they good.  As I rode through the checks I was beginning to realize that I was going to be keeping these guys out here pretty late since I was taking so long.  I picked up my pace a bit and kept moving even though my hands and arms were starting to cramp a little.

I finally made it back to the pits and they shuttled me into the finish chute for the one loopers.  I told them I was a two looper but they said the  pits were closed.  I told them the riders instructions said it was open until 1:00 and it was 12:45.  The main guy then told me the pits closed an hour after the first novice came through.  I later found out that wasn't true.  Had I not stopped for the downed riders and not stopped to take pictures I would have been back in plenty of time to make it out on the second loop.

Oh well, no good crying about it now.  I got my first DNF but I'm sure it won't be my last so it had to happen some time.  In the end it was an uneventful race for me.  I just went at a slow pace and tried to keep it on the trail.

I only had to wait a few minutes before Ron made it back so we were able to load up and head out shortly there after.  Here's a pic of Ron and the bikes after the race.

We both had a good time.  I was happy to have not crashed and Ron only went down once with no damage to him or his bike.

The next race/ride is this coming weekend.  It is a National level race and is in the past been known as one of if not the hardest race on the calendar.  I plan to attempt both loops again since one loop at a National is a DNF for their rankings and I am hoping to capture the #1 plate for 40+ C riders this year (only because I go to more races than any other 40+ C riders - not because I am the best ;)

I brought the GoPro but forgot the mount for my helmet so I did not capture any first person footage.  Next time.

TC

2013 - A new start and a new challenge

It is in the shadow of the 2013 Dakar that I write this entry.  NBC Sports has been showing daily 30 minute updates on the Dakar race and I've been sucked into the racing and drama like never before.  It makes the race more concrete in my mind and highlights just how far I need to go if I am ever going to take part of that most amazing race.

This year I have elected to bump myself up to a class C rider and in doing so will attempt to ride the full length of the D37 and NHHA courses.  As always the 3 main goals are to not get hurt, not damage the bike and finish all the races (by riding very conservatively).  The purpose of this year is to increase my riding skills and my endurance.

The first AMA District 37 race (the District where I live) is this coming Sunday.  The type of race is a hare scramble where the race course is one loop that is run twice.  That is a great start for my two loop debut since the loop should be made easy enough for beginners - the only thing I have to do differently this year is have the conditioning to do it twice.  Which is no small feat since every one loop race I've done to date has left me without further energy.

How am I going to run two loops when I've barely been able to do one?  Believe me, I've thought about that a lot.  The plan is to simply go slow to conserve my energy and take breaks to rest and enjoy in the scenery.  I've always pushed all the way through the race unless I had to stop for some reason and that really takes a toll.  On trail rides I rarely if ever get tired so I don't see why the strategy of going slow and taking breaks won't work.  What I don't want to happen is to get tired and shaky like last time and crash on an easy trail when it isn't necessary.

I still have a couple of last minute things to do to the bike, check the valve clearances, tape up a slow leak in the radiator fitting, change the oil, clean the air filter and check the chain tension - normal race bike maintenance.

Good luck to all the Dakar racers - the long 477 mile day 6 is already underway and I'm anxious to hear how they do.

Until next time,
TC

Checkers Hare and Hound 2012

As usual Checkers put on a great race and this year they tried something brand new. Those who were doing all 3 loops could do them in any order.  What that meant for a newbie like myself was that fast riders would be riding on loop one while I was.  That's not usually the case.

For those who don't know, District 37 of the AMA puts on a couple dozen off-road races every year - most of them out in the desert.  The Hare and Hound races are 2 or 3 loops which usually total between 80 and 100 miles.  There is a one loop option for those in the Novice, Intermediate or Expert classes but most people run the whole course.  Those in the beginner class (like me) are only allowed to race one loop and that's just fine with me since I haven't yet built up my stamina to race more than the first loop - usually 35 to 45 miles.  That's not very far but the terrain isn't a walk in the park either and I'm usually completely spent afterward.  I definitely need to work on my conditioning.

I will post and provide a link of the video of my two crashes in this race - the first one wasn't bad but the second one messed up my foot pretty good.  I had to go to the hospital and was on crutches for about a week.  Fortunately nothing was broken but there was some soft tissue damage that had me hobbling for about a month.  I had high hopes for doing more races but that's not how it worked out.

The race was at the end of February and in late March I was able to walk longer distances without any pain.  I didn't want to try running because it still hurt a little at times.  My next step was to try riding my mountain bike since that should have less impact than running.  I went for a ride and the foot felt pretty good but the next day it started aching a little - nothing bad but I wanted to take it easy.

About that time I also lost my job of 14 years.  To top it all off I started having some sciatic pain.  I was able to ride my 'city bike' for a while until something happened and the pain became almost unbearable - I mean I halfway seriously felt that cutting off my leg would be preferable to the pain I was in.  I went to the doctor and was given some pretty strong drugs to help with the pain and started physical therapy (PT).

Long story short, PT didn't work, steroid injection didn't work and I ended up having surgery in August to remove a fragment of material that had leaked from one of my spinal discs. I had two herniated discs but only one of the fragments was causing any issues.

The doc said to take 6 to 8 weeks before returning to my normal routine but I would make a full recovery and could continue racing.  Good news!

A month after surgery I finally found a new job.  My savings has been depleted and my credit card now has a balance so I think any more races this year is out of the question.  I have to pay off the credit card and build my savings back up first.

I hope to start 2013 with a new District 37 number and make the first race of the year.

Bottom line - my old body just isn't made for the abuse I've been giving it all my life.  I'm going to have to be a lot more careful out there.

Preparing for the next race

As I suspected I was indeed the only rider in the 40+ beginner heavyweight class at the Desert MC hare and hound race a couple of weeks ago.

Since then I found I was leaking a little oil and a little anti-freeze - on a brand new bike!  I hate that.  Well, I found out the oil leak was coming from the oil drain plug - a little turn of the wrench to snug it up was all it took to fix that problem.

The anti-freeze appears to be coming from the sensor.  I haven't touched that one yet but I'll probably put some plumbers tape on it after the next race.  It only had a drop every couple of days come out so I don't think it will be a problem (fingers crossed.)

I changed out the pads on my new knee braces since the last race was somewhat painful with the thick pads in place.  I hope the thinner ones are a better fit.

I also put air bags in the coil springs of my minivan to help keep the trailer a little higher off the ground.  I would scrape at nearly every sidewalk crossing (like when turning into a gas station.)

The last thing I need is to clean the air filter and a new goggle lens since I can't seem to find the clear one I bought a while back.

I hope to learn from my last race and make sure to eat a little more before the race - it is horrible to barely be able to pick up the bike after having only ridden 5 miles or so and have another 35 to go!

I'll have a video of this next one so stay tuned!

2012 Hare and Hound #1

Raced in the 1st race of the National Hare and Hound series last Sunday.  I'm still racing as a beginner and as such I only race the first loop of the race.  Even then those 40 miles were very difficult - not terrible but my physical state was probably my worst enemy.  I was/am out of shape but even more important was that I had not eaten in 5 or 6 hours before the race and I was out of energy.  Lesson learned!

I haven't seen the detailed results yet but it appears I was first and last in my class since there was no one else there.  This particular racing club has the distinction of offering the toughest race of the year so I feel good having finished it without breaking anything on the bike or myself.

In a couple of weeks I'll be heading out to the next race in the series and I hope for a better showing.  My new bike and attitude should help me to run a better race next time.  Last week I was very aggressive in the rocks.  Before I was apprehensive and that usually had me ending up going very slow and falling down.  Last week I was tired and annoyed with all the rocks and started powering through them.  Every time but 2 worked out well for me.  Of those two times I went down once and went halfway down the other time, stopped from going all the way to the ground by a rock and a terrible crunching sound that I thought had busted by radiator and ended my race.  But, apparently nothing was wrong because I continued another 10 or 15 miles with no issues.

Last year I participated in four races - I am hoping to be able to double that this year and hopefully even more next year as my kids get a little older and a little more self sufficient.  My wife is barely tolerating this but she knows it is important to me so I have to give her a huge THANKS! for letting me do this as much as I hope to.

Catching up and starting anew in 2012

Wow. A whole year has passed and I haven't written a thing.  Very disappointing.

Many things have happened over the last year some have helped me move forward in my quest and some have set me back a bit.

First, I never did write a ride report about the LAB2V ride we did over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2010.  It was a 2 day event where we rode more than 200 miles each day.

Here is a pic from day two of the ride:

As noted in a previous post, later that day something happened and I went down hard, was unconscious for at least 10 minutes and ended up with a cracked rib, sore shoulder and a mild concussion.  I was able to finish the ride but had to take some blacktop to get back on schedule - though we still finished after dark.

It was a great ride and I hope to be able to do it again someday.

I found out about the Southern California Desert Racing community in December of 2010 and figured it would help me prepare for Dakar should I be so lucky as to actually enter and ride in it.

I'll keep this part short - I entered 4 races in which I crashed in all but 1 of them - nothing serious just some scratches on the motorcycle - fortunately no damage to the rider. :)

I finished all four races which was my primary goal (other than not hurting myself or the bike too much.)

What I found after the fourth race though was that I was beating up my KTM690 too much and didn't feel like it was the right bike for this kind of racing.

For the next couple of months I was preoccupied with buying the house our children will grow up in.  We moved in at the end of June.  I wasn't doing much riding at that time although I was taking the bike out for short rides once a month or so just because I had the 'urge' to get out there.

I was supposed to take part in the 'Kings of the West Rally' 5 day event but the date got moved and my wife was quite pregnant by the time the ride began.  Luckily I did not take the chance and go on the ride because she went into labor and had to be taken to the hospital on the final day of the ride.  A few days later (October 3rd) we had our second baby boy.

Given the newborn and a rambunctious two and a half year old I was not going to be able to do the LAB2V again in 2011.

Over the year I had kept thinking I'd like to get a different or another bike to continue doing the desert races since they were quite fun, helped increase my skills and made me exercise.  When I saw that the new KTM dual sport bikes were going to have fuel injection I got pretty excited and decided I wanted one.  After months of putting it off I finally advertised the 690 on Craig's List and sold it the next day!

I was debating between the 350 and the 500 and finally decided on the 350 for a number of reasons.  It doesn't have the torque of the 690 but it is WAY lighter and so much more nimble.  Here it is after riding it home from the dealer.

I've had it in the dirt once, about 70 miles or so, and it was great out there.  The power was a little lacking as expected but the weight and ease of maneuverability made up for it tenfold.

I'll get to my complete 2012 plans in the next post or two but the next event I'm hoping to do is Sunday.  The Desert MC National Hare and Hound will be my first desert race for 2012 and I'm hoping this new bike will help me to finish a lot less tired than last year.

Speaking of that, I really need to get in shape.  I am the heaviest I've ever been - 170lbs.  My goal is to get down below 155 in the next couple of months.  Lots of work to do!

Bike Mods

My buddy told me buying the bike was just the start of the expenses.  Wow was he ever right.

I've been wanting to write down all the things I've done to my bike in order to keep track for the next time I buy a bike (shhh - don't tell my wife ;)

Bike Stuff
Highway Dirt Bike handguards and mirrors
Euro rear fender and light (low profile rear blinkers)
FMF Q4Ti slip-on
Touratech skid plate
Touratech rear brake disc guard
Scott's steering damper
TrailTech 8" HID headlight
Dirt Bike Gear front and rear fender bags
Wolfman tank bag
Renazco seat
Uni foam air filter
Renazco fuel filler and cap

Miscellaneous other gear

Garmin GPS 60Csx + RAM GPS mount + bike power adapter

SPOT satellite locator

Motorola FRS radios + helmet mounted speakers and microphone

Bike stand
Kendon stand-up trailer (we have a small garage)
Sidi riding boots
Thor riding pants, jersey and chest protector
Helmet and goggles
Knee and shin guards
Gear bag
Tools (chain breaker, tire irons, tow straps, etc.)

I've easily spent four or five thousand dollars on all this gear.  I've got to tell you though, I have really enjoyed getting back into riding.  Ron, Jeff and I rode the Los Angeles to Barstow to Vegas ride in November (ride report coming soon) and it was just a fantastic time (excepting my crash and the ensuing pain over the next few weeks.)

Stay tuned for more ride reports including my first race.

There is not much new to report except that I am only two items shy of having a full 'kit' for riding next month.  Although I have nearly everything I need, I still have quite a bit of work to do.  I need to replace both of my normal inner-tubes with heavy duty ones, mount my new steering stabilizer and new headlight.  I tried installing the new TrailTech X-2 but there were two places where it was rubbing so I'm opting to buy another model that looks like it has more room to avoid rubbing against something.

Posting pictures is actually quite easy - I was on the wrong tab before.  Here is a picture of Ron Vega and I on a ride near Baldy Mesa, CA.

Expect more ride reports now that I have my seat back from Renazco - I hope to go out again this weekend.

Preparing for the 2010 LA to Barstow to Vegas Dualsport Ride

My check has been cashed so I am officially entered in this years LAB2V - woohoo. Although it is still more than two months away it feels like it is just around the corner since there is still so much to do. I finally ordered my steering stabilizer and headlight assembly (TrailTech X2) since one of my buddies said we will likely be out after dark both days.

I've also gotten in touch with a local suspension shop about lowering and tuning my suspension. I'll be heading over there today for the initial consultation and then dropping it off next week to have it worked over. I'm really looking forward to having a tuned bike where I can touch with more than the tips of my toes.

Last weekend I rode a nice 50 mile section around Silverwood Lake and Lake Arrowhead. There were quite a few miles of singletrack and some gnarly hills to climb and descend. I only laid it down twice but the first time gave me a couple of bruises on my arm. I'm heading back out this coming weekend to give it another go and to try some of the harder sections since I'll be out with at least one other guy - I've been doing a lot of solo riding since my buddy's wife just had their second boy.

To make this a little more interesting I'm going to try to post a few pictures and GPS tracks of my rides. Although I'm not sure yet how to post pictures inline.

Step by Step

8/10/2010

It's almost always important to create smaller stepping stones when planning to accomplish a far off or large goal. So in this vein I would like to use this post as a place to lay out a few goals in my training plan towards preparing for Dakar.


(1/8/2011 Update) The AMA's District 37 chapter puts on races throughout the year.  The type of events range from Enduro, MX, Hare and Hound, Grand Prix, etc.  I have inserted this racing series into my step by step plan since I believe doing some local desert racing will prepare me for the more competitive Baja races.  I am changing the plan below by removing the Baja 250 and 500 for 2011 with D37 races.  If desert racing is something I find I love then the Baja 2012 races are definitely on the table.

I also was invited to race in the second annual Kings of the West race happening sometime in 2011.  This is a 5 day ~1500 mile event that bills itself as a Dakar-like ride around several of the western states.  We will ride a loop route in four days with one day off in the middle to relax and make any repairs or updates to our bikes.  This is probably the closest ride I'll find to the Dakar in this country and definitely something that should give me an idea if I am truly interested in riding the Dakar.  The Dakar is 14 days of riding with one day off.  If I suffer or have trouble with the KotW race then either I get better or I should probably let the dream go and look for my next adventure.
(End Update)

Here's the step by step plan with updates as time goes on.

* Build up from medium single track to hard single track (Big Bear, Hemet, Lake Arrowhead, etc.)
(Update 1/8/2010) Succeeded at some of the hard trails near Silverwood and Arrowhead Lakes.

* Ride with the D37 dual-sport crowd every month or two
* LA to Barstow to Vegas 2010 (Easy dual-sport course with a few A routes thrown in for fun)
(Update 1/8/2010) Done! (11/26/2010 - 11/27/2010)

* (Update 1/8/2010 - Added) AMA District 37 Racing 2011
* (Update 1/8/2010 - Deleted) Baja 250 2011
* (Update 1/8/2010 - Deleted) Baja 500 2011
* (Update 1/8/2010 - Added) 2011 Kings of the West 1500
* Big Bear Run 2011 (A Course)
* LA to Barstow to Vegas 2011 (A course all the way)
* (Update 1/8/2010 - Added) AMA District 37 Racing 2012
* Baja 250 2012 (solo)
* Baja 500 2012 (solo)
* Baja 1000 2012 (solo)

We'll see what's next if I make it this far.

First Post

From www.dakar.com - History
"The adventure began back in 1977, when Thierry Sabine got lost on his motorbike in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally. Saved from the sands in extremis, he returned to France still in thrall to this landscape and promising himself he would share his fascination with as many people as possible. He proceeded to come up with a route starting in Europe, continuing to Algiers and crossing Agadez before eventually finishing at Dakar. The founder coined a motto for his inspiration: "A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind." Courtesy of his great conviction and that modicum of madness peculiar to all great ideas, the plan quickly became a reality. Since then, the Paris-Dakar, a unique event sparked by the spirit of adventure, open to all riders and carrying a message of friendship between all men, has never failed to challenge, surprise and excite. Over the course of almost thirty years, it has generated innumerable sporting and human stories."

I recently began riding dirt bikes again after a nearly 30 year hiatus. As with all things I start I immediately dream of being among the best in the world. The finishers of the Dakar race are clearly in that category and so it is towards this goal I am drawn.

This blog is meant to document my latest foray into a new sport and competition, one I hope that will last long into my life and hopefully not take too much time away from my family as I pursue this dream.

I also hope that all of you who read this blog will find something funny, helpful or at least interesting in the subsequent posts.