Monthly Archives: February 2012

Here’s a bullet point summary of the Off-road Cup 9-hour hare scramble race Joe and I competed in this past Saturday:

Our pit at 7:00am race day.

•    The Off-road Cup was held in Prentiss, MS this year. That’s a 15 hour drive from Lake Mills, WI.  The race was a 9 hours long so the ratio of driving to riding isn’t great but when you’re hungry to ride, you do funny thing s.
•    Prentiss is in the middle of no where.  And it’s hilly terrain is made up of pine forests rooted in clay and sand.  With the right amount of moisture in the ground the conditions can be perfect.  They were outstanding for the race.

Last minute check. It's 45 degrees.

•    The numbers: 150 total riders, about 60 teams, 6.8 mile loop, 60 degrees peak temperature, 11 gallons of gas total, 4 gallons of water, 2 changes of clothes each, 6 sandwiches total, 2 coolers, and 9 hours of riding or 4.5 hours each, 39 total laps with an average time of 13.51 minutes per lap (including pit time).

Pit lane. 10mph max speed.

•    Again, there is no way to prepare for motorcycle riding other than to ride.  Joe and I have a routine for getting ready to ride but in the WI winter months we’ve yet to find an affordable, effective way to get ride time in.
•    Joe and I competed in the 40+ A class which started on the second of four waves.  I rode first.  I’ve got to work on my starts because I flubbed this one, too.

Joe is tweeting. I'm thinking about how I need to get the start right. Fail.

•    Halfway through the first lap my goggles fogged and I had to take them off.  This messed up my video camera so I have no personal footage of the race.  At the end of the second lap I was blasted with sand and had to pull into the pit to clear out my eyes and get fresh goggles.  That cost us a position in the race but allowed me to see again.

Early in the race. Trying to find my groove and loving the unfrozen dirt.

•    On my lap 7 I rear-ended a rider that had stopped in a rut in front of me and broke off my front fender.  That pissed me off and it removed a point of reference I didn’t realize I had.  I was shocked at how easily it broke off.  Someone picked it up because I never saw it again the rest of the day.

Damaged goods. Thanks to Noah I didn't have to ride it this way.

•    The calm, sincere, hard working, level-headed presence of Noah Mitchell is irreplaceable.  He’s a BIG part of our happiness and success at these longer races.  Noah asked the right people and found me a loaner fender.  He also wisely made the suggestion that our ride stints should be shorter rather than longer.  That helped us keep the pace up.

Have you heard how much @joev3 loves this bike?

•    Joe repeatedly returned to the pit at the end of his ride stint in hysterics about how great his KTM 250XCF was performing.  He REALLY likes that bike.
•    By the end of my 9th lap I had settled down and forgotten about my crummy start, goggle and camera fumble, and fender issue.  I focused on form and technique and learning how to ride a 2-stroke again.  Joe said I turned an 11 minute lap at one point.  In the end I think my corner speed is up and I’ve formed new habits that will eventually make me faster and my racing safer.

This huge pipe was out in the woods. It wasn't hard to get over but it was unusual.

•    The wood’s soil was ideal. Deep, long ruts formed in every turn but you had options and the grip never changed.  Shiny, white roots surfaced in some places. They were slick.  The sandy motocross track straights whooped out and the turns formed long sweeping berms.  The jumps were too much for me to do once fatigue set in but I enjoyed watching the pros clear everything with ease.
•    At about half way Joe and I both reached a steady state where we could churn out consistent lap times without feeling unsafe.  Understanding pace like that should help us at the Perry Mountain 24 hour race later this year.
•    Here’s the nitty gritty:  The Off-road Cup format is for 3-person teams.  Joe and I raced as a duo. That means we did more laps per person than any other rider (Ironmen excluded).  We placed 2nd in class and 20th overall.  Not bad considering our ages and lack of ride time.

2 men in a 3 man race and standing on the box.

What’s next?  I might hit an MXC race in IL and try to get to local ride spots as the weather improves and D16 races start in mid May.  My tender body will heal up and I’ll be ready to train and ride again soon.  Stay tuned.