Man Made Obstacles in H/S and X/C racing

[markvfr]

(actually I think you're in luck, PBR's used to 6% and now I think they've dropped it a little, so you don't even have to change beers!)

PBR is one of my favorites. You can buy a 24 of PBRs in the Kalispell Costco for $14.

Sign me up for Brents training program. I'm in.

[steve-o]

(actually I think you're in luck, PBR's used to 6% and now I think they've dropped it a little, so you don't even have to change beers!)

PBR is one of my favorites. You can buy a 24 of PBRs in the Kalispell Costco for $14.

Sign me up for Brents training program. I'm in.

Again with the opinions, just stop it!

[Brent]

Steve, your lucky I'm off the PBR or else I'd really be fired up and using a lot more choice words to get my point across. But, now I'm draining Keystone Lights cause I'm training.
I'm having a hard time finding Pabst now, that's part of the reason I switched too...now that I think about it...i drained turner valley's stock.
Dobi, you better put some culverts and tires in the Dirty moose right after a "natural" hard section so some of the guys that don't even make that section can just hear about it and then complain...LOL

[Hendrix13]

If my bike isn't prepped, if I haven't been riding, and if I haven't been training (drinking light beers), then at a CMRC race I'll get beat down in a hurry and who wants to go to a race just to get mid pack to last? So I HAVE to spend my nights and early mornings prepping my bike. I have to ride at least once or twice a week and I have to drink less and try to eat better food. If it wasn't for CMRC racing, I would be over weight, tired and washed up and probably just poking around the woods with just a couple of buddies maybe 10 times a year. So the way I see it, difficult and challenging racing brings out the best in me.

[thirtyseven]

Brent, great post... I think if you take a step back and look at the Alberta races they are a high caliber difficulty wise. And I mean on a world scale. When you take into consideration the old Livingston races, the RMDRA races, and even Porkies (we always remember the great flowing singletrack, but there is always technical stuff there too) there are some tough races on the programme. I know you have a passion for the extreme stuff, but I honestly think there is only a hamdful of riders in the world that are as good at it or enjoy it as much as the likes of you, shreder, wildman etc. In short I think that our races offer a great level of technical challenge when compared to other provincial, or state series. Even us amatures out west are getting a reputation for enjoying harsh, technical riding, so I think we are striking a great balance and providing courses that are honing the skills of the next Thomas, Schrage, kroeker etc... Last Yr young Miss Turner blazed by me in the 2nd test at Blairmore and I had a huge grin on my face as she left me in the dust!!!
Goose.... I'm sorry in advance if this sound harsh. I don't even know what race you are referring too, I'm guessing it was a CMA H/S (coincidently my 1st race was a H/S at F/T, thought I got hit by a truck!) believe me, whatever the race was, if they put beginners on the loop, they thought they could do it... No organizer or sweeper wants to be faced with the proposition of getting you, or your bike out. In the same vein no organizer has the time or resources to make a special "Goose loop". With the terrain we have to work with and the high caliber expectations, asking for anything than what you got is a bit like asking for a Big Mac at Starbucks, ain't gonna happen. Racing here is a daunting task, the first race I did at Livingston, all I could think about was my now long time racing bud (787) telling me the story of his first race there.... 8+ hrs it took him!!!!!! Any complaints? No. Just a recognition that wow, this offroad racing I'n Alberta is on another level! (see remarks above for Brent) And a determination to amp up his skills on steep grades, logs and nastiness.
Also know that you are not the only one... Every race sees someone show up, usually they are "highly skilled", only to get completely corn holed by what is expected of them, and they either leave in a fit or do just what 787 did take it as a wakeup call and gain some proficiency at what these "natural terrain" courses offer in our province, shear nastiness!

[steve-o]

Steve, your lucky I'm off the PBR or else I'd really be fired up and using a lot more choice words to get my point across. But, now I'm draining Keystone Lights cause I'm training.
I'm having a hard time finding Pabst now, that's part of the reason I switched too...now that I think about it...i drained turner valley's stock.
Dobi, you better put some culverts and tires in the Dirty moose right after a "natural" hard section so some of the guys that don't even make that section can just hear about it and then complain...LOL

LMAO!

Maybe you can talk costco in Okotoks into bringing a lift or two of pbr coolio's in for ya. you'll save money buying them in bulk too!

[trailguy]

I've been avoiding commenting on this touchy subject as a old school XC racer from the 70's & 80's, but after Brent's post I felt I needed to chime in as I raced Pro XC for 18 years & Vet Expert the last 11 years.Putting a EX section in a race is a very small part of the race but really helps develop riders skill levels. Its a very short period of time you may have to suffer.I see alot of people asking for hard natural terrain courses, but I would be carefull what you ask for.(especially with the amount of blow down we have) If no EX than we go back to making all the races 70's & 80's style races. These races you suffer for 6,7,8 hours with the majority of the classes DNFing including the Pro class.As a front running Pro back then I found myself teaming up with another rider just to make to the finish, Lifting & pushing are bikes through "Last Man Standing" style courses.Getting a finisher T-Shirt was a big deal back then.Sections of the courses weren't flagged on a bike, the organizer would walk it on foot & flag.One example was Gloomy Creek XC back in 87. 12 pro's started, 7 DNFed.I finished 3rd but it took me 7 hours to race 70 miles & that was with no stopping or breaks.If anyone whined about the course they were laughed at & heckled - never to be seen again.When I raced the ISDE in Spain I was sure glad I grew up racing XC in Alberta, as it was a gnarly one in the mountains of northern Spain for 280 Km a day.
I've had to ride the pro EX section at corner grass racing Vet Expert and although the obstacles are very tough, they are all ridable and it only takes a couple of minutes max to get through it.I'm willing to bet if we go back to old school XC races that most racers after a few of those (if they didn't quit racing after the 1st one) would gladly go back to a more ridable course with a 1 or 2 minute EX section.

[thirtyseven]

Here we go... The answer to all our difficulties, natural, tough, should be over quick for most of us....

[AJRJ]

Here we go... The answer to all our difficulties, natural, tough, should be over quick for most of us...

I don't know... carrying those rocks around for me to get over otherwise impossible obstacles would be heavy

[Hendrix13]

Here we go... The answer to all our difficulties, natural, tough, should be over quick for most of us....

I'd rather you didn't give Clint any idea's. I can imagine he's looking for a rock that size right now, and he has the machinery to do it

[shreder]

I think if Clint wants to make a hard gnarly race he can and should. He just shouldn't put it on Mothers Day! It’s everyone’s own decision whether they want to race it or not. If you’re chasing the points then you have to be prepared for punishing courses. Since this is the RMDRA and we put on the Dirty Moose maybe we could get a packing and paving attachment for the trail blazer to make people happy. This is cross country racing! BC has far gnarlier courses from my experiences and more rider attendance and since this is all volunteer based whoever takes on the challenge and is leading it should be allowed to do as they please.

My first race was the 2000 Livingstone XC and I was hooked ever since, determined to do better after destroying my brand new KX 250 and finishing almost dead last. I couldn't believe that there were people out there that could ride through that terrain. This is a challenging sport and that’s why we all love it. Racing is meant to challenge all riders including pro's and has to be at a compromising level of difficulty. It's hard enough to put on a race without adding easy outs.

Just my opinion slam it for all its worth!

Jack

[steve-o]

I think if Clint wants to make a hard gnarly race he can and should. He just shouldn't put it on Mothers Day! It’s everyone’s own decision whether they want to race it or not. If you’re chasing the points then you have to be prepared for punishing courses. Since this is the RMDRA and we put on the Dirty Moose maybe we could get a packing and paving attachment for the trail blazer to make people happy. This is cross country racing! BC has far gnarlier courses from my experiences and more rider attendance and since this is all volunteer based whoever takes on the challenge and is leading it should be allowed to do as they please.

My first race was the 2000 Livingstone XC and I was hooked ever since, determined to do better after destroying my brand new KX 250 and finishing almost dead last. I couldn't believe that there were people out there that could ride through that terrain. This is a challenging sport and that’s why we all love it. Racing is meant to challenge all riders including pro's and has to be at a compromising level of difficulty. It's hard enough to put on a race without adding easy outs.

Just my opinion slam it for all its worth!

Jack

Hey Jack, I don't think people are beeotching about difficult or hard races. I think it was just about the whole man made obstacle thing. this is a political heated argument for sure but whatever. You HAVE to admit that suburbans and concrete culverts don't occur to offten in nature.

Like you I did terrible on my first race ever afew years back and am now addicted. For all it's worth I did Clints race and at first was kinda scared of the tires especially, but after doing them just once gained the confidence to do them every time, and as Brent mentioned previously gained a sense of accomplishment from doing so. That being said I see where others are coming from though in that they just want to know ahead of time to make thier own choice as to whether or not they want to do.

Cheers!

[dirtyboy]

So what happened at the AGM?

[Brenan225]

It was never brought up. The AGM this year really didn't have any issues to deal with. We made a few minor changes to the rules, no max age in the age classes, and some other small things I can't remember. We renewed our commitment to sound testing and adopted the FIM/AMA 2 metre max sound test procedure. I will be offering sound testing at our spring test and tune at Blackfoot.

[ryan1974]

Once in a while I come and read this forum and I see people talking about races and how Clint's race was hard (especially with the tire section). My first race was in 1992 - a race put on by Brian Peirson called the 'Green Meanie' and it was a team race. It was my first race and it took me and two other riders 6 hours finish. Sweepers still had to come and get us. I kept racing until about 1998 and now I race about 1 or 2 events a year and ride when I can (not near as much back in those days). Back then if you didnt ride alot you didnt think about finishing a race - let alone trying to be in the top 3. I was never a top guy but I held in there. Now days the races are really tame - they are made so everyone can finish (as trailguy put). Back in those days Brian Peirson didnt want anyone to finish. Old livingstone, crowsnest races were pretty wild too.

So for now we should give Clint props for putting on races - if the tire section is the hardest part of the race we have it pretty easy. I had a hard time with the tires but I kept plugging away!