2013 Race wrap up.

Work days, Race Volunteers, Questions and Discussion about the races that the RMDRA promotes.
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AJRJ
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2013 Race wrap up.

Post by AJRJ »

Well the race is come and gone for this year. Overall I think it went well, but there was definitely room for improvement. What can I say? It was a learning experience, having not done this before.

Saturday races went very well. The pee wee and pee wee expert kids had a very nice loop. Lots of passing kept the parents (and Me) cheering. Ladies B, Kids Beginner and Kids Junior then raced on a loop North of the meadow. Turnout for the ladies was 15 riders! Everyone had a blast on a course that mixed the right amount of fun with challenging, that kept smiles on all their faces. One small crash had a rider get a couple stitches after the race, but during it she stayed hard on the gas, passing for second right at the end. Kids Expert and Kids Intermediate raced at the same time, but a different course. They went on a shortened version of the adult course that had them riding up razorback and back down the Gov trail, the fastest kids covering 24 km in under an hour, very impressive.

Sunday racing was a success in some ways, not in others. We had worked hard to eliminate quad trail, including a last minute effort that had us burn 20+ tanks of gas to eliminate a particularly rocky washed out section. We had joined the collective efforts of quite a few club members, trying to make a loop that was fun and safe. I guess there was a lot to do with little time, and some things could have been done better, particularly the flagging in the cut blocks. Different loops were done in different styles, and there were confusing parts. Cut blocks definitely needed more work, with saws or machetes to show an open line for the riders. Length was the main issue I think though. GPS had us at 58 km, but two different Husaberg odometers showed it at 64 km. We had quite a few guys run out of gas, which is a heck of a way to lose places in a race. Even bikes with large tanks had some issues, as I think the 1st and 2nd gear trails are not exactly the best for fuel economy.

All in all though, with no one getting hurt I think the club should declare it a success. Those nasty cut blocks were there to keep people out of skag fields, and off high speed quad trails. I'd way rather be responsible for some people griping about the length, than to have to helicopter somebody off a quad trail. A bunch of members had worked hard on these sections, and we did not want to leave them out.

I'd like to take a minute to thank some people, all of whom made this race possible in some way. Please excuse me if I miss you, It's been a long weekend.

Art Astle (sp?) Anotheroldtrailrider: stayed on the Harold creek Road with gas, and watching for traffic by himself
Jamie and Alonna and their daughter. Helped flag, scan, build course and generally be indispensable.
Scott Mcleod. Cut blowdown, flagged trail, swept both days, always cracking a joke.
Aaron Bauer. Cut blowdown, flagged course and made everyones chainsaw run like it was on race gas. Raced Sunday, then came back and helped sweep the last riders off.
Tim and Alyssa Bruce. Helped with Sign in, raced and did anything that was needed. Tim even drove to Mountain Aire Lodge to help us with change for the racers.
Robert and Karen Henry. Always giving it their 100% is how I would describe these two. Robert GPS'd the ladies and Pee Wee loops, one of the weekends highlights.
Marcel and Anne Brassard. Helped with everything while they were there, Anne even had a pretty good showing in the ladies race.
Howard Lawrence & Alex Catchpaw. Over the winter theses two did the lions share of the work on an awesome trail.
Mike Dobovich. His last minute illness prevented him from attending, but he still covered what he said he would do.
Alan Brands. Drove out two different days, flagged and swept, great to see you out there.

All of the other people who swept, helped, cleaned up or even had words of encouragement, it was all greatly appreciated. Of coure a HUGE shout out to Lori Randall, Lori Scott, Bernice and Renee Turner

Two people deserve a special thanks:

Mark Dzikowski (I hope I got that right) He came to check it out, and ended up being the sweeper I relied on most. His riding skill and attitude are in great part responsible for a lot of people getting off the course on Sunday.

Dave Sheridan, his wife Tracy and their daughter. Dave worked like a rented mule cutting and chucking logs Wednesday, Thursday, and most of Friday. A few of us then went and flagged half the course, not returning until after dark. Dave finished some course work on Saturday returning so late, we were actually ready to go look for him. He then raced and won his class on Sunday like a champ. Way to go Dave, I don't know what I would have done without you.

Thanks to all those that attended, I hope you had a good time.

Geoff.

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Dobi
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Re: 2013 Race wrap up.

Post by Dobi »

Great job Geoff and crew. Until you have been there to put a race on or committed days of your time to be a key volunteer for a race you truly can't comprehend the work and time it takes to pull those 2 days off.

Next rounds on me boys :cheers:

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350scott
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Re: 2013 Race wrap up.

Post by 350scott »

Good wrap up Geoff, but you forgot to thank yourself. Everyone should thank Geoff, not only did he work like the old mule (Sheridan) but he also had to deal with all the stress (and it is a lot) of getting everything done and keeping people happy. Thanks Geoff
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Re: 2013 Race wrap up.

Post by Ynot303 »

Awesomeness :nworthy:
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bikingagain
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Re: 2013 Race wrap up.

Post by bikingagain »

Congratulations to everyone. :thumbsup:
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Re: 2013 Race wrap up.

Post by Brass »

From the comments I heard at the finish check-in, and we heard first what each person thought, there were only two people that hated the race. That's pretty good I think.

All were glad to be done, some happy, some exhausted, some happy and exhausted. The most consistent description of the course was, "relentless".

There were some that wanted more flagging, others wanted a shorter course. Those that ran out of gas mostly had MX bikes with smaller tanks and the others seemed to have been lost and were chasing old flagging causing them to add, at least in one case, an extra 20 km to his ride. No doubt others had bikes laying over at some points leaking gas and so shortening their fuel range.

There were some that were upset for getting lost. Who should they be mad at if they lost sight of the flags during a race? Clearly a very large percentage of the racers found their way so the flagging was there! Navigating the course is part of racing. I'm not saying the flagging was perfect but it seems to me that since that many people found the way, it wasn't terrible either.

My hat is off to Goeff for pulling off what I think was a successful event. Same to all the volunteers that showed up long before the race and long after it was over, great job everyone! :thumbsup:


:cheers:
The voices are back. Awesome!

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Re: 2013 Race wrap up.

Post by alyssabruce »

Huge shout out to Geoff (and his wife :) ), there was a lot of work required to prepare for, organize and execute this successful event. Big thanks as well to those who worked tirelessly to design, clear, and flag the courses, sweep, scan, etc. :nworthy: As the scanner at the finish for the B classes I can echo Brass' comments heard at the finish check-in. Despite some negative feedback regarding flagging, etc., there were a lot of smiling faces. Special thanks also to those who worked on the Ladies B course - it was a really fun race!

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