The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by d4rk5trok3r »

Great event, didn't make it there on time on Sunday to race. Swept the course, and pushed, pulled, dragged enough bikes through the last 10 to be completely destroyed by the end, and out of gas, and water... I will definitely participate again, whether to race or sweep who knows. Really liked the big open hill climb near the begining'ish, should have made a mark on the gps of exactly where that was.

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by trailguy »

Great event this weekend, Ty & I really enjoyed it.This race had its challenges for the club,but would really like to thank Suzanne,Brent,Jack, Steve, Sean & everyone else that hepled out. The course was awesome & Brent added a little old school flavor with his connector over to Hazard.Sean - Ty really enjoyed the root section & hillclimb at the bottom of the course. :cheers:

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by Shibby! »

d4rk5trok3r wrote:Great event, didn't make it there on time on Sunday to race. Swept the course, and pushed, pulled, dragged enough bikes through the last 10 to be completely destroyed by the end, and out of gas, and water... I will definitely participate again, whether to race or sweep who knows. Really liked the big open hill climb near the begining'ish, should have made a mark on the gps of exactly where that was.
North side of cloud 9 there is a cutline that heads west, it intersects with cutline that goes "north", if you head into the bushes on the single track there you'll go the opposite way of race direction.
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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by trashy »

Great race you guys! It was a super refreshing course with managable technical and smooth transitions...
Thanks to the organizers!!


I also wanted to thank all the guys that helped me out there on Sunday, most where in other classes and they didn't really have to stop and help pull out of 1. mud hole that swallows 4x4s, 2. spongey dirt that tried to eat my handle bars after a slow motion front flip 3. going off the trail during the last 15 km in a really interest ewok-esque area (hahahahahah) . A fellow who I didn't catch his name was on a older yamaha with white plastic and intermediate numbers (170...171 something like that) He was awesome and I really apperciated his assitance!! Also, a sweeper, another Junior who had arm pump, a tall fellow who ran out of fuel and a funny kid on a old Rm. Thanks guys, you helped me so much!!

:)

Cheers!! :smirk:

Jillian Kings #89

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by Jaro51 »

Does anyone have the results from the race? I had to go home before the awards presentation but am curious to know where I placed. I was on a Husky, #506 in intermediate class.

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by Rider Eh! »

Jaro:

http://www.cmrcracing.com/results/php/cmrc/results.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pick your class and the race and you'll have them You got 5th, good job!
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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by crazy2wheeler »

If anyone happened to find a grey, adjustable length bungee cord with plastic ends (hooks) on Sunday, I lost one. It was placed through the handle of a large orange fuel jug that went out to the gas check and back, but seemed to get lost somewhere before I claimed the jug after the race. It gets used to make sure my fuel jug doesn't fall off the carrier onto the road!

Please let me know if you happened to see it (we have a long history together). Thanks!

D.


And.. thanks to the race organizers, course setter and flaggers - and to Spinal Guy - who reminded me that if ya wanna win, ya gotta always be trying to go a little faster! Great race Tom :thumbsup:
Derek R - 2011 40A - #24A

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by KanadianIceMan »

Had a great time sweeping! The 1st half of the loop I was helping out one of the ladies who was trying her best to get to the gas stop.

We both kept muttering to ourselves almost there! Thanks crystal, I got to practice my trials skills all day, and so glad you didn't see me absolutely lay myself out on the 5 foot tree! Little more mo next time!

Many great loops connected, got to see alot of mclean old & new which was fantastic. No idea how i made it anywhere with my chunked & worn back tire i refuse to change, gotta love that 4lbs of air in the tubliss tire!

Really going to try & race this one next year!! Sweeping really builds the patients & balancing skills however! Ogio Vests rock for packing anything & everything, think I used everything i had in there minus the bottle of anti-freeze.


Cheers!

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by Shibby! »

KanadianIceMan wrote:Had a great time sweeping! The 1st half of the loop I was helping out one of the ladies who was trying her best to get to the gas stop.

We both kept muttering to ourselves almost there! Thanks crystal, I got to practice my trials skills all day, and so glad you didn't see me absolutely lay myself out on the 5 foot tree! Little more mo next time!

Many great loops connected, got to see alot of mclean old & new which was fantastic. No idea how i made it anywhere with my chunked & worn back tire i refuse to change, gotta love that 4lbs of air in the tubliss tire!

Really going to try & race this one next year!! Sweeping really builds the patients & balancing skills however! Ogio Vests rock for packing anything & everything, think I used everything i had in there minus the bottle of anti-freeze.


Cheers!
Were you one of the ones who told me to go ahead? I was in all black/red Troy Lee gear with the scrated up 661 (silver/black) helmet riding my beat up 250xc?

I had a wicked blast catching up to the pack. I just get in this zone and and everything starts to flow. About 6km's before the gas stop I started to help the riders caught up in bottle necks and what not. Following through we all made it to the finish. One kid on a small KTM (with no silencer) was really ripping up the trail. I was impressed with the skills on a smaller bike. A couple women impressed me with their riding skills, and a father son group was hoping trees and obstacles with ease.

All in all, it was fun. Towards the end I was out of water, soaked feet (my little mishap at the river...), and raw hands! I was glad to see the finish line. Next time I think I'm going to pack my snow bungee we use for sleds and use it on the bikes!
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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by steve-o »

That was a fun race! The great hot dog after the race really hit the spot, so kindly donated by Spinalguy, Thanks!!

Real special thanks to ALL the sweepers, I'm SURE you had your work cut out for you! Thankfully my bike didn't let me down and I didn't need your services! :)

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by gdg530 »

That was hands down one of the toughest rides i have ever done.I'm new to riding these trails and it was an awesome way to see the area.I think everyone did a great job of setting up the course and the event.The sportsmanship of every rider i met on the course was outstanding.I can't wait to race again....well might need some time to heal before the next one.Congrats to everyone that competed.

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by golarge »

A sweepers weekend. Showed up sat morn 9 am,race starts 1030 am, stay at the back push,pull,lift for 25 kms ( old HS loop),come in 10 minites before the 2HR cutoff.Shelby Turner is gone on her third lap with a sweeper in tow. Were missing 2 pro kids, haven't checked in for their 1st lap,wait for cutoff, 3 of us head out for another lap.Alls well, the 2 pros blew thru a turn,ran out of gas,hoofed it out to the road. 50 kms still smileing.
Sun morning 7am unload my bike and head out to set up the first check point. I get busy and start pileing logs and branches to make an allyway,use a full roll of white.I stood back to take a look. YAAA cant miss that, so i head back 9am. Myself & 2 friends decide to be the no pass sweeps. That means no one gets behind us. When we finish, the course is clear.Well right off the bat we get behind a first timer for the big coarse who as it turns out,has the heart of a horse & the determination of a dog to a fire hydrant. After 3 1/2 hrs we made it to the first check,yup all my work scattered all over the place,(must of been a bear :lol:) at that point it was decided to take this racer back to the start.We fuel up, load are waterbags head back to the 1st check to finish are job (what the pregnant ladie says we do :thumbsup: ).Already a little tired from the 3 1/2 hrs of the push,pull,lift marathon we finished.7pm. AAAAH BEER. Thanks Brent. All total for the weekend: 16 hrs, 145 kms of rideing. If anyone wants to try a mini ironman come on back. The best part of the whole weekend, the 5 or 6 times the first timer thanked us.You are welcome. Congratulations to all the racers from 1st to last.
Yup. Got a new one.

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by Ricktc »

I had an absolute blast at this race. Totally perfect level of difficulty in my opinion, had hardly and trouble the entire race, save for a few minor stucks! Very rideable and enjoyable course, with a great mix of everything. Great sections of wide open single track, quad trails connecting, and the really technical rooted and log-filled sections were awesome. This was my first time ever riding at McLean, and it is definitely all you guys have cracked it up to be, an amazing area for sure.

On a side note, it was nice to meet and talk to you on the starting line, Jill. Next race I'll have to catch up with you again and you can share some more Erzberg stories, sounds like it was an amazing time! :nworthy:

Thank you to the RMDRA members and volunteers that made this race happen, I will definitely be coming back next year, and hopefully will have a bit more time off of work to be able to lend my services any way I can for race day.

-Rick
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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by Spinalguy »

Thursday was the worst 'pleasure' ride i have had in a loooooong time.
When i showed up Sunday for the race, i was very much considering to sweep it. But, i knew my buddies would bust my balls if i choose that path. Well, maybe it was more that i needed the points in this race to remain in contention for the Alberta Series.:smirk:

i lined up beside the guy that i knew gets great starts. Steve-O was the man i wanted to be near. The problem was that my choice of starting was better than his as his line was going to force him immediately into big nasty branches. We had a short conversation where he confirmed that all was well with the beating he was going to take through the branches. :crazy: i decided that it was ok if i let him get ahead of me off the start. Suzanne gave the command and off we went. The Berg settled in perfectly behind Steve-O in 3rd place. 800 meters later and i was on the ground :lol: . Could this be the nightmare of Thursday returning? No way!!!!
i got up after seeing a dozen riders pass me. (thanks to everyone of you for not running over me )

i settled in and caught up to a few. i remember seeing Scott Randall go over the bars on a downhill. His bike did a slow-mo stand up in the air before it settled on him? near him? i asked if he was ok and carried on. i came to the first mudhole with Detlaf and took the exact line that cost me bigtime in the HS race. What the heck was i thinking???? i got lucky and got through slightly ahead of Detlaf coming out. Whew!

i ran clean for the rest of the way passing stranded, grunting racers in various holes. i finally came to a section with a single file of riders that appeared to be stuck behind some hidden obstacle. The Berg never let me down as i bypassed them all and headed uphill on the course. i heard a lot of them yelling at me as i went past...too bad, so sad for all of you :D i did look as i went past and saw no obstacle...hmm, i think to myself. i stop and look back. i see a shiny glint in the sun as the ?stalled rider is pulling something towards him. The PUNCH, oh my gosh, its a check. i turn around and get in the back of the line to await my punch. Other riders were not as lucky. 22 of them miss the first check :eek:

Off i go and feeling confident that i am with the lead pack of racers, i relax. i am following Schaff when we come up a fast section that turns abruptly into a steep downhill. i look to the left and there is Big R on the opposite side of the barbed wire fence.
He has no blood on him and he is standing up. i yell to see if he is ok. He says, 'ya'. He must have came off the top of that fast section and FLEW over the top of the fencing to land on the wrong side of the course...wow!

i pass Schaff and catch Steve-O and Desjardins. The four of us dice it out for many kms. i get by all of them and realize i am riding faster and smoother than i ever remember. i feel very strong and plod on. Slowly, i leave them behind. At the 38km mark i pass the race leader, crazy 2 wheeler. Now i am thinking, 'this is crazy, i am in the zone and i feel i can beat him'. That didn't last long...ha,ha,ha... we come out on the cutline and we actually have a shoulder to shoulder battle with full contact. i back off and let him win the battle to fall in behind him. For the next 10kms, he can't shake me. This is new territory for me as i 'never' thought i could hang with him.

i am in the zone.

We come to the old school crossing that Brent has forced us to navigate. All is well until i stop looking at where i am going and instead listen to the buried rider, Shiloh, telling us to go right off the bridge. Crazy2wheeler flows perfectly over the 'hole' but i am on the ground, lol . There goes my chance for the win...until...

We come up a hill on Hazard county and there is a non moving congregation of riders stopped. For one glorious moment i thought that these 6 guys were spent, done, finished. Nope, just a real bottleneck with everyone taking numbers to await their turn. It was like being at an IKEA store for returns. There was NO WAY around. Others tried but the smell of antifreeze and clouds of smoke in the surrounding forest confirmed that. Now the rest of my competitors are showing up. My slight lead over them is wiped out. Darn! On the good side, crazy2wheeler is also there ahead of me also waiting.

We all get our chance to go. i clean it but i am behind the leader still. i do not see him. i look back and there is Schaff. How the heck did he get up here so quick? (later he tells me that some Intermediates let him cut the line and go). i pick up the pace and still feel very strong. Almost surreal.

i think that i have caught the leader at the big hill. i dice it out and almost get him by choosing a BERG line. It is not him :blush:
i finally get to the finish line and feel very happy. i am 2nd. 1:50 min behind the winner.

The race was awesome. Tuff, technical and utilized so much and yet so little of Maclean.
Thank you to Steve-O for all the effort, gas and time you spent over the last month laying out the course. Thanks Brent for stepping up in your bro's absence.
Suzanne and Kevin...kudos.

The sweepers? never saw you but KNEW you all were going to have ONE LONG and tiring day. THANKS!!!!!

As always Renee Turner, you are the bomb. Your never ending support to these races is so, so appreciated :nworthy:
Checkers...Thanks
Sean Brennan. You really have stepped up to the plate for the Saturday events. Thank you.

i also want to thank Jack Sawatsky's MOM for taking care of my hot dog/bevy sponsorship. i never had one but heard they were really good. i do apologize to everyone for running out. It was a miscalculation on amounts needed and it will never happen again :blush:
You hurt? You just want to optimize your performance? Step inside...http://spinalguy.com

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Re: The Official 2009 Grizzly XC

Post by thirtyseven »

Had the exact opposite ride to Spinalguy, never did get into the flow and so I consentrated on riding clean in the tough stuff. To my surprise I kept seeing the leaders of my particular gang of old farts, and managed to come out of spinalguys bottleneck about 30 sec behind him... Unfourtunatly while doing some mighty fine riding up that hill something let go in my cooling system and shortly there after thebike started overheating badly... Stoped at the next tight slow place I found so I could acost riders and beg for water. Thanks to those that spared a few drops for the ol' yammi. Steve-o went by and mocked me which started my competative juices, so I decided screw it... this bike has never let me down during a race and drained the rest of my Gatorade in the rad and set out to chase Steve-o down. Only took a few k went by him like he was auditioning for a cialis comercial... He looked spent.
It's been several years since I've had so many enjoyable conversations during a race and it was a real pleasure to plan lines on the fly with the sense of accomplishment after each cleaned section. Last race of the season for me and I loved every second of it, even the part where I cut an intermediate some slack and didn't ride over his bike, he thanked me by picking it up off a root my granny could have ridden... and roosted me with all manner of filth!
PRESIDENT-YAMAHA ANONYMOUS

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