Start, start, START DAMNIT!!!
For whatever reason, my YZ was not in the mood to race. The usual start sequence is slowly kicking over the engine a few times to "prime the pump" then one or two kicks at top dead center and it's ready to roll. Not this time, though. With three people taking turns and a few slight sputters to give us hope, we must've kicked that damn thing 200 times!
Luckily, my friend Todd saved the day again, loaning me his KTM 250 XC-F for my race.
Although I did stall his non-Rekluse bike several times, I was able to adjust to the different bike and walk away in second place.
Now to figure out what's going on with my YZ...
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Sunday, September 10, 2023
Sunday, September 3, 2023
VCHSS Coyote Run (Rural Retreat, VA)
After pedaling the mountain bike in West Virginia for the past three days [and sitting out the last two harescrambles], I was a bit curious how rusty I'd be once I threw a leg over my YZ.
Luckily, I adjusted to the feeling of the dirt bike within the first lap and actually felt relatively fresh despite the hours I'd logged on the mountain bike.
The bike started on the second kick and I entered the woods with a couple riders behind me [instead of watching the field ride away from me like usual]. One fall in the deep silt taught me to pay more respect to the soft surface and I was back on the bike in seconds to regain my position among the pack.
The first lap was largely ridden with caution, but I emerged from the woods in 6th. On the next lap I was in the company of most of the rest of my class and one-by-one I made my way around them to secure first place! I slipped by a couple other riders [from other classes] and did my best to put some room between myself and second place.
By the end of the second lap, I was relatively confident I could keep the position, so I decided to moderate my speed and stay on the bike. Strangely enough, though, it was in my third and fourth laps that I had my biggest wrecks! I was bucked by the tail of the YZ going over a hump, which nearly threw me over the handlebars! Later, I pinballed between a set of trees, came off of the bike, and watched it roll about thirty feet without me!
In any case, I stayed in first and finished out the fourth lap with nothing more that a bent radiator.
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Luckily, I adjusted to the feeling of the dirt bike within the first lap and actually felt relatively fresh despite the hours I'd logged on the mountain bike.
The bike started on the second kick and I entered the woods with a couple riders behind me [instead of watching the field ride away from me like usual]. One fall in the deep silt taught me to pay more respect to the soft surface and I was back on the bike in seconds to regain my position among the pack.
The first lap was largely ridden with caution, but I emerged from the woods in 6th. On the next lap I was in the company of most of the rest of my class and one-by-one I made my way around them to secure first place! I slipped by a couple other riders [from other classes] and did my best to put some room between myself and second place.
By the end of the second lap, I was relatively confident I could keep the position, so I decided to moderate my speed and stay on the bike. Strangely enough, though, it was in my third and fourth laps that I had my biggest wrecks! I was bucked by the tail of the YZ going over a hump, which nearly threw me over the handlebars! Later, I pinballed between a set of trees, came off of the bike, and watched it roll about thirty feet without me!
In any case, I stayed in first and finished out the fourth lap with nothing more that a bent radiator.
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Friday, September 1, 2023
Thomas, WV
For the Labor Day weekend, my wife Rebecca and I decided to visit one of our favorite towns in West Virginia - Thomas. We left on a Wednesday night and stayed at a tiny home AirBnb just above the town.
While we were there, we worked remotely and rode the nearby trails:
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While we were there, we worked remotely and rode the nearby trails:
JR Davis Trail
The JR Davis trail is within the Thomas City Park. It's short & sweet, offering a quick 3 mile loop to wear out our new puppy, Bianca!Moon Hoodoo Rocks Trail
This is one of my favorites in the Davis/Thomas area. It's a challenging climb that ends at an otherworldly landscape of mine-scarred rocks.
Rock Shocks Trail
An alternate inner-loop of Moon Rocks is the lower-elevation ride by the Yellow Creek.
Promise Land Trail
Within the Canaan Valley State Park, this loop is a gentle, flowing loop with amazing sights of the surrounding beauty of Canaan Valley.
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