Bel Ray Round 1?

[Jay GTI]

Cheers guys, I'm really glad I did it, but it was a lot harder than I was expecting.

Physically I coped well, all the fitness and diet stuff I've been doing this year paid off well and apart from drinking about a litre of my home-made sports drink in the pits after each lap (I did three, although the points only seemed to count 1), I got through it without too much fatigue. If anything, my last lap was my best.

The track itself was technical, mainly because if I wasn't going up a snotty climb, I was dropping down a snotty decent. There was only a couple of short sections that were flat enough for me to get my rhythm going, but they were over quickly and then it was up a tricky climb again. Most of the "flowing" sections at the crests of the hills were rock hard and full of potholes, so even there I was fighting against the terrain. Jimmy, your words about it being tough in the dry went through my head about 1000 times...

Then of course, I seemed to have a magnetic attraction to every deep bog and creek bed. At one point I dropped the bike into a creek, face planted into the muddy bank next to it and just sat there for 5 minutes wondering what the feck was wrong with me... but there was no way I wasn't going to finish. I knew I had the fitness, it was just a matter of sticking it out. It's funny though, despite having enough speed to stick with the average guys there, when I wasn't digging my bike out of a bog or a gorse bush, I only managed to pass one bike through natural pace. That bike was built in the 70's.

Not yet decided on another one, if I do I will be a lot more selective, maybe a Woodhill one or something in Taupo, something with less hard climbs and decents and softer soil. It was cool being "a guy who races dirt bikes", but I ultimately ride for fun and I'm not entirely sure yesterday was fun.

At least I did it and I finished though, that's what I went there to achieve, so that's what I did. I'd have placed a lot higher if I hadn't spent so much time recovering my bike, so I know I can do better, but for me that wasn't the point.

[pete.ktm]

It's funny though, despite having enough speed to stick with the average guys there, when I wasn't digging my bike out of a bog or a gorse bush, I only managed to pass one bike through natural pace. That bike was built in the 70's.

lol, usually if the guy is riding a really old bike, they're fucking good riders which always beats me on my lovely ktm and very average rider.

anyway just interested in the pace you had to go compared to a 'normal' trail ride, like were you going balls out the whole time a lot faster than you normally go on a weekend ride or just a reasonably fast pace for the whole loop?

but yeah good for you for doing it.

[Jay GTI]

anyway just interested in the pace you had to go compared to a 'normal' trail ride, like were you going balls out the whole time a lot faster than you normally go on a weekend ride or just a reasonably fast pace for the whole loop?

Pace-wise, I was riding at my comfortable fast pace rather than balls out, with probably more speed on the climbs or decents than normal, as I was always conscious of not getting in the way of the fast guys. Where I was comfortable, I could easily keep up with the flow of traffic, but as soon as it got a bit technical, I'd start losing the pace and get left behind. Then I'd drop the bike in a bog and get really left behind.

Overall there was no issue with my speed, or lack of, I made sure I got well out of the way of the fast guys (you could hear them coming a mile off) and there was more than enough space in most parts for easy passing. If not, I just pulled well over and stopped.

[jimmy 2006]

It amazed me when i first started X country the level of the other people in the field. I think in general we have a nation of committed racers in most motorsport. Go to Harrisville and look at the level of MX in the juniors. Its awesome!

Again like in the first thread i would recommend one of the top trail rider events, or the 2 man woodhill events as great intros into racing.

don't throw it in just yet, but it's a long way in speed from the back of the pack to the front and unless your enjoying it i don't see the point.

I would rather race mates, have a laugh and grab a beer after than race anymore. The risk of coming off for work/family is just too high.

[gwynfryn]

Don't waste your fitness, team up with your buddy and do the WMCC two- man at Riverhead 14th Dec . You get a break every lap and get to blame your mate for coming last, generally pretty flowing with nothing to technical.

[Jay GTI]

It amazed me when i first started X country the level of the other people in the field. I think in general we have a nation of committed racers in most motorsport. Go to Harrisville and look at the level of MX in the juniors. Its awesome!

Again like in the first thread i would recommend one of the top trail rider events, or the 2 man woodhill events as great intros into racing.

don't throw it in just yet, but it's a long way in speed from the back of the pack to the front and unless your enjoying it i don't see the point.

I would rather race mates, have a laugh and grab a beer after than race anymore. The risk of coming off for work/family is just too high.

Adrian Smith passed me twice, the speed difference between what I was doing and what he was doing... well, I wasn't entirely sure the laws of physics worked on him, some of the stuff he was doing defied several laws I'm sure (very definitely defied sanity!). I will never ride at that pace, but I know that and don't try to.

Not convinced on the fun part, I enjoyed being part of an event, but yeah the trail ride, few fast loops, beer after packing up deal has far more appeal. However, I do think I just picked the wrong event as well.

Don't waste your fitness, team up with your buddy and do the WMCC two- man at Riverhead 14th Dec . You get a break every lap and get to blame your mate for coming last, generally pretty flowing with nothing to technical.

That loser? Did I not mention he came last? Nah he's on holiday from this week, we were actually going to do that race but he's not going to be in town. He's keen for another go, so maybe a decent team event early next year.

[Jay GTI]

Interesting, the results I was looking at yesterday must have been preliminary results... the ones posted on Silver Bullet show me 122nd out of 139. That's a bit better.... I want to go racing again now...

My ride buddy will be happy too, he's not last anymore.

[Buddy L]

I used to tell myself to ride at 80% and be safe. One crash or drop of a bike will cost you a couple of minutes every time. Not to mention the drain on your body picking it up and then getting back into the flow again.
I could save over half and hour if i didn't crash in a X country race, and gain 30-40 places. (Never happened though i always drop the bike, and wasted all that time)

[jimmy 2006]

Don't waste your fitness, team up with your buddy and do the WMCC two- man at Riverhead 14th Dec . You get a break every lap and get to blame your mate for coming last, generally pretty flowing with nothing to technical.

is the sunday ride the same trails?

[gwynfryn]

is the sunday ride the same trails?

Pretty sure.

[Jay GTI]

I used to tell myself to ride at 80% and be safe. One crash or drop of a bike will cost you a couple of minutes every time. Not to mention the drain on your body picking it up and then getting back into the flow again.
I could save over half and hour if i didn't crash in a X country race, and gain 30-40 places. (Never happened though i always drop the bike, and wasted all that time)

There were two drops that were more like 20 minutes to recover from, one was especially fun as I was lying in a gorse bush, with the bike on my leg pinning me down and not letting me up. Took at least 5 minutes just to get upright again, then I was faced with being half way up a steep climb with a narrow trail, so no easy way of turning around and having another go.

There was another race noob who'd abandoned his bike 3/4 of the way up the same climb and was just sitting at the top waiting for the marshalls to come get him.

[Crisis management]

Don't waste your fitness, team up with your buddy and do the WMCC two- man at Riverhead 14th Dec . You get a break every lap and get to blame your mate for coming last, generally pretty flowing with nothing to technical.

You sure about the "nothing too technical" bit? I have always found Riverhead to be one of the more challenging rides on any calendar, that might just reflect on my skill level but I would have said anything at Woodhill would be a lot easier to ride.

[gwynfryn]

You sure about the "nothing too technical" bit? I have always found Riverhead to be one of the more challenging rides on any calendar, that might just reflect on my skill level but I would have said anything at Woodhill would be a lot easier to ride.

The deviations on the trail rides can be testing especially if wet , through fresh clear fell etc but for the two-man not so bad.

[raglanash]

There were two drops that were more like 20 minutes to recover from, one was especially fun as I was lying in a gorse bush, with the bike on my leg pinning me down and not letting me up. Took at least 5 minutes just to get upright again, then I was faced with being half way up a steep climb with a narrow trail, so no easy way of turning around and having another go.

There was another race noob who'd abandoned his bike 3/4 of the way up the same climb and was just sitting at the top waiting for the marshalls to come get him.

Good on ya man. Racing only gets easier and the satisfaction you get from it grows as you improve, improvement that's not necessarily from better speed or fitness but race experience.
I bet you have many things you thought you could have done better or changed which would have improved your result, good news is you can try them in your next hit out which I guarantee you will be much calmer and ready for after your first experience.
Results don't matter, if they did I personally would have given up years ago! I'm a mid pack MX guy who runs up front on occasion but its the fun factor and sense of achievement that keeps me coming back. I was you 6 years ago getting my doors blown off by the fast guys, they are freaks mate don't worry about it!
So give it a chance you have just popped your cherry.. Bel-ray is a pretty full on race to do first up, finishing it in one piece is something to be stoked about.
Hit me up if you decide to do the Raglan ROCX next year I can give you some local knowledge and insight and my bro's can lend a hand in the pits. Grab a mate and 2 man team it!

[Jay GTI]

You sure about the "nothing too technical" bit? I have always found Riverhead to be one of the more challenging rides on any calendar, that might just reflect on my skill level but I would have said anything at Woodhill would be a lot easier to ride.

Oddly enough I love Riverhead, there's something about slippery, rutted and rooty terrain that I seem to gel with. If it's too wet it's hard work, but in it's natural state (never seems to dry out) I ride really well there. In fact last trail ride I did there other guys were asking me for tips, which I couldn't really answer...

Good on ya man. Racing only gets easier and the satisfaction you get from it grows as you improve, improvement that's not necessarily from better speed or fitness but race experience.
I bet you have many things you thought you could have done better or changed which would have improved your result, good news is you can try them in your next hit out which I guarantee you will be much calmer and ready for after your first experience.
Results don't matter, if they did I personally would have given up years ago! I'm a mid pack MX guy who runs up front on occasion but its the fun factor and sense of achievement that keeps me coming back. I was you 6 years ago getting my doors blown off by the fast guys, they are freaks mate don't worry about it!
So give it a chance you have just popped your cherry.. Bel-ray is a pretty full on race to do first up, finishing it in one piece is something to be stoked about.
Hit me up if you decide to do the Raglan ROCX next year I can give you some local knowledge and insight and my bro's can lend a hand in the pits. Grab a mate and 2 man team it!

Yeah now I've had chance to reflect, I'm keen to try again, just a different race. Loads of things I could have done better, softened up the suspension for one, but it's a learning experience. I had and still have a snotty cold, which didn't exactly help with mental focus either (although once the adrenalin kicked in, the cold symptoms went).

I'm not one of the fast ones, I will never be, but like you results are not the reason I did it. I'll hit up my ride buddy and see if he's keen on Raglan ROXC, he's up for another race.