To keep the Fisher name straight I gotta race

**rossrc** · 21st February 2009, 17:10

Originally Posted by rossrc

Anyone know if the novice class will be too easy/boring e.g. no single track

LOL... Nope... I certainly wasn't bored... more like completely fecked!

Had a good time though and nice to meet up with Kezza and Secondfield

BTW Secondfield what the hell were you thinking going for a second lap (good on ya tho) and did you ever finish?

**kezzafish** · 21st February 2009, 19:39

ha haaa, twas awesome. Man that was some difficult riding big hills up and down and super super duper slick. I DNF'd within the first twenty minutes. Broke rear brake lever off on a tree stump, cutting too close. Went back to pits and got one off a mates bike (he was marshalling) and did the rest of the trail.

For all those that told me to wear goggles... i didn't (cos of the mud) and ten minutes in copped a wicked branch to the face that split my eyebrow open, ha haaa, kinda swollen and sore now. My ankle was mint tho. Pissed off i DNF'd cos i would've won Novice going by my times except i didn't complete TT1 (cos' of lever) therefore DNF'd bugger. Back next time for sure. Stoked i did it

Ross mate, good to meet ya. Top dude. You should've donne the second loop. Everyone in Novice dropped out except the winner (DR250), me (DNF TT1), secondfield (houred out) So the one finnisher won. little trophy and all. He was sloooow, you could've killed him. Abot 7 or 8 dropped out after the first loop

I'm going to the shower to wash the matted blood out of my eyebrow and dig the gorse out of my arms

Merriman won, then it went power, mead, someone, birch... i think

**chop** · 21st February 2009, 20:01

just spoke to a few of the biys aprantly was a bit damp

said ony merriman didnt loose time..1st Merriman,2nd Karl Power,3rd Rory Mead,4th Chris Birch... Musta been hard!

**kezzafish** · 21st February 2009, 20:05

fuck yeah, it was wicked tho. Super challenging had a good boil over on the SX... man i've gotta get an exc

**4stroke** · 21st February 2009, 20:57

Originally Posted by kezzafish

fuck yeah, it was wicked tho. Super challenging had a good boil over on the SX... man i've gotta get an exc

get a husky if ya wana go fast ,,,, lol

**secondfield** · 22nd February 2009, 11:49

Man, that was a tough ride. All in all about 130k's or so of two loops. My poor fitness let me down unfortunately and a boiled bike mean't I had to stop every 5-6 k's to let her cool down on the second loop. Ran out of camelback water so in the fuel stop had to put kezzas raro in the radiator to keep going.

Was thinking of piddling into it but couldnt get my balance right due to my legs shaking like a dog shitting razor blades..

We weren't allowed to do anything to the bike or any assistance while refuelling. Gonna carry a bit more water next time. Was making good time around the first loop, pacing right behind the novice leader on his tin tank dr250. Consistency is the key, he was riding real smooth.

The terrain was super tough, logs, roots, very steep descents, rocks n deep mud, river runs you name it.. The second loop was a bit different from the first as now unrideable sections were taken out and new challenges were implemented (a really cool river run that had you on your toes, plus raw forestry deadfall with no discernable route through).

Ive learnt enduro's are great places to let off steam! (apart from the radiator sort!!). I heard more swearing and cursing out there than a month of sundays.. hehe great stuff.

Attacking the timed terrain test's after riding 60k's of hell boggles the mind. got off to a good start on the second one only to get caught up in a steep gulley sucked down in quicksand. 15 minutes later barely managed to get out. It pays to look for alternate routes within the riding boudaries. Especially after 100 or so riders have been through already and minced everything up.

Ever been on one of those rides where you feel your never gonna get out alive? you get cramp, start yelling like a madman, even thumped my bike once

(hurt my damn hand haha) that was my first enduro...

A few times out actually questioned my sanity at tackling such a endeavour but somewhere in the back of my dim mind have got the urge to do it again... roll on the next round!

**rossrc** · 22nd February 2009, 14:01

Damn mate, I should have given you the plastic bag I carry for those occasions - that way you can fill your radiator from any creek, river, etc... one thing to add to your bumbag
BTW I heard of people using their helmets to carry water as well

**secondfield** · 22nd February 2009, 17:18

No worries' Ross have just sorted out something to do exactly that.. got a wee funnel type thing and an open ended wine bladder ... how'd you find your gasser in the end? first proper ride and all..

Ha, was talking to Chris Birch just before leaving, and he said the guy's in africa just piss in their radiator when she boils too often..

**rossrc** · 22nd February 2009, 18:00

Gasser was easier than expected on the uphills (i.e. you could torque it)... kept on forgetting I needed to use brakes to slow up... beat me up on the rocky downhills, which I hadn't expected... but for some unknown reason, it kept on frickin crashing! (Can't have been my fault

)
I never got to give it a real test as I was riding like sh1t... too shagged right from the start, so never really stood up... but hey, in those conditions, I'd probably have been the same on any bike.
Maybe if I'd softened the suspension, I could have floated over it all... yeah right
Haha... still loving that I rolled past you with a stalled engine, only to block you on the next uphill... that's class that is

**Ktmboy** · 22nd February 2009, 21:24

Theres something about enduro's and X country races.

You feel absolutely phucked but its the "I'll never give up attitude"

And when you do finish its "man I could have done better". It just breeds competition.

Well, I suppose thats what its all about really.

**marks** · 23rd February 2009, 17:37

good reading guys - thanks for posting

My oldest boy and I have been thinking about having a go at one of these and went and had a look on Saturday for a few hours and then went back on Sunday for the trail ride to try as much of the terrain as we could. It was very slick but heaps of fun however after 2 laps of the main track and one loop through all of the available novice/intermediate loops we were rooted beyond belief - and we got to stop in the middle for a BBQ!!!

Both my son and I emptied our 3 litre bladders by the time we were half way through the 2nd loop. I dropped my bike on a slippery bit of single track and had to wait for about 5 minutes before I had the energy to pick it up. You get to a point where you wonder if you are going to heave in your helmet. Awesome Fun

My hat (helmet?) is off to you guys who did the race