[MVRIDER]

I'll be there racing beginner 25-39, damn that's a big age group!! Anyone else?? See ya on Pho Dog?

 

[.WestCoastHucker.]

I'll be there racing beginner...................

sandbagger

 

[MVRIDER]

sandbagger

Dude, I just can't live without the t-shirt or coffee mug they'll be giving out to 1st place. And I'll step on as many toes as I need to to get it!!

Actually, I've been screwing around with mountain bikes a while, but this will be only my 3rd ever formal dh race, so I guess I'm really on the fence between sport and beginner. I figure as long as I'm sorta in between the two classes I might as well........sandbag

 

[konabiker]

I'll be there racing beginner 25-39, damn that's a big age group!! Anyone else?? See ya on Pho Dog?

race!? this sunday!? how did i miss didnt i know of this. anyone wanna give me a ride from sb?

 

[LandonVega]

What trails are going to be closed? I hope k12 isnt, i have been wanting to ride those for a while now.

 

[JFR]

Yup. I'm goin. Call me crazy, but I'm planning on racing in the Sport 25-39 class on my Enduro (really a '99 Max Backbone) with only 5x5 travel.

This will be my 2nd ever DH race... and my first (a couple years ago) barely counts cause it was the Groovey Gravity Games at Carnegy, a very smooth coarse. I placed 6/40 in Sport 19-34 there, but I think my lighter/less-travel bike was an advantage. I'll certainly be at a big DISadvantage at N*.

It'll be easy to spot me if you wanna say "hey". I'll be the only 6'3 tall guy riding an ano grey Max Backbone and Fox TALAS fork. I'll be in the same gear as the photo.

Good luck to you! (Ya sandbagger)

I'll be there racing beginner 25-39, damn that's a big age group!! Anyone else?? See ya on Pho Dog?

 

[.WestCoastHucker.]

so, how did it go????

 

[cornholio]

so, how did it go????

uh, just a guess, but i think he came in 2nd. mvrider, was that you? i was the guy on the white fly, 30-39 beginner. no coffee mug, but they did give me a cool fox racing hat and a cliff bar. it was my first race. a lot of sitting around, but overall, pretty cool, i'll do it again.

 

[.WestCoastHucker.]

............ it was my first race. a lot of sitting around, but overall, pretty cool, i'll do it again.

cool deal man!

 

[JFR]

so, how did it go????

MVRIDER didn't introduce himself to me yesterday. Maybe he was shy or didn't see me (hard to imagine on either account), or maybe he didn't make it.

My buddy and I barely got to N* in time to register, and sadly we weren't able to do a single practice run. This was especially troubling because we're only vaguely familiar with the trails and we appeared to be the only two guys on 5x5 trail bikes. The racing format was "best run of two", so at least that was in our favor. We did a warm-up run down some other trails and returned to the top to wait (and wait) for our first run.

I rode my first run conservatively, focusing on being smooth, not letting the course surprise me, not blowing/missing any turns, not crashing, and not dabbing if possible. I was surprised it wasn't as brutal and technical as I'd expected it to be. There were no huge drops/jumps, and no super gnarly rock gardens. All the classes start in the same gate and cross the same finish line, but after a split toward the top of the hill, the Beginner/Sport course goes down different trails than the Expert/Pro course. I achieved my first run goals and finished a clean run. Unfortunately, I didn't get my time (only available at the bottom) and headed back up the mountain.

At the top of the mountain, the starting area was buzzing with first run discussions and guys comparing their times. I had no clue how my first run sized up. My second run goal was to bust azz and go faster than my first run. I allowed myself to take some risks, as I knew I had a clean run in the books. I was riding good and having what felt to be a faster run than before, then WHAM! I was on the ground. I remounted as fast I could and just as I was getting back up to speed WHAM! I went down again. I got separated from my bike in the second crash as I rolled/slid a little ways down the hill. I scrambled back up the trail, grabbed my bike and got on the gas again. The rest of the run was clean and fast until I caught the guy in front of me at the end and couldn't pass.

Run 1 - 5:29:30
Run 2 - 6:02:50

I placed 3rd in Sport Men Vet (out of 6) and my buddy placed 3rd in Beginner Masters (out of 8).

My time was 8th fastest in all of Sport (38 riders) and only 2 tenths of second behind the fastest Beginner (41 riders).

The bonus on the day was that I won the 2nd biggest prize in the raffle, a season ticket for next year!

 

[cornholio]

dude, good job. i think i saw you. i was sort of just sitting there by myself being anti-social, while everyone else seemed to know everybody. sorry, next time i'll say hi. they gave you a season pass? sweet. i totally forgot about the raffle and left early.

 

[LandonVega]

I think I saw you crash the second time. I was on the chair at the time. I didnt race but I crashed preaty hard on sticks and stones. I was riding a log and thought my bike was in 2 and 6 but in fact it kicked down to 1 and 6. So when i tried to wheelie drop off the log ( log was probaly 2 - 2 1/2 feet), front wheel went up, front wheel went down, back wheel came up, and I was on my stomach. I hit the ground so hard my teeth hit my helmet. Good times at northstar.

 

[JFR]

Thanks. Yeah, everybody did kinda seem to know everybody. My buddy and I sorta kept to ourselves too. You forgot about the raffle!?! That's a bummer after waiting for the awards (gotta love the medals!). I'm stoked about the season pass.

Hope to see you at the next one in Sept.

dude, good job. i think i saw you. i was sort of just sitting there by myself being anti-social, while everyone else seemed to know everybody. sorry, next time i'll say hi. they gave you a season pass? sweet. i totally forgot about the raffle and left early.

 

[konarider]

People should get MTBR stickers or stickers with their screen names on their bikes or helmets or something. So instead of walking up to people and going "hey you on mtbr" and getting wierd looks we would just know who to talk to.

 

[MVRIDER]

MVRIDER didn't introduce himself to me yesterday. Maybe he was shy or didn't see me (hard to imagine on either account), or maybe he didn't make it.

My buddy and I barely got to N* in time to register, and sadly we weren't able to do a single practice run. This was especially troubling because we're only vaguely familiar with the trails and we appeared to be the only two guys on 5x5 trail bikes. The racing format was "best run of two", so at least that was in our favor. We did a warm-up run down some other trails and returned to the top to wait (and wait) for our first run.

I rode my first run conservatively, focusing on being smooth, not letting the course surprise me, not blowing/missing any turns, not crashing, and not dabbing if possible. I was surprised it wasn't as brutal and technical as I'd expected it to be. There were no huge drops/jumps, and no super gnarly rock gardens. All the classes start in the same gate and cross the same finish line, but after a split toward the top of the hill, the Beginner/Sport course goes down different trails than the Expert/Pro course. I achieved my first run goals and finished a clean run. Unfortunately, I didn't get my time (only available at the bottom) and headed back up the mountain.

At the top of the mountain, the starting area was buzzing with first run discussions and guys comparing their times. I had no clue how my first run sized up. My second run goal was to bust azz and go faster than my first run. I allowed myself to take some risks, as I knew I had a clean run in the books. I was riding good and having what felt to be a faster run than before, then WHAM! I was on the ground. I remounted as fast I could and just as I was getting back up to speed WHAM! I went down again. I got separated from my bike in the second crash as I rolled/slid a little ways down the hill. I scrambled back up the trail, grabbed my bike and got on the gas again. The rest of the run was clean and fast until I caught the guy in front of me at the end and couldn't pass.

Run 1 - 5:29:30
Run 2 - 6:02:50

I placed 3rd in Sport Men Vet (out of 6) and my buddy placed 3rd in Beginner Masters (out of 8).

My time was 8th fastest in all of Sport (38 riders) and only 2 tenths of second behind the fastest Beginner (41 riders).

The bonus on the day was that I won the 2nd biggest prize in the raffle, a season ticket for next year!

Hey man, I think I saw you around, but I did'nt know it at the time because I posted the thread kinda late on Friday and then left before I had a chance to read anyones responces ( that was bright-huh? ) and I could'nt get anyones discreptions of themselves. I was on a black bullit/jr T. my freind was on a black disco/shiver. 5:29 & 6:02,huh, you kicked my a$$! My best was 6:11, to give me second ( out of 2!! ) in Mens Beginner Vet. What a fun day anyway, about 1/2 way into my 2nd run it started raining big ol' mountain drops like crazy, that's the first time that's happend to me there! I forgot about the raffle after did they just give out one pass?

 

[MVRIDER]

uh, just a guess, but i think he came in 2nd. mvrider, was that you? i was the guy on the white fly, 30-39 beginner. no coffee mug, but they did give me a cool fox racing hat and a cliff bar. it was my first race. a lot of sitting around, but overall, pretty cool, i'll do it again.

Yep that was me! Hey WTF?!? they did'nt give me a cliff bar!!! but the shirt was cool, as was the whole weekend. I agree with the whole sitting around part, I guess I could have used the time for a couple of runs, but I was afraid of missing my start time. I had a good time, but I'm kinda torn on weather I'd race at N* again. It's hard to be sitting up in one area when you know if you were just riding around you'd have the whole park to your self.

 

[MVRIDER]

so, how did it go????

I brought home the tin..er..uh...silver!!!!

banned from Canada...omg...too funny!!

 

[JFR]

Bummer none of us got to meet. Konarider's right, we should sport mtbr stickers so as to id each other... then we'll be the ones that know "everybody"

I was on the lift when that rain came down. Those were some huge rain drops! And you were racing in it! I see that was your faster run too, I bet you woulda gotten under 6 min easy if not for the rain. Those huge drops woulda slowed me down (I can't see!).

Dang, you forgot about the raffle too (like cornholio)! It wasn't THAT big o deal really... a couple more hats and t-shirts, one saddle I think, and just the one season pass. Of course, there was the Fox Vanilla fork as the grand prize. What'd you think about them letting the Pro winners choose between the cash prize or one of the two forks? I don't know how much the cash prize was, but I'm sure it wasn't close to the price of them forks. No doubt the Pro woman chose a fork. It was super cool of the Pro man to take the cash since he works for Fox anyway. I was feeling kinda bitter about the cash/fork option. Something tells me that Fox didn't give em the forks to be the Pro prizes. Then, adding insult to injury, they didn't raffle off the pro womans cash prize Obviously I'm stoked about the season pass I won, but I felt kinda bad for the others.

I look forward to meeting you some other time... maybe at the next race. Now that we know how much waiting there is between runs, we can go session some jumps/stunts together in between.

Hey man, I think I saw you around, but I did'nt know it at the time because I posted the thread kinda late on Friday and then left before I had a chance to read anyones responces ( that was bright-huh? ) and I could'nt get anyones discreptions of themselves. I was on a black bullit/jr T. my freind was on a black disco/shiver. 5:29 & 6:02,huh, you kicked my a$$! My best was 6:11, to give me second ( out of 2!! ) in Mens Beginner Vet. What a fun day anyway, about 1/2 way into my 2nd run it started raining big ol' mountain drops like crazy, that's the first time that's happend to me there! I forgot about the raffle after did they just give out one pass?

 

[MVRIDER]

Bummer none of us got to meet. Konarider's right, we should sport mtbr stickers so as to id each other... then we'll be the ones that know "everybody"

I was on the lift when that rain came down. Those were some huge rain drops! And you were racing in it! I see that was your faster run too, I bet you woulda gotten under 6 min easy if not for the rain. Those huge drops woulda slowed me down (I can't see!).

Dang, you forgot about the raffle too (like cornholio)! It wasn't THAT big o deal really... a couple more hats and t-shirts, one saddle I think, and just the one season pass. Of course, there was the Fox Vanilla fork as the grand prize. What'd you think about them letting the Pro winners choose between the cash prize or one of the two forks? I don't know how much the cash prize was, but I'm sure it wasn't close to the price of them forks. No doubt the Pro woman chose a fork. It was super cool of the Pro man to take the cash since he works for Fox anyway. I was feeling kinda bitter about the cash/fork option. Something tells me that Fox didn't give em the forks to be the Pro prizes. Then, adding insult to injury, they didn't raffle off the pro womans cash prize Obviously I'm stoked about the season pass I won, but I felt kinda bad for the others.

I look forward to meeting you some other time... maybe at the next race. Now that we know how much waiting there is between runs, we can go session some jumps/stunts together in between.

Sounds like a plan! next time I go up, I'll post a thread and actually give people time to respond!! I'll probably be heading up a few times between now and the next race, I'll drop a line if I do. And yes, we do need to figure out some kinda call sign or sticker to recognize other MTBR members up there. Anyone got any suggestions? I say if you see someone you think is a member, you should just hold up your right hand with your pointer finger and middle finger up, ring finger down and pinkey finger up, and that will be the secret code! Anyone got any other Ideas?