| 2001 Race Reports |
April 29, 2001
Kahoka, Missouri
5th of 16 in Open B
This year's annual "Mule Kicker" (what the hell does that mean, anyway?) was again
on the National Hare Scrambles schedule. The previous two times I raced here, in
1996 and 1999, the course kicked me pretty hard. But for me, this event is the most
enjoyable of all the Missouri Series races, because it reminds me of Illinois terrain.
Actually, Kahoka is just a stone's throw from both the Illinois and Iowa borders, so the
woods are tight, the mud can get deep, and the rocks are miles below the earth's
surface (where they belong).
National events attract national-caliber racers, and several of the world's fastest
riders attended the Mule. While standing in line for the signup, I suddenly realized
that Shane Watts was standing directly in front of me. Now here's the best thing
about Pro riders in our sport: they race on the same courses as we amateurs, they
race at the same time we do, and they stand in the same lines to sign up. How cool
is that? I would not have been able to live with myself if I hadn't said something to
Shane Watts when he was standing two feet in front of me, so I talked to him just a
little. I was very impressed that the people standing around pretty much left him
alone. If I ever became a household name within our sport (a man can dream,
O.K.?), that's how I would want to be treated. The Garrahan brothers cut ahead in line
with Shane, but they seemed pretty cool, so I didn't have to kick both their
holeshot-grabbin' butts [editor's note: fantasyland is lovely this time of year].
Since my buddy Matt wussed out on me, my only incentive was to finish in the top ten
in my class and bring home a trophy. I had never done a 3-hour race before (the '99
National was shortened to 2.5 hours) and was not sure I would have enough stamina
for the duration. But the weather was perfect and the heat would not be a factor this
year. Plus, the course looked perfect, with just a hint of moisture in the woods. I was
pumped. Our class was combined with the 250B class on the starting line, so there
were about 30 bikes lined up beside me. Off the start, I went into the first corner
about mid-pack, then blasted through a long open section that ended where the
motocross track began. About three turns into the motocross track, at the bottom of
one of the jumps was a mud bog that tried to suck me in. While riding through it, I got
blasted with mud that covered up my goggles. I knew I was a little low on roll-off tape
and wanted to conserve it, so in the first minute of the race I had to use a bunch to
clear my vision...nice. After the race I heard one of the Garrahan brothers mention that
he got hung up in that same place.
As always, I continue to learn lessons the hard way. This time, I learned dirt biker's
rule #247: always test ride a new piece of equipment before racing with it. In this
case the new equipment was a gripper seat cover. Nice concept, if you like to stand
up a lot. But after rubbing my arse on it for 3 hours, the resulting chafe job kept me
from sitting comfortably for another week. You just can't buy T.P. soft enough for that.
The 9.5-mile course was in great shape and was very fun to ride, with a mix of grass
tracks, motocross track, fast woods, and tight woods. About halfway through the race
on lap #3, Shane Watts passed me like I was standing still. We had just entered the
woods and were dropping down to creek-bank level. The drop-down had a couple of
whoop-like mounds of dirt that you could be brave and jump, or be like me and ride
through them and down into the lowland. Naturally, Shane jumped them, got his back
end sideways, landed hard, and took off down the trail. I was able to see him for
about 10 more seconds before he disappeared ahead of me.
After lap #4 I stopped for gas, and that 60 second break did wonders for my energy
level. I rode two more laps without feeling overly tired, finishing about three minutes
past the 3-hour mark. The Pro riders did 8 laps, with Shane Watts taking the overall
win. He'd probably be faster with a bit more duct tape on his KTM.
May 6, 2001
Westphalia, Missouri
2nd of 14 in Open B
Today was one of those rare days in which I rode well, didn't make very many
mistakes, and the bike ran great. The only thing I could have done better was win, but
I settled for 2nd place and my best ever finish in a Missouri race. The day started out
with drizzle for most of the morning, but only enough to keep down the dust that the
ATV's had kicked up. Before the race, I finally met PizzaMan in person after a few
e-mail conversations. He's a pretty cool guy and a worthy competitor in the Open B
class (and a KTM rider to boot).
At the starting line, the drizzle steadily continued. For about 10 minutes I struggled to
get my roll-off tape to advance after moisture made its way under the tape. Just in the
nick of time I got it fixed and after the flag dropped I entered the first corner in 5th
place. PizzaMan got a nice start with the big KTM 4-stroke and we all followed each
other for the first few miles. Steve Hemann came flying by at the end of the spectator
area and laid down his KTM going around a slippery turn (a nice 3rd gear slide-out). I
settled into my usual 4th or 5th position for the first few laps and gradually moved up
as a couple of the regular fast guys in our class dropped out.
About halfway into the race, the rain came down steadily and made for some slick
riding. But a few minutes later the sun came out, dried the course, and made for a
beautiful day. One of the most fun sections at Westphalia is an open, grassy pasture
that has 5 or 6 terraces that make for great jumps. As soon as you land, the next one
is right ahead of you, one after the other. First you jump the terraces going up the hill,
then you jump them going down the hill. Lots of fun.
My lap times were about 28 minutes, so I was on pace for 5 laps. I never did get tired
during the race and never crashed, so I figured I at least finished in the top third of my
class. When the results were posted, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in 2nd
place. Even more satisfying was finishing that high on a course that shared the ATV
route in its entirety. Normally I do better in tight singletrack, but I succeeded in my
weakest area: fast, open, rocky two-track trails.
Kahoka, Missouri
5th of 16 in Open B
This year's annual "Mule Kicker" (what the hell does that mean, anyway?) was again
on the National Hare Scrambles schedule. The previous two times I raced here, in
1996 and 1999, the course kicked me pretty hard. But for me, this event is the most
enjoyable of all the Missouri Series races, because it reminds me of Illinois terrain.
Actually, Kahoka is just a stone's throw from both the Illinois and Iowa borders, so the
woods are tight, the mud can get deep, and the rocks are miles below the earth's
surface (where they belong).
National events attract national-caliber racers, and several of the world's fastest
riders attended the Mule. While standing in line for the signup, I suddenly realized
that Shane Watts was standing directly in front of me. Now here's the best thing
about Pro riders in our sport: they race on the same courses as we amateurs, they
race at the same time we do, and they stand in the same lines to sign up. How cool
is that? I would not have been able to live with myself if I hadn't said something to
Shane Watts when he was standing two feet in front of me, so I talked to him just a
little. I was very impressed that the people standing around pretty much left him
alone. If I ever became a household name within our sport (a man can dream,
O.K.?), that's how I would want to be treated. The Garrahan brothers cut ahead in line
with Shane, but they seemed pretty cool, so I didn't have to kick both their
holeshot-grabbin' butts [editor's note: fantasyland is lovely this time of year].
Since my buddy Matt wussed out on me, my only incentive was to finish in the top ten
in my class and bring home a trophy. I had never done a 3-hour race before (the '99
National was shortened to 2.5 hours) and was not sure I would have enough stamina
for the duration. But the weather was perfect and the heat would not be a factor this
year. Plus, the course looked perfect, with just a hint of moisture in the woods. I was
pumped. Our class was combined with the 250B class on the starting line, so there
were about 30 bikes lined up beside me. Off the start, I went into the first corner
about mid-pack, then blasted through a long open section that ended where the
motocross track began. About three turns into the motocross track, at the bottom of
one of the jumps was a mud bog that tried to suck me in. While riding through it, I got
blasted with mud that covered up my goggles. I knew I was a little low on roll-off tape
and wanted to conserve it, so in the first minute of the race I had to use a bunch to
clear my vision...nice. After the race I heard one of the Garrahan brothers mention that
he got hung up in that same place.
As always, I continue to learn lessons the hard way. This time, I learned dirt biker's
rule #247: always test ride a new piece of equipment before racing with it. In this
case the new equipment was a gripper seat cover. Nice concept, if you like to stand
up a lot. But after rubbing my arse on it for 3 hours, the resulting chafe job kept me
from sitting comfortably for another week. You just can't buy T.P. soft enough for that.
The 9.5-mile course was in great shape and was very fun to ride, with a mix of grass
tracks, motocross track, fast woods, and tight woods. About halfway through the race
on lap #3, Shane Watts passed me like I was standing still. We had just entered the
woods and were dropping down to creek-bank level. The drop-down had a couple of
whoop-like mounds of dirt that you could be brave and jump, or be like me and ride
through them and down into the lowland. Naturally, Shane jumped them, got his back
end sideways, landed hard, and took off down the trail. I was able to see him for
about 10 more seconds before he disappeared ahead of me.
After lap #4 I stopped for gas, and that 60 second break did wonders for my energy
level. I rode two more laps without feeling overly tired, finishing about three minutes
past the 3-hour mark. The Pro riders did 8 laps, with Shane Watts taking the overall
win. He'd probably be faster with a bit more duct tape on his KTM.
May 6, 2001
Westphalia, Missouri
2nd of 14 in Open B
Today was one of those rare days in which I rode well, didn't make very many
mistakes, and the bike ran great. The only thing I could have done better was win, but
I settled for 2nd place and my best ever finish in a Missouri race. The day started out
with drizzle for most of the morning, but only enough to keep down the dust that the
ATV's had kicked up. Before the race, I finally met PizzaMan in person after a few
e-mail conversations. He's a pretty cool guy and a worthy competitor in the Open B
class (and a KTM rider to boot).
At the starting line, the drizzle steadily continued. For about 10 minutes I struggled to
get my roll-off tape to advance after moisture made its way under the tape. Just in the
nick of time I got it fixed and after the flag dropped I entered the first corner in 5th
place. PizzaMan got a nice start with the big KTM 4-stroke and we all followed each
other for the first few miles. Steve Hemann came flying by at the end of the spectator
area and laid down his KTM going around a slippery turn (a nice 3rd gear slide-out). I
settled into my usual 4th or 5th position for the first few laps and gradually moved up
as a couple of the regular fast guys in our class dropped out.
About halfway into the race, the rain came down steadily and made for some slick
riding. But a few minutes later the sun came out, dried the course, and made for a
beautiful day. One of the most fun sections at Westphalia is an open, grassy pasture
that has 5 or 6 terraces that make for great jumps. As soon as you land, the next one
is right ahead of you, one after the other. First you jump the terraces going up the hill,
then you jump them going down the hill. Lots of fun.
My lap times were about 28 minutes, so I was on pace for 5 laps. I never did get tired
during the race and never crashed, so I figured I at least finished in the top third of my
class. When the results were posted, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in 2nd
place. Even more satisfying was finishing that high on a course that shared the ATV
route in its entirety. Normally I do better in tight singletrack, but I succeeded in my
weakest area: fast, open, rocky two-track trails.
Kahoka, Missouri
Westphalia, Missouri
Westphalia, Missouri
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