ECEA Round 4: Greenbrier Enduro

Photo by Joann Hauser

Race: ECEA Round 4: Greenbrier Enduro

Bike: 09 KTM 200

Result: 1^st A-200, 18^th Overall

Sponsors: I would like to thank Stickman Graphx, Unabiker.com, EKS Brand Goggles, Kriega USA, Rekluse, All Balls Racing, EBC Brakes, Fly Racing, Mika Metals, DT-1 Filters, Works Enduro Rider, FMF Racing, Vertex Pistons, Powerseal USA, Matto Cycle, Offroadviking.com, Clockwork KTM, Torc 1 Racing, Motorex, G2 Ergonomics,  Joann Hauser, my family, and my Dad.

Report:

            I have been looking forward to racing the Greenbrier Enduro for a few months now.  It is always known to have great trail that separates out the competition fairly well.  I have been working hard to make subtle changes on the bike this season so that I am more prepared for the races.  Sunday morning, my dad and I drove down to the race.  I rode on row 28 with Ben Smith.  My plan is to ride the rest of the year with Ben as I am hoping to learn a lot from a AA rider so that I can hopefully race AA next season.

                My day started off a little slow as I shook out some cobwebs and missed the first couple flips.  Total, I missed 3 flips by fewer than 10 seconds which is frustrating but shows that I am on the edge of taking my speed to the next level.  Early on, I decided that subtle suspension changes were needed since the trail was smoother than previous weekends, and my front end seemed to be diving too much.  Once those changes occurred, I was able to finish the rest of the day strong.  I was surprised at my conditioning for the 15 mile section which I set a fairly good time in.  I am learning to keep my intensity up which can be tough in a 15 mile section.

I am going to keep this week’s report short as I am in my final two weeks of school and finals are next week! Yikes!  But at the end of the day at Greenbrier, I came out with another A-200 class win and was able to finish 18^th overall in a stacked class.  As long as I finish top 20, then I am happy with my riding because consistency is key for me making AA.  I want to thank everyone for their support as well as the Hammer Nutrition Recoverite product which got me back on my feet by Monday!  It is magic for the body.

Photo by Joann Hauser

ECEA Round 3: PBER Enduro

Photo by Joann Hauser

Race: ECEA Round 3: PBER Enduro

Bike: 09 KTM 200

Result: 1^st  A-200, 14^th Overall

Sponsors: I would like to thank Stickman Graphx, Unabiker.com, EKS Brand Goggles, Kriega USA, Rekluse, All Balls Racing, EBC Brakes, Fly Racing, Mika Metals, DT-1 Filters, Works Enduro Rider, FMF Racing, Vertex Pistons, Powerseal USA, Matto Cycle, Offroadviking.com, Clockwork KTM, Torc 1 Racing, Motorex, G2 Ergonomics, my family, and my Dad.

Report:

            Since the last enduro, school and my other commitments have taken up most of my time.  Unfortunately, I did not get to ride at all, but I was able to focus on some training.  Prior to this weekend, I have been mountain biking close to ten miles each day.  I am hoping this helps with my results on the weekends.  Coming into Sunday, I was hungrier than ever for a top 20 finish.  I just wanted to put in a solid ride where I could showcase my speed and progression.

            Sunday morning, my dad and I left for the PBER enduro.  Once we arrived, I got prepared for a good day of whoops and made sure my bike was all ready to go.  It was ready to hit some sand whoops and prepped to withstand the sand with my DT-1 triple layer air filter.  The first 20 miles of the day consisted of time keeping which I luckily only lost 1 second on.  The second loop of the day was where the majority of the racing occurred.  The first section was close to 13 miles long.  This wasn’t just any section, but the roughest section of sand whoops I have ever been on.  It was just whoop after whoop after whoop which caused me to get arm pump.  I made a few mistakes in here as I got lost twice and missed a turn.  Needless to say, this cost me valuable time and my poor score reflected it.  Additionally, I decided I needed to go in a new direction on suspension settings.  They worked great in the whoops the weekend before but the trail was so beat up that even stiffer settings were needed.  One thing I have learned is to not be afraid of making changes.  These helped a lot as we headed into the next section.  This time, I rode great with strong intensity throughout the section.  I felt awesome and my changes helped a lot.  I was unlucky though and missed the flip on the way out by 3 seconds. 

            At the 2^nd gas stop, I did something I have never done before.  Because of the rough trails, my stomach was in knots and ended up puking.  Now that is what rough whoops do to you!  The rest of the day was uneventful as we hit another sneaky check and then rode back to the finish.  At the end of the day, I won the A-200 class and finished 14^th overall.  This is certainly an improvement but I feel I haven’t been able to showcase my full potential just yet.  We will have to wait until the Tri-County Enduro this Sunday.  Thank you to my dad for his pit support and everyone behind me!