are you tough enough? Big Bike Class - Dawn to Dusk enduro - 27/28 Aug

[slimbo]

just woke up after spending over 24hrs awake (did a shift in the shop) then upto the start the btb race the start was a lemans style and it was plesing to see a healthy big trailly entry for this event.
it was four years ago i last raced and tbh this was an eyeopener , although walters does dry quickly the recent heavy showers caused the water to drain to the tracks being used and by a third into the race certain tracks were very slippery and some turning into a quagmire.
the start went quickly and i was riding the husky te630 a great bike for laning or trailling but competing showed it achilles heel.
fist gear is good but second is too tall and you gotta be hoofing along at a cracking pace to snick it into second or it will spit you off in the mud.
the course was challenging and the f800's and xt660's would have fared better if the track was dry.
the night loop was a good mix of technical without being too hardcore combined with fireroads and tracks within walters.
the good thing about riding in the dark is what you cant see wont hurt you? (yeah right ).
lighting was the order of the day and when its dark you dont see how steep some of the climbs and decents really are.
i have to admit that after the first lap i did think maybe discretion is the better form of valour but no i pressed on and cracked off three in a row , getting into a bit of a rythm.
most of my off's were in the first lap and once i understood the course it became perversly satisfying to crack off another lap, and another and another.
after cracking my right kneee on a rock i was buzzing on adrenaline and cursing myself for putting my aged frail body through this torment.
the 24 hour racers were pretty patient and i was only shouted at to get out of the f,in way once (i did reply with full diplomacy mode off).
my original plan was to do a few laps come in grab some kip and then refreshed do another couple at the end ready for tea and medals.
silly me i forgot how competitive i can get when realising that i could get a tidy position.
so with my plan out of the window i paced myself and although not an offroader in the purest sense i managed i believe 6th overall with my buddy tom from cotswold outdoor (in his first race) getting a well deserved 7th.
one of the pub boasts now available to me and all the others who braved the event was that we raced against a dakar riding legend (ms patsy quick) and it was satisfying to have been party to such amazing riding by all the excellent and talented other riders.

so would i do it again? hell yeah!

at night oh yes!

would i do anything different?

get more experience in riding in those conditions.

top event and well supported

and well done to all the btb riders who had the balls to enter this event i take my hat off to you all.

RESPECT!!!!

[AndyB]

Well done.

I convinced myself before the start that the ground would dry quickly but wasn't too shocked when I hit the first mud wash about a mile from the start and then it got tougher...

The Tenere is a big lump to drag around on claggy ground and after a couple of minor offs I found I'd made a massive error by not coating my glasses in something to stop them misting up. I was sweating so much that my crash helmet was sopping wet and every time we went off the fire trails I couldn't see a bloody thing. I took them off and tucked them into a pocket and promptly lobbed the bike when I put the front wheel into a big hole I hadn't seen.

I was still relatively happy and had decided to pull in after a lap and do something to deal with the misting but the bike wasn't happy with the speed and was getting seriously hot then after one wheel spinning halt on a pretty steep climb I could smell burning clutch so stopped to let things cool down. By the time I'd done one lap it was completely dark, I'd jammed a hand protector into a position where I'd only got about 50% of the bar movement I should have had turning left and both bike & rider were overheating.

That was the point when I decided it wasn't worth doing serious damage to my road bike and went for a beer. I was out of my tent at 04:30 to go back out but when I went to put my riding kit on it was sopping wet and freezing cold so I chose more beer instead.

I think it said it all that the marshalls had to change the route in a couple of places because the big bikes were struggling on the climbs and one of the times I stopped to clear my glasses I had a pleasant chat with 2 guys on KTM 690s who'd cooked their clutches and retired.

I'm tempted to do it again but I'd be on my 250 rather than on the Tenere and I'd do either the 6 or 12 hour day race before tackling the night again. It was good fun though and I'm certainly glad I went.

[herman]

Mucho respecto to you folks on the big bikes,my liclke 200 ripped up those climbs without too much trouble other than rider error but I would'nt have fancied hauling something 3 times the weight around. I know its no consolation but by the end of the 24hr the course had dried out and I think the big bikes would have had more success. We saw the 2 German 800 BMWs trailer collected both with synchronized dead clutches. I now need to work on reducing the bags under the bags under my eyes.

[jasext]

I was one of the marshalls on the tricky climb and after an hour of heaving most of the big bikes up decided to get the course directors to alter it ,bloody glad i did .
two GS 800 cooked their clutches just before we redirected it ,but they enjoyed .

Well done to all who entered

[AndyB]

I was one of the marshalls on the tricky climb and after an hour of heaving most of the big bikes up decided to get the course directors to alter it ,bloody glad i did .
two GS 800 cooked their clutches just before we redirected it ,but they enjoyed .

Well done to all who entered

I owe you several beers because you must have been one of the guys who dragged my Tenere up there.

It was seriously hard on the big bikes and now I'm home and have had a good look at the bike I've realised that my clutch lever is bent and catching the hand guard so it never fully disengages. This meant I had a slipping clutch everywhere and goes a long way to explaining why I had such an epic on the climbs.

I'm not convinced that putting the big bikes out on that course was a good idea because it made life hard for the guys doing the 24 hour race and I felt obliged to keep trying to let them past and in doing so put myself into even deeper mire. Don't get me wrong on this, I'm glad I entered but it was seriously messy and took me back to the days when I was doing endurance racing in the KRC Championship and 400cc bikes were out at the same time as litre bikes which led to some seriously dangerous situations at times.

I'd like to see the big trailies going out on their own, after the juniors, with the race finishing at 7pm before the 24hr race starts so they don't have the pressure of being rolling road blocks and maybe give them the option of going on until midnight so the night race remained part of it for those that wanted to carry on.

The whole D2D weekend is brilliant fun and I'll certainly be back for another go but it'll be when only big bikes are out or I'll be on my 250 EXC.

[jasext]

Didn't hear anyone of the 24hr guys complaining ,but i am sure the organisers will welcome all the feedback to make it better next year .

Dont worry about the beers it was quite good fun for us and i do remember helping you ,had a ten myself so was glad to help

[herman]

From my perspective this years was the smoothest running so far. Marshals and course marking was the best yet. Andy,I would'nt worry about the 24hrs guys thinking you were in the way,we were probably thinking "bloody hell,I'm glad I'm not trying that". If it had been 12 hrs later you would of had an easier time of it...but thats Wales for you. Most riders will catch up a slower one and either shout,blip throttle or whistle not to intimidate but to inform of an overtake,I do and its not meant in any way other than look out here I come,we dont always have time to thank with a wave or a boot flick,but I will if I can. The really good ones will be past you and gone before you know they are even there,that is scary when you think you are flat out,cant go any faster and a four stroke thunders past... downhill!!! We had a good race this year,no breakdowns,human or machine and managed 8hrs each so no riding gaps like last year. Don't know how Louis did but he was 7th when I looked 4 hrs before the end which is superhuman in my books!

[CRAIGREVO]

Were videos banned from the event, I cant find any on youtube

[jasext]

Think people are still recovering ,i think the Touratech guys done a video and there were lots of photographers there

[Mudwiz]

I was there on my trusty old Transalp, and must echo much of what's been said. Marshals were fab, going the extra mile to lend me a battery when I thought all was lost. That helped for about half a lap before going flat too!
The little bike riders were awesome, never giving me any grief, although I am sorry for being the mobile (or not, as the case may be) chicane.
I'm going to try and get round to a full report later, but to the guys I met, the guys who helped, and the guys who didn't mind my being there, thank you all.

Now, all I need are some pannier frames for an '87 'Alp, so the next tent I buy doesn't burn up in the 'bags on the motorway! At least the stove fuel didn't blow...