Great Piney Woods Enduro

By

Norman Delamar

The weather was perfect with a low in the mid 40's and a high forecast for near 70…The ground was very dry with a calm wind……It was going to be dusty.

Everyone except the Womens class rode the entire course - 97 miles minus resets - leaving 69 miles. After the start, my row rode out to a thick wooded area and waited one-tenth from the possible. We went into the tees on time and came out 20 seconds into my minute after going just that .1 miles to the check. Then it got really tight - it was the tightest section I had ever ridden. I doubt if I averaged 10 mph. It seemed like you were in those woods forever. I came out of it 5 minutes down and dropped 3 more minutes before the checkout. A reset put everyone back on time and we kept time for a couple of miles and then had a check-in into a gravel pit/mogul area. This is an interesting area where you are constantly going over blind hills on a twisting/turning trail. There are few trees but the trail is narrow with lots of dropoffs if you don't hold a good line. The checkout came and I was 9 minutes down.

Another reset, then we rode to gas, went down a paved road for a few miles, then back into the woods feeling refreshed after those two hard test sections earlier. Then we did timekeeping for a few miles at 20 mph and it was very dusty. Then another check-in with another long test section that was fairly open and would have been fast and fun except that it was whoop-de-do city the entire way. Try it on a XR 400, then laugh at the 11 minutes I dropped at the checkout…… Another reset, then gas #2. Real tired, hope we ride easy back to camp. No such luck. We turned off the road after a few miles then a little timekeeping. A check-in check and oh no!!! Another maze. Not as tight as the first one but tight and hard to follow. Killed my motor once, did a 360 and went backwards on the trail about a minutes worth. Dropped 13 points at the checkout and yes, I be squid….. They don't have a known finish check. They just said the race is over and go back to camp. I did….

My 42 points were good for second place. First place dropped 41. I just hate it when I get out sandbagged. This was a hard race. There were 4 test sections and all had a makeable check-in with a checkout. The turnout was about 250 - with very few Texas riders. There were probably less than 20. No TSCEC officials. Hope Sabine points get back to Vernon.

There was some whining after the race, especially that the first test section was too tight. It WAS harder that most short courses but I thought it was a fair race with well placed checkpoints.