year's District 15 and AMA National Enduro series...WooHoo!!

First, Thanks to all that supported me in 2008.  It was a tough year with the move and divorce but things are back on track for 2009.

I will be riding TM's in the D15 Enduro Series and competing in a select few National and D14 Enduros as well...the TM is very stable and i like the way it turns...suspension top notch but the motor is just a bit too fast for this old man...i see some chuck stealy flywheel weight in it's future...

I did manage to catch the first National in Sumter, SC...competed AA and had a real blast on a very fast and smooth course...the club did a great job...also...I hear Jason Raines is healing so that is good...

...my friend Cody Mastin is also healing well...I saw him ride for the first time since Nov, 2007 this last w/e at the last D15 State Championship race...Cody was not his usual force...but he was there and it was good to see he and Liz...My race was good...taking a 3rd and a 13th o/a...considering that was the first time I've raced since January...I'm happy with that...

Off to the first points paying D15 Enduro next w/e in Treaty City, Ohio...it should be a real blast...

see you down the trail!!

--troy

Upland 1, Troy 0

 Well boys and girls, I had a tough w/e in the results column coming out of the 2^nd state race with a 9^th.  I did however, get a chance to ride 85 miles of great trail.  The Muddobbers did a wonderful job of routing the course to deal with the extreme dust.  I think we had 9 creek crossings in all…one dry…the rest were not hazardous and just axle deep.

 The first section set the pace for the day and the tempo was smooth and fast…Cody Mastin was in on the row in front of me and Andrew Stokely was on my minute with me…I’d not ridden with these guys in 6 or 7 years so this was good…Andrew got the hole shot on our minute on his 300…I was winding up the 250 to keep up when I blew right through the ribbon on the second turn in the grass track…oh well…I managed to keep it under control enough to keep him in sight once we settled out of the first woods and down the railroad…the railroad bed only allowed for a two rider stagger…then I remembered an old trick my dad showed me and hopped up on the short end of the ties and was able to rip it to the culvert…first section turned out good…but I was slow in warming up…Stokely was gone and all I could was follow the trail of dust…

 Second section was long and sweeping and oh so much fun…15miles of woods, fields and creeks…I was riding well and crashed once when I reminded myself how well I was riding…this is generally when it happens to me…I got that whole pride before the fall thing working itself out in reality doses…good thing I like humble pie…coming out the section I rode behind Cody in the transfer section and I enjoyed watching his lines and use of power…helped my learning curve and kicked me in gear for the balance of the day…thanks Cody…next time when you hear “Cody…Get Out of My Way Cody…” you’ll know who it is…

 Gas was good with the Riders MC guys pitting together…Todd was having a good ride and Kyle was trying his second enduro…looked a little tired at gas but was anxiously looking forward to laying down some good times in the next sections…Jan Warner and his son and son’s friends were working the next check…it was like Jan was the Santa kicked back enjoying a brew and the teenagers were the Elves doing all the work…it was way cool cause when I came in three of them were fighting to see who was going to mark my card…what a hoot…what other sport can get teenagers so excited…I love this game!

 4.8 miles out of gas I pinch flatted while WFO across an open field…I tried to finish the section but couldn’t make anytime through the rocks and creek bottoms…as I wasn’t having any fun fighting the bike, I ended up going back and Jan Warner gave me a heavy duty tube…we changed it out and I jumped back in the finish the ride…

 The balance of the day was a great ride with more good trail…really, it was some of the best trail we rode all year…the last two sections were tougher and the AA section had so many saplings I had no choice but to get whipped into shape…at one point sapling smacked both sides of my helmet so hard my head was ringing like a bell…i fell off the bike 3 times in that last section…very very tough and a good way to end the enduro

 Again, Hammer Nutrition products helped me through the day…I know I would not have been able to ride as hard without them…the main advantage could be seen in my comparative scores…in the morning my scores were consistently 5^th or 6^th in class…in the last section, my score was 3^rd…even with all the crashes…I did their recovery formula right after I got off the bike and felt great once I got home and unloaded…stayed up and could think about training early in the week…nice change

 Thanks go out to the Muddobbers for putting on an AWESOME event…fun was had by all…

 See you down the trail,

 --ts

State Race

Hey there, Hoo there…thanks for dropping by.  The first round of the state race was held on the hottest day in August and July in Indiana…holy cow man…the heat was unbearable and the course tight with no…I mean zero…rest sections on only one reset…man…insanity…the reset wasn’t even where the nudies were (for those that don’t know, our first and last loop is ridden on private property owned by the local nudist colony…uh…yeah…so we got that going for us…) anway, I rode 250A which is historically is a very tough crowd…I’m pretty sure that by the end of the day, our class had two DNFs…people were just stroking out…bad juju…personally…I had a good ride…Fredette took the overall and Kaylor took high point A moving everyone in 250A up one place…I ended up second and was happy to be on the podium for the first time this year…

Once again, I owe a lot to the good folks at Hammer Nutrition…their electrolytes, gels, bars, and recovery formula’s helped me through this one…

See you down the trail.

Ciao,

--troy

Mid-Season Update

Hello and thanks for stopping by.  Mid-season is here and we are having a lot of fun.  My dad got his Super Honda big-bore kit back and he’s going all in…I really don’t understand it as who really needs a 90mph woods bike…but, he will own the corn fields!

Ezra is second in his series, mostly do to an error in timekeeping on my part…I had us scrub around 50sec in the last section only to have us 1m25s late…this was the difference between 1^st and 4^th…ezra got a green (his favorite color) trophy so he was ecstatic…next year, when he has a better command of scoring, I may not get off so easily…at least I’ve still got time to hone my watch and odometer reading skills…

I’m doing better than I would have guessed in 250A this year…it’s my first year back since 2002 and at mid-season, I’m starting to feel comfortable on the bike.  Hammer Nutrition (www.hammernutrition.com) gave some free samples away at the D14 Enduros this year…I horded my free supplements and used them all at the National…it was tough…tight…and long with a fast speed schedule to ensure everyone was dropping points…by the end of the day my odo read over 186miles with resets…however, I only cramped one time…and very very mildly…I’m sold on the electrolytes and gel…works wonders…and helped me finish with a smile on my face…speaking of which…I was awarded Spirit of the Event…this was a great gesture as there were a lot of good riders and good people there…my thanks to the club…and see you next year…

Hey all,

EZ and I rode the 30th annual Pinecone Enduro in April and we had a great time.  It was awesome as my dad and mom came with and we camped and ezra had roasted marshmallows for breakfast.  Not exactly the same breakfast my mom made for dad an I 30yrs ago, but I suppose that all works out in the joys of grandparentdom...oh well...so long as our family is together and we are having fun riding...I’m ok with it!

What I can't believe is that it was 30yrs ago that my dad and I rode the first Pine Cone.  Back then it was a full half Enduro at 50 miles.  Funny how time marches on yet we still seem to be doing the same things...racing bikes and cursing the oil companies.  A few things did change though...this year the event was a 17mile loop and we didn't have to stop and push across the roads...back in the day...we had the full 50 and had to push...up hill...both ways...my my the kids these days have it easy with their air-conditioning, DVDs, and PSPs to entertain them while dear old dad fights spider webs in search of that not too green fire wood...anyway...i digress...

The day was bright and shiny and the trail was good...Ezra and I rode very very well...but didn't have the necessary technique for miles and miles of michigan sand whoops...we zeroed the first check in and check out and brought smiles to the faces of the check crews with our hootin' and hollarin'...the ride was awesome and we saw two grouse on our way to zeroing the next two checks as well...at about mile 9 the trail tightened up and  it was all i could do to keep ezra comfortable and stay on time...as a team, the trail was throwing all we could handle at us when it happened...."uh daddy...i need to tell you something..."...so i backed off the throttle and leaned down to see what little E had to tell me..."I need to go Potty..."  Uh...right now?!  Can you wait a bit?  well...it was an emergency so I told him no worries and pulled up next to a log where I could pull over...i pulled ez up and off the bike and set him on the ground next to me...and so it was...like a race horse...my son...ok...pull em up and back on the bike...quick mileage check and time...we only lost another 90 secs putting us a good 2mins back...the balance of the trail to the next check out was tight and single track including a newly cut section…it was awesome…a few logs and a lot of laughs later, we were able to check out 1 min late…not bad…we were riding very well…ezra was having a blast and I was very happy…

Section three was more of the same…tight flowing single track with lots of shade…no grouse…just one ant hill (with ants…not glasses)…we zeroed the check in and were back on time…this was a great day…couple miles in and ezra had to potty again…wow…what an active bladder…same routine and back on the trial…check out 1min late…we were still having a great day riding better than we have in the past…there were a couple flowing uphills and one rocky downhill…ezra held on and actually enjoyed the variation…my dad passed us on one of the uphills…although I think he was just showing off…regardless…ezra loves it when poppa passes us…

The balance of the trail opened up but we were never able to get back on time and carried the minute through to check out of the event with a 1…All in all we carded a three for the day I was very very pleased and thought we had a great shot at the overall…back to the trailer where my mom had lunch going…this was a great day…

At the awards ceremony, I was disappointed to find two 0's, two 1's, one 2, and then our 3…wow…a sixth…not what I expected but apparently the competition was stiff…I told ezra we did ok and that we would get a trouphy…he proudly stepped up and got our major award…walking full of pride with a smile ear to ear…

We walked back and ezra showed off his trouphy…telling halmuni and poppa all about it…how it was smaller and now we had two trophies…and this one was blue not green…adorable…my dad saw I was taking this a little hard and asked what was on my mind…I said we rode great and I was hoping we would place a little better…ezra came over and said…”Uh Daddy…today was a potty day”…wow…what a kid…I’m truly blessed…

Overall we are second in the series…next event is back to Kalkaska and the summer Pine Cone on Saturday…Sunday is the Jack Pine and I hope to be in condition enough to make an attempt there as well…

Until then…see you down the trail…

--ts

Hear Ye, Hear Ye...the Family Enduro Series has officially begun...

Many thanks go out to the Kankakee Trail Riders for hosting an awesome event...course used some of the past years national trails and a host of new stuff that was both fun and interesting for the riders...

Also, Kudos need to go out to Team Green and Jeff Fredette...Fred had a boat load of green stuff that he felt compelled to give away to the kids as entertainment (ours...not his....I think)...at any rate....it filled up the time between last rider off and the ritual of the handing out of the plastic...Fred had the kids (and oddly enough, parents) in a frenzie over Green stickers, Green Hats, Green shirts, Green bears, etc....I was proud of Ezra who dragged me up to the tent only to dismiss the houpla and drag me around the pits where there were much more interesting things to look at like cow pies, ant hills (not aunt hills), and sticks...oh yes...the joys and simple pleasures of being 3....and 1/2...never a dull moment...after we strolled around the grounds once we found ourselves back at the tent and Jeff was still standing on his quad...this time with lunch boxes and the kids must have been 5 deep all screaming their best guess answers to Fred's Fabulous Enduro Jeopardy...oh yes...the kids were expected to know things like "Who is the current District 15 Enduro Chairman", or "Who was the Dristrict 17 Enduro Champ" or "Who placed third overall in last year's Family Enduro Series"....ah yes...to a hasbeen like myself I found this excercise wonderful and as Ezra dragged me back to the truck for his 3rd can of soda and 7th oreo I was gleaming from the possibility of being immortalized in history via the Prophet Fred...at least for one year anyway...but i digress...

My mom and dad came up to the event to show their support and make sure we were not under nurished...i think my mom fed Ez 3 Cokes, 13 Oreo's, 4 hotdogs, another Coke and then some applesauce...and this was just for lunch...so much for the perfectly timed eating schedule and nutritious bananna's and peanutbutter and honey sandwiches I made...oh well...I realized a while ago that you really can't fight the powers of grandparents...anyway...while ezra was downing his 3rd Coke he saw Jeff open an umbrella...a big green umbrella...this was more than any tired, dusty, over-caffinated 3 yo could handle and a bee line was hence-forth-hence made toward Fred the Jolly Green Jester...i threw down my peanuttbutterhoneybananna sandwich i did my best to keep up with little E whos wheels were but a blur...i eventually caught him in mid air making a leap from some other mom's shoulders in row three toward Fred's outstretched hands...Ez was disappointed and we hung around as Jeff gave out a couple more umbrella's...at three...umbrellas are some of the most fascinating mechanical instruments known to childhood...anyway...we went back into the tent and found our scorecard...we were sitting in thrid whcih i was happy with considering the day we had had...

my dad got lost and started following Sunday's arrows so EZ and I were on our own with no timekeeping equipment and me just trying to ride the pace...i saw a guy with a 17 do his count down before the next possible and then i started my 1-1ooo, 2-1ooo, 3-1ooo...my intent was to count up to min 20 and then try to go into the check...well...historically i count slow so i sped it up a bit in my head trying to compensate...mmm....luckliy, ezra was content to just watch squirlls and pick the sand boogers out of his nose for a bit so all was working out well...58-1ooo, 59-1ooo....time to go...as i reached down to kick it over,  ezra screams at me....daddy daddy....my eyes....my eyes....i quickly look only to find that his goggles had slipped and the fuzzy sweat catching foam was pressing sweet salty sweat into his precious little eyeballs....ouch...ok...so 23 seconds later we were back to kicking it over and getting on down the trail....braaap.....braaapp.....round the next corner and there is the big green and white E...man oh man....we almost zeroed...5 secs off at 20m25s....awsome...it was a good day....at the reset we found poppa and all was right in little E's universe as we had our timekeeper extrodinaire back with us...

ez got bored during the 10m reset so we begain riding around cow trailling and seeing what fun we could have just bombing up and down...eventually poppa gave us the thumbs up and we could continue on on our min...several people in front of us were a little off the pace...so...ez and i found the best possbile route around...all while maintaining the require 25ft from an arrow at any given time...we blazed trail and made up time and were smiling ear to ear...oh what fun...braappp...brraaaappp.....uh-oh...we did get hung up on one log that high-centered the bike...ez asked me why i stopped...uh....good question...wanna Coke?  OK...not really...he stayed on the bike and i eased the throttle on and rocked him over the log and off we went...zero...zero....zero...we had a great day going...next E check we were almost early and picked up 23s more...still we were riding well and i was very happy...ezra was loving being out in the woods and i was amazed at his endurance....

we checked in to the last section with a zero...picked up 20s at the E check in the middle and then it was on the gas to the finish...the grass track was the final test and it was awesome....it was ezra's favorite part and he was ginggling and screaming faster faster faster...ok..3rd gear....all laughs....4th gear and a woohoo....life is grand...i'm like riding at 80% true enduro pace and we are just having a real blast...sliding both wheels through turns and getting sideways on the gas through the exits...i wonder what the other preschoolers did this weekend???

Jeff must have laid out the grass track because the dead last thing before the check out was a giant spiril...4th gear in.....then 3rd....the 2nd....then 1st for the flip-flop and back out again....this was something I first saw at the Polish ISDE and it has always stuck in my head...so much so my dad and I cut one out behind the barn to practice on...this was awesome...ez and i were whooping and holarin' and just goin' for it...uh oh...the check out...whooops.....we blew it...4mins early...8pts...there went our 0m48s out the window...oh well...we still had a great time...and that 4mins could never take away the dusty permagirns...

ok...now back to Fred...you see....up until ez met Fred...green was just a color...it was his favorite color and that's really all that mattered about green....as such, we have a green helmet, green pants, green shirt....you get the picture...it's a definite theme with ezra to the point that i went out and bought a kdx for us to trail around on...Fred sent us some parts...we put them on...bike worked well...and all was good...or so i thought...my dad's motor didn't make it back from Thumper so i lent him the kdx thinking he and ez would ride together...my dad opted out as he didn't feel safe as he wasn't familure with the bike...so...ez and i rode my bike....after some talking and pleading and a promise to ride the green bike later...all was good...which was great....cause everyone knows orange is faster than green...

well....or so i thought...turns out Fred is a Genius sent her from Mars to turn all little kids into future KDX pilots...Fred brought back out the Kawasaki lunch boxes and EZ went nuts...off the charts..."Daddy...shoulders" was the comand...go go go....so to the front I went went went...jeff was holding a lunch box and taking to the kids on the other side when Fred says something that associates Team 'Green' and Kawasaki....a light goes off in my 3 year old's head and the next thing you know....

....i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki

....i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki

....i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki...i love kawasaki

...holy cow....jeff is like the pied pipper leading all these kids to edge of their local kawasaki dealerships...my word...this is going to be expensive...at any rate...jeff is a true gentlemen and a real value to the sport...

next weekend...the spring pine cone enduro and tree planting...

see you down the trail..

--troy

Hey there, Hello there...

I got a chance to ride this w/e...first ride on the 250 and it's great to be back on a 2stk...i put in about 70 easy miles on saturday just breaking things in...i've not riden a stock ktm 250 in about 15yrs...you know...either i'm getting soft in my old age or these things really are getting better...the suspension was like a magic carpet ride and the handling was nice...the power easy yet responsive and in the fields, i found my self realing in the big 4stks once the katoom came on the pipe and let it's legs stretch...i must say...i'm less tired after 2hrs on this bike than i am after 2hrs on the 450...much much appreciated...the overall experience was plush...and i liked it...my tush is a bit tender...so i'm thinking about one of alan's soft seats...man...am i really served better by this silky smoothness...sad but true...the time's they are a chaaaain...a....gin......

anyway...the ride was good...rain settled the sand so there was no dust and the corners burmed up nice...the plymouth blackhawks laid out a nice fast flowing course that had three tight enduro type sections and three grass tracks...it really was a nice ride for the season opener...a couple of places were a bit boggy and the spectators and club memebers pitched in to minimize the number of stuck riders...a few riders fell out but all in all, the course held up well...

now...for the race report...we were all out of shape...unless of course you count round as a shape...which or course...it technically is...the heat was not a factor as luckily there was a breeze...sun was out...and the fast sections let us catch a breath...which we all needed as no one was riding on the pipe for more than 1-2 miles at a time...the white flag was thrown at about the fifth rider...so we all figured we had minimum one more lap when the checkers came out...stokely took the overall and the win in Hvy A...thrasher took second and won Vet A...the rest...including yours truly...were also rans...

can't wait for ride number 2...

...see you down the trail

--troy

070218 - Two wheels...once again