Here in Michigan the weather has been warm. Warm enough to go riding, so I've been taking advantage of it. Sunday it was about 50 degrees, Monday it was about 45. It's been about maybe 1 month to 1 and a half since I have been on the bike so I kind of had to get used to it again, but after the first lap on our track I felt like I hadn't taken time off. It was nice being able to ride, hopefully we don't get any snow or rain for awhile. I can't even watch a supercross or GNCC on TV without getting the itch to ride. If the weather holds up, it will be a short off-season, which is a good thing.
In the meantime, I've been running and lifting weights every other day, mostly working on my arms, shoulders chest, back, and legs. I've also been running a mile and go up a quarter mile every week so I'm up to a mile and a half. I'm trying to ride my mountain bike either down the road for a few miles, or down on the trails behind our house too.
Hopefully wherever you are it's nice and warm, but either way, Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Last Man Standing race report by Stephen Edmondson
We left Virginia on Wednesday and went from 70 degrees and sunny to 20 degrees and snowing in Texas. Because of the weather, a lot of riders were late in getting to the race and they canceled the qualifier so we just got to do some practicing on the qualifier track on Friday. The terrain on Friday was the exact opposite of what we raced on Saturday.
The race started off with me kicking my bike twice and I was pretty much last off of the start of 137 riders. I tried to pass as many people as I could right off the bat. The first few miles were pretty chaotic with bottlenecks around every turn, even on the down hills. I worked my way through most of them fairly easy and made my way up into the top 25, maybe 3 miles into the race. We then came to a real bad rocky, switch back hill, where me and a few other riders had to team up to carry our bikes through since no outside help was allowed this year. After that, it was pretty much one hill after another. It really took a toll on everyone and their bikes. People were dropping like flies. I made it to the first gas which was just 17 miles in and stopped to fill up my camel back, bike, and radiator. By the time I made it to Joshua tree, which was the first spectator point, I think I had made it up to around 11th place and I was still feeling pretty good, considering. However, my bike was taking a beating and I had no rear fender at this point from launching my bike up the hills and watching it land. The next 5 or 6 miles were pretty demanding, with lots of gully's and drop offs. I made it with no real problems to the next gas stop which was around 27 miles. I stopped and took a break for some water and talked to a course worker. I did not need gas to get to the finish so I took off for some more fun.
Bills woods were next and this was the easier part of the trail, I guess. it was 6 miles of good tight enduro trail. I started to get my second wind at this point, which I realized I needed when I arrived at the triple threat. It was tough. I could not even attempt the first hill until I helped a guy on a Honda get to the top and then I made it to the top of the first hill. I'll be honest, after that its all pretty much a blur. It must have been a good 30 minutes of pushing and pulling to make it through triple threat. All I really remember is the spectators screaming and the cameras flashing.
Next up was Texas stadium which was not quite as bad, but still took a lot of pushing. After that there was maybe 2 miles to the finish. They had a helicopter there to shoot video of us and it felt like it was 10 foot over my head right until the end of the first lap, which I managed to finish in 5th place. As soon as I finished I crashed to the grass until I was told to go into the motor home to stay warm and change. My pit crew jumped on the bike and took control getting it ready for the night. At this point, all I wanted was a full body massage, but I settled for a hot shower, dry clothes, and lots of blankets. I had an hour and a half to recoup.
So many people pitched in to get me ready for the night, I honestly dont even know who to thank.
The night race started with 11 riders and I was lucky enough to be one of them. We ran in reverse this time and everything was going fine until I arrived back at triple threat. The triple threat was at the beginning this time because because we were going backwards. Pretty much everyone was stuck, so I left my bike a the bottom of the hill and went to help others. After I helped get everyone else going, only Nick Fahringer, and Chris Smith left. The other riders went on so it was just us three left behind to fend for ourselves. By this time the clutch was slipping really badly in my bike, but we all made it to the gas stop which was at about the 8 mile mark. When we got to the check, we were advised by a course worker to go back to the pits. Our race was over and that was the end to a long long night.
The worst part? Having to wait a year to get another crack at the course.
I can't wait.
Stephen
The race started off with me kicking my bike twice and I was pretty much last off of the start of 137 riders. I tried to pass as many people as I could right off the bat. The first few miles were pretty chaotic with bottlenecks around every turn, even on the down hills. I worked my way through most of them fairly easy and made my way up into the top 25, maybe 3 miles into the race. We then came to a real bad rocky, switch back hill, where me and a few other riders had to team up to carry our bikes through since no outside help was allowed this year. After that, it was pretty much one hill after another. It really took a toll on everyone and their bikes. People were dropping like flies. I made it to the first gas which was just 17 miles in and stopped to fill up my camel back, bike, and radiator. By the time I made it to Joshua tree, which was the first spectator point, I think I had made it up to around 11th place and I was still feeling pretty good, considering. However, my bike was taking a beating and I had no rear fender at this point from launching my bike up the hills and watching it land. The next 5 or 6 miles were pretty demanding, with lots of gully's and drop offs. I made it with no real problems to the next gas stop which was around 27 miles. I stopped and took a break for some water and talked to a course worker. I did not need gas to get to the finish so I took off for some more fun.
Bills woods were next and this was the easier part of the trail, I guess. it was 6 miles of good tight enduro trail. I started to get my second wind at this point, which I realized I needed when I arrived at the triple threat. It was tough. I could not even attempt the first hill until I helped a guy on a Honda get to the top and then I made it to the top of the first hill. I'll be honest, after that its all pretty much a blur. It must have been a good 30 minutes of pushing and pulling to make it through triple threat. All I really remember is the spectators screaming and the cameras flashing.
Next up was Texas stadium which was not quite as bad, but still took a lot of pushing. After that there was maybe 2 miles to the finish. They had a helicopter there to shoot video of us and it felt like it was 10 foot over my head right until the end of the first lap, which I managed to finish in 5th place. As soon as I finished I crashed to the grass until I was told to go into the motor home to stay warm and change. My pit crew jumped on the bike and took control getting it ready for the night. At this point, all I wanted was a full body massage, but I settled for a hot shower, dry clothes, and lots of blankets. I had an hour and a half to recoup.
So many people pitched in to get me ready for the night, I honestly dont even know who to thank.
The night race started with 11 riders and I was lucky enough to be one of them. We ran in reverse this time and everything was going fine until I arrived back at triple threat. The triple threat was at the beginning this time because because we were going backwards. Pretty much everyone was stuck, so I left my bike a the bottom of the hill and went to help others. After I helped get everyone else going, only Nick Fahringer, and Chris Smith left. The other riders went on so it was just us three left behind to fend for ourselves. By this time the clutch was slipping really badly in my bike, but we all made it to the gas stop which was at about the 8 mile mark. When we got to the check, we were advised by a course worker to go back to the pits. Our race was over and that was the end to a long long night.
The worst part? Having to wait a year to get another crack at the course.
I can't wait.
Stephen
Endurocross '06 race report by Stephen Edmondson
It was an interesting weekend, but it was a good time and a learning experience for sure. My flight was early out of North Carolina which meant that I had to get up and head out around 3AM. We landed in Vegas on Friday morning before lunch and went straight to the Orleans to check-in with KTM's Bret Harden and get to work on the bike I would be riding. Turns out it was a 250 XCF-W that was fresh off a demo ride. I haven't ridden a four-stroke before but was looking forward to it, because I have heard great things about the 250's. After bolting on my FLEXX bars, EE handguards and mounting up a trials tire for the rear, I took it out for a spin in the parking lot - the only area we could test in. The jetting was way too lean and we decided we'd come early and work on it some more. The qualifiers were still going on so we went in and watched some of the heats for a bit, then back to the pits to clean up and put the bike away. After that, we headed out to the hotel which was an adventure in itself because we were a bit farther away than we thought. But after checking in and a quick shower, Marc and I headed to the strip. We were in Vegas after all and I had never been there. So now, after being up since 3 AM and all the running around, we grabbed a bite at the Venetian and walked the strip a bit. By 11PM Vegas time, we were done for. Back to the hotel and a good night's sleep. Trouble is, my body was still on Virginia time and I was up way too early. After laying there for awhile, we got up, grabbed breakfast and headed back to the Orleans. We pulled the bike out and started to work on it for quite a while with Bart Hayes from PG who has a ton of experience dialing them in. Trouble was, we couldn't find the right jets, so we switched bikes and parts and I ended up on a 450 SX . We went out for the track walk and I got to see it up close for the first time. The track was awesome looking. Next up was the sighting lap and qualifying. Went out and the bike ran well but on the sighting lap I stalled it in the big rock section and took a few seconds to get it going again. I made it through the rest of the sighting lap and waited to qualify. Since we were all in the night program it wasn't qualifying as much as seeding for gate picks and heats. On my timed lap, I stalled it twice, again on the rocks and over the log on the start straight. It took too long to get going again and I ended up with the last gate pick. Back to the pits and after talking a bit, Bret Harden offered up a 250XC-W to ride which I was more familiar with. So we quickly got it dialed in and waited for the night program. During that time it was great to get around and meet up with a bunch of folks - sponsors and other riders. After a really long wait, it was time to get dressed for introductions and the opening cermonies. After all the introductions, things got going quickly. I was in the second heat and the last pick turns out really wasn't all that bad. I lined up in the second row right behind the top 2 qualifiers in my heat. When the gate dropped, I took it easy, went wide, and cut back inside and ended up mid-pack. I took it easy and didn't really push it, taking it more like practice, but still ended up 4th. In the second heat, I got pretty much the same start I got in the first heat, but was as high as 3rd. A small bobble on the last lap, and I think I finshed 4th or 5th. They only took the top 2 out of each heat, so it was off to the LCQ. In the LCQ, I got an okay start but not as good as the earlier heats and it was a tough to move up to a qualifying spot. After the LCQ, they took us in back and threw lights on real quick. Baja Designs had these cool battery powered kits and we lined up for a quick 4 lap exhibition race in the dark!. Even though they turned out the lights, it wasn't as dark as I thought it would be, and was actually really cool. When that was done, we took the lights off, went to the truck to change and clean up some, then ran back in and watched the main. Once that ended, we ran back, finished putting everything away, and headed for the airport for a 12:45AM flight back to Virginia. I got a little bit of sleep on the plane, but not really enough, so I was happy when I finally made it home. It was a whirlwind weekend and a great learning experience for sure.
I really wasn't used to the short races, but it was definately exciting. If you haven't gone, whether you ride or watch, you should come out. It was awesome. You know, the weekend went by so fast, between working on bikes and having the races so tight together, I didn't really know what was going on. I had like 6 hours of sleep in 3 days. But, hopefully next year, I can take what I learned and qualify for the main.
Thanks to everybody that helped out on this trip. Everybody at KTM - especially Bret Harden for letting us pit out of his box van and making us feel at home, Roxanne at Moose, Marc Heim, Bart Hayes and PG, Enduro Engineering, Cole with FASST Co for the Flexx bars, David with Maxxis, and Bevo and Kristin with Scott goggles.
Next up, Last Man Standing in Texas. I'm looking forward to that one. It sounds fun.
Stephen
I really wasn't used to the short races, but it was definately exciting. If you haven't gone, whether you ride or watch, you should come out. It was awesome. You know, the weekend went by so fast, between working on bikes and having the races so tight together, I didn't really know what was going on. I had like 6 hours of sleep in 3 days. But, hopefully next year, I can take what I learned and qualify for the main.
Thanks to everybody that helped out on this trip. Everybody at KTM - especially Bret Harden for letting us pit out of his box van and making us feel at home, Roxanne at Moose, Marc Heim, Bart Hayes and PG, Enduro Engineering, Cole with FASST Co for the Flexx bars, David with Maxxis, and Bevo and Kristin with Scott goggles.
Next up, Last Man Standing in Texas. I'm looking forward to that one. It sounds fun.
Stephen
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Jordan Mapes
Hi, I'm Jordan Mapes, I'm 14 years old and live in Bay City, Michigan. If you don't know that's right on the Saginaw Bay. I've been racing many years now and here are some of my past accomplishments in the District 14 Hare scrambles series...
- 2006 2 hour "X" Class (125cc class, 13-17 years old)
- 2005 "J" Class Champion (1 hour, 85cc class, 12-15 year olds),
- 2004 "J" Class Champion (1 hour, 85cc class, 7-11 year olds.)
- 2003 "P" Class (1 hour 65cc class, 7-11 years old).
I'm looking forward to having another fun year of racing. I have to say thanks to my dad Joe Mapes, my mom LuAnn, and other family members, then Marc for making a dream come true, Leroy Keen for teaching me a lot of stuff and letting us come riding with you. Congratulations Chris and Stephen.
