Hard Enduro... Time to Die !!!
Discussion
So in October, I shall mostly be in hospital after undertaking my first (and likely last) hard enduro..
The Gnarden Hard Enduro has become a bit of a fixture amongst the masochist society in Ontario, with only 10 out of 70 starters finishing last years event.
It's held on private land, across 500 acres of rugged terrain on the Canadian shield where we do some trials events. Think Scottish pine forests, granite edifaces and huge rock formations, loamy, muddy soil and water logged sections from the never ending lakes, streams and moose p!ss...
being October and Canadia, rain is a 110% certainty as is copious amounts of pain killers, gatorade and tears/snot and tantrums...apparently, as I get older I get less clevererer.
A tiny taster..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2831209867198075/p...
It was nice being here and to the few of you I met in person...Sayonara!
The Gnarden Hard Enduro has become a bit of a fixture amongst the masochist society in Ontario, with only 10 out of 70 starters finishing last years event.
It's held on private land, across 500 acres of rugged terrain on the Canadian shield where we do some trials events. Think Scottish pine forests, granite edifaces and huge rock formations, loamy, muddy soil and water logged sections from the never ending lakes, streams and moose p!ss...
being October and Canadia, rain is a 110% certainty as is copious amounts of pain killers, gatorade and tears/snot and tantrums...apparently, as I get older I get less clevererer.
A tiny taster..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2831209867198075/p...
It was nice being here and to the few of you I met in person...Sayonara!
airsafari87 said:
Much respect, how some of those guys do what they do on a bike is beyond me.
To make matters worse, there's apparently no bypass routes around the gnarly stuff.The format is a single loop within a given time period. Anyone who achieves that goes forward to the golden loop race off against the clock, like a TT start....
So I'm taking my bike and gear and a comfy chair and lots of snacks and tea and coffee and biscuits and cakes incase the inevitable retirement happens.
I used to do these and some 10 hour enduro / ironamn stuff. Couple of tips that helped me, concentrate on not falling off, rather than ultimate pace. Used to be great seeing the lads go hairing off lap one like it was a Moto, and then say an hour in, they are in the bushes, or down a bank, and you just cruise on by and never see them again!
In fact, try to stay on the bike as much as you can, I stay aboard during pitstops refuelling etc, as 8 hours into a 10 hour enduro, swinging your leg back on a 450 MX bike will have hips cramping like a b
d til the end of the race!
Get an onboard hands free drinking system, bite valve through helmet chin guard mesh and plenty of isotonic drink. Theres a few available, I use USWE packs and valves, seem reliable. Amazing what a difference that makes to your overall performance. Reckon on about a litre an hour or so, more if it is on the warmer side, so buy a bladder pack of a suitable size and swap them out at pitstops as required.
Enjoy it. I used to sound like I had tourettes a couple of days after, walking down the stairs! Extraordinarily hard on your body, but a proper laugh at the time!
In fact, try to stay on the bike as much as you can, I stay aboard during pitstops refuelling etc, as 8 hours into a 10 hour enduro, swinging your leg back on a 450 MX bike will have hips cramping like a b
d til the end of the race!Get an onboard hands free drinking system, bite valve through helmet chin guard mesh and plenty of isotonic drink. Theres a few available, I use USWE packs and valves, seem reliable. Amazing what a difference that makes to your overall performance. Reckon on about a litre an hour or so, more if it is on the warmer side, so buy a bladder pack of a suitable size and swap them out at pitstops as required.
Enjoy it. I used to sound like I had tourettes a couple of days after, walking down the stairs! Extraordinarily hard on your body, but a proper laugh at the time!
poo at Paul's said:
I used to do these and some 10 hour enduro / ironamn stuff. Couple of tips that helped me, concentrate on not falling off, rather than ultimate pace. Used to be great seeing the lads go hairing off lap one like it was a Moto, and then say an hour in, they are in the bushes, or down a bank, and you just cruise on by and never see them again!
In fact, try to stay on the bike as much as you can, I stay aboard during pitstops refuelling etc, as 8 hours into a 10 hour enduro, swinging your leg back on a 450 MX bike will have hips cramping like a bd til the end of the race!
Get an onboard hands free drinking system, bite valve through helmet chin guard mesh and plenty of isotonic drink. Theres a few available, I use USWE packs and valves, seem reliable. Amazing what a difference that makes to your overall performance. Reckon on about a litre an hour or so, more if it is on the warmer side, so buy a bladder pack of a suitable size and swap them out at pitstops as required.
Enjoy it. I used to sound like I had tourettes a couple of days after, walking down the stairs! Extraordinarily hard on your body, but a proper laugh at the time!
Doing enduro's back in South Africa, it was possible to refresh and fill up the hydrapack on each loop as you swung past the pits. This event, there's a single loop, no repetition unless you get through the first loop time limit. So anything you need needs to be on the bike at the off. Hopefully the Canadian weather in October will be mild but who knows... wet would be a nightmare as would warm weather... In fact, try to stay on the bike as much as you can, I stay aboard during pitstops refuelling etc, as 8 hours into a 10 hour enduro, swinging your leg back on a 450 MX bike will have hips cramping like a b
d til the end of the race!Get an onboard hands free drinking system, bite valve through helmet chin guard mesh and plenty of isotonic drink. Theres a few available, I use USWE packs and valves, seem reliable. Amazing what a difference that makes to your overall performance. Reckon on about a litre an hour or so, more if it is on the warmer side, so buy a bladder pack of a suitable size and swap them out at pitstops as required.
Enjoy it. I used to sound like I had tourettes a couple of days after, walking down the stairs! Extraordinarily hard on your body, but a proper laugh at the time!
I'm fully expecting to be in a level of pain i've never experienced before as I'm abit out of practice and not as bike fit as was... but f#ck it, in for a penny and all that
lesson learnt from days in SA.... take the pain drugs BEFORE you start and at intervals through the day. Combined with energy food/bars and hydration you can fool yourself into feeling like Superman.... the payback comes 2 days later
I really enjoy the hard enduro stuff, done a couple of H&H this year and also the 6hr dawn2dusk, I really hit the carbs for a few days before the event, event day I take on plenty of electrolytes and lots of salty snacks, really makes a difference to my endurance and cramps which I use to suffer really badly with on the bike.
One thing I can’t get use to is arm fatigue, not arm pump but just running out of strength, just need to man up a bit I think!!
One thing I can’t get use to is arm fatigue, not arm pump but just running out of strength, just need to man up a bit I think!!
poo at Paul's said:
Steve Bass said:
.... the payback comes 2 days later
yup....That time when it hurts so much it actually makes you laugh Always the same .
Good luck by the way .
Last proper enduro I did was several years ago in South Africa...
4 laps with pit stops so able to refuel and recharge.
Lap 1.... too tense, to stiff
Lap 2... getting there, relaxing and breathing well.
Lap 3... tired to the point where I'm really relaxed and the bike can do whatever it wants without my interference.
Lap 4. Should of stopped after Lap 3
This is going to be interesting to say the least..... not expecting much but going for the laugh. Ha bloody ha...
4 laps with pit stops so able to refuel and recharge.
Lap 1.... too tense, to stiff
Lap 2... getting there, relaxing and breathing well.
Lap 3... tired to the point where I'm really relaxed and the bike can do whatever it wants without my interference.
Lap 4. Should of stopped after Lap 3
This is going to be interesting to say the least..... not expecting much but going for the laugh. Ha bloody ha...
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