Ringwood race reports

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
I'm curious to see what others thought of the race. I wasn't in the kind of shape I was for the previous races and it showed, but still I thought that was the most difficult race in the H2H calendar in the 2 years I've been doing the series. It was just brutal for me -- my head checked out around a half hour after my body started begging for forgiveness, and I lost my nerve to attack any of the gardens. Tough, tough course.
The good points:I finished
and
Outside of a late (Sport) start I thought the race was run really well. Great job RVCC.
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I have only ever raced lewis morris and kittatiny this year, so this was by far the toughest course for me. This was also the first time I have ever ran sport, that second lap was rough. I was doing ok until getting to the uphill switch backs for the second time, after that I was wiped. One of the rock gardens I tried blasting into, but wound up sticking my front tire and going for a flip. (I apoligize for the foul language that im sure everyone in the state heard, lol) Then after the going over the log bridge at the end on lap two I hit a tree with my shoulder and almost had a giant yard sale. Cant believe I saved it. Despite some problems, I still got 4th in sport 30-34. For my 3rd race and my 1st sport race, im pretty happy.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
Sweet! Sounds like it was an awesome time! The most fun has yet to come...Blue mtn...
 

Suhr40

New Member
Hey Justin, it was good to see you today, and good luck with your addition (sleep now). We spoke about the course and I definately agree. This one hurt. I don't normally mind some technical sections, but the first lap for me was brutal partly because I was stuck in traffic at each lumpy hill. I like when they start the SS guys first and we can hog the whole trail. Otherwise really good, well run race and it was nice to see everyone.
Oh, and during the sport race, someone bit it hard enough to get a helicopter ride to the hospital. They ended up removing the "Sport/Expert" section for the expert race.
 

kush

Active Member
good

Its hard to have a frame of reference as it was my first race, but I thought the course was a good one - challenging without being unfair.

Amazing how the course soaked up the water - like a sponge.

Avoided not one but two pileups right in front of me, and my butt didn't hit the ground once.

Took 3rd in my class, so a pretty good day overall.
 

MixMastaMM

Team Bulldog Rider
Great job today RVCC, the course was awesome and I had a blast!! I got dropped at the start, as usual, but stuck to my game plan and had an awesome race. Wound up 4th in my age group, best finish this year. The last quater of the lap is killer, it totally saped all of my power. I was right behind the guy that crashed on the bridge just before Renegade. It looked like he tried going through the dried up stream but caught a root and crashed hard. In speaking with someone on Sids, they said his wheel got caught, spun the bars toward him and he took the bars to the chest. The extra loop may have been cut out so they could get an ambulance back to him. I hope he turns out ok.
 

Mare

Well-Known Member
Oh, and during the sport race, someone bit it hard enough to get a helicopter ride to the hospital. They ended up removing the "Sport/Expert" section for the expert race.

Anyone know what happened to him? Poor guy!

Did they remove the extra section just for the expert class? I was at the end of the sport (women's) and I still rode it. I didn't get to preride it, so I was worried, but I thought the extra (and the whole course) was awesome. I cramped pretty good for the whole 2nd lap, got stuck on some stupid stuff, and contemplated crawling back, but I still managed to get 3rd in my class. Yay!

Glad I went, considering I thought the rain would have really screwed up the course. Glad so many others made it out too!
 

mfennell

Well-Known Member
IOne of the rock gardens I tried blasting into, but wound up sticking my front tire and going for a flip. (I apoligize for the foul language that im sure everyone in the state heard, lol)
I may have seen that. Someone in front of me had a glorious over the top flying W on the first lap of the Sport race. It was a thing of beauty.

As my first NORBA race in about 12 years, I'm not sure what I expected but I did NOT expect to be standing on the side of the trail 0.5 miles from the end with crushing can't-do-anything-but-stand-bolt-upright leg cramps. They struck on the last itty bitty little kicker before heading down towards the finish and 10 people rode by before I could get moving again. What a bitch. I really wasn't even pushing that hard. sigh...

I also learned that my roadie-weakling upper body was not the ticket in the rock gardens by lap two. :) I could handle most of them fresh but after an hour or so I was a mess. I may finally listen to my wife and start lifting again.
 

warcricket

Like a Jerk
i'm really surprised how well ringwood drains.

my legs charlie horsed right out of the starting line :(

the course was super fun, but started taking it's tole on me by the end of the second lap.

i saw the guy who went down by the bridge. I must have just missed the crash, because they were just started calling for help.

came in 4th.
 

DownhillR3

Well-Known Member
Well, this race was by far my worst XC race, all my fault though. Didn't ride any XC since the Bulldog race, just alittle to pre-occupied with the Downhill Racing, whoops. About 20 minutes into the first lap, I knew things weren't going to be good. Which was followed by getting stuck in a long line of the older Sport guys walking up the switchbacks and that's where I lost the leader. Second lap was basically my legs pedaling but my mind elsewhere (but did notice that guys down by the small creek as well). Best part of the course was the bridge at the end of the course & all the rocks...still too much fireroad type riding for me!:D Got 3rd?

Can't wait to see the pictures and video.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
They didn't cut the course...

The ran the full loop for the Experts. And what a loop it was:D Definitely one of the harder courses, not so much fitness wise, but the rocks started to creep into you after a while. Good times, good times. My head wasn't in it at all today, I just rolled around the course and let everyone pass me, I mean EVERYONE. Even Ben and Will passed me, sheesh. Thank god I got a free shirt. Oh, and how about how friggin' DRY it was? That was crazy. Where did the water go? The ground must be made with Sham-WOW:D

-Jim.
 

CrossAddict

New Member
What a great day!

The course couldn't have been any better by the time (and it was awhile) the experts went off. BTW I hope that guy is O.K. I heard they took him out in a helicopter. After a summer a VTC (Vernon Training Camp) I was all set for the race. I tried to hold back a little until the SS Expert pack hit the longer second climb. Then it was full gas. I felt real good and the miles this summer helped a bunch. I think my second lap was my fastest. I went up some of the short climbs faster than I've ridden them in the past. I'm not sure if the times posted afterwards were finishing times or a deduction was made for starting position. This was the first time the SS experts went at the back. It wasn't bad, since there were lots of 'carrots' to chase. Thank you to anyone who let me by as I was moving through the field. Everyone was super about letting riders through. Just another reason MTBing kicks ass. Great day, good people, colorful t-shirt, and a sweet course. Thanks RVCC :D

-r to the f
 

graveyardman67

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I have to say this was my toughest race of the season; even harder than Mt Washington. When I passed Vreeland I felt like I was ready to pull over and order a burger and beer - believe it. I just felt like I was trying so hard but could never go fast. Fortunately my head never quits - just kept pedaling. I might add it was nice to actually see R to the F on the race course - too bad he was passing me on the first lap and I had 2 minute head start (at least). I think I have to get into that VTC deal next year. This is a tough course, but I do love it. Thanks to all the RVCC people (esp. Art, Ellen and Jim - those are the ones I know). I overheard someone at the awards saying they talked to the guy that went down - he was awake and waiting to get x-rays; so that sounds positive. Prayers none the less.
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
CrossAddict said:
I tried to hold back a little until the SS Expert pack hit the longer second climb. Then it was full gas.

Just as you went full gas, I ran into the back of someone and it opened my front Quick Release. Took just a second to fix but I lost momentum and a couple spots. I never saw you again. Would not have mattered anyway. I may have just kept you in sight longer. :eek:

I took 3rd in the Expert SS class. I got a shirt, a medal, and some gas money Whoop Whoop!!! I like to bring the hardware home to the kids.
 

RNG1

Well-Known Member
First off best wishes to all the injured, I also saw a woman in the tent with a head bandage. Hope everyone is ok. Fortunately all my injuries this race season I was able to exit on my own.
It is actually a little comforting to read a lot of the responses as this course just kicked my butt. At first I figured it was due to being out with a cast on my hand since the last race and I haven't done any significant off road riding, and despite all the road riding it did not carry over in this kind of terrain. The funny part was when I made the spontaneous decision to grab the hole shot for the first time in history and then quickly imploded at the first set of climbs. I had a really tough time with the all the rock stuff and my hand was just throbbing, there was a point in the 2nd lap that I could barely hold the bars and forget even trying to use the brake with that hand. However, no excuses I must say that even if I were super healthy I don't think this course played to my better strengths, I just could not get a flow going for any long stretch and it seemed that when I finally did it was time to hike again. For the first time I resigned to just getting through without any further injury and just try to have a good time if that was possible(this might have actually been the first race all season that I didn't go down even for something minor- so there's an accomplishment). Alex, thanks for the 2nd lap incentive as I had some minor energy boost when I caught you twice but then you managed to ride away while I hiked the rocks. Looking forward to seeing what an idiot I must have looked like from your helmet cam at the start as I kept looking back wondering why no one was keeping up.
Thanks for all the great hard work of all the good RVCC people for putting on the event, cool shirts, and also a little thanks to mother nature for a beautiful day… think about how hard that course could have been had the weather sucked!...
 

RNG1

Well-Known Member
First off best wishes to all the injured, I also saw a woman in the tent with a head bandage. Hope everyone is ok. Fortunately all my injuries this race season I was able to exit on my own.
It is actually a little comforting to read a lot of the responses as this course just kicked my butt. At first I figured it was due to being out with a cast on my hand since the last race and I haven't done any significant off road riding, and despite all the road riding it did not carry over in this kind of terrain. The funny part was when I made the spontaneous decision to grab the hole shot for the first time in history and then quickly imploded at the first set of climbs. I had a really tough time with the all the rock stuff and my hand was just throbbing, there was a point in the 2nd lap that I could barely hold the bars and forget even trying to use the brake with that hand. However, no excuses I must say that even if I were super healthy I don't think this course played to my better strengths, I just could not get a flow going for any long stretch and it seemed that when I finally did it was time to hike again. For the first time I resigned to just getting through without any further injury and just try to have a good time if that was possible(this might have actually been the first race all season that I didn't go down even for something minor- so there's an accomplishment, got home without even a scratch!). Alex, thanks for the 2nd lap incentive as I had some minor energy boost when I caught you twice but then you managed to ride away while I hiked the rocks. Looking forward to seeing what an idiot I must have looked like from your helmet cam at the start as I kept looking back wondering why no one was keeping up.
Thanks for all the great hard work of all the good RVCC people for putting on the event, cool shirts, and also a little thanks to mother nature for a beautiful day… think about how hard that course could have been had the weather sucked!...
 
Quality Racers

Hello Everyone:
As I see these races, I think New Jersey has the top of the cream of mountain bikers in the nation. From beginners to Experts/Pros we got storng racers in NJ.
Unfortunatley, I cannot race the short distance races because of my endurance exercise for the next 24 hour race in MOAB. I really wanted to race this weekend. But, my son 8 and a half year young raced beginner cat. I was kind of concerned he would get lost in the Jungle or mechanical problems or something, I followed the racers all the way at the back. He did a really good job coming third place. I am proud of him. I am quoting from his blogspot ( ekremayhan.blogspot.com ):

"Everyone was at the starting line. The race was about to start. My race was about start. It started. The first part of the race was flat fire road. There was one person in front of me. His name is Jake Hassert.
I was behind him. I started to pass him on the uphill. There was a long downhill after the uphill. The downhill was more then one mile long. I saw that Jake was passing me on the downhill. The road was flat again after the downhill. I was behind Jake the whole time.
After that switchbacks started. The switchbacks were the hardest part of the race course. It was a long zigzagy uphill with realy sharp turns. Jake was still infront of me. Luckily it was close to the end of the race. There was one uphill and one downhill and then the end of the race. The uphill started but Jake was in fornt of me. On the uphill, I started getting closer to him. When the downhill started Jake got farther than me. Then the race ended, I thought I came in second, but I came third. It was a very though course. I am glad I successfully finished the race without any technical problems. I will have two more races on 9/21 and in October. I love this sport.
"

Thanks to all the organizers and pixychick.
 
J

julienjaborska

Guest
I wasn't sure how today would go, I haven't been on trails since the last series race, I was already tired from hauling 60lbs home on the Big Dummy from work on Friday, still soggy from riding home in the middle of the tropical storm yesterday, kind of worried about my rusty technical skills on what I thought would be slick trails (seriously, where did all the water go). But, I figured I'd give it a shot.

I had a great time, those trails were a blast, everyone was super nice today, no scary attempts to pass were made, just polite patient ones. So even though I have no idea where I placed, top ten maybe, I had a fun fun time.

I felt like the first lap was longer than the second. I don't know if it was being stuck behind traffic on some climbs, or if I was just so out of it on the second lap, that's probably right. I was on my own a lot of the second lap so I got to enjoy the trails to their fullest, nice long downhills, trying the tricky uphills, and clearing some stuff, not nearly all of it though. That bridge thing near the end of the lap caught me off guard, I got all confused, stopped, and took the right. I should have taken a look at the exit off of it, I didn't want to risk it my second time around as someone was right behind me, ah well, maybe I'll hit it next year.

My body is destroyed now, no falls, just unused off road muscles. My hands were killing from the death grip, my arms are super tired, and my legs are wrecked, riding to work tomorrow will be fun.

This was my first time on the rebuilt Paragon too. It felt so good, looked so good, the 1x9 thing is great, I'm really happy with how it turned out, it just fits perfectly.

Anyways, good racing, nice seeing everybody out there.
 
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