Burke Enduro World Series
I can't believe this one is finally in the books.... I had originally signed up for this race back in 2020 only to have it canceled by covid..... Since then while I was signed up for it...like it never felt very real to me....I wasn't preparing for it....moreso, it was going to be a trip to go watch
@muddybike race and whatever, id have fun and try not to kill myself. The course doesnt get released until the week of the race, so I had no idea what it would actually be.....outside of a pretty solid guess we would race on upper J bar and Rude Awakening. Racing the 100 class meant that I would practice Friday, then race on Saturday, 5 stages...1 day. The Pros do 1 stage on Saturday, then the same 5 stages on sunday. The major difference, and their start times are EXACTLY mapped out, our rules for the 100 were more lax.
Here's a scottish fellow to tell you more about
So when we did get the course info.....
Roughly what I expected.....I mean the thing that was always in my head with this race is that well if we have to race Rude awakening and upper J bar...that means 2 trips up the toll road at the least....if you are unfamiliar with the toll road...from the start of it....2.4 miles and 1750' of climbing...Heres Travis Pastrana going up it un under 2 minutes...Sadly, rally cars were not permitted for our liaisons
I had only once ever climbed the toll road, kinda for fun with
@Chris26er and
@pooriggy....I just remember it being REALLY fucking steep, taking forever and then at that time...Not being able to ride all of the features on upper J bar.....so now im doing it twice in a day, and I have to race down upper J bar.
The other 3 stages I would say are more Kingdom-esque.....Little rougher...say Moose Alley compared to the rest of kingdom. While they werent technically as hard as the two from up top, they were all chock full of non stopped turns, pumping, pedaling...absolutely exhausting at full speed.
So doing the math....about 20 miles of riding, with over 6000 ft of climbing....like ok, thats alot if im going out for a ride. Then factor in that my Pivot firebird weighs over 35lbs and ill be wearing all of this bullshit.
Suffice to say this is not going to be the Mass race at glen park with a 13minute cumulative time.
The trip:
So Kris had met some folks overseas who were planning on joining us so with that in mind we rented this big farm house about 25min outside of Burke. In the end, not everyone came, but that was quite alright....We were joined by Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick....im embarrassed to say that I didn't know them prior...they are two amazing bike racers and really amazing people....I thoroughly enjoyed their stories of racing every kind of bike, pretty much everywhere on this planet. It was an absolute pleasure hanging with them....and Mary is one hell of a cook. Also joining us were the OTBNJ crew...
@Bluepony421 (FULL FACE PAT IRL) and Italian Mike....I do love riding with these guys...They are kinda crazy, they make me feel old and often times I wonder if I'm going to fall into a 500ft crevasse when riding behind them. I am forever grateful to Pat for fixing my back in like an hour....that said I think he enjoys trying to kill me in other ways
Pre riding:
Well in a break from all NORMAL enduros...this pre ride is a RIDE...Like it would be right up there on the
@JimN and
@Wrong Way Dan idiotic scale. Wait were going to do what? I mean I have never considered a pre ride for an enduro possibly making me tired for the race the next day...but this one...about 20 miles, and even with the lift taking some of the climbing away...still 5000+ ft and two trips up the toll road. So Myself, Mia, Pat and Mike set off and soon realized what all the tape was on the grass
To get to the start of stages 2 thru 4 you had to up of this grass bastard of a hill. Its hard to tell, but if Mia was to slip in this picture, she might have tumbled down the hill, it was that steep. During the race someone knocked a rock loose and it went flying down the hill at high speed.
So the stages
Stage 2 was the lower J bar trail....This would be best described as very kingdom-esque...more like moose alley, little rougher, more roots and a couple punchy short uphills....but 2miles long...so in enduro terms, thats like long and stuff. This one will be good for me and I was stoked for it.
Stage 3...waynes world into the black forrest trail. Waynes world is pretty smooth and loamy, but it is steep with some tight turns to navigate...Not hard persay, but overcooking a corner is pretty easy. Then the black forest trail again kinda of like moose alley, little rougher than kingdom, but great flow and very fun.
Stage 4 started with an old school run down the steep grass....Didnt look hard, for me it was more that I had never done something like that before, so wasnt sure how fast I could go. Then you went into the enchanted forest trail which is kinda like the others, little more raw and pedaly..
ALL of the lower stages have that kingdom feel where no matter what...you are pumping, turning, pedaling, pumping more....very fun, but also very tiring.
So after these three we made our way over to the Toll road and started out first climb....The toll road starts out steep enough that you want to be in your granny...then it just gets WAY steeper....often times when you climb...you hit a switchback and the pitch eases up...not the toll road...the made the switchbacks steeper somehow. Soon after we started this steep pitch Mia was making this awful noise as she was breathing. She had crashed last week at the Killington race and injured her ribs.....Anyway I asked her if she was ok...this is like when John Connor asks the terminator if it hurts when he gets shot: I SENSE INJURY, THE DATA CAN BE CALLED PAIN.....So the only answer Mia gives me..."im fine." My wife loves to tell me that in the ER, the men are the biggest bunch of whining cry babies and the women are the ones who are tough....Now I dont know, but I will say that I have seen Kris and Mia take some really hard crashes and they get up and carry on like they are cybernetic organisms.
Stage 5 Rude awakening into camptown. So id say if you were just going to go ride burke from the top, this would probably be the easiest way down. However, racing it, when its wet....this is just a different matter. Its paved with roots, most of which are now wet after the rain. I rode it last month when it was bone dry and I still randomly ended up on the ground in a split second wondering WTF just happened. I dont ride wet roots often and if there is a technique, I dont know it. After like 6 min of this, you spend a minute of so flying down a fire road, then hit the 900 flat switchbacks of the camptown trail...This still will really take a TON of juice.
Stage 6: upper J bar. I had ridden upper J bar a couple of times prior to this year on my old cannondale trigger....I couldnt clean it and I ended up walking a few features...it was wet those days....this year in the dry on my new firebird I had no problem riding it....of course racing it is another matter. Its rocky and gnarly, full on downhill trail....after that it eases up with a fire road into a steep loamy section to the end.
Race day:
My race time was 11:38...so I went up on the stage and when the guy asked me how to pronounce my last name...I just told him to call me Utah Joe...wouldnt want to let down my 2 fans out there in the audience
So I made my way up the grass ball buster and over to stage 2
Stage 2: Unlike other enduros where you just kinda give the person in front of you as much time as you want...this one had a countdown clock and people went every 30 seconds. So in 2 miles I figured I might catch someone, or be caught! (MY GOD THE HORROR).....Heard the 5 sec count down then dropped the hammer. I dont know this trail other than my pre ride, so im going fast but I dont know the turns and im trying hard not to overcook one. I did know about where the first climb was and when I crossed the bridge I absolutely smashed it with everything I had. Soon I saw glimpses of the guy in front of me....Passed two people who had pulled over....my heart rate was screaming as I inched my way closer to the guy who started before me. On the last up hill I got real close...this trail ends with a REALLY high speed straight downhill piece of double track that we both sent.....out into the grass it just didnt seem to make any sense to try and pass him and risk crashing. Finished up in a tick over 7min....later I found out that I won this stage by about 6 seconds...which was great bc I was going to need that time in the bank. Too much braking, but I made it thru clean and didnt overshoot a turn, which I thought was more important. HOLY hell was that an effort tho....my god I could have laid down right there lol.
sweet pic from stage 2...im not this fat, the body armor adds 20lbs
Stage 3: after another hike up hernia hill I arrived at wayne's world...The young crew there was interested in asking people if they knew what it was...and my god did I feel ancient! I gave them my best: "Claudia Schiffer...we salute you...schhhhhhhhaaaawing" And with that I proceeded onward with stage 3....Steep start with some loamy switchbacks...Not hard persay, but easy to go to fast and blow a turn....There was a pretty sizable crowd for this one and goddam it was awesome.....I made it thru and onto the black forest trail....This trail is FAST, flowy, really fun times....I cant say I took the best lines, but I got thru it...There is a step down jump that isnt very hard....but at speed I went WAY further than I thought I would...really scared the crap out of myself for a minute....But all good. Good effort,
Stage 4: This had the steep grass start down the ski hill and while it wasnt difficult...having never done this before I was a little unsure of how much speed I could carry....The turns were sharp and off camber and I didnt feel like having a massive yard sale in front of the crowd while riding on the lawn. After this you shot into the enchanted forest trail and for a moment I was blind from the light change. Felt ok on this one, kept it clean, albeit didnt feel very fast.
After this run, I regrouped with Pat and Mike and we rode down to the parking lot to grab some food and prepare for the long climb to the top. I usually NEVER do this. I dont like stopping for food, I rather just eat some bars and gels...However, with this being a 6+ hour day....I thought maybe it would help. Well after downing a a pbnj, we made out way back to the transfer....right way, my stomach felt like I ate a hand grenade and I knew this was a giant mistake....well whatever. The climb back to the top from the end of 4 was rather absurd. 3.3 miles, 1965ft....59 min exactly to make this climb...this is bike in the granny gear almost the entire way. It was one hell of a kick in the nuts on this tank of a bike with all this gear on.
Stage 5...Rude Awakening....So after this hour climb up, it was COLD and as I sat in line soaked with sweat I start cooling down really fast.....The start of Rude Awakening is a roughly 1 min long false flat where you are absolutely pedaling you ass off sprinting. Its a real shock to the system.....I made it thru that, into the right turn and up the hill....Things were on track...as I lined up for the first bit down downhill a root unexpectedly caused me to low side and in a flash I was on the ground....This was a nothing fall at low speed...I popped back up and hopped back on...only to find that my chain had come off....So now this is costing real time....lost some time but finally got it back together....Then I started going only to realize that my bar was jacked up and sideways....I was now pissed and fuck it, im not stopping again.....I also now see that the trail is wet, slick and muddy....Holy shit was it slick....So im making my way, feel like im crawling but just trying to stay upright. Its hard to get momentum on this trail as it has many sharp turns that nearly stop you and the slower you go, the more the roots fuck you up....So with my bar all jacked up I lost it again in a steep turn...flipped/tucked and rolled....I was fine, but had to run back uphill to the bike...this time my bar was jacked up so much I had to fix it....Got this sorted and just tried to get moving....finally after maybe 8 minute I got out of there and hit the fire road....I held the up shift and instantly burst into a sprint....This was met with both of my legs instant exploding with cramps....holy shit did the hurt...I just tried to keep pedaling thru them best I could but dam it hurt....Crossed the road into camptown and these cramps were not going away, just kept trying to push thru them....I overcooked one of the blown out burms, caught a tree with my front tire and crashed once again...Man what a mess....I hopped up and just did my best to get to the end of this stage.....I made it thru, despite 3 falls, I wasnt hurt, but the damage to my time was done...Pat put a minute on me here and while I wasnt racing Pat, I figured that my competition also put a good amount of time on me. It was a bit of a let down and I was rather annoyed with myself.
Well thankfully I had another hour of climbing up a wall to look forward too...oh and a wet and slick upper J bar. We started the climb back up and ok, now im feeling it. I mean I can suffer and ill make it, but I kept thinking about what I like to say about enduro vs XC.....Enduro doesnt have the misery that XC does...Ha...what a fucking idiot...I wanted to kick my own ass for such a statement. Anyway, we walk a bit, but my calves hurt worse then my legs, so I just keep on paper-boying it slowy up the mountain. We are in a group of maybe 20 different riders...passing each other back and forth...trying to make jokes and take the edge off....When we stopped at the midway water station....Holy crap, I dont think I have seen such misery in one place. I mean this is NOT an xc race where ok, your tired, your unhappy...but you just have to crawl along and eventually you will get home. This was all the misery, but at the end, you will have to descend a downhill trail, in the went that you could REALLY mangle yourself on.
It was after 5pm when we got to the top.....I lined up behind Pat as waited and he rode off....This is now where this race has become harder than any other I have done...This moment. I know I have ridden J bar, and I can do it....But now, after 3.5 hours of climbing straight up..3 crashes, cramping up...tired....ok NOW....JUGGLE 6 CHAINSAWS!!!! Its something that requires laser focus and at this point I have a flashlight. The starter asked me if I was feeling excited for this one...I answered with my favorite line I stole from
@Norm ...."yes, in fact my nipples are exploding with delight at the thought of this right now".....we had a laugh and then I closed my eyes and tried to regain my focus....As I like to do when im in a dark place...I picture bob when he says to me "did you win dad??? did you try your best dad???" open my eyes...FUCK YES I DID....and with that, I set off.
I was really cautious as I started this stage, it was wet, slick and muddy in spots....I made it thru the opening features pretty clean and my confidence started to build.....I started going a little faster, and a little faster....We finally got to the real gnar and well here goes nothing....I hit this turn which to me is one of the scarier parts of this trail....I like this line donovan is on in this pic, but its really off camber and now its wet...so I took the red line instead....this is a steep rock face with a tight roll out at the end
Little bit of ass pucker but I rode it out....took a deep breathe and got ready for the next one coming right up....id say this had me the most worried. Again, this isnt a big deal when its dry...its tricky, but very doable....the turn at the tree when taking this line I took on this day is really tight....this video is from back in july when it was dry....
Anyway...with two marshals standing there...I rolled in, over, thru...when I hit the bottom clean I yelled out...." FUCK YES!!!!!!"...
Ok one more pain in the ass....this thing...Here Richie Rude shows us how only he can do it....the rest of us pleebs ride up and over the rock...but its really off camber and now wet and slippery. Watch this
I did my best Richie impression and somehow made it over cleanly......But in front of me Pat had crashed on it...He was clear of it by the time I got there, but he was now on the following part and stuck in a bad low line trying to get himself mounted and rolling again. While he got himself sorted, I went high and around him.....after this last stretch of gnar the trail quicky returns to loamy flow.....Im now ecstatic that I have cleaned everything and on the home stretch....But my arms are so fucking tired im still being really careful to not lose it....Pat catches back up and we ride out the last bit of upper Jbar together.....Ok, now im having fun....Pat passes me on the CCC road as we head to the last bit of single track....I give chase but as I slam thru the water bars and feel the front end getting wobbly, I decided this was not smart....Im just too tired to keep this speed up.....I kept it clean thru the last bit of single track and crossed the line.....finally, DONE! Holy shit....that was just fucking crazy.
Soon I was greeted by
@muddybike who filmed Pat and I on the home stretch...and
@Meatball Mia was there....She seriously looked like she rode a beach cruiser thru point pleasant for 15 minutes. Wow, what a freaking day that was.
19.2 miles, 6300ft of climbing, 3hrs 58min of pedal time......34min, 46 sec of that was my "race time" so that means about 3hrs, 25min I was climbing cat2 and above climbs....Thats one hell of a day....
I ended up 5th after my bad stage 5
Looking at my strava, my moving time for stage 5....when I wasnt stopped dirt napping was 11:40, so I think if I had rode it clean, I might have gotten 4th, but no better than that. But I know Greg Jackson and he usually dominates my class, so in the end im probably about where I should be....And on my first crack at this....I have to say, im totally fine with that result. My main goal was to finish and be in one piece to cheer on Kristine on Sunday.
Shot out to Pat and Mike who made great suffering partners out there. I was truly impressed with both of them. I didnt know if they would have it in them to suffer like that and the both climbed every bit of those hills like champs. Props gentlemen.
Anyway...I stuck around to watch Mia get her medal and box of cheese....no really...then I made my way back to the house where a 2 times Olympian made me a killer pork loin dinner....Now that was a day ill never forget.
Lastly a shot out to
@muddybike and
@Meatball Mia....You know I often feel like I have done whatever I first set out to do with bike racing and I have nothing left to prove to myself....so why bother? Well these two inspire me to get out there and still give it my best....They make it fun and I enjoy being part of their adventures.....and two better teammates I could not ask for. On this trip...one cooked me chicken, bought me dinner...the other made me a giant bag of cookies....Thanks ladies!
