I did another Hare Scramble this weekend. This was Round 8 of the NCHSA series and called "Brown Jug" - lol, I love that name. This one was actually in South Carolina, mid-afternoon, god only knows what the temperature was, it was hot, dry, dusty, and the trail was very rough and slow. I think I only got out of 2nd gear maybe in one or two sections of the 7.4 mile course. Several people passed out, and at least one got an ambulance ride due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. And I saw quite a few just sitting along the side of the trail recovering. It was hard.

I don't have the full video edited yet, that will take a few days, but I selected one section for a preview. This clip is at one of the hill climbs and is what I found unfolding as I approached the climb near the end of the 1st lap. Carnage everywhere.

The hill was covered in slick, flour-like silt about 6 inches deep. And below the slick silt were deep ruts hiding underneath that sent your bike in every direction with a mind of its own. As I was making my way up, a guy cut across in front of me and messed up my line and momentum, sending me a little too close to another rider who standing beside his bike and our bars tangled and halted my attempt mid-climb. I recovered and made the best of it with the help of a kid offering some guidance.

So, without further ado, I give you, "The Silt Hill":

http://www.vimeo.com/5585251

Needless to say, I did not look forward to this part on subsequent laps.

 

I dunno, that sure looked like fun !!
How did you finish up?

 

Oh it was definitely fun. That's why I go to a few of these things a year. I had been working out in the heat for several weeks prior, and I think it helped. That and a full camel bak. I was pretty tired at the end of the 3rd lap, though. But not nearly as much so as the race I did before this one - Flat Rock. That one was a lot harder and rougher, and I was way more spent at the end.

I finished 10th in my class, 96th overall out of 151. But I recently learned that only people that finish at least one lap show up in the scoring, and there were quite a few that did not finish the 1 lap, so I'm not sure what the actual overall number is. More than 151, I know that. So, 10th in my class, and 96th out of somewhat more than 151. I wish I knew what it actually was, not sure why they don't include those people.

 

im a desert rat, so i love silt/sand. bmws on the other hand, dont so much.

 

Wow, that's a lot of silt, PE.

The silt was very strange to me. On the 2nd lap most of the carnage had cleared so targeted straight up the hill. As the bike began squirming underneath me, I went to put a foot down and I was not expecting it to be so deep and it felt really strange if you are not use to it or expecting it. It felt like stepping in 6 inches of flour. Unfortunately there was a dude stuck in front of me at the steepest part of the hill and I had to stop. Getting started again was a bit tricky. One fella offering advice to riders said I should turn around and go back down and try again. But I was having none of that. I got the ole girl to tractor on up, and I was rewarded with some cheers from my fans as I crested the top.

Here's a photo from a local photog taken back in the woods a few miles into the course. While it's hard to tell from the framing in this photo, one should note that the roost is flying furiously and the front wheel is definitely up off the ground.

 

come on, im hanging for the long edit of the race. when is that being posted

 

I just got done editing it down for size and it is exporting now. I then have to upload it to Vimeo and they have to convert it, so it'll be a few hours at least, I'd guess.

The vid is basically the start and my first lap. Laps 2 and 3 are more of the same, pretty much.

 

Wow, that looked like hard work.
But a challenge is still good fun.
Good stuff Brian.
I'll wiat for the full version.

 

The hill looked like fun. Momentum is everything in those situations so it sucks to have to dodge bikes and bodies.

Mike

 

Full version: https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=29371