2011 Year End Banquet and Season Recap... A little luck and a lot of stubborn.

Well, 2011 came and went just like every other year- except for the fact that I'm an effing CHAMPION!!! This past year's TSCEC (Texas State Championship Enduro Circuit) Enduro season was a blast. I had a great time recapping some of the races as my 7th beer dribbled down my beard and onto my tattered VB Racing shirt at last night's champion dinner with some friends. It was a good night of sitting in an empty bar with an enormous trophy on the table, stuffing my face with wings and getting sauce on everything within a nautical mile (aka the "blast zone" if you've ever eaten with me when I'm pumped).

I recalled rolling into the long course section at Cycleland last year with a taco'd front rim, flat tire, and blown out hub that was supporting the rear sprocket with only the remnants of two bolts. As the check worker said go, I kept it classy with a Spartan kick to my buddy's Honda that sent him to the ground as I dropped the hammer and took off, only to find a log that gladly jousted me off the bike just in time for said buddy to roost me as he went by. Great day, and still came away with a podium spot!

Then I conjured up the memories of Barnwell Mountain, the 2011 TSCEC Enduro of the Year (Congrats Troy and crew!). I never thought I'd remember this one, because they say your brain can't recall pain. But when you have nightmares for six months afterwards, you start to piece the puzzle together. Part one involved me getting the assistance of another rider to remove my bike from the branches of a tree, where I apparently rag-dolled it hard enough for the bike to cartwheel up into a tree about five feet of the ground. The next highlight was getting run over by someone as I was dismounted from the bike on a gnarly off camber climb. I kept my cool and only cussed and screamed for a minute or two. I had places to be, and I was pretty well out of breath. And amidst several little Polaroid memories of pain and suffering, I distinctly remember having the conversation with myself where I was trying to determine which parts of my expired bike that I was going to remove and carry to the next check in order for it to count. On top of that discussion, nothing too heavy so that my uppercut was still strong enough to portray my frustration right into Troy's gut when I see him next. But right then, the bike fired back up and we got to the finish and limped back to the trailer to assess the damage. I still giggle fart when I see that first place trophy on my shelf. I was the only one in my class that even finished.

Then there was LTR. Played this one REAL smart. Decided to go out and buy myself a 2-stroke since I was completely unfamiliar with them and had never actually ridden one aside from a clapped out 1986 Yamaha IT 200. And instead of riding it before the race, we went to Supercross for the day. Had a few beers with the wrecking crew, screamed at James Stewart as he kamikazied Chad Reed in our corner, then stumbled out at midnight after successfully bribing Jeremy to drive us out to Lubbock to race a National Enduro. No sleep and a few more beers later, I was lined up on the starting line with a brand new bike and a mumbly nervous laugh. The kind of under-your-breath laugh that you do in situations where you have no idea what's about to happen, but you know it won't be optimal. Drop the hammer, catch second, then third gear... this bike is BAD ASS!!!! I love 2 strokes!!!!... out in front, and immediately over the bars in the very first corner in front of God and everyone else in West Texas. I remember several more falls, a few rattle snakes, and that's about it. I was exhausted.

Red River saw me get a critical pass in the schoolhouse section as I ghost rode the bike up a cliff (this is where you grab a handful of gas and hop off the bike before it gets weird, in hopes that the bike gets to the top with minimal damage). Then there was Caney Creek. Sand whoop after sand whoop, and came in to find myself a win by 6 seconds. On the race course for five and a half hours, and win it by 6 seconds. Very strange, but I'll take it!

Great stories of riding and racing all over the place. And excellent memories that I'll always have. Those tales that leave normal people confused and staring blankly as you try to explain the hilarity, until you find another enduro rider that understands. The stuff your buddies don't get, and ladies just don't care about, but means the world to you. A great year indeed, capped off with banquet food and an enormous trophy given to you by your tribe and a trophy girl that will forever be faster than you. A room full of faces you only recognize in the light of a campfire or squeezed into a helmet, laughing and clapping for you. It's a strange life, but makes for some great stories and memories. An entire department store full of people that know exactly the kind of ridiculous situations you bulldozed through to walk away with that trophy.

Here's to the 2011 TSCEC Board of Directors, all the clubs, and all the volunteers that made this season happen! Thank you all so much, and we'll hope to see you all on the trail in 2012!

1st Place - 2011 TSCEC Championship Series!!!

60 Seconds to Cycleland...

Our drive condensed to a 1 minute time lapse. Some nose picking, napping, laughing, yelling, and a punch to the face. Our wives can handle anything!

Timelapse to Cycleland : 1.14.2012 from woodybepierced on Vimeo.

Big Thanks to Seattime.co for the footage!

Moto Tassinari VForce4 Reeds Review...

http://www.mototassinari.com/
seattime.co

Seat Time scores a big one YET AGAIN! Huge Thanks to SeatTime.co for the hookup with Moto Tassinari, and huge thanks to Moto Tassinari for coming through with an absolutely sick product!

I rode four strokes and only four strokes up until this year. And not just 4 strokes, BIG 4 strokes. I love the open class bikes- 450's, 505's, etc. "Overkill is underrated" my friends, and my bike collection as well as gun collection speak that truth. Two strokes confused me, and the thought of pre-mix and that strange magical ju-ju that happens somewhere inside a 2 stroke did not appeal to me at all. That was up until this year when I saw and felt how much lighter the 2 strokes are, and it peaked my curiosity. With the same overkill theme in mind, enter my beloved 2009 KTM 300 XC-W. I've only started my 450 enough to keep the oil circulated since I got this beauty. I call her Alice, and we have a strange bond. My 300 is a phenomenal machine in that it is such a simple build, easy to maintain, light, and will still rip your arms out of socket with a fist full of gas.

The KTM smokers come stock with VForce 3 Reeds, so I would by no means say that I was weak in the reed cage department. After all, they're carbon fiber, and anyone that has something bad to say about carbon fiber is full of crap. It's the end all solution to all things fast. But when I got on the phone with Moto Tassinari, I learned some more about the new VForce4 Reeds, and read about them on their site some more. They took their design, modified it to do its job even easier and more bulletproof, then made it specifically for my bike, the KTM 300. Lovely.

I get very excited when these kinds of things show up!

The install didn't take long at all, especially since I already had the rear shock off. Everything I needed was there, except a hand to hold when I put a perfectly good VForce3 reed cage on the shelf for inactive duty. I really liked the design. Just in your hand and on the work bench, the 4 seemed more prepared for the evils that an off-road bike sees.

I fired the bike up and let it warm up, then stood for a listen to see if I heard any jetting issues. Strangely enough, the engine already sounded different before i threw my leg over it. A little more throaty, a lot smoother, even at idle. Off we go... My practice trail starts with a drop off the parking lot, then a small booter out of the ditch. Immediately penciled it and almost came off the back! I just wasn't ready for the power to come on that quick. Into a turn, drift out with total control. Down the hill, weave the first tree line, open it up. WOW. If you're unfamiliar with the KTM 300, it's the unicorn of motorcycles except there's a chainsaw instead of a horn, and it's covered in scars with a strange look in it's one good eye. This thing is notoriously sweet from the showroom floor. Power comes on hard, but lasts long enough that it's spread out more than the smaller screamers. It's so torquey, you find yourself a gear low at all times, just looking for the times you get to light it up. Add the VForce4 cage, and it turns this bike into a whole new beast. It comes on smoother, stays strong longer, and gives the bike an even more capable feeling! I couldn't believe the change! I've ridden bikes with big bore kits, cams, all kinds of mods, and have never in my life felt anything that offered more improvement than this reed cage. I can't wait to ride this thing on some better terrain than my back yard, it feels so much more responsive and predictable. I even caught myself playing around with some trials moves on my big bike. It doesn't just add power like some may think. It completely modifies the kind of power you get from the bike. No more trying to predict the power curve since the power comes on so much sooner. My clutch feathering is minimal now, even a gear or two higher. With the change in the torque, I can just roll it on and it pulls great. Wheelies snap up quicker and more controlled, turns get riled up immediately without losing control or slipping, and the bike just generally has a more relaxed sound and feel to it. I absolutely love the feeling of capability it has now. This is a very cool part, and it really shows that Moto Tassinari is hard at work helping you get even more smiles out of riding! Thanks for an excellent product, and thank you very much to Seat Time for the hookup!

Woody of Seat Time repping the MT shirt, and yours truly dispatching a beer in the background- From the Moto Tassinari Newsletter!

Caney Creek Enduro Race Report...

What a Race!!!

Enduros are always tough. Every single one of them. It doesn't matter if it's the rockiest, nastiest, toughest terrain or a cart path- you ride them all as hard as you can, and you know it at the end. This particular course, the Caney Creek Enduro, is put on by the Trail Riders of Houston. It winds through the Sam Houston National Forest, full of trees, sand, whoops, and some nasty roots. Conditions were a little dry, but somehow the dirt had a touch of moisture in it earlier in the day.

The drive down was easy once I got rolling- the dogs didn't want to cooperate with me leaving for the weekend. But I finally hit the road - new goodies on the iPod and everything I needed to snack my way to Houston for a race. Since this was a solo run, I opted to run my stinger rack on the back of the excursion and tent camp it, banking on mooching an outlet for my box fan (Thanks Ryan). Camp was set, bike passed sound check fine, and check in was smooth and easy- row 41. The Reynolds crew was in full effect, so I had a good time kicking back in my camp chair and chatting over a couple cold pre-race beers - as Papa Pierce likes to say "It's just pain killer and carbos." Good times were had and we all called it an early night.

Coming soon: "Enduro Cribs"

I knew coming in to this one that there wasn't much elevation (climbs) or technical terrain to be involved. It would be just like a skinnier Cycleland- lean back, pinch the seat, clench your butt cheeks and shut one eye as you pin it a touch faster than you're comfy with. I'd love to see the pro dudes go balls out on this stuff, because they smoke me like a turkey and I felt like I was flying. I went off course once, and took a spectacular 4th gear over-the-bars sandy face plant right before I realized my body and brain were done communicating. That last section was exhausting- same stuff, just more of it, and you need to keep the pace up. I pushed through wanting to puke and gasping for air and got the finish as hard as I could- a feeling I'm growing more and more comfortable with thanks to CrossFit Solus. Dehydration was a factor despite the two Camelbaks I went through. Temps in the 90s and Houston humidity will inspire some cramps. It was strange to pull my fingers off the bars after they cramped on in a pure hillbilly death grip. I felt good about my ride, just a little nervous about that last section "fade", but at least I knew I gave it all I had- the moment of truth comes later when they post scores and hope it was just as rough for everyone else.

And that was a strange moment. At first, my score was incorrect, only giving me a ONE second lead. That's absolutely ridiculous, especially considering we were on course for 5 hours. We sent the scores in for double-checking, and mine came out corrected, but still only a six second lead. 6 SECONDS!!! It was hard to believe, but that was good enough to bump me into first for the Open B Class win! A great day of racing, and thoroughly exhausted drive home. There's just no better feeling than putting it all on the dirt and it paying off like that!

Memory Lane: MY first dirt bike was an 86 Yamaha IT 200...

Train Robbers National and the nightmare following...

Whoof. Take a race that is usually good for a 50% dnf rate in good conditions, and add nearly 2 feet of rain. My personal first DNF since I started racing enduros. Saturday started well with a nice drive to Bismarck, Arkansas with Bloody J on board and picking up Kiwi a little east of home. We rolled in early to catch the 1st ever Awesomeness Competition that Seat Time was putting on. Absolutely loved how easy the new campground was to get to, and it set a great stage for the crowd that a National Enduro brings. As soon as we got camp set up, we rolled over to registration and the Seat Time setup for some Awesomeness...

The competition was a 100m sprint aboard the Concept2 rower, as well as a tire changing race. I was all over the rower, but it took some convincing before I jumped on the tire changing (one of my least favorite tasks). Glad I did, because I managed to get top three in both events! Highlight video quick edit with some Beasties tunes- Candice even jumped on board and showed her stuff on the rower!

Seat Time Awesomeness Competition from woodybepierced on Vimeo.

Saturday evening got a bit warm, but we had a great camp setup and the box fan proved once again to be worth it's weight in gold. Steaks were grilled (fully paleo legit!), and then Candice and I rolled over to check out the church service they put on before races.
About that time, the sun was going down and the lightning show began. We had a clear view of the sky, and this storm rolled in like a scene from a sci-fi movie. I actually had to say the prayer asking to please not be struck by lightning in a porta potty. Thankfully, I made it out ok and in time to see some more of the show before the rain started in. Soonafter, the perfect Saturday conditions were hurricaned away by yet another brutal storm. Total rainfall for the event was 22". 22 freakin inches. We laughed it off in the camper all night, then racked out thinking the next day would be ok.

Sunday morning was muddy, rainy, and showed no signs of improvement. Kiwi and I were on row 54, just in time to sit and wait through a downpour. Gear was soaked, grips were slippery, and goggles were useless- and the race hadn't even started. Knowing then what I know now, I would have turned around, gone to the trailer, and spent the day listening to the radio and snacking. But that just isn't my M.O., so off we went. It was miserable, so I'll keep it brief- Mud is an understatement, zero visibility, zero traction, brakes went out, and never think you know how deep a mudhole really is.

When my race ended, I was 23 miles in, and nearly 4 feet deep in water. The seat height on my bike is about 40 inches, and it was underwater. Not that nice clean water you see on TV, but the kind of shit you'd expect to stay in the cup if it were turned upside down. Down and out after that notorious gulping sound. I worked on the bike, wrestled it, and tried to make it do something for over 3 hours until the sweepers got there. Then had to get the sweepers un-stuck a couple times and we wrestled the bikes together for nearly two more hours before I was back to camp. Good news is by then I was so exhausted that my cussing fit had subdued to defeated grunts, and I was trying to get my head wrapped around the rebuild.

Which brings us to now...
FULL rebuild time. I need to restore this bike's badassness in time to get back on the horse training for the 24 race, so it's been a steady process of wrenching and bleeding both my knuckles and my wallet. Good news is she'll be like new by the time I'm done, and I'll have a much greater understanding of the inner workings of a KTM 300. Poor girl makes me want to cry every time I see her like this, but I know it's for the greater good.

Race Update- TRIC Enduro

Yesterday was the TRIC (Trail Riders in Christ)/ RRDR (Red River Dirt Riders) Enduro in Muenster, TX. I love this place, it's by far my favorite riding spot! It's got great terrain, TONS of trails, and a section where quads aren't allowed. Not to mention that it's only 40 minutes from my house! And in North Texas terms, 40 minutes is basically around the corner.

Loved the course they mapped out for the race. It was way more technical than most people expected, but I really prefer that over the fast open stuff. Really enjoyed the 12 and 12.5 mile sections and the "grind" factor they offer.

Started the weekend off on the sidelines for Candice's Warrior Dash. She did great and represented VB Racing like the queen should- Covered in mud and hustling all the way through! Was great to hang out with some of the other VB crew out there too. Plenty of racers and beer drinkers to make me feel right in my element. Great job to all of you who did it, and I'm especially proud of my racer girl!

From there, we loaded up the car, got home, jumped in the Gnar Vee, and split west for the enduro. Cracker Barrel was excellent as always, and it was great as always to spend a pre-race evening with my team. The What !f screening was great. The projector worked well, sound was good, and the flick itself was amazing. Sunday morning was gorgeous with perfect temperatures, and there was a little moisture in the dirt. It was only my second ride on the 300, and I got to try out the new Moose Sahara gear also.
I'm bonding really well with the new bike, and not missing that extra weight the 4 stroke carried at all! Absolutely no mechanical issues, and it feels like a beast in the rocks (especially with the new tall seat). "Scratchillac" style is how I ride- I rarely ever stand up. Like I said before, the course was excellent. Was nice to get in that tight stuff and find a rhythm.
Woody must have been feeling like a boss all day- came away with third overall! Kiwi was on my row and finished strong with 5th in his class. I put together a good ride and left with 3rd. Very happy with my ride and looking forward to more!

Note the busted handguards and bent bars. Had to opt with the ghost ride approach on a climb in the last section. Got me to the finish though!

Other worthy notes:

HUGE thanks to all you guys and gals that came over for the What !f screening- what a great flick and good way to spend an evening out there! Mr. Troy Green is the Wheelie King, and big thanks to TRIC and RRDR for an amazing event!

For thos that haven't seen the trailer, here it is. Great Off-road video with an even better soundtrack! It's on my wish list!

What !f Official Trailer from Red Tide Pictures on Vimeo.