Entering the Performance Center...a warm welcome indeed!
First order of business is sticker the rear helmet, left and right side bike and the windshield.
OOPs no windshield here...so how about a sticker on front facing tool box?
HP2 sexed up!
J4S had to chisel some bug juice off, but gets 'er done.
We run into an old instructor, Ross McKinney. We try to scam some points, but judging by later results this will prove fruitless.
The sun rises over 75 participants. I was the only X-country, there was one other G650, a 650 twin, two HP2s, one R1100, one R1150, two R80GS, and the rest were F800s/R1200s.
There are 5 groups of 15 (75 riders total). Turns out we miss riding with J4S by 3 riders.
J4S, the orange clan:
Blaster and I in the purple clan:
At first we thought it was based on what riding ability we selected. We figured he signed up for baby-novice, so we guffed him a bit about it
The photog for the day, none other than Neil Bayle himself.
Well, needless to say I would probably come back down again next year, but Blast Off Adventures will be get some extra implements of destruction for the yard.
I had some really nice wins and so many abysmal failures too. Rules for today--no standing on pegs. Points for dabbing, DNF (Did not finish) for any exercise you drop the bike.
Exercise one:
This was a simple right angle turn. Basically, enter the cone gate, make a 90 degree turn and leave the cone gate. Lose points for dabbing, or hitting a cone, or over the lines.
There was an option, and I took the harder/sharper option. Bad move....I DNFed, 0 points.
Exercise two:
Slow ride. You have a about 100 feet, which has a left and right boundary marker. The first section is twice as wide as the second section, which is twice as wide as the third section. This rider is in the second section, about to enter the final third (narrowest section)
You had to ride for 30 seconds without dabbing, or leaving the left/right boundaries. Every 10 feet you traveled you lost another 10 points.
For my group of 15, I was the only one to score, and it was 40 points.
Exercise 3:
This was a typical lock to lock figure eight.
I snatched full points, 20 points.
Exercise 4:
This was series of salom weaves, and a sea of cones. I should have walked to course, but we ran long on time. Meanwhile, I lost focus, realized my salom was now riding as a straight line, so why not throw the bike on the ground.
I DNFed, losing 200 points.
Exercise 5:
A series of 5 gates offset up a hill. You had to come to a non-spoke moving stop, but not dab.
Worth 60 points, and I probably got 50 pts
Exercise 6:
This was after lunch, and honestly, I think my mojo had a full tummy. Dismal points after lunch. This exercise was a small box. You had to do two full revolutions. However, the box was smaller than lock to lock turn. Basically, you had enter with some speed and either trials stop the bike around the rear axel, or have decent bike lean (centrifically) get the bike around.
DNFed.
Exercise 7:
Lest you not go big or go home, one to the barrels. The barrel had a cone on it. You had to ride the bike, and pick up the cone from barrel one (right side) and put it on barrel 2 (left side). Then immediately pick up a cone from barrel 3 (left) and put it on barrel 4 (right side). The last two barrels are too close to ride straight through.
Worth 20 points, I decided it would be more fun to drop the bike at barrel one, get back one and crash throw the last 2 barrels. DNF at any rate..
two
Exercise 8:
15 cones in a straight line. 10 feet apart. Salom weave. Leave the course for missing a cone, touching a cone, -1 pt for dabbing.
I tried to go wide and thread the needle. Should have just stayed straight on them. probably got 20 points of 150.
Exercise 9:
Ride a 16 feet long TREX dekking board. Then drop off that and ride between two 16 feet long boards, which are have a tire width.
10 points possible, my score Zippo!
Exercise 10:
Ride through a gate, accelerate to 35 MPH, do a quick obstacle avoidance swerve then swerve back through a set of cones. -3 points for every mile you enter the swerve under 35MPH. We were the last group and nobody had gotten it all day.
Oh, they had a no kidding calibrated radar clocking your speed.
It was worth 40 points, and I was probably under by 7MPH. So, 18-19 points...maybe.
I think I got about 148 points total for the day. Apparently, tomorrow is worth more points, but at this point just enjoy the ride.
It was about 30-40 mins per exercise, between waiting for my team of 15 riders to complete, as well as, waiting for the previous group to clear. It was a bit toasty weather wise, with the barometer and the humidity. The had a nice tent for us, but no cooling down between morning and afternoon sessions was probably my undoing.
Might get some go-pro after dinner. Sushi in downtown Greenville.
First order of business is sticker the rear helmet, left and right side bike and the windshield.
OOPs no windshield here...so how about a sticker on front facing tool box?
HP2 sexed up!
J4S had to chisel some bug juice off, but gets 'er done.
We run into an old instructor, Ross McKinney. We try to scam some points, but judging by later results this will prove fruitless.
The sun rises over 75 participants. I was the only X-country, there was one other G650, a 650 twin, two HP2s, one R1100, one R1150, two R80GS, and the rest were F800s/R1200s.
There are 5 groups of 15 (75 riders total). Turns out we miss riding with J4S by 3 riders.
J4S, the orange clan:
Blaster and I in the purple clan:
At first we thought it was based on what riding ability we selected. We figured he signed up for baby-novice, so we guffed him a bit about it
The photog for the day, none other than Neil Bayle himself.
Well, needless to say I would probably come back down again next year, but Blast Off Adventures will be get some extra implements of destruction for the yard.
I had some really nice wins and so many abysmal failures too. Rules for today--no standing on pegs. Points for dabbing, DNF (Did not finish) for any exercise you drop the bike.
Exercise one:
This was a simple right angle turn. Basically, enter the cone gate, make a 90 degree turn and leave the cone gate. Lose points for dabbing, or hitting a cone, or over the lines.
There was an option, and I took the harder/sharper option. Bad move....I DNFed, 0 points.
Exercise two:
Slow ride. You have a about 100 feet, which has a left and right boundary marker. The first section is twice as wide as the second section, which is twice as wide as the third section. This rider is in the second section, about to enter the final third (narrowest section)
You had to ride for 30 seconds without dabbing, or leaving the left/right boundaries. Every 10 feet you traveled you lost another 10 points.
For my group of 15, I was the only one to score, and it was 40 points.
Exercise 3:
This was a typical lock to lock figure eight.
I snatched full points, 20 points.
Exercise 4:
This was series of salom weaves, and a sea of cones. I should have walked to course, but we ran long on time. Meanwhile, I lost focus, realized my salom was now riding as a straight line, so why not throw the bike on the ground.
I DNFed, losing 200 points.
Exercise 5:
A series of 5 gates offset up a hill. You had to come to a non-spoke moving stop, but not dab.
Worth 60 points, and I probably got 50 pts
Exercise 6:
This was after lunch, and honestly, I think my mojo had a full tummy. Dismal points after lunch. This exercise was a small box. You had to do two full revolutions. However, the box was smaller than lock to lock turn. Basically, you had enter with some speed and either trials stop the bike around the rear axel, or have decent bike lean (centrifically) get the bike around.
DNFed.
Exercise 7:
Lest you not go big or go home, one to the barrels. The barrel had a cone on it. You had to ride the bike, and pick up the cone from barrel one (right side) and put it on barrel 2 (left side). Then immediately pick up a cone from barrel 3 (left) and put it on barrel 4 (right side). The last two barrels are too close to ride straight through.
Worth 20 points, I decided it would be more fun to drop the bike at barrel one, get back one and crash throw the last 2 barrels. DNF at any rate..
two
Exercise 8:
15 cones in a straight line. 10 feet apart. Salom weave. Leave the course for missing a cone, touching a cone, -1 pt for dabbing.
I tried to go wide and thread the needle. Should have just stayed straight on them. probably got 20 points of 150.
Exercise 9:
Ride a 16 feet long TREX dekking board. Then drop off that and ride between two 16 feet long boards, which are have a tire width.
10 points possible, my score Zippo!
Exercise 10:
Ride through a gate, accelerate to 35 MPH, do a quick obstacle avoidance swerve then swerve back through a set of cones. -3 points for every mile you enter the swerve under 35MPH. We were the last group and nobody had gotten it all day.
Oh, they had a no kidding calibrated radar clocking your speed.
It was worth 40 points, and I was probably under by 7MPH. So, 18-19 points...maybe.
I think I got about 148 points total for the day. Apparently, tomorrow is worth more points, but at this point just enjoy the ride.
It was about 30-40 mins per exercise, between waiting for my team of 15 riders to complete, as well as, waiting for the previous group to clear. It was a bit toasty weather wise, with the barometer and the humidity. The had a nice tent for us, but no cooling down between morning and afternoon sessions was probably my undoing.
Might get some go-pro after dinner. Sushi in downtown Greenville.