Desert MC National Race Report

Escorting the racer that crashed, hence the fact I am going 10 mph

Ok, so this year I am going to do the National Hare & Hound Series, but just ride for fun. I don't ride enough to race anymore, plus I did it for a long time, and still have my body parts, so I am all about just having fun.

The race weather was cold, about 45, with a breeze that later turned into a wind. A strong wind. Anyway, it had rained, and the ground was somewhat damp, so the dust was not as bad as it could have been. With my new outlook, I just kept relaxed, and lined up at the start. I actually let everyone go, then just picked a good pace and started to catch people.

My first bit of fun was about 5 miles out, when I picked up a nice chunk of cholla in my boot. The best part was, a choice needle was jammed into the top of my ankle, so everytime I bent my foot up, I drove it further in. I finally had to stop and pull it out. Luckily, they have barbs in them, so as it came out, it pulled chunks of my foot out with it.

The first loop was shaping up to be a drag race, so I just put it in 5th gear and motored on. About halfway through, I watched a guy wad it up in some rocks in a sandwash and stopped to help him. He had smashed his face pretty good, and said his chest hurt. He was pretty out of it, so I roosted him as I rode off, and told him it sucked to be him. No, I stayed with him. We sat for about 25 minutes (the amatuers were coming by this point) and then I rode with him to the next check, slowly. Got him taken care of, then took off.

Cool video of the race

The second loop was the polar opposite of the first. It got into the tight rocky trails right off the bat, and had maybe one 4 mile flat stretch. The loop was relentless - uphills, downhills, and more of each. The wind was crazy. They were saying it was gusting up to 60mph, and I know that one time I crested a ridge, the wind literally blew me back down the side of it. It was a real factor in the riding, as it was hard to stay on the trail with the wind. I had fun on the second loop, no real problems. Had a couple scary moments on the downhills. Because I was so far back, I was behind a lot of slow guys, and thus was doing a lot of stopping on the downhills. Well, a couple times I hit the brakes, and the back tire came about a foot off the ground. That got my attention.

Anyway, finished it, felt good and relaxed, and had a good time.

Unfortunately, a fellow racer died from injuries after the race. It is a hairy sport, and I am amazed sometimes I made it through literally unscathed. It feels good to do them relaxed now, and it is more fun in a way. (I do miss racing a little, but also happy to be able to just ride.)

Next race is Round #2 in Ridgecrest Feb 8th.