Old School Dirt Riders Presents
Carlton Ranch County Line II
Myakka, Florida
Hare Scramble January 10th 2010
Florida's Arctic Blast
Florida just got hit with the lowest temperatures in over 100 years and it had been raining hard all day Saturday, so the race was going to be a mudder.
I decided it was best to leave the family at home as the freezing tempriture was not going to be fun in my cold unheated toy hauler.
Luckily my buddy Eric Gray offered to put me up for the night in his huge centrally heated camper the night before the race, Thank`s Eric!
When I woke up Sunday morning it was below freezing, around 28 degrees and riders were milling around trying to keep warm, there was frost on the ground.
The Sun was up, it was really bright and the ground looked to be drying out but thawing from the previous days rain.
Practice
I got ready for my practice lap which sets off at 08:30 am, It was freaking cold, All I had to wear was a thermal vest and a windbreaker plus my riding gear.
I taped up the ends of my fingers and decided to just ride as best I could and stay dry and upright.
The practice lap showed up a mixture of wet roots, mud, sand, and water crossings, one of which was a couple of feet deep.
I tried to follow the re-routed track and got used to the bike skipping around under me, it was very slippery and very dangerous to ride.
I like the mud (Its my Bud) but I don't like the cold, my finger tips were frozen but I always enjoy riding no matter how bad the weather is.
When I got done with my practice lap I was cold to the core and already wet, my boots were full of water but I was sweating even in this cold.
The Race
I lined my bike up on the start and looked down the line of riders, Luckily Due to the weather there was only 19 riders on my row.
My buddy volunteered to hold my bike for the start and as per usual I screwed up my start again.
I pulled away off the line in last place again, but it was a 2 hour race and plenty of time.
I quickly passed 2 riders coming through the first chicane and 2 more with a really nifty line I had found walking part of the track before practice.
A few more corners and I was moving up the field nicely, Unfortunately it was not to last.
I followed a rider through a water crossing and got completely soaked, my boots and my goggles were full of water on the inside.
I pulled off my remaining 4 tear-off`s but still could not see the track too well, I kept rubbing the lens with my gloves to get some sort of vision.
I caught a few more riders and seemed to be up to 2nd or 3rd place, Then....my buddy Mike Oestrike came past me so I wicked it up a bit.
I latched onto his tail and followed his every move, I really enjoy riding with Mike, he`s pretty quick, so I decided to just follow him.
He made a mistake a mile later and I went passed him, he closely followed me again as we upped the pace but I made a mistake and ran off the track .
Unknown to me the organizers had changed the track route after practice and I was still following the old route, Mike had seen my wrong turn and passed me back.
It took me a minute to get untangled and turn round and by that time he was gone. I got back on the pace but now the Senior B riders were catching me up.
I could not keep up the pace I had earlier so I pulled over letting the other riders that were not in my class go by....that dropped me back to 4th place.
My goggles were now cold and wet and I still could only see a little bit out of one side but did not want to ride without them on.
The scoring display, a big red Digital display board that shows my position was not working ,so I had to just keep going and hope I finished as best I could.
I managed to complete 4 laps in 1:48:15 I finished in 4th place a pitiful 4 minutes behind the winner.....my buddy Mike Oestrike.
Here is a video of the start...
Myakka race 8 This was a shallow crossing
I guess I just need to get my starts working better, I can run a fast pace, I don't get tired, Actually I get better as the race goes on.
Next time I go practicing I will practice running to my bike and kicking it into life, If I can manage that the rest is easy....
It would be nice to see how I would do if I get a good start and stay up front, maybe I can win one more.
Results.
THANK YOU to the Old School Dirt Riders and everyone that helped out at this race, it really was a great track despite the cold.
