first harescramble next Sunday advice?

[mattskn]

lol yeah i was thinking that same thing about not caring about the taste. but i will try the 50/50 mix next race cuz i had to ride a whole lap one time with my leg sticking straight out because it cramped up ?

I had the same problem I will defiantly go 50/50 on Sunday when I race

[buckboss1]

Good advise your getting. I'd say, get sleep so you can make split second decisions better. Ride within your self, so you don't fall, cause falling just zaps the energy out of you. Drink lots of fluids prior to the race and camelpack during the race. Don't get impatient if someone has fallen in front of you and is blocking the better line that you want to take. 9 out of 10 times, if I try to go around them, I end up falling and end up in a worse situation than if I had just waited for the guy to move.

[buckboss1]

Sounds like my first hairscramble. There was one big hill that was a bear to get up. Riders were falling everywhere. It will get easier next time.

[roloplex]

This is not good advice but every time I smoke a cigarette while waiting for the start I always get a top 10 finish. No kidding, has become my new ritual.

[thormx33]

This is not good advice but every time I smoke a cigarette while waiting for the start I always get a top 10 finish. No kidding, has become my new ritual.

maybe you shouldnt smoke and u MIGHT...MIGHT win once ?

[thormx33]

Ride within your self

wow thats some deep a$$ matrix SH!T haha

[buckboss1]

For a new experience, try an enduro. Similar to a harescramble but you never ride on the same trail twice, and they build in gas stops and resets.

[ncj01]

I got stuck behind a threesome of guys on the first steep ascent that kept stalling on every hill .

We were like the shortbus crew one of us was stalling or falling on every other hillclimb.

intimate introduction with an old oak tree at the top of a climb.

I tried to climb that hill 3 more times but couldn't kep control of the throttle and kept bogging it.

......bike upside down on the hill me exhausted barely capable of lifting the bike.

I got it to the bottom and couldn't get it to start.

magic button was dead, kicking wasn't working.

arm hurt like hell.

There was nothing but A and B riders left onthe course

the only line on a densely wooded climb so I waited.

sweepers finally came through assisted with the start hillclimb and i rode it out with them.

T-bomb got one lap in and didn't continue,

Ne did the same in about the same time.

BP finished lap one ..... we think and finished a second at

All in all I never stopped trying to finish the damn race, I learned a ton, i had a blast and I will do it again for sure!!!!!!!!

Nobody was seriously hurt, nothing was seriously broken, and we all thought it was a super positive experience.

That sounds about right. Anyone who hasn't harescrambled just doesn't know what it's like until you get initmately aquainted with it, and several oak trees while you're at it...

It's not hard to do a lot better though...tips:

*if you're up behind someone - pass them...yell and scream, whatever, just get around them.

*always ride "Matrix Style" - ie, within yourself...or better said: stay in your comfortzone - think rabbit vs turtle...slow steady no mis-haps and you'd probably have racked up 3 laps...

*remember it's a 2hr race, don't blow your wad in the first 15 minutes...

*on those nasty hills, espeically on the first lap, stop, look at it, pick a good line and commit to it...don't go in half-arsed and wind up in a pile on the side of the hill...

[55spy]

*on those nasty hills, espeically on the first lap, stop, look at it, pick a good line and commit to it...don't go in half-arsed and wind up in a pile on the side of the hill...

Now you tell me...

Really thanks for the words o wisdom

[sonobob]

*on those nasty hills, espeically on the first lap, stop, look at it, pick a good line and commit to it...don't go in half-arsed and wind up in a pile on the side of the hill...

Agreed...from my own riding experiences, if there are slower riders in front of me and I can't get around 'em before a big nasty, I'll stop and not only pick my line but also wait for them to either clear the top or become traction. No good comes from being hot on the heels of someone that isn't carrying enough speed up a steep hillside, I end up saving more time and a lot more energy by chillin' for a minute...

?

[cubera]

Haven't raced on a bike ever. I am riding C-class and am taking it as a competitive setting for an aggressive trail ride. I have no thoughts of winning i just want to finish and not get in everyones way. It's a 2 hour eventon a 8 mile course.

Overall plans, keep my line in the turns, get out of the way (read off the trail) at the first opportunity if theres a faster rider looking to pass, gas up at the 1 hour point because I have no idea how fuel consumption will be, and have fun.

Anything else?

Theres 4 of us entering and nobodys raced before, so the benchracing afterwards should be interesting.

Did ya do it?

[dnapier]

The 50/50 Gatorade is for the electrolytes & sodium loss. Pure water will not hydrate and give you the energy of the 50/50 mixture. I can tell a difference and now when I trail ride I also do the 50/50 mixture. The taste isn't bad at all. I used 50/50 Powerade in this past weekend's HS and it was fine.

I ride a YZ450F, this weekend I ran the 2 hour HS on my stock tank but I was really low on gas at the end, I could not have run much longer on what I had left in the tank.

[Indiana]

Very interesting talk here. My son & I are looking to do some HS races. First time for both. He's 11 so do you know of any courses within a 3 hours or so of Indy that have a short format for youngsters? Also, how to they typically set up classes. What are the newbie classes called? We're both fairly decent riders on both MX and tight woods. We have both at home (blessed). Is a HS what we should be looking to do for our first racing experience? I love the endurance aspect of it. I do a lot of running for fitness but it's just so damn boring. Thanks for the wealth of knowledge.

[dnapier]

Yes, the Hare Scramble is the way to go! There are classes for each skill level. There are 2 HS series near you that I know of http://www.kyharescramble.com/

(my son is on the front page today) and http://www.msws.org/. The classes go something like:

Heavy A (Pro 250+)

Light A (Pro under 250)

Vet A (30+)

Senior A (40+)

Master A (50+)

B classes just like A class breakdown

C classes just like A class breakdown

Beginner (no engine limits)

Women (no engine limits)

The race for kids are similar but you have to check with the series to see their offerings. These usually last either 30 minutes or 1 hour.

PeeWeeB age 4-6 50cc limit

PeeWeeA Age 7-9 50cc limit

Then they may have some Jr. Mini, Mini and Super Mini classes.

A few guys from Indy race the KY series.

[Indiana]

Very cool, that's getting me pumped up. Also cool to see your little guy on the front page. I'm always amazed at how sometimes kids just take to it. Adults, over-think riding kids just hop on do what comes naturally. I assume you've done lots of HS's. It would be cool to have someone kind of show us the ropes.

So, my son has only been riding for about 4 mos. but has really done fantastic. He can't get enough riding time. He's able to do small doubles and the table tops no problem. He's currently on a DRZ 125 and is really maxxing it out. I'm thinking of switching him to a YZ 85 so he can progress. What do you all think? He can't wait to get into a race environment.

[buckboss1]

Maybe you should do one first, then decide if it is something for your son. I've been in some harescrambles before and thought about all the potential mishaps and s that I avoided and wondered how my son would have done. Just a thought. In one race I came across a teenager who had crashed his bike off the side of a hill and was crying. His leg was badly injured, maybe broken. There was nobody around. So I told him to just sit and rest while I got to the next check station and would have them send help.

[Indiana]

Yep-

I've had those concerns regarding my son getting in over his head. I am only going to allow it if they are running a modified youth HS to avoid that. I also know that the time we both grew the most in our riding abilities is when we went up to the Attica, IN and dealt with some really difficult hills laced with rocks, sand and pea fill. Neither one of us liked it a whole lot at the time but it really improved our chops.

I do appreciate what you're saying and definately don't want to get him (or me) hurt. I'm just looking to take it slow and easy but provide more challenge. Maybe mistakenly, I feel like HS is a more technically oriented (safer) environment than MX. I am hoping to get him into a competive fun racing environment that isn't full blown MX where it's full out riding on the edge of big crashes to be competive. Ultimately, he's the one in the drivers seat. If I feel it's safe enough and he wants to do it (je really does now)then we'll give it a go. I he loses drive for it then that's cool too.

[55spy]

Did ya do it?

Yes we did.

It was a blast. We didn't all finish ( I had an intimate run-in with a large oak leaving my right arm numb fpr 30 minutes or so.) We are all very pumped about the event and looking for more to do. Two completed one full lap and bowed out one completed 2 laps I got 4 miles in and couldn't contol the throttle well enough to continue in traffic, and one broke his bike at the first hill and had to ride out.

There are a few in october We are all gonna try and hit one or 2 of them.

[55spy]

Very cool, that's getting me pumped up. Also cool to see your little guy on the front page. I'm always amazed at how sometimes kids just take to it. Adults, over-think riding kids just hop on do what comes naturally. I assume you've done lots of HS's. It would be cool to have someone kind of show us the ropes.

So, my son has only been riding for about 4 mos. but has really done fantastic. He can't get enough riding time. He's able to do small doubles and the table tops no problem. He's currently on a DRZ 125 and is really maxxing it out. I'm thinking of switching him to a YZ 85 so he can progress. What do you all think? He can't wait to get into a race environment.

we enjoyed the hare scramble...some seem to have more challenging layouts that others and are area dependant on hills, and courselayout. but I think the people involved are some of the best in the sport!

[cubera]

55spy: Sounds like the course was more technical than expected? You'll do better next time. As long as you had fun and nothing serious happened you're a winner in my book!