Bad season blues

[CCC4]

Dang! Ever won a series one year and move up in class the next year only to have problem after problem? I am literally beside myself, plagued by misfortune, mud and bike failures. I really wanted to do well this year in B-VET, I have the speed but it just seems like one thing after another is going wrong. A harescramble a while back, I was running with all the confidence in the world till I clipped a large oak with my head and was knocked out for a sec, I still finished OK only loosing a spot, but dang. The next race my bike power valve was beating dents in my 290, I finished the race but needless to say my bike is down for a bit till I get a new piston. Sunday I was racing and thought my front wheel was coming loose only to get in my groove realizing the riser bolts were rapidly getting loose, not the wheel. I was in a rock race and those bars slapping the palms of my hands was too much to take after 18 miles of up and down rocky terrain, not to mention I was actually racing and trying to rationalize what was going to happen when they finally came off before i could get to the truck. Dang points! I dont really expect much as far as replies on this topic, and honestly i am not whining but, this sucks, I am in such a slump I don't know what to do. Pick my head up and try for better luck I guess, I still have one race to drop and not yet half way through the season. Oh well I'm done. Sorry for such a long post. Thanks for reading! ?

[offrdrdr]

know how you feel brother, broke leg killed my class win this season.

[33 Ponies]

Psychologically it is very tough to deal with a long streak of negative events. We can all relate. It is important to pick yourself up and start believing in yourself once again. Do impeccable prep work on the bike, hold your head up high, and let her rip.

[slaydirt]

i dont race but its easy to get demoralized trail riding to,i ve been trying to conquer this crazy rocky hill climb as i think the trail gets good again after the climb,almost made it to the top one day and after much struggle aborted to try again the next time i rode...the next time i rode that trail i had my self so worked up about the climb i couldnt even make it up the easy rocky part of the hill,the last time i rode i just passed that trail up because im so intimidated by that climb

[CBus660R]

Sounds like my '07 season in GNCCs when I planned on running for points. I ran 6 rounds and had issues in every race. 1 st in GA, my hands were still not ready, blistered bad halfway through the race. I wound up dropping out shortly after the 2 hr mark. Next race in NC, the check ball in my gas tank stuck closed, it was really hot that day, my tank was building pressure and causing the bike to run really rich and blubbery. Then we had the Penton, did OK that day. Next race I did was Sparta. Flatted my front just into the 2nd lap, got to the pits and got a wheel from a buddy who races in the morning, and go back out. A third of the way though the 3rd lap, I flatted his front wheel! Then go to Snowshoe and about 5 miles in, I was crossing out of a rut on a jeep trail to pass a guy and there was a tree stump about 8" tall with an X on it that I didn't see until it was too late. Went tumbling down the trail, lucky to not be hurt, but the front wheel was tacoed, bars bent, race was over. At this point, I wasn't close to being in the points, so I skipped the fall rounds except for Powerline since that's pretty close. At Powerline I was running good, then on the 3rd lap I took a bad line and wound up sinking the bike in a crap hole, engine still running. That wasn't fun. Oddly enough, that same year I did really well and didn't have 1 mechanical issue or major crash in the local enduro series. I finished 1st or 2nd in class in 9 out of 10 races and had the title wrapped up before the last race of the year. Weird how all my bad luck happened in 1 series, but I was drama free in the other. It just happens that way sometimes. Here locally, I've actually been pretty lucky, only 3 mechanical issues in 6 years, but 2 of them were at the same place.

[CCC4]

Hey, thanks for the replies! Yep I guess everyone has streaks of bad luck, it is difficult to come out of but i have (3) weeks till my next race so I reckon that will give me a little time to get a fresh view the rest of the season. Thanks!

[Flamehead]

Sounds like me, except race to race instead of season to season.

[rider315]

Feelin' your pain bro. I just moved up to the AA class after a decent season last year, and have had lots of problems. Training rides are fine, the ? just seems to hit the fan on race day.

Round #1 this season ended on the first lap trying to pass another rider in a bad spot. I had a small crash and spun my hand guard up into my front brake line, loosening the banjo bolt on the brake reservoir - dumped all my brake fluid about a mile later. DNF Video:

Round #2 (last weekend) was going real good until about a mile from the finish on the last lap. The bike just quit running on a descent. After checking the bike over and kicking for about 5 minutes, I had to push it to the finish. Got it back to the pits and realized it was a fouled plug. After racing 2+ hours, to be taken out by a fouled plug

In my mind, I was ready to hang it up. This isn't the first time I've had crappy races, and it won't be the last, I'm sure. But something keeps pushing me to get back out there and suck it up.

Hopefully things turn around soon...??

[bg10459]

Been there. Lost my job two days before my first race in the '08 season, my first time racing vet B after moving from 450 C. My season ended before it ever began.

'09 was equally lame with finances, but I trained hard a rode lots of MX getting ready for the 2010 season.

In 2010, I blew out my knee at the track one week before the first MX race of the season. I was just barely ready for the Unadilla GNCC in Sept.

I'm feeling strong and healthy this year, but gas prices are forcing me to do more MX and less traveling to off-road events.

Edited May 19, 2011 by bg10459

[BryanK]

They say a race is won before the flag drops. I mostly believe this (yes, there still is luck involved).

Be prepared.

Practice the stuff you suck at and get faster.

Make sure your bike is in perfect condition.

Get strong at the gym.

Make sure your gear is in good shape.

Get more seat time, and make it count, practice hard.

This all takes time and energy, but has a huge positive effect on your confidence and ability. Sometimes bad luck does happen, but most of the time we control the our own outcome.

Nothing is worse than not having confidence in your bike or yourself about finishing a race. This confidence must be built up.

Don't expect to just show up, race and win. It just doesn't work that way (for me anyway)

Edited May 20, 2011 by BryanK

[CCC4]

They say a race is won before the flag drops. I mostly believe this (yes, there still is luck involved).

Be prepared.

Practice the stuff you suck at and get faster.

Make sure your bike is in perfect condition.

Get strong at the gym.

Make sure your grear is in good shape.

Get more seat time, and make it count, practice hard.

This all takes time and energy, but has a huge positive effect on your confidence and ability. Sometimes bad luck does happen, but most of the time we control the our own outcome.

Nothing is worse than not having confidence in your bike or yourself about finishing a race. This confidence must be built up.

Don't expect to just show up, race and win. It jsut doesn't work that way (for me anyway)

You are absolutely right. The statement above "Sometimes bad luck does happen, but most of the time we control our own outcome." is spot on! This past weekend's race had so much drama before it started and just getting there was beginning to seem like it wasn't meant to be. Earlier this spring I raced a (9) hour Ironman (got 2nd, just had to throw that in ?) I trained my butt off and it showed, i had three back to back race weekends after, I think i just got a little burnt out, then bike problems added to the mix and blended for a confidence loss. I am back on my training and practice, I will be ready for the next one!! Thanks!

rider315: I hope your season turns around for ya! Best of luck in AA! ?

[motox745]

I know how you feel. I have raced three GNCC,s this year and only finished one, a forth at Steele Creek. The last one I raced was The Big Buck. I got a mid pack start but soon started passing riders. About ten minutes in my rear brakes quit working, so I slowed down and eventualy stopped to see if I could fix it. Well I couldn't find anything wrong so I ventured on only to have them to start working again. So I started passing the same riders that passed me while I was sitting on the side fo the course. When I went through the scoring tent I was amazed to be in second place. I said to myself, I am going to win this thing only to go about 100 yards when the bike started making a noise only to discover every one of the counter shaft sprocket teeth had decided to part ways with the rest of the sprocket. I had checked the bike over before the race and every thing was good to go. I told my wife if I wasn't 54 years old I would just sit down and squawl.

[CBus660R]

They say a race is won before the flag drops. I mostly believe this (yes, there still is luck involved).

Most times, I agree, but sometimes it does seem like the world is out to get you. Case in point, my 2 pinch flats in 1 race. I've had 3 in my life (I tend to run the front on the firm side just for this). Run 100+ races and suffer 3 total pinch flats, and 2 of them were in the same race? That's unlucky! I'd even say the tree stump at Snowshoe was unlucky for 2 reasons. I drew a late row and I was riding really good because I was in shape, so I was pushing it hard since I knew I could go hard for 3 hours.

[Behind Bars]

I know how you feel. I have raced three GNCC,s this year and only finished one, a forth at Steele Creek. The last one I raced was The Big Buck. I got a mid pack start but soon started passing riders. About ten minutes in my rear brakes quit working, so I slowed down and eventualy stopped to see if I could fix it. Well I couldn't find anything wrong so I ventured on only to have them to start working again. So I started passing the same riders that passed me while I was sitting on the side fo the course. When I went through the scoring tent I was amazed to be in second place. I said to myself, I am going to win this thing only to go about 100 yards when the bike started making a noise only to discover every one of the counter shaft sprocket teeth had decided to part ways with the rest of the sprocket. I had checked the bike over before the race and every thing was good to go. I told my wife if I wasn't 54 years old I would just sit down and squawl.

Sorry for your luck.

I've had brake failures like you describe during a race--I had boiled the brake fluid and they completely quite. Once cool, they worked fine again. I would put in fresh dot 4.