MT.HOOD, OREGON
Since I just started trail riding again, thought I'd check out the Oregon enduro scene. Norco loaned me one of their new Range Killer B 650B bikes, which is amazing, so I'm out monster trucking down some sweet hills in loose as hell oregon sand :).
Honestly, this event is not what I expected, but fun and challenging all the same. I did the Oregon Super D here last time, which was centralized at Sandy ridge, but the courses are a little different for the enduro (timed decents) and there are two venues split between two days. Didn't really know who was here till I showed up on the start line. Extremely mellow, not much visibility, no spectating, but instead lots of riding and hanging out at a central spot after the races. Plenty of Beer, subarus, dogs, etc. The racing isn't that chill though- Heart rate through the roof, constantly turning the pedals over when you feel like coasting. Hopefully I can pull some time on the tech bits, but it's a lot of fun basically racing a course blind, you have to know where to brake and where to push, which is hard to remember. Did 2 practice laps, one on the other venue, so not much memory.
Day 1 (today ) was up at Timberline. Start at the Lodge, and pin it about 10 miles total with 3 stages and transfers. First stage is loose sandy alpine, then into bombing straight rocky fire road, and mega pedalling. Climb for a tiny amount to transfer, then another shorter stage in the trees and through what seems like creekbeds full of loose rock and sand. Third stage is pinner , with some pumpy singletrack straight lines into hairpin turns, then another flat mega pedally section to the bottom.
Second day (tomorrow) is more tech, just because it is so dry and loose. Lots of pumps and flow. Rode the stages once. The marking wasn't as good as it could have been, so hopefully nobody gets lost. You gotta climb up a road 40 minutes to even get t