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Search the Dirt Rider Forums:Montana XC series, Round 3 at Clancy, Montana
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Have you read my write-up from Round 2, at Winifred (burnt Timber XC)? You can read it at this link:Round 3 Write-up:We piled into the van on Saturday morning for the 5 hour drive over to Helena, then south to Clancy. The forecast was calling for scattered rain or thunderstorms in the afternoon hours, but it was raining steady and hard for most of the way over. Trent took over driving duties so Jim could take a nap, while Taylor just slept the whole way:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
The Marks ranch is nestled in a valley on the eastern flank of the continental divide, and I was expecting an elevation of from 4,500 to 6,000 feet so I jetted my bike to that.///////////////////
NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
Called theCrazy Ben Xc, this is a new venue for the Montana XC series. We were really excited about the fact this would be a completely new trail, as well! The word was out that the majority of the course would be laid out through virgin tracts of land. All of the land used for the race is on a working ranch owned by the Marks family. This would be a rare and very special event, to say the least. The skies cleared up as we crossed the continental divide and descended into Helena, Montana's state capitol, from the west. Clancy is located about 10 miles south of Helena along interstate 15. After taking a dirt road for 7 miles you enter the Marks ranch property. They had a freshly built road carved into the hillside where we could see a small sampling of the type of soil and terrain; granite boulders with pine tree-covered hillsides. Nice! Once on the ranch we drove to the top of the hill and out onto an open field where they had the pits and camping area set up. The mini and women C classes were already going when we pulled in. I wanted to hurry up and get unloaded and the tent set up before it started raining:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
No sooner did I have the tent up when the skies darkened and thunder began to roll across the region. It rained steady all the way up until about 5:30, when I went to sign in and get my bike examined for weeds and a spark arrestor. There was talk of canceling the pre-ride on account of the rain, but by 6:00 the sun was shining bright and the ride was on.
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
The Course:We started out on the open field with a short grass track of 3 turns, then headed into and over the nearest rock pile. Running the pre-ride was also the test ride for my just-installed Rekluse clutch. It didn't take very long for me to be thinking that the Rekluse clutch is my newest best friend! I was able to pick my way through the boulders and even come to complete stops without touching the clutch. There were sections where the trail disappeared and all you could see were arrows stapled to trees. Your only choices at times were to either hop over a fallen tree or bounce over several boulders. Or try to weave between the boulders. This was fun, but I couldn't imagine having to do this for over 20 miles! Fortunately, the trail left the rock pile and opened up for a little rest as we crested a hill and caught this sight:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
the 1st of three mud sections:///////////////////
NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
They threw in an enduro-cross course, as if we needed more logs and rocks to ride over. It was off-limits for the pre-ride. On race day they diverted us into the enduro-cross section right before they dumped us into the above mud bog.After the mud bog the course opened up for some very nice (and fast) cross-country over some gentle rolling terrain. It was just enough to get rested up before the arrows once again pointed us into the woods:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
Taylor, Jim, and Trent handle the step-up and little tree hop easy enough:///////////////////
NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
There was one particularly nasty section where the trail turned and climbed up into a rock pile. There was a bottleneck as I rode up to it, and I figured the same thing would happen in the race so I scouted out a route on either side where I could go. On the left side of the trail there was a log, then a steeper part of the rock outcropping to scale, and on the right side was a detour that took you around the rocks and over a log; a longer route but a sure bet in case the rock pile was full of downed riders. In this picture I am standing on top of the rock pile looking down at a rider coming up the hill:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
This was the beginning of some great technical single track; the likes of which you won't find anywhere else on the planet. We were less than half way into the 21.5 mile course at this point. What a blast! I couldn't wait to see what came next......until...
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
That looks like and sounds like ^so much fun there Paul! I wish I could do that type of riding or even had the chance to attempt that riding! I wouldnt care if I placed last in the event just the views and thrills of it would make it all worth while IMO!********************************************************
Ride Red
2009 Rmz250 -
It looked innocent enough at first, just another mud section, right? HA! Boy did I ever pick the wrong line through this one! I made it about half way through the bog when the front wheel dropped out of sight and all forward momentum ceased. I knew enough not to sit and spin a deeper hole, and immediately went into rescue mode. I tried to lay the bike on its left side so I could drag the front wheel up and out of the mud but the suction of the bog wouldn't let go. I yanked and pulled but the more I worked it, the deeper it went. My boots kept sinking into the mud as well, until I was up to my knees in the mud, unable to even pull myself out, let alone the bike. I grabbed some nearby sticks and built a makeshift raft to support my feet then managed to pull the bike out, inch by muscle-stretching inch, until I had it to this point:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
my thought exactly CRocky! The pre-ride alone was worth the cost of the trip and entry fee! If there were ever a ride to put on your "bucket list", the Crazy Ben XC is it! Fortunately for me, a fellow rider stopped when he saw my plight and took over where my weary 52-year old body gave up. Thank you, Chuck Rowan, for your help; you prevented a trail-side heart attack!
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
After this mud bog there was a steep hill climb out of the creek bottom and back into yet another rock pile. My bike began to run extremely poorly at this point, on the verge of fouling a spark plug. It wasn't running all that great earlier, but now it was virtually riding dead. I had no other option but to pull over and do some trail-side wrenching. When they saw me and my bike strewn on the side of the trail this group of fine individuals stopped to offer what help they could.
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
The third guy from the left, Jason I think, helped me get my float level dialed in where no internet forum expert could. He told me how, then helped me set the float level to the proper height. While I had the carburetor apart I changed the main jet from a 160 to a 158, and dropped the needle to the bottom; all in an attempt to lean it out and prevent a fouled plug situation. Many thanks to these guys for stopping to see me through the wrenching!///////////////////
NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
The sun getting pretty low in the sky as I got going again. The course lead us down the first of several narrow, twisting ravines. This picture doesn't do the trail justice, but you get an idea anyway:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
There were a couple really nasty ravines that were filled with gooey tire-sucking mud pits, and more great trails and hills. At the top of one long rocky uphill I came into a group of riderless bikes parked along the trail, and stopped to see what the occasion was. Turns out there was a very tricky rock section that was tripping everyone up. Riders were walking the area trying to find the best way through it.
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
That looks like awesome riding! except 4 the quick sand stuff :\ But i bet that was fun 2. LOL
herby ur useless. MAPLE 2010
Suzukidude, shut up. CS 2010
Yeah der, errone be using no seize CRWOODS 2013
So forward thinking everything else seems SDRAWKCAB. -
You see the pine needles scattered on the rocks? They make the rocks super slippery. Here is one guy trying the sideways approach. As soon as his rear wheel gets onto the flat rock slab he loses momentum as the tire begins to spin out. His plan was to hit the rocks with speed and a wheelie but the slippery rocks put the kabosh on that one:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
The Rekluse clutch came in very useful on this one, allowing me to dismount and walk my bike over the rocks without stalling it. It took a little help from the other riders but I got through it. I just hoped there would be riders hanging around during the race to help me out again (wishful thinking I know) when the time came. It was right after this rock pile when my bike started running REALLY badly. The throttle wasn't returning back to an idle but randomly would stick open at half throttle. It turns out I did a sloppy job of reinstalling the throttle cable to the top of the slide when I had the carburetor apart earlier, and the plastic holder on the end of the spring didn't get put in. This prevented the slide from fully closing, and caused the bike to rev up whenever I hit a bump. One such bump was a very sharp rock ledge on a downhill slope. The result of a stuck throttle on a downhill boulder-strewn slope was an endo over the bars and a hard hit to my ego. It was only after I got back to camp that I realized it was also a hard hit to my pipe:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
Well I'll definetly consider a trip down there once I have money and a bigger bike. ^so in a couple years lol
That's quite the mud hole you found yourself there lol
You just keep it coming these threads are always interesting!
And what's your plan on the pipe? Try fixing it or new?********************************************************
Ride Red
2009 Rmz250 -
good question there CRocky, normally I would trash this pipe and buy a new one. But I'm broke, and by coincidence met a man at the race who repairs pipes and he said he could fix this one with ease, even though it's kinked on the 1st bend. I'll meet up with him at the next race and give him ANOTHER pipe that I bent a couple years ago, that is (was) a new pipe when I kinked it. In the meantime I'll ride the bike with this bent pipe until the other one gets fixed, then swap pipes so he can fix this one. The bike seems to be running well enough with the pipe the way it is.///////////////////
NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
After the pre-ride I tore into the throttle cable and found a kink/break in it right above the carburetor, and Dave Covert, whom you all met in my 1st ride report from the Ought 6 Enduro, just happened to have a new throttle cable in his tool box. With a little assistance from me, Dave replaced my throttle cable with the new one and it was he who pointed out the need for the plastic spring cap to be properly engaged with the slide in the carburetor. We put the bike back together in the dark using a flash light and the light of a full moon...and I was about as ready for the race as I could be, all things considered...///////////////////
NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
The RACE:We woke up to overcast skies but no real threat of rain. Larry Hamilton with FLY Racing had convinced me that a dill pickle before the race will help keep the leg cramps away, and I in turn convinced Jim and the boys. Not that they get leg cramps when they ride, that's just for us older folks, right? Anyway, Jim took it one step further and convinced the boys they needed to drink the pickle JUICE from the jar, not just eat the pickles. LOL...The rider's meeting went off as planned and we lined up in our starting rows. Since the A riders were scheduled to race after our B race, we only had ourselves to worry about, and each according to his or her own class. Taylor's class (Open B) was the first to leave the line, and it looked like he got a pretty good start from where I was watching, 4 rows back. He was in the front half of the pack and I knew he'd be okay. Trent and the 250 B class took off next, and Trent managed a good start, about 4th through the 2nd turn. Good luck Trent! Jim's class (VET B) was up next, and I was really curious to see how Jim would do. He had decided to use the electric start, instead of the kick start. They hand their hands on their helmets when the siren went off so those who had their feet on the kick start were already kicking their bikes over by the time Jim could get his hand to the magic button. It didn't matter. Jim grabbed the hole shot into the 1st turn. As the pack roared into the 2nd turn I saw one rider try to stuff inside Jim and take him out. I knew where that was going. Jim held his line and stuck the turn and the other guy went down, taking out 2 other riders along with himself! Way to go, Jim! Here are a couple of pictures of Jim leading the way through the enduro-cross section:
I found out at the end of the race that Jim lead his race from start to finish, and ended up not only 1st place in the Vet B class, but 3rd place overall, having caught all but 2 riders out of the entire B classes.
Trent rode a good race and finished 2nd place in the 250 B class. Way to go Trent!
Meanwhile, Taylor had a rough day of it and managed to take several soil samples. He ended up with a 6th place finish in the Open B class and a finisher's medal. Way to hang in there to the finish Taylor!
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
My class (Masters 50+ B) lined up behind the Senior (40+) riders and I found myself between Dave Covert on my left and Ole Stimac on my right. Ole had been on my right at the Burnt Timber start and grabbed the hole shot there. I watched as he practiced starting his Yamaha, hands on head, and before his kick starter hit bottom and his hands hit the bars the mighty 450 was purring away, ready to lurch forward with a twist of the throttle. Ah, the advantage of a Rekluse clutch! I had tried a few times to start my bike but the clutch wasn't set right because I couldn't get it to start on 1st kick while in gear. So I resigned myself to starting in neutral. Fortunately when the time came my bike fired before the kick start about half way through the kick and I found myself leaping off the line with the front bikes. Ole got the hole shot and led the way into the 1st turn. I grabbed 4th place at the 1st turn, and held it until the 2nd turn, where Covert slid inside to take over the 4th.I entered the single track course on the rear fender of Covert, who was keeping stride with the rider right in front of him; here is a picture of Ole hitting the enduro-cross section in the 1st lap:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
...we got into traffic fairly quickly and I wasn't sure if it was a group of slower riders from the 40+ class or my own class. I managed to make my way around the bottlenecks where riders were stuck in the rocks and with some luck found great holes to make passes and keep moving. I remember passing Ole, and then getting passed by him at a bottleneck. When we came in to the enduro-cross I passed 2 riders who were hung up; one on the logs and another in the rock pile. The Rekluse worked like a charm in the rock section, where I paddled my way through without worrying about stalling. As I exited the enduro-cross track I heard Bobbie-Jo shouting and urging me forward. Bobbie-Jo is Jim's hot Canadian girlfriend who joined us to see what the XC racing is all about. Here is a picture of Jim and Bobbie-Jo:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
...a little over half way through the 1st lap I heard a couple riders behind me and being a nice guy I pulled off to let them by, not realizing it was Steve Handl and Dave Covert, who were running 1st and 2nd (I found out later) in my class! Oh the luck of it! As soon as I knew it was Covert who passed me I stepped it up a notch and went into race mode again. But shortly after they passed me we came upon a downed rider who was blocking the trail ahead. Handl and Covert went to the right around (and under) a tree with low sweeping branches. I followed their line but instead of cruising through I got knocked hard in the head and clean off the back of my bike by the tree branch! OUCH! The poor guy who had just picked his bike up got T-boned by my run-a-way bike and sent tumbling down the hill again. To make matters worse when I got to my bike to pick it up (about the same time he was getting his picked up for the 2nd time) I failed to note that mine was still running and in gear so when I picked it up and accidentally blipped the throttle it lurched forward and knocked him down again...The only damage I could see was a torn headlight and plate assembly on my bike so I jumped back into the fray, but down by several minutes now. I rode the rest of the race with a hanging headlight assembly:
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
...there is no such thing as a free lunch, and this is especially true in off-road racing! In my 2nd lap I was getting into a survival mindset and just cruising along when up comes Chuck "come-from-behind" Kibler, who makes a clean pass on me when I bobble on a rocky hill. Kibler is right ahead of me in the series points standings and off all the riders I needed to beat today, he was the ONE! I nicknamed him "come-from-behind" Kibler because in round 2 at Burnt Timber he was hanging out in 3rd place for most of the race and at the very end made a pass for 2nd that stuck to the finish line. When I saw it was Kibler that just passed me I had to step it up a notch to stay with him. He is a very smooth rider and waiting for a mistake might cost me the race. I had to put some pressure on him. We came into check #2 together and got our helmets marked.It was shortly after check #2 where I got my break. We were going down the "fast way" downhill together when he stalled his bike on a rock waterfall section. I seized the opportunity and took the lead. It didn't take long for him to catch back up to me, however, and we came into check #3 at the same time. There is a long up hill climb out of check #3 that is one of my favorite sections. I nailed it perfectly at the bottom, and up-shifted to 3rd. I rode that hill with all the speed and skill I could muster to keep the lead on Kibler. I could hear that familiar phantom bike-on-your-rear-fender noise in my helmet but I dared not look back to see if it was the real thing or not. I never looked back. I rode the last section from check #3 to the finish line as fast I could go, thinking that Kibler would overtake me at any moment. He never did. I crossed the finish line in 4th place, about 2 minutes ahead of Kibler. Not good enough to trophy, but this is one finisher medal worth fighting for!
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NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
Here are the current points standings after 3 rounds. I am in a very tight points battle in the 50+B class with Marc Walker and Charles Kibler. It doesn't get any better than this! Unless, of course, your name is Jim or Cameron.... ;)///////////////////
NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
Great Story Paul !! Nice Pics too. Ill see ya at Elk Basin
Chuck
Kibler -
That's one of the best things about racing Paul, the race within a race, like you had with the dastardly Kibler. That's what I do every race, duke it out with my mates of similar ability. (or lack therof, as the case may be... LOL)
With the amount of paint and plastic that gets swapped, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was the world championship, rather than a battle for 5th in a club harescramble...
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If you can't fix it with vicegrips and/or a sledge hammer, it ain't worth fixing...
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The latest team standings. Our team "4-Ever Young", moved up to 2nd place.///////////////////
NW Montana - Where the pavement ends and the fun begins
2013 KTM 300 XC-W
2005 KTM 300exc -
Man thats awesome! me and a bud are going to race a couple harescrambles for the first time and this is just getting me really stoked to try it lol!
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"shoot, shovel and shut up"
"He who chooses not to be involved in politics will be governed by his inferiors"
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