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Home > Forum > River Valley Dirt Riders Forum > Jot Your Thought > When making a Hare Scramble Course…
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When making a Hare Scramble Course…
Started March 3, 2010 @ 11:27am by wfopete
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wfopete
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| When making a Hare Scramble Course… | March 3, 2010 @ 11:27am | Ok, everyone has his or her own opinion on what a good course should be like. Put together from some of our guys with a lot of experience in this stuff, the following is a pretty good representation of what we should be keeping in mind when working the Old Crow course.
When making a Hare Scramble Course:
The race objective is for ALL the riders, from AA to C to Short Course to have a GREAT day. The trick is what makes a great day for one rider, may not make a great day for another. In order to do so the trail must be clearly marked with no confusion as to which way to go (this is a hare scrambles not a navigation exercise), helpers positioned at predicted bad spots, things happen on time, alternate routes, cheaters caught and banished from the land immediately and riders get to go F A S T!
1) HARESCRAMBLES are “generally” fast; ENDUROS are “generally” technical. Technical stuff is OK, but keep this concept in mind at all times.
2) Trails should be constructed where a C rider can make the course with very little help under ideal conditions. If Muddy or Icy, all bets are off!
3) Trail legs should be kept a minimum of 75-80 feet apart unless there is heavy cover to prevent visibility and block course cutting. Flagging or tape will not stop a cheater!
4) TRANSITIONS between high speed and low speed trail sections should be heavily FLAGGED even if natural cover is used. Dust can hide anything at 70 mph.
5) TRANSITIONS between new and old trail should be “smooth”. (i.e. NO 90 deg type transitions) Every effort should be made to make the track FLOW. This is a problem at Old Crow. There are a LOT of places where the trail makes a radical turn off a well broken-in trail. If these junctions are not physically blocked by something that will really hurt (Example: Gnarly CEDAR TREE) and cannot be broken through by repeated 400 lbs bike/rider combos at 40 MPH it will not block the trail. Put up all the ribbon, arrows & W's you want, riders will get screwed up and have a bad day.
6) Natural cover (ie. Cut trees, logs, dead animals) should be used where at all possible to block trails not used at CROSSINGS, including ATV/Bike junctions. Ribbons attract cheaters from nearby trails.
7) Anticipate bottlenecks! Where bottlenecks are predicted, ALWAYS have ALTERNATE ROUTES!!! Concerns are a few places where less experienced riders will have difficulties and block the trail for the rest. Be sure there are alternate routes planned for some of the hills (up and down), and those G-outs. The G-out ditches WILL rut up very quickly and deeply.
8) Difficult creek crossings need several multiple lines. This will reduce deep rutting on the exit creek bank.
9) Potentially muddy areas need several multiple lines.
10) Bike trails need to be cut/trimmed HIGH, but not wide. Trail should be cut high enough where nothing will hit a STANDING rider in the face.
11) ATV trails need to be cut/trimmed WIDE, but not high. ATV trails should be 60 inches wide at minimum. If not, post Danger “X”.
12) Following the guidelines above, cut all cedar branches facing the direction of the course, flush with the trunk or leave them long enough not to gore someone.
13) REMOVE all sticks from ATV trails. These become lances when thrown up by the front wheels and can impale a rider.
14) REMOVE all “lone” rolling rocks from Bike trails. A rolling rock in an unsuspected section of track can send a rider into a tree at 50 mph. Remember a rolling stone leaves no bike unturned : )
15) REMOVE (cut back) all briars on any trail. Donate to the Red Cross later after the race.
16) REMOVE (cut back) all vines on any trail. These things can snatch handlebars from a rider’s hands, mash a front brake lever, or disable the vehicles brakes.
17) REMOVE all old ribbons and arrows. This stuff becomes unsightly after a year in the weather. Take a trash bag with you.
18) All root stubs and stumps should be cut flush with the ground or painted with marker paint.
19) All rocks left in the trail sharp enough to cut to a tire or pinch a tube should be painted.
20) Unexpected hazards should be removed where possible. (i.e. refrigerators, barb wire, & automobiles) Where not possible, flag or paint the hazard.
21) Use our designated sponsor’s provided ribbons, arrows, etc. They are kind enough to give, so be kind enough to advertise.
22) Vendor Ribbons used for trail markings should be neat. (i.e. parallel, flat, right side up, etc) Help maintain the professional image of our track and club.
23) There is nothing wrong with going straight for a LONG distance, passing another rider at 90+ MPH is C-O-O-L ! (Gaston will do it on one wheel)
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| March 8, 2010 @ 9:34pm | Pete, you know me, I always seem to disagree. My only big problem with the scenario is the thing about a C rider being able to complete the course without help. What does that mean anyway? There are always plenty of C riders who can climb any hill or do any obstacle you can find but aren't fast. (Remember Gary Gilmore? He'd ride every trail at Brock Creek, do 60 miles a day, but it would take him ALL DAY)! If that's what you mean by a C rider, great)!
I think even Scrambles should be fairly tough, at least some of them. I have had fun at really tough ones and really easy ones. My thinking is that when you have a motivated event sponsor who wants to make a trail and has some tough terrain, let em make it tough. If the wimps can't handle it, let em stay home and play video games. I helped Gorman make the trails at Cougar Canyon, and it was one of my favorite races. 80% of that track was wide enough for a Quad, was 3-4th gear wide open, and the other 20% was gnarly. Bee Branch was similar. It had everything. Big hills, wide open fields and roads, narrow trails, jumps, tight stuff, everything. I thought the last Old Crow on Crow Mtn was just about perfect. It had a bit of everything except any tough hills, which just aren't out there, not anyones fault. But it had everything else.
On the other hand, one of the most fun Scrambles ever was the one that Adam put on in Plummerville, on the farmland at his dads place near the Ar river. It was all easy and flat, bermed corners, but FUN! Just make the trail fit the terrain and race it, but put a significant amount of Singletrack in every one. To me it's all about conquering the terrain better and faster than the other guy. Or nowadays, better than the other guy or gal. They have gals out here in Ga that will kick your butt at a race. I mean several at every race who race in the mens classes and do well. And the womens classes are well represented too. I'm in love with a new gal on a regular basis, but they just don't seem to share my feelings. 
The Missouri HS series is TOUGH. It's so tough that the Enduro guys ride it on off weekends to train. Some say it's harder than SERA Enduros. Yet it has good attendence. It also has NO QUADS. There is also a seperate Quad series there which does well and is flouishing. I'm not saying that has to be the case necessarily, but it can work that way. When AHSCS first started some of the races were actually harder than the average Enduro, yet the series grew anyway. I know of many riders who got bored with Quad trail and went to Enduros rather than stay in AHSCS. Balance is the key I think. But to me, balance means 75% Singletrack and 25% Twotrack.
Speaking of balance, GNCCs are a joke these days. I just went to Aonia Pass here in Ga and watched one last weekend. It was so easy a kid on a skateboard could have ridden it. No challenge at all. Boring to watch, probably boring to ride. They say Loretta Lynns is one of the harder ones these days, and there is NO SINGLETRACK! How can it be hard with no singletrack? I rode it a few yrs ago and it was easy. It was tiring due to it being completely worn out by Quads, rough as heck, rutted as heck, rocky as heck, exposed roots, huge water bars that had to be built due to the wide Quad trails we were forced to use, but BORING! Leave me out. I'll ride Nat Enduros or local Enduros or Trailride. If I want to ride Quad trail I'd much rather ride DS with Devro and Disco, drink some whiskey afterward, eat a steak, get a Devro local history lesson, do a 120 mile day, and have 10 times more fun for 1/4 of the cost. Why drive all over creation to ride a worn out Quad trail and pay money to enter it when you can do that for free with your buds and see the Ozarks, take pictures, ride 3 times the miles, and have 10 times the fun? Did I mention it's FREE!?
Offroad race motorcycles were designed for SINGLETRACK. Leave Singletrack out of the picture and leave me out of the picture. Me and many of my riding buddies. |
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Last Edit: March 8, 2010 @ 9:50pm by jgas | |
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| March 8, 2010 @ 11:32pm | jeffro,
shut the F up and get your A out here and cut some trail!!!
We are in DESPERATE need of club members to pitch in with muscle, only!!!!~
If other club members do not pitch in this race is not going to happen.
And that is a plee to ALL you RVDRS who need to pitch in.
If we have to throw this race at the last notice because, "It's too far for me to drive." "I have a family you know." I have to work on Saturday and Sunday is my only day off." Whaa, Whaa, Waha!!
Please try to get out there and help.
Besides you might find that it's kinda fun to work in the woods with a bunch of other riders.
devro! |
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Last Edit: March 10, 2010 @ 7:21am by devro | |
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| March 18, 2010 @ 4:15am | -Right rotator cuff torn in 3 places, 2 complete tears, right bicep tendon completly torn away from the bone. Waiting for sports med specialist to get me an appt.
-Left rotator torn in 3 places.
-More bulging discs with two more partial ruptures in lower back, also bulging in mid back.
-Got right eye fixed with artificial lens, now the left eye has a cataract. Awaiting specialist.
-Hiatal Hernia, damaged Esophagus and Z Ring with severe bacterial infection, only partially treatable in stomach. I have scar tissue on my Diaphraghm that can't be fixed.
-Nerve damage in left Ulnar Nerve. (Elbow). Causes weakness and tingling in hand.
All the above is newly found stuff from the last 7-9 months, plus all the old 12-14 surgeries and reset bones I've already had, plus Tuberculosis and Gangrene/Osteomylitis.
I doubt I'll be back in time to help out with the race. Sorry.
I DID buy car insurance with Geico today though.
I'm so tired of this place I am seriously considering telling them to kick me out, send me home, and let the VA take care of it. I am tired of Ga and ready for Ar but the reality is that although it takes forever to get in to see some of the specialists here and takes even more time to actually get surgery or treatment, the hospital is pretty good, the VA here is the best in the nation, and I'd be stupid to not get as much fixed here as I can before they kick my sorry butt out.
Jimbo, I would give my third testicle to be able to help you out any way I could with the race and everything else, but I just can't. I will be at WUDI at the end of this month though. Hope you can make that. |
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