Alligator Sightings!!
How many of you have a "bucket list"? You know, things you just gotta' do before you leave the planet? One of the items on my personal list is, or now perhaps I can say "was", riding in the Alligator National Enduro. This weekend, with a little help from my friends, I was able to check that item off my list! Rolling down I-95 with my friend Travis driving his van pulling my cargo trailer, we were talking about expectations for the enduro, how we hoped to do in the event. I predicted Travis would get 3rd in class, a "podium" finish and that I just wanted to finish the event, no matter how long it took. Travis, in his calm way, simply said, "you can do better". I said, possibly but not realistically. The 65+ class was large for an enduro, 17 people had pre-entered. I recognized some of the names and felt like a top 10 finish was a fantasy for me. I would be happy just to realize a 47 year old dream and finish the event.
Short version, I realized my dream this weekend by finishing the 2019, 68th annual Alligator Enduro! To make it even more memorable, I have to tell you Travis was right.....I managed to finish a respectable 7th in class! Sometime, perhaps tomorrow, my head just may shrink back down to its normal size. I managed to take a few pics before the event and I made a couple of new friends that promised to send me riding pictures over the next few days. If they come through I'll put something up.
And oh yeah, Travis...3rd in the 40+C class as predicted!
Kenda is the title sponsor of the NEPG National Enduro Series. As such, they have a huge display of tires at each event with a "recommended" rear tire choice for each, based on anticipated terrain and conditions. You can purchase their recommended tire (Southwick II for the Alligator) or most any other Kenda tire. For an additional $15 they will mount it for you. I already had a good IRC soft terrain tire mounted so passed. I'll probably take advantage of their services before we get into hard rocky races though.
- Kenda Tire.JPG (119.24 KiB) Viewed 33480 times
We got there pretty early Saturday afternoon so the registration line was short. Of course I had to buy the souvenir tee shirt!
- registration crew.JPG (94.6 KiB) Viewed 33480 times
Just had to pose for this shot. Probably the only time you'll see me on the podium!
- Podium Practice.JPG (130.79 KiB) Viewed 33480 times
I was able to find our own "DDR26" from the KDXRIDER.NET forums who served as Trail Boss, responsible for the course layout. This is Travis on the left, me on the right and DDR26 in the middle. I'm holding up the route sheet and trying to get some tips from DDR26.
- Trail boss!.JPG (130.25 KiB) Viewed 33480 times
And here is the proof!
- Class results.JPG (32.17 KiB) Viewed 33480 times
Impressions and comments: Racing in the Florida sand is a little different for me. I've seen my share of sand whoops but I got my first exposure to palmetto stumps in this race. We rode one section where the sadistic crew had posted a sign saying "Palmetto Hell". I gotta' tell you, it was just that! Glad we had an early number (row 2) because I heard it was really a mess after the pro riders got through chewing it up! FYI, the top pro riders are usually assigned to rows 31 and back in order of their prior race finish. They want enough of us "cannon fodder" riders up front to knock out some of the limbs but not so many as to clog up the trails in front of them. They don't really care how rough the trail gets since they fly over this stuff at speeds that normal riders can't even imagine. If you've never been passed in a race by a pro hell-bent on winning the overall, it is an experience for sure! I can say this, thank goodness it did not rain and was dry.
The woods in FL are also a little different. There's actually a mixture of really, really (did I say really?) tight small pine trees interspersed with those damn palmetto stumps. I'm talking the kind of tight where your bars don't fit through and just as you do manage to get between the trees, wham! Your front tire rockets off a Palmetto stump and you shoot off blazing your own personal trail through this thick mess! I wish I had a GoPro so I could share some of this stuff with you. It would be worth your while to search on YouTube. NEPG usually puts up a highlights video.
The bike: This stuff is heaven for a KDX and the bike was perfect. One rider on a Suzuki actually told me at a checkpoint that he wished he had ridden his father's KDX instead. Jared at SR1 Suspension set me up perfectly again. Best of all, the new clutch pack solved the auto clutch and overheating problem. Not an issue all day. (BTW, I may have to start sleeping with the auto-clutch. I'm in love with it and don't want to ever ride tight, gnarly single track without it again!)
That's about it for now. Big shout out to DDR26 and the entire gang at the Daytona Dirt Riders. Excellent course and excellent event. I'm looking forward to returning next year (if it doesn't rain. I'm not going into "Palmetto Hell" in the rain!)
Next stop is the Cajun Classic enduro in Forest Hill, Lousiana. Yeah man! Bring on some Cajun' Crawfish and Gumbo!
Cheers!
doakley
Old Guy Racin'