I will be at the PBER race. In fact, I will have both of my bikes there, I am racing my WR and my buddy who is visiting will be racing my 610. We will both be in C-open.
My bike is ready to go and so am I. I spent a few hours on my bike today going through the little things that become big things on race day. I rode my mountain bike 24 miles this morning to work my cardio and I'm eating some pasta for my carb intake. I'm gonna get my self to bed early and sleep as much as I can. I'm hoping for a real fun day at this event because I like this event a lot.
Whats the location of this race cuz Im punching in the info on my phone and Im seeing a quarry and also a Sahara Sands location 20 minutes from each other. It'd be nice to have an actuall adress, PBER
You can go to the ECEA web site and then go to event promotion. PBER has a flyer attached with directions. I'm going on the Garden State Parkway to exit 63 for Route 72 . I'm taking it to Route 9 South and going about 2 miles and the entrance to Sahara Sands is on the right. Hope to see some fellow CH riders there.
The race is in Eagleswood, I think. It's off Rt9, just a couple miles south of 72 and Manahawkin. https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.674427,-74.29204&spn=0.043007,0.077162&t=h&z=14 If you can't find the sand mine on that map, you're in trouble! Both of my bikes and my gear are loaded up and ready to go, look for the blue Ranger with the 610 and 300. We'll both be racing in C-Open in the morning race.
Haha yeh i did see the quarry on the map but saw Sahara Sands at a different spot 20 minutes away. I was like wtf? Im racing the main at 1. I will be rolling in while you guys are racing. Good luck!
Man I gotta hand it to the Pine Barons Enduro Riders and the great guys at South Jersey Enduro Riders for an event that was just perfect. I gotta say my feelings were just WOW at the way the course was laid out and the event staff. I have zero to say that is negative about this whole race because it was a total blast and had perfect mix of everything IMO. I came home in one piece and my bike came home the same. The woods section had some tight and fast stuff to make a perfect mix including a few good whoop sections with our famous Jersey sand. The MX section kept it real for both woods riders and MXers so we could both enjoy it. It had some great sand turns that allowed me to hammer the throttles out and keep pace and some fun jumps. They also had a few really cool grass track sections with stumps and the usual suspects with small whoops and great turns. These sections were FAST to say the least and I loved it. The sand pit sections equally fun to ride and made for an all around good ride. I rode C Senior this morning and I laid back on the start because I wanted to avoid the wadding up thing in the start and I'm glad I did. I just did not wanna get wadded up and crash before we really got going. I finished the race and I'm happy I did. I did not set world records, but at 53 and I'm OK with that and I will be so happy to remember this race.I'm hoping to ride Blue Diamond in Delaware for the last Hare scramble of the ECEA racing schedule. I met Kyle Terry from our board and a slew of other Husky riders which made my day. There were a a lot of KTMs on the line as I knew there would be, but there was also a LOT of Huskys in the mix too. I hope that this trend continues because it is pretty to see that many Huskys in the woods. My assessment of my Husky today in a full blown Hare Scramble- It was a beast in the sand (Yep she's only a WR 150) - It was rock solid in the grass track sections- It was no surprise of what this bike would do it the woods. And in the hill sections it passed the muster. Ratings- Bike- 100% solid Rider- Good enough to have fun and finish an event Event- Beyond scoring
I have a vid from my helmet cam that I need to look at and try to edit. Hopefully it came out OK. There were people taking pictures through out the event and I hope to get some to post if can find them at the ECEA web site. My brother and my niece took a few of me, but I'll need some time to get them to me and then put them on Photo Bucket and post them.
My wife took some shots in the woods, she hasn't gotten to them yet (she shot another event on Saturday), but when she does I will post them up! I had a decent race, for me at least. They had a great layout and I can't complain, but MAN it definitely got rough out there by the third lap!
I have nothing bad to say about the race promotors or the event. Great job! On the other hand, I HATE whoops...ok I dont love them haha. But the track was loaded with them like way too much. This was a learning experience for me. Ive never raced in the sand and Im sad to say I think its aweful. Nothing against PBER cuz they did a great job. I most likely will not do that race again. The woods would have been amazing and fast if not for the whoops. Oh well. Good experience for me. Live and learn haha
There were at least a few short sections of woods with no whoops, I think! In the sand, it always gets whooped out. NJ guys hate the rocks, PA guys hate the whoops, I just try to ride it all! It was definitely hard to find a flow out there in spots today, but on the other hand riding consistently and conservatively pays big dividends later in the race when guys start getting tired and making mistakes. My last lap was my fastest, so I at least feel good about that!
Yeh into my first lap I wiped out pretty hard. Washed out in a rut and lost the front end. That kind of rattled my head. Later in the lap I was almost led off of the course cuz the marking got messed up in the one section going back into the woods haha. Today just wasnt my day lol. I watched 4 or 5 guys go by when I wiped out and I was like "super". I was forewarned by a few friends that the whoops are nuts and the sand is tricky. They were right. I ended up 11th which is my worst finish this year. My home turf is rocks and tight trails so it was a good learning experience. I bet an MX bike would be awesome on that course. Did anyone catch Stoner hitting the double at the start of the race? That was gnarly.
And by the way, does anyone ever line up for a race and see that ONE guy who is like your nemesis? I do haha. I was so p1$$ed when I lost the front end and watched him go by. Funny thing is, the guy is nice as hell. But he is a couple places ahead of me in points and was hoping to beat him. Mental games I play in my head, I suppose.
