#5th gear enduro single-track

[irnieracing]

5th Gear Enduro Single-track (70 km/h) w/ KTM 300 TPI | Kelowna Dirtbik...

[ikramdurrani]

Leg 4 Stage 1: Hard packed sand filled with bumps thanks to cars that were let go before me, My poor tyres! Overtook 8 cars passing them on a single track, GPS troubles for around 15 minutes and it falling off the bike over and over 4 times until I taped it! Haha. Lost my fuel Almost 100 kms covered in 1 hour and 30 minutes again riding very close to the Pakistan Border. Leg 4 Stage 2: Blazing across the desert like someone stole my bike and I had to catch, 5th gear flatout most times through pretty much everything! Passed 4 more cars and a few bikers. 70 kms in 55 minutes. Once the stage was over and I saw those beautiful dunes, It was time to go ride them for another 45 minutes. 😘 Photo cred: @alanmax79 #desertstorm2017 #msds17 #rally #race @northernmotorsport #northernmotorsports @maruti_motorsports #maruti_motorsports @murthazajunaid #artofmotorcycles @thumperbruce #freespiritmotorcyclesdubai @ridebuilddrive #ridebuilddrive @torque_block @uppsycled @tribalsanjay @yuva_37 #motoventure #enduro #motocross #offroad #motorcycle #bikelife #motolife #desert #holiday #adventure #brapp #training #fitness #redbull #dubai #mydubai #dubailife #rajasthan #gopro

[shortcutandy-blog]

And so The Pioneer, kit, bike and packing.

It is now mid January and we are getting nervous and excited, by 28th January when we board the plane for LA we will be more of each.

Vast quantities of information seems to be floating by drip feed into our inboxes and Facebook accounts.  It is not always the information we want but it is information and should be lapped up and appropriately actioned.

TO summarise the race: it takes place over 7 days, starting on 5th February in Christchurch and finishing 7 days later in Queenstown.  During the course of this event we will do a couple of laps of the new Christchurch Adventure Park and then cross the Southern Alpes riding a total of 549km and 15,000m of climbing.  So this is not an insignificant challenge. There is a day with over 3,000m of climbing and more than 100km of distance.

To date we have: Booked flights, these provide us with a round trip following the route: Heathrow, Los Angeles, Auckland, Christchurch (where the race starts). Returning from Auckland, via San Francisco to Heathrow.

Booked Hirers for a few days in Christchurch prior to the race and from Queenstown with a drop off at Auckland Airport to cover us for a whistlestop tour of NZ before heading back. Booked Accommodation for LA, Christchurch and Queenstown. Got the bike services. Done some training. Made sure my Vodafone tariff has World Traveller switched on. Looked at the course profile and recognised we are in for some very long days. Booked the Pioneer Massage Package and Laundry Package. We expect to be away from home for 4 weeks in total.

Kit and Packing: Having done a couple of stage races I have some idea what to take but this doesn’t make packing any less stressful, the highlights are: riding kit for 7 days, bike (I am riding a Pivot 429sl and John will be on a Giant Anthem Advanced so it is all about xc full suspension for us), day bag tool kit, spares, first aid kit, space blanket, waterproof jacket, waterproof shorts, helmet etc.  Additional to the kit you need for racing there is obviously suncream, lip balm, chamois cream, sleeping bag for 6 nights under canvas, mattress, pillow etc. and civvies.  We will be provided with a bag in which all the kit we need for the 7 days racing should be stored, this will be carried from stage to stage for us with main bags just going direct to the end of the race.

I may try and pull together a more comprehensive list nearer the time.

My Bike: Last week my bike spent some time being appropriately serviced and so has new drive train,  tyres, suspension seals, cables etc.  This work was carried out by Andy at PurpleBikeShed in Farnborough.

For this event I will be riding my Pivot 429sl I bough this bike back in May 2016 for BC Bike Race, it has 120mm fox FIT 4 forks with 100mm of travel at the back.  I do run a dropper seatpost, single ring and for the most part the build is Shimano XTR with xc kit dominating throughout.  In terms of weight it comes in around 25lbs give or take but is stiff, reliable and comfortable.

Specific decisions I have made regarding the bike and kit are: Gearing - I will be running a wolf tooth sprocket to give me a 45 tooth bottom gear at the back, this is alongside an XTR cassette and an Absolute Black oval 32 tooth ring.  I also have a 30 tooth ring available should if feel like I need it. Tyres - I have been running WTB Trail Boss and  Nine Line for months now and like them, they were good in Canada and I don’t have too many issues with them providing I treat them with respect so I will be keeping with those. Dropper Post - I could save some weight by leaving it at home and fitting something made from carbon.  I won’t because I have become dropper dependent and cannot be bothered to change it. Shoes - people say you may need to walk and that shoes you can walk in are a good idea.  Personally I don’t really like the Giro enduro shoes I bought so I will be wearing my very comfortable Sidi Dragon 3’s and hoping they make it through to the end of the event in one piece. Camelbak - I don’t like them, I don’t like wearing them and get backache more quickly when I wear them.  I will be using a USWE pack which keeps the weight high but will be aiming to keep the weight as minimal as possible by utilising my jersey pockets and a small seatpack.  Not relevant for this event but in some single track marathon events I find I don’t drink enough if I don’t have a camelbak of some description because I cannot drink from a bottle and ride great trails at the same time.

I keeps seeing stuff I need to buy, remember to take etc. so seem to have a continuous delivery stream from Chain Reaction Cycles at the moment. Latest order was some valve extenders just incase my inner tubes have shorter valve stems than are necessary for my WTB Carbon rims, a Stan’s valve core remover and some spare quick links.  I do have a couple of spare mech hangers.