Back in April, Jim Costello and I raced the WVMBA Big Bear Enduro. We had talked about racing a couple of the WVMBA Enduros and after showing interest in the 1st event of the year, we both get a message from Travis Peebles of Blazing Saddle Cycles offering us a place to sleep in the cabin that he rented for the weekend. With the trouble of figuring out where to stay out of the way, we were in!
Since this was an Enduro, we figured it best to go down and pre-ride the 5 stages on Friday. I thought this was a great idea, as I had never ridden big drops, roll-ins and other rock features we would face that weekend. Once I picked Jim up, we made a relaxing trip down to Bruceton Mills, where the Big Bear Lake campground would host the event. On the way Jim mentioned that he wasn’t sure he’d ever met Travis. I reminded him that Travis was the guy who had Elvis at his team tent at the Vulture’s Knob 24 hour race and roasted a whole pig! Immediately Jim remembered and got even more excited for the adventure to come!
We arrived to the parking area around noon and began changing into the appropriate EnduroTM attire. It just so happens, with no discussion between us, that Jim and I bought the same helmet. In the same color… EnduroTM Blue… For the past 2 weeks months we had been taking flak from everyone we rode with about how we were matching EndurBro’s and how the helmets matched nothing about the rest of our kits. Before we pedaled off, we ran into Jeff Simcoe. He is the main person maintaining the trails at Big Bear. He gave us some helpful tips on which stages were important to pre-ride and help prevent us from getting lost.
Since this was an Enduro, we figured it best to go down and pre-ride the 5 stages on Friday. I thought this was a great idea, as I had never ridden big drops, roll-ins and other rock features we would face that weekend. Once I picked Jim up, we made a relaxing trip down to Bruceton Mills, where the Big Bear Lake campground would host the event. On the way Jim mentioned that he wasn’t sure he’d ever met Travis. I reminded him that Travis was the guy who had Elvis at his team tent at the Vulture’s Knob 24 hour race and roasted a whole pig! Immediately Jim remembered and got even more excited for the adventure to come!
We arrived to the parking area around noon and began changing into the appropriate EnduroTM attire. It just so happens, with no discussion between us, that Jim and I bought the same helmet. In the same color… EnduroTM Blue… For the past 2 weeks months we had been taking flak from everyone we rode with about how we were matching EndurBro’s and how the helmets matched nothing about the rest of our kits. Before we pedaled off, we ran into Jeff Simcoe. He is the main person maintaining the trails at Big Bear. He gave us some helpful tips on which stages were important to pre-ride and help prevent us from getting lost.
 Andy & Jim "the Endurbro's" with their matching helmets |  |
We began with stage 3 as it left directly from the parking area. The main feature of stage 3 was a big roll-in off a rock face followed by a technical, chunky rock section. After debating with Jim if I could do it and watching him a few times, I tucked in my skirt and rolled over. Easy and fun!! Once we headed down the trail again, Jim promptly wrecked in the rocks. New bike got its 1st scratch…
After riding stage 3, we met up with Travis, Kyle and Mark from the Blazing Saddle crew. The group of us then headed up to stage 1. This was probably the 2nd most technical stage of the race. It had a few drops right at the beginning, then a bunch of pedaling with some more rock features towards the end. Apparently, during our pre-ride we missed a turn and skipped a big rock drop in the middle of the stage. Jim and I both found it during our timed run on Saturday and are still debating how big it really was. We both agreed it was the biggest drop of the weekend! We then rode stage 2, which had a long steep rock chute that required a lot of brakes to keep everything under control.
At the bottom of that stage I pinch flatted my tire, but the problem was quickly remedied with a couple of tire plugs and a few pumps of air.
After riding stage 3, we met up with Travis, Kyle and Mark from the Blazing Saddle crew. The group of us then headed up to stage 1. This was probably the 2nd most technical stage of the race. It had a few drops right at the beginning, then a bunch of pedaling with some more rock features towards the end. Apparently, during our pre-ride we missed a turn and skipped a big rock drop in the middle of the stage. Jim and I both found it during our timed run on Saturday and are still debating how big it really was. We both agreed it was the biggest drop of the weekend! We then rode stage 2, which had a long steep rock chute that required a lot of brakes to keep everything under control.
At the bottom of that stage I pinch flatted my tire, but the problem was quickly remedied with a couple of tire plugs and a few pumps of air.
The climb out of stage 2 was awesome!! It reminded me of the final miles of the Snake Creek Gap TT in Dalton, Ga. Huge, chunky rocks on a long grinding climb. I kept thinking how much Kenny would love this climb, but know how much he would be cursing me on the downhills to get there! We made it back up to the top of the mountain and started down stage 4. This was the most technical of the stages with big rock features that required some knowledge of the proper line choice to keep from falling into a crack or off an edge. And to top it off, it ended in the same spot as stage 2, so we got to do the fun climb again!! We were out of time to pre-ride stage 5, so we started heading to camp.
Travis had headed back to camp after riding stage 2, so we met up with him and began to go over the bikes. Before leaving, I borrowed Kenny’s Flash Charger pump. Glad I did, because it was a process getting my new rear tire to seat. I ended up adding 2 layers of gorilla tape to the rim to get the tire to seat. I still haven’t taken the tire off to see my handy work. Travis and crew had brought food to cook, so Jim and I headed to a brewery in Maryland. I can’t speak for the beer, but the handmade pizzas were awesome!
Saturday we were all up early going thru our morning routines. As such, I found myself in stall #3. I will state now, that the campground gave each campsite a roll of TP and didn’t keep any in the bathrooms. As I finish doing my thing I hear: “Hey you, in stall #3, do you have any TP? I’m about to lose a sock!” This is a new experience for me. Do I quietly sneak out and let the guy go sockless the rest of the day? That just seemed wrong so I handed the roll over the door and asked if he could drop it off at our site. A few minutes later a guy comes strolling up to our site and says, “My socks thank you!” Wow, if this is a sign of how the day is going to go, today is going to be interesting…
We make it up to the start area and get registered. Then the Wenger’s show up and Cary begins unloading his bike. Jim about dropped from laughter! Cary said that since they had a hardtail class he figured the trail couldn’t be that bad… We would later find out that he rode the entire course and made it to stage 3 before it was ready. Then he was the first person to complete all 5 stages and ride back to the start area. Most everyone else took a shuttle back! I think someone forgot to tell him that only the downhills were timed… Later he heard that there was a keg at the end of stage 5 and was upset because he pedaled right past it!
Saturday we were all up early going thru our morning routines. As such, I found myself in stall #3. I will state now, that the campground gave each campsite a roll of TP and didn’t keep any in the bathrooms. As I finish doing my thing I hear: “Hey you, in stall #3, do you have any TP? I’m about to lose a sock!” This is a new experience for me. Do I quietly sneak out and let the guy go sockless the rest of the day? That just seemed wrong so I handed the roll over the door and asked if he could drop it off at our site. A few minutes later a guy comes strolling up to our site and says, “My socks thank you!” Wow, if this is a sign of how the day is going to go, today is going to be interesting…
We make it up to the start area and get registered. Then the Wenger’s show up and Cary begins unloading his bike. Jim about dropped from laughter! Cary said that since they had a hardtail class he figured the trail couldn’t be that bad… We would later find out that he rode the entire course and made it to stage 3 before it was ready. Then he was the first person to complete all 5 stages and ride back to the start area. Most everyone else took a shuttle back! I think someone forgot to tell him that only the downhills were timed… Later he heard that there was a keg at the end of stage 5 and was upset because he pedaled right past it!
Cary had my phone for two seconds when I turned to get my helmet -Jim
After the riders’ meeting, we were all sent up the singletrack to the 1st stage. There were a couple little climbs with a solid 40+ bike train in front of me. More than half of the racers were off walking their bikes. Wow, I thought to myself, what happens when they have to climb back up the mountain and not this little hill. It turns out that my XC fitness would be a big benefit thru the day! Once it’s our turn, I send Jim out 1st because he is typically quicker than me in the technical stuff. I botched all of the drops then pedaled my ass off trying to make up time from my screw ups. I ended up passing Jim and 3 other people who we had given each at least a 30 second head start to.
Stage 2 was also very pedally, and by the rock chute at the bottom, I was drifting all over the place on the rocks that had been kicked up from previous riders! Love drifting! Now the big climb up to stage 3! Almost as fun as the downhills, but judging by the many riders walking up the hills I was really starting to realize the advantage having some fitness. On the ride to stage 3 we stopped at the car to refill and grabbed a coke and m&m’s before heading to the start. The majority of stage 3 was directly next to the main road which was a transfer to stage 4, so there was a constant barrage of “motivation” from riders pedaling by. That also meant that the big rock roll-in was crowded with on-lookers. Can’t hesitate now! I rounded the corner, slammed my post and let the bike roll! Immediately after the roll-in was a left hand corner, my specialty, so I let go of the brakes and gave a big 2-wheel drift for the crowd, who erupted with more cheer! Luckily I was out of sight when I dabbed and had to run thru the same rock garden Jim personally inspected and showed how not to ride the day before. Wish I would have paid attention then… When I finished the stage, Jim was nowhere to be seen. Come to find out he dropped his chain. Twice! This leads perfectly to my newest piece of gear. On Thursday before the race, I installed an Absolute Black Oval ring. I noticed the difference in the ring for about 3 pedals around the block and I never noticed it again. Glad I tried it and have since installed them on my other bikes! And to top it off, I never dropped a chain all weekend, and after 2+ months of use locally, at Rothrock and Pisgah, still have not had an issue!
Stage 2 was also very pedally, and by the rock chute at the bottom, I was drifting all over the place on the rocks that had been kicked up from previous riders! Love drifting! Now the big climb up to stage 3! Almost as fun as the downhills, but judging by the many riders walking up the hills I was really starting to realize the advantage having some fitness. On the ride to stage 3 we stopped at the car to refill and grabbed a coke and m&m’s before heading to the start. The majority of stage 3 was directly next to the main road which was a transfer to stage 4, so there was a constant barrage of “motivation” from riders pedaling by. That also meant that the big rock roll-in was crowded with on-lookers. Can’t hesitate now! I rounded the corner, slammed my post and let the bike roll! Immediately after the roll-in was a left hand corner, my specialty, so I let go of the brakes and gave a big 2-wheel drift for the crowd, who erupted with more cheer! Luckily I was out of sight when I dabbed and had to run thru the same rock garden Jim personally inspected and showed how not to ride the day before. Wish I would have paid attention then… When I finished the stage, Jim was nowhere to be seen. Come to find out he dropped his chain. Twice! This leads perfectly to my newest piece of gear. On Thursday before the race, I installed an Absolute Black Oval ring. I noticed the difference in the ring for about 3 pedals around the block and I never noticed it again. Glad I tried it and have since installed them on my other bikes! And to top it off, I never dropped a chain all weekend, and after 2+ months of use locally, at Rothrock and Pisgah, still have not had an issue!
As we made our trip up to stage 4, Andrea Wenger passed by going down stage 3 so we provided the appropriate “motivation.” Waiting for our turn to start the stage, 2 people with Walmart looking bikes come pedaling up the road, turned directly into the start and began going down the trail. Everyone at the start gives that WTF stare and the jokes about bikes exploding commenced. I was able to ride everything on stage 4 without any issues. On the preride, we noticed a couple of bypasses around some muddy chutes. By the time we went I figured the mud would be cleared out and I could just moto the ruts and be fine. Boy was I wrong… One of the ruts was already deep and apparently still hadn’t found solid ground underneath as after the stage I notice the bottom of my fork legs had acted like shovels and brought some of the trail with me. For the rest of the stage, I was snickering to myself how Jim would have to break into his emergency chain cleaning kit so it didn’t trouble his OCD for stage 5! Up until that stage, everyone had stayed relatively clean with only the occasional puddle. This is remarkable because according to Jeff, the weekend before the area received 8” of snow!!
On to the final stage of the day. We didn’t preride this and were told that there isn’t anything difficult. It was a very gradual grade, especially compared the other stages, and required a great deal of pedaling. Two very hard days were beginning to be felt in the legs. We both finished with only a couple of near-misses and Jim grabbed a beer from the keg that wasn’t available when Cary went by at least an hour earlier.
At this point one would think that the adventure was over, but there was quite an experience still remaining. Due to the distance back to the staging area, a shuttle was planned to take everyone back to the start. Jim and I threw our bikes on and grabbed a seat on the back of the trailer. Just as the trailer began to leave, a couple of kids came chasing after the shuttle. We threw their bikes on and one of them sat on the edge of the trailer directly behind me. About 30 seconds down the road, the trailer hits a big bump and I see air between his ass and the trailer deck. I grab one arm and drag him back against my knees while Jim grabs the other. Now that he is sitting on my lap he feels compelled to introduce himself as Nate. I was getting to be very close to Nate. Jokes about the shuttle trip keep flowing between him and Jim, before the topic of how you shouldn’t mention this to your mom until you are at least 25 (guessing he was in the 15-17 year old range??) to keep her from getting upset. Well, not 30 seconds pass and a car goes by the other way. Nate starts yelling “Hey, that’s my mom!!” Jim and I look at each other with the ‘what are those odds’ stare and make sure we have an extra tight hold on him so he doesn’t fall off then get ran over by his mom. Luckily, Mom doesn’t look to be too worried and follows us to the drop-off point.
Now all of the adventure was officially over. We turned in our timing chips, got cleaned up and made our way back home. I ended up in 8th in the sport class, while the dropped chain cost Jim a few additional spots. He finished out in 18th. I would personally like to thank Jeff Simcoe, Ben Klimer and all the others who put on a great event!! And once we get into the summer and past some of the big races, there is definitely going to be a KSD field trip to Big Bear to go check out the xc trails and maybe even hit some of the enduro stages. And now the WVMBA Big Bear Ultra is on my radar for August!!
On to the final stage of the day. We didn’t preride this and were told that there isn’t anything difficult. It was a very gradual grade, especially compared the other stages, and required a great deal of pedaling. Two very hard days were beginning to be felt in the legs. We both finished with only a couple of near-misses and Jim grabbed a beer from the keg that wasn’t available when Cary went by at least an hour earlier.
At this point one would think that the adventure was over, but there was quite an experience still remaining. Due to the distance back to the staging area, a shuttle was planned to take everyone back to the start. Jim and I threw our bikes on and grabbed a seat on the back of the trailer. Just as the trailer began to leave, a couple of kids came chasing after the shuttle. We threw their bikes on and one of them sat on the edge of the trailer directly behind me. About 30 seconds down the road, the trailer hits a big bump and I see air between his ass and the trailer deck. I grab one arm and drag him back against my knees while Jim grabs the other. Now that he is sitting on my lap he feels compelled to introduce himself as Nate. I was getting to be very close to Nate. Jokes about the shuttle trip keep flowing between him and Jim, before the topic of how you shouldn’t mention this to your mom until you are at least 25 (guessing he was in the 15-17 year old range??) to keep her from getting upset. Well, not 30 seconds pass and a car goes by the other way. Nate starts yelling “Hey, that’s my mom!!” Jim and I look at each other with the ‘what are those odds’ stare and make sure we have an extra tight hold on him so he doesn’t fall off then get ran over by his mom. Luckily, Mom doesn’t look to be too worried and follows us to the drop-off point.
Now all of the adventure was officially over. We turned in our timing chips, got cleaned up and made our way back home. I ended up in 8th in the sport class, while the dropped chain cost Jim a few additional spots. He finished out in 18th. I would personally like to thank Jeff Simcoe, Ben Klimer and all the others who put on a great event!! And once we get into the summer and past some of the big races, there is definitely going to be a KSD field trip to Big Bear to go check out the xc trails and maybe even hit some of the enduro stages. And now the WVMBA Big Bear Ultra is on my radar for August!!
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