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First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 08:36 pm Oct 09 2017
by patricktuller
Ok, I've got a 1989 kdx200. I've got maybe 14 hours total lifetime experience riding dirt bikes, I'm 39. I love riding trails, and wanted to try one. Rode the forward motion hare scramble series at Carbondale, ks. It happened to be on my 39th birthday, oct 8. I had no idea what I was in for. I ran the practice, and took almost the whole practice for 1 lap. I was done half way through. My body gave up, and I couldn't even control my bike any more, but I fought through it. I had no choice. I didn't even attempt the race for fear of injuring myself. Does anyone have any helpful stories, or advise to help out? I want to try another.... I have the most respect for you guys..... that was hell.... but somehow fun at the same. I like a challenge, but felt like I was way over my skill level. Thanks!

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Re: First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 08:58 pm Oct 09 2017
by doakley
Three things:
1. Attend a riding school of your choice to learn correct technique from the beginning.

2. Get in the best shape of your life, especially cardio.

3. Seat time; nothing beats seat time (reference #1 above though).

Re: First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 09:16 pm Oct 09 2017
by KDXGarage
Image

Practice, fitness and try to get the bike reliable

First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 06:58 am Oct 11 2017
by ohgood
patricktuller wrote:Ok, I've got a 1989 kdx200. I've got maybe 14 hours total lifetime experience riding dirt bikes, I'm 39. I love riding trails, and wanted to try one. Rode the forward motion hare scramble series at Carbondale, ks. It happened to be on my 39th birthday, oct 8. I had no idea what I was in for. I ran the practice, and took almost the whole practice for 1 lap. I was done half way through. My body gave up, and I couldn't even control my bike any more, but I fought through it. I had no choice. I didn't even attempt the race for fear of injuring myself. Does anyone have any helpful stories, or advise to help out? I want to try another.... I have the most respect for you guys..... that was hell.... but somehow fun at the same. I like a challenge, but felt like I was way over my skill level. Thanks!

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1 cardio (exercise bike/swimming/etc) until you can sustain 175-180bpm for an hour.
2 ride with people who are skilled, watch their lines, learn their tricks. if they act cocky or similar, find a new group.
3 watch videos on YouTube about improving off road skills.

no one is ready for their fifth hs, let alone the first. it's really supposed to be fun, but the organizers have to sell it as "RACE!!!" in order to attract more people. if you treat it like a fast trail ride instead of a competition, and don't ride above 75% of your ability, you'll do better.

dirt bikes are
FUN

Re: First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 11:49 am Oct 11 2017
by Lumpy
1. you don't want to be in anyone's way by being a slow rider ( This is everyone's perspective)
2. Experienced riders had to start somewhere and understand rule #1 and are supportive .
3. ride , ride , ride,
4. survive and complete your 1st , then the 2nd , 3rd . etc... see rule #2
5 Train and see rule # 3
6. have fun that is your intent, get connected with a few other riders and enjoy the fellowship, you ain't making a career out of it so make it enjoyable!

welcome to the madness that is dirt bike addiction!

First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 10:15 am Oct 12 2017
by snowjob
:grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

Had a similar experience myself this year with a couple exceptions. I am 43 and have been riding off-road for nearly 10 years now. I decided that now I own an appropriate bike (KDX200H), running hare scrambles with my son (10 on a KX65) seemed like a reasonable thing to do. Most guys have the benefit of a number of things: fitness, experience, skill, perfect bike, youth, etc. Since I have none of those things I try to make due with stubbornness (I call it will power to make myself feel better). In all seriousness, start with fitness and especially cardio. Your heart rate will shoot sky high in a race and more you struggle/crash, the worse it gets. You can help by slowing down your race pace, but I have a hard time slowing down until I can't seem to move. I have been training for the last 7 months and dropped nearly 50 pounds. I have also steadily increased how high I keep my heart rate while training. I am nowhere near the 180 mentioned above, but that is actually too high for my age. My normal workouts stay in the 110-130 range and I peak closer to 150-160, though the age formula shows I should be able to hit mid 170s (likely seconds before I die).

After fitness is everything else. Having an easy to ride bike helps as the less you fall, the easier it is. I hate that phrase, but it is 100% true. I am short and found that lowering the KDX it is a near perfect fit for me. I would love it to be lighter and have e-start, but until my last lap time is the same as my first, there is no point in spending money.

Since I lack skill and experience, I do try practicing for each event. If at all possible pre-run the course or at least the facility if you can. Showing up and running blind is hard enough and I need every advantage I can get.

Finally, tires. Always have new, sticky tires. The KDX is a killer tractor and way better than I am as a rider. Good tires + killer KDX power band = getting through stuff way over my head.

Good luck and keep at it. I rode 3 races this year and plan to run the Moose Run in November. It too is way over my head, but once you have the race bug, you won't be able to stop.

First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 11:41 pm Oct 24 2017
by thirdgenlxi
Some solid advice up above ^^^ :supz: Not really a whole lot I can add there

My first couple races I thought I was gonna die, lol..... and I wasn't even going fast. But going straight from trail riding where you ride a couple miles, take a break.... ride a couple miles, take a break..... straight to 2 hours hard as you can, non stop :shock: :shock: :shock: I still had to stop and take so many breaks and drink water, lol. It's gotten a lot better now, but I'm still nowhere in the shape that a lot of these guys are. It's workout for sure.... both mentally and physically! Keep at it though.... it'll get better the more you do :grin:

Re: First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 08:11 am Oct 25 2017
by snowjob
Quick adjustment to my post above (because I'm an idiot). Turns out my heart rate numbers are completely off since I take blood pressure medicine. Max heart rate for a normal person is 220-age(43)=177 for me. Max heart rate on blood pressure medication is 162-.7*age(43)=132. Good news is that I am just under that every time I work out. Better news is that I had not yet killed myself trying to get over it.

I discovered this on a day I forgot my medicine and was surprised to see my heart rate get near 180 without any extra exertion.

I can't wait to see how this all pans out during the upcoming Moose Run. I guarantee I will be slow, but I hope to have enough cardio endurance to finish.

Also, remember to breathe. It sounds stupid, but focusing on good breathing technique while racing takes effort and makes a huge difference.

Re: First attempt at a hare scramble.....

Posted: 09:41 pm Nov 09 2017
by Sullyfam
Ride within your ability
Seat time
Fitness when you can [emoji15]
Have fun

Not necessarily in order. Fitness can be a B after 40 so make the the best of the year you have [emoji12]




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