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Fort Williams 2018: The Lizard Rockgardening.

chris_f

Monkey
Jun 20, 2007
390
409
We got the ever divisive annual festivities at Ft. Bill coming up in a few weeks.

So for anyone following Ben Cathro on FB or IG, I'm sure you've noticed that apparently they have "fixed" the Bog of Doom going through the little wooded area. It now seems to be a rock garden there instead.

I'm sure some will love it and some will hate it. To be honest I'm not sure what to think, because the rock garden looked kind of bland and a bit smooth in the clip I saw.

Here is the clip, for reference:



Should be interesting at full tilt when it inevitably rains on race day though.
 
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sundaydoug

Monkey
Jun 8, 2009
609
271
I enjoyed watching the carnage in that section, but the changes probably make it more sustainable for a few days of practice plus race day, especially if it's going to be wet.
 

SuboptimusPrime

Turbo Monkey
Aug 18, 2005
1,658
1,633
NorCack
Looks like some very impressive rock work but it’s a bummer that section is now the same as the rest of the course only surrounded by trees. Never having been there is it even possible for natural trailbed to survive more than a season at Ft Bill?
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,535
5,470
UK
I'm concussed. not sure I understand the question.
Ft william DH track above the woods is 100% manmade all the way to the starthut. made with machinery, Helicopter'd in rock, earth and wood. All the land is too peaty and soft to sustain a track. The first woods (small section everyone lost their shit over last year) can. Tree roots are quite good at holding earth together.
Below the woods the ground is harder and more natural (the bit Gwin had his "crash" in to the finish). Well... it was. then they built lots of jumps with machinery.
The Woods were not in the original track (Circa 1997). The track came down a really rough steepish section of track (originally a walkers path held together with railway sleepers). The woods are actually a diversion off that section. The old sleepers are still there but it's a mess to ride. kinda rad tho.

sorry if this doesn't make sense
 
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Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,535
5,470
UK
DH bike spat me straight onto it with quite a force. (washed the front)
you'll absolutely not guess which section of track (Inners)
the rest of the day was awesome. Had done 9 runs by then and it wasn't even 2pm yet.
wipe the dust off your DH bike and book on for a fortnights time
 

mykel

closer to Periwinkle
Apr 19, 2013
5,067
3,778
sw ontario canada
:banned: :busted:

Have ridden it once since the rebuild. That was this past year. They had done 0 maintenance since they ran the race in the mud, and it has now dried into concrete. Axle deep ruts in places by the catch fences. I got into one rut, that of course was not the correct one - picture getting to the end of the deep rut, causing a stall on the steeps followed by a slow speed endo :disgust1:. But, hey, I did show some skill, as I held onto the bike so it did not do the clatter down the hill thing, and I ride FLATS :rockout: :rofl:.

The rock garden is not that bad, but it is off-camber downhill and when it gets dusty later in the year, it gets a might slippy. Alex, one of my crew you rode with last year (Yellow Transition TR450) cracked a vertebrae crashing during the East Coast Open. Saw the crash and it was nasty, he walked away, but ended up in ER later. Sits in the back of my mind, even after sessioning it, I just can't get comfortable in the garden.

Not a fan.

Edit - found a pic of Alex not doing so well on said journey thru teh garden - Hurts to look at even if he got lucky.

Alex - EastCoastOpen.jpg
 
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canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,188
19,155
Canaderp
:banned: :busted:

Have ridden it once since the rebuild. That was this past year. They had done 0 maintenance since they ran the race in the mud, and it has now dried into concrete. Axle deep ruts in places by the catch fences. I got into one rut, that of course was not the correct one - picture getting to the end of the deep rut, causing a stall on the steeps followed by a slow speed endo :disgust1:. But, hey, I did show some skill, as I held onto the bike so it did not do the clatter down the hill thing, and I ride FLATS :rockout: :rofl:.

The rock garden is not that bad, but it is off-camber downhill and when it gets dusty later in the year, it gets a might slippy. Alex, one of my crew you rode with last year (Yellow Transition TR450) cracked a vertebrae crashing during the East Coast Open. Saw the crash and it was nasty, he walked away, but ended up in ER later. Sits in the back of my mind, even after sessioning it, I just can't get comfortable in the garden.

Not a fan.

Edit - found a pic of Alex not doing so well on said journey thru teh garden - Hurts to look at even if he got lucky.

View attachment 128735
So I'll follow you down it then. :busted:

That race in the mud and it's aftermath is one reason I didn't even bother last year.

Glad your buddy is okay after that. It seems like a lot of rock gardens here have the wrong rocks. Smooth river rocks are nasty. Big Sleeze has them, but luckily you can go straight through that one without even touching a rock.
 
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Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
I'm concussed. not sure I understand the question.
Ft william DH track above the woods is 100% manmade all the way to the starthut. made with machinery, Helicopter'd in rock, earth and wood. All the land is too peaty and soft to sustain a track. The first woods (small section everyone lost their shit over last year) can. Tree roots are quite good at holding earth together.
Below the woods the ground is harder and more natural (the bit Gwin had his "crash" in to the finish). Well... it was. then they built lots of jumps with machinery.
The Woods were not in the original track (Circa 1997). The track came down a really rough steepish section of track (originally a walkers path held together with railway sleepers). The woods are actually a diversion off that section. The old sleepers are still there but it's a mess to ride. kinda rad tho.

sorry if this doesn't make sense
I'm concussed. not sure I understand the question.
Ft william DH track above the woods is 100% manmade all the way to the starthut. made with machinery, Helicopter'd in rock, earth and wood. All the land is too peaty and soft to sustain a track. The first woods (small section everyone lost their shit over last year) can. Tree roots are quite good at holding earth together.
Below the woods the ground is harder and more natural (the bit Gwin had his "crash" in to the finish). Well... it was. then they built lots of jumps with machinery.
The Woods were not in the original track (Circa 1997). The track came down a really rough steepish section of track (originally a walkers path held together with railway sleepers). The woods are actually a diversion off that section. The old sleepers are still there but it's a mess to ride. kinda rad tho.

sorry if this doesn't make sense
This is possibly your most coherent post ever.
 

scottishmark

Turbo Monkey
May 20, 2002
2,121
22
Somewhere dark, cold & wet....
[QUOTE="Gary, post: 4274714, member:
wipe the dust off your DH bike and book on for a fortnights time[/QUOTE]

Definitely concussed then, or maybe just old Haven’t had a DH bike in some time - no plans to get another either
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,535
5,470
UK
Aw... man I thought you had a Canyon Torque

Both old and concussed. You must be older than me if I have DH bikes and you do Enduro tho. surely?

I iz confused
 

William42

fork ways
Jul 31, 2007
3,908
634
I guess its time for predictions.

Prediction 1: danny hart spends a month and half at FT Bill training for this race. He takes it as seriously as the Hannah's take worlds. 2nd place, dreams crushed, crying ensues.

Prediction 2: Aaron Gwin comes down 2-3 seconds in the green as the final rider before crashing somewhere toward the bottom in one of the easier sections. Everybody is puzzled, but not surprised.

Prediction 3: Greg Minnaar takes his 100th world cup win at Ft Bill.
 

fwp

Monkey
Jun 5, 2013
410
400
My dark horse for this race is troy. He's won here before. I wouldn't mind greg winning, at this point in his career he has almost become an underdog. That said Aaron seems unstoppable right now.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,479
4,719
Australia
While I agree Gwin seems unbeatable at the moment, Ft Bill is probably his least successful venue with only one win I think. Given he's won everything else 5 times by now, maybe the others might have a fighting chance.
 

William42

fork ways
Jul 31, 2007
3,908
634
My dark horse for this race is troy. He's won here before. I wouldn't mind greg winning, at this point in his career he has almost become an underdog. That said Aaron seems unstoppable right now.
Minnaar an underdog at Ft Bill hahahahhahahahahaha....

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Hahhahahahahahahahahaha
hahah...

hahahahahahhahahahahhaha.

Ha.

Be serious. He'll come down within .3-4 seconds of whoever is in the hot seat, probably in the red, hit the motorway, and take 3 seconds off the top time.
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
16,622
12,911
Cackalacka du Nord
Minnaar an underdog at Ft Bill hahahahhahahahahaha....

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Hahhahahahahahahahahaha
hahah...

hahahahahahhahahahahhaha.

Ha.

Be serious. He'll come down within .3-4 seconds of whoever is in the hot seat, probably in the red, hit the motorway, and take 3 seconds off the top time.
you seem to be assuming he won't flat/blow up his ASSGUY and/or break his frame in half . . .