Sweet, that's me almost sliding out while dodging the drop at 45 seconds.
Beech Mountain Downhill and Dual Slalom #2
- Thread starter beechmtndh
- Start date
Race was great...don't know how I went on a 7-8 year hiatus from DH racing...won't happen again. I absolutely loved the course. It was great watching it change from a super green, unridden trail to a worn in DH course..it really matured as the day went on. My only reservation is that I took too many practice runs and was too worn out to put in a great race run...it was just too much fun to take a break. See you guys at the next one.
My gf took a few pictures of me at the base of the mountain that I thought were pretty cool.
My gf took a few pictures of me at the base of the mountain that I thought were pretty cool.
Attachments
So on what date is the final race going to be held on?
final dual slalom is going to be held FRIDAY september 10 under the lights, and downhill will be saturday september 11th with the night-shift saturday night. It will be run in conjunction with our Lees-McRae home race with collegiate XC saturday, and collegiate short track and dual slalom sunday.
So...how's the Night Shift work?
All I know is 1st place is supposedly getting a flight to the Red Bull Rampage..
Exact plans for who "qualifies" for the night-shift to have the kinks work out of it. Last year Shaums March hand selected who "qualified" , however since this year we're incorporating the day time race we're looking at taking the top "X" number of riders from the collegiate race and usac race since last year night shift was collegiate only, and making it a sort of all star race but theres a few problems running it that way and we may just use the top times overall. Shaums March is confirmed to be coming and has offered to do the hand selection again if we decided to go that route. I should know by the weekend the exact plan that were using.
The final track for both the final race and night shift is also to be determined. Red Bull is wanting to do some "feature building" for it so we're going to look at where something can be incorporated.
Moto is right, the winner has an all expenses paid trip out to the Red Bull Rampage in Utah.
The final track for both the final race and night shift is also to be determined. Red Bull is wanting to do some "feature building" for it so we're going to look at where something can be incorporated.
Moto is right, the winner has an all expenses paid trip out to the Red Bull Rampage in Utah.
nice.
Will they be separate? I'm not sure I would want to race DH on a track with "features". But Shaums is a racer, so maybe it would be rad.
So those expecting to make the night shift might want to bring lights and or plan on staying the night? Not planning my own ticket, but you might want to make those on the bubble aware so they can plan accordingly. I suggest you make it for collegiate or juniors only. I think it would mean more to them.
Some go pro footage i threw together from the new track. All i can say is that track wore me the hell out!
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/153395/
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/153395/
Nice footage man.
Damn, I love racing in the high country.
Great course & video!
I'll be there for the next race in September.Only 30 days to get my forearms in shape so i can get in alot of runs.
I'll be there for the next race in September.Only 30 days to get my forearms in shape so i can get in alot of runs.
So the collegiate race will be on the same day as the final USAC race?
Do you know how many people that is? Will the collegiate race have a beginner track as well? You know that most of the people who even race collegiate A's want nothing to do with that mountain.
If I am reading that incorrectly, please let me know. But if Lees-McRae is hosting a DH race and sending girls with v-brakes down that mountain you are going to regret it, and on top of that it will take forever. I mean FOREVER. Seriously.
Its a great idea to offer the collegiate kids the chance to not miss out on the race since they make up a good number of entries anyway, but unless you guys run the womens B and C class, as well as the Men's C class at the original track near the slalom you are going to piss a lot of people off. And hurt people. Those kids are not "in it to pin it," they just like riding their bikes and its something fun to do while in school.
Do you know how many people that is? Will the collegiate race have a beginner track as well? You know that most of the people who even race collegiate A's want nothing to do with that mountain.
If I am reading that incorrectly, please let me know. But if Lees-McRae is hosting a DH race and sending girls with v-brakes down that mountain you are going to regret it, and on top of that it will take forever. I mean FOREVER. Seriously.
Its a great idea to offer the collegiate kids the chance to not miss out on the race since they make up a good number of entries anyway, but unless you guys run the womens B and C class, as well as the Men's C class at the original track near the slalom you are going to piss a lot of people off. And hurt people. Those kids are not "in it to pin it," they just like riding their bikes and its something fun to do while in school.
Maybe they should take up field hockey.
I will say that the only time I let Terry Hinton talk me into letting collegiate race DH & DS the same day as regular racers, it was a blood bath. Jeremy and crew can vouch too. From the first rider, we had EMT's stitching, wrapping, icing and transporting casualties. Something like 3 broken limbs from slalom practice alone.
edit: I'm not exaggerating.
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It will be the same track but go-arounds will be made for those who don't want to do the features. Some ideas that are in mind are: finish line step down, possibly a wall ride, road gap and some other cool ideas are floating around. Anything that will be built will fit the profile of the track.
We're working on getting some companies out that will sell/rent/loan/demo lights for those who do not have their own, but it's a good idea for anyone to bring their own if they have them.
The Night Shift race is on Saturday; planning on staying that night would probably be good for the people who are traveling farther so they don't drive home too tired....
The race will be open for all who qualify during the day, if some one qualifies and they don't want to race, they don'y have to. It's not mandatory...just fun.
The collegiate DH race and the USAC race will be on the same day, same track. For the collegiate riders who want to race in the USAC event, they will race with their respective class as if there was no collegiate event (i.e: whatever their license says), for the collegiate riders who want nothing to do with the USAC event, they will come down the mountain after all the USAC rider are down, so that way it doesn't mess with the results. All the riders will practice at the same time. As for how many people, I'll have to do a little digging to find our results from last year.
Collegiate XC is on Beech as well.
USAC Slalom and collegiate Slalom are on different days entirely.
For a lot of SECCC riders, its more than something to do on the weekend, and are top contenders for these races, and there isn't a better way to prepare for the national championships than racing at a real downhill track. Nationals has been held at former world cup venues, why deny our SECCC riders the ability to really test themselves.
How many collegiate racers will do DH?
but i don't think you're really grasping how many people are going to be there. do you remember the fiasco at the Clemson collegiate race? and furthermore, how few of those people are interested in riding down that track.
you need to break it up and have the B and C races at the old course next to the slalom. it's going to cause tons of confusion, timing wise and otherwise if you don't. and of course, sending people down that track is stupid. there are three schools in the secccccc that have riding of that caliber. brevard, unca and lees-mcrae. not to say that people from union, clemson, etsu, florida and wherever can't drive to beech mtn on there own. but whats the point?
but again, how many people from each school are going to enjoy themselves coming down that track? even the brevard race was awful because people were complaining about it. i remember seeing girls crying with skinned up knees and elbows because they were literally falling down that trail.
your point about giving secccc riders the opportunity to practice at a real dh course is off too. only A riders go to nationals. so sending the majority of the riders down the beech mtn race course (who do not race A class) doesn't make any sense. i was at collegiate nationals, i think the beech mtn course is much, much harder than the Northstar race.
let the A riders race at beech. send the B and C men and women down the old course. if you're the event coordinator then you have to rationalize with the logistics of having all those people gommed up on that mountain. oh wait, we have to wait again for some girl who wrecked. oh wait its dark. oh wait, wait some more.
you need to break it up and have the B and C races at the old course next to the slalom. it's going to cause tons of confusion, timing wise and otherwise if you don't. and of course, sending people down that track is stupid. there are three schools in the secccccc that have riding of that caliber. brevard, unca and lees-mcrae. not to say that people from union, clemson, etsu, florida and wherever can't drive to beech mtn on there own. but whats the point?
but again, how many people from each school are going to enjoy themselves coming down that track? even the brevard race was awful because people were complaining about it. i remember seeing girls crying with skinned up knees and elbows because they were literally falling down that trail.
your point about giving secccc riders the opportunity to practice at a real dh course is off too. only A riders go to nationals. so sending the majority of the riders down the beech mtn race course (who do not race A class) doesn't make any sense. i was at collegiate nationals, i think the beech mtn course is much, much harder than the Northstar race.
let the A riders race at beech. send the B and C men and women down the old course. if you're the event coordinator then you have to rationalize with the logistics of having all those people gommed up on that mountain. oh wait, we have to wait again for some girl who wrecked. oh wait its dark. oh wait, wait some more.
There is a much easier route down the mountain for B & C that they would love and I can show it to you pretty easily. It's the original intermediate course I was talking about. Most of it is grass, but still tough on a hardtail and goes through 2 straight forward woods sections on the side of the mountain closest to town. And where it crosses the road is within 100 feet of the current crossings.
All we ever used to do was run AM down one course, then have a 5 minute break to move the course marshalls at the road over. You'll need a course sweeper to ride down after your last C class rider to notify spectators and officials to move over to the other course.
Done.
All we ever used to do was run AM down one course, then have a 5 minute break to move the course marshalls at the road over. You'll need a course sweeper to ride down after your last C class rider to notify spectators and officials to move over to the other course.
Done.
Why not either a fully new course or making some changes to one of the current ones to make it friendly for all collegiate racers? Doesn't seem out of the question to me, however chicken taco is correct...collegiate racing is different. Pressure from coaches for girls or xc riders that wouldn't usually race DH to compete for points is common. The tracks need to be designed accordingly. I think last weekend's track could be made to work for collegiate with maybe a few re-routes. We're also talking about night racing here so maybe a more tame track would be for the best for all categories?
I do support red bull feature building. Its good to race something different, it brings in more spectators, and gives more exposure to the companies supporting it. I'm a believer that man made stuff can be incorporated into good race tracks even though the traditional mold is more natural. Its all about working with the terrain and not building highways through the woods.
Just some thoughts...looking forward to the event nonetheless. I encourage scheduling it such that collegiate racers can race open/pro as well. I'd like to race both.
I do support red bull feature building. Its good to race something different, it brings in more spectators, and gives more exposure to the companies supporting it. I'm a believer that man made stuff can be incorporated into good race tracks even though the traditional mold is more natural. Its all about working with the terrain and not building highways through the woods.
Just some thoughts...looking forward to the event nonetheless. I encourage scheduling it such that collegiate racers can race open/pro as well. I'd like to race both.
Since there will be a ton of people there I think it would be best to use a track we have already raced. Trying to learn a new track with bodies littered everywhere would be a challenge to say the least. Just my 2 cents.
A is pro/cat 1, B is Cat 2, C is Cat 3
I am coordinating the USAC races, and helping Lees-McRae with the timing of their downhill. If you have a problem with the Lees-McRae coaching staff deciding to run their race on the mountain you can take it up with them.
Really? very constructive and mature.
isn't there all this talk about growing gravity racing in the south? how are we going to do that if you send all those kids skidding down that track? they will be scared as hell and never want to race again.
Andrew is right, most coaches get the girls to race all four events for points. thats DS, DH, XC, and short track. those people are going to be exhausted and jittery, and i bet you of the roughly 200 collegiate racers maybe 25 of them will be on legit DH bikes. and they will be the A men and a few A ladies.
these people are the bread and butter, the future of the sport. don't spread the butter so thin maaaaan.
i'll use this guy as an example:
last year some kid tried to ride the rocks at the end of the etsu race. he did not ride them. instead he left in an ambulance. that same kid made his way to collegiate nationals in Lake Tahoe. at the bottom of the hill there were a few telephone poles or whatever and he tried to bunnyhop one, he wrecked and injured himself again and could not race. i think he was an LMC guy too.
how is this relevant? imagine all the people who are not super xtreme downhillers driving all the way from wherever they came from to race your DH course. imagine their dismay when they find out they have to drag themselves down beech mountain. or when it rains and it becomes a river. do you think most of the people are going to come to beech mtn with a fresh set of specialized storm's? probably not. most of them will not even have full face helmets.
now picture the cost of sending all those people to your race. its a varsity sport. travel, lodging, entry fees and insurance are taken care of. are schools going to be willing to dish out the dough for a program where people are not enjoying themselves? or racking up points because most of their athletes cannot ride the track? we are trying to grow the sport here. i am scared of the homogeny at bigger schools. if we scare the bike kids away, then all we have left are ball sports. sweatpants and air jordan's yo.
just saying guy, if you're major is event planning then you get an F.
isn't there all this talk about growing gravity racing in the south? how are we going to do that if you send all those kids skidding down that track? they will be scared as hell and never want to race again.
Andrew is right, most coaches get the girls to race all four events for points. thats DS, DH, XC, and short track. those people are going to be exhausted and jittery, and i bet you of the roughly 200 collegiate racers maybe 25 of them will be on legit DH bikes. and they will be the A men and a few A ladies.
these people are the bread and butter, the future of the sport. don't spread the butter so thin maaaaan.
i'll use this guy as an example:
last year some kid tried to ride the rocks at the end of the etsu race. he did not ride them. instead he left in an ambulance. that same kid made his way to collegiate nationals in Lake Tahoe. at the bottom of the hill there were a few telephone poles or whatever and he tried to bunnyhop one, he wrecked and injured himself again and could not race. i think he was an LMC guy too.
how is this relevant? imagine all the people who are not super xtreme downhillers driving all the way from wherever they came from to race your DH course. imagine their dismay when they find out they have to drag themselves down beech mountain. or when it rains and it becomes a river. do you think most of the people are going to come to beech mtn with a fresh set of specialized storm's? probably not. most of them will not even have full face helmets.
now picture the cost of sending all those people to your race. its a varsity sport. travel, lodging, entry fees and insurance are taken care of. are schools going to be willing to dish out the dough for a program where people are not enjoying themselves? or racking up points because most of their athletes cannot ride the track? we are trying to grow the sport here. i am scared of the homogeny at bigger schools. if we scare the bike kids away, then all we have left are ball sports. sweatpants and air jordan's yo.
just saying guy, if you're major is event planning then you get an F.
I think wer're getting some of the downfalls of internets postings here. Chicken taco, I believe that Beech DH was just simply stating that if you have an issue that you are telling it to the wrong person. I think he was simply directing you to the proper people to address the issue.
However, I agree with Butch about the old sport course. It would be an excellent course for the collegiates. When I started Beech was my second race and I did it on a HT and did quite well. XC bikes wil do well on that course. If I wasn't 6 hours away, I'd love to help clear the course and get it rideable.
Before I forget, this debate should have it's own thread.
I've been to some of the mixed races with the collegiates, and it does get rather cluster f'd. It's a good idea to have the coll's go after our race. It may take forever,but it should turn out ok (I hope). It only takes us about 2 hours (give or take) to run our race. That leaves about 4 hours if we are done by 4ish.
Also, we can always help the coll's with their riding on the course. There is no reason we can't help them out with some advice on how to get down the mt. other than 'go fast'.
However, I agree with Butch about the old sport course. It would be an excellent course for the collegiates. When I started Beech was my second race and I did it on a HT and did quite well. XC bikes wil do well on that course. If I wasn't 6 hours away, I'd love to help clear the course and get it rideable.
Before I forget, this debate should have it's own thread.
I've been to some of the mixed races with the collegiates, and it does get rather cluster f'd. It's a good idea to have the coll's go after our race. It may take forever,but it should turn out ok (I hope). It only takes us about 2 hours (give or take) to run our race. That leaves about 4 hours if we are done by 4ish.
Also, we can always help the coll's with their riding on the course. There is no reason we can't help them out with some advice on how to get down the mt. other than 'go fast'.
Is this the schedule for Downhill. Saturday.
http://www.skibeech.com/news/36.html
Schedule of Events
Downhill- July 10, Aug 7, Sept 11
Registration 8:00-1:00
Practice 8:30-1:30
Racers Meeting 1:45
First Racer off at 2:00
http://www.skibeech.com/news/36.html
Schedule of Events
Downhill- July 10, Aug 7, Sept 11
Registration 8:00-1:00
Practice 8:30-1:30
Racers Meeting 1:45
First Racer off at 2:00
Chicken taco. . . . Im the "kid" your speaking of and I can tell you a few things about the southeast downhill scene. First, I can assure you that the next beech race will be held on a real downhill track. there will be go arounds for the harder sections but it will be at a time penalty for sure. Anything that we build will be rideable for any "mountain biker" but not neccesarily quickly unless you would like to take the harder route. Second,mountain biking and dowhilling especially is not for the ill willed and people racing for points will be able to make a judgement on if they feel comfortable with the track. Roadies racing for points wont just drop into the first rock section full speed. I promise you. Simple really, If you don't know how to ride mountain bikes, your probably shouldnt enter a downhill race. From the sounds of it you can break in the go arounds chicken taco. Beechmountaindh gets an A for race planning and you get a A for being a chicken. OOO and progression comes with crashing.. You would know if you were headed that way..Really? very constructive and mature.
isn't there all this talk about growing gravity racing in the south? how are we going to do that if you send all those kids skidding down that track? they will be scared as hell and never want to race again.
Andrew is right, most coaches get the girls to race all four events for points. thats DS, DH, XC, and short track. those people are going to be exhausted and jittery, and i bet you of the roughly 200 collegiate racers maybe 25 of them will be on legit DH bikes. and they will be the A men and a few A ladies.
these people are the bread and butter, the future of the sport. don't spread the butter so thin maaaaan.
i'll use this guy as an example:
last year some kid tried to ride the rocks at the end of the etsu race. he did not ride them. instead he left in an ambulance. that same kid made his way to collegiate nationals in Lake Tahoe. at the bottom of the hill there were a few telephone poles or whatever and he tried to bunnyhop one, he wrecked and injured himself again and could not race. i think he was an LMC guy too.
how is this relevant? imagine all the people who are not super xtreme downhillers driving all the way from wherever they came from to race your DH course. imagine their dismay when they find out they have to drag themselves down beech mountain. or when it rains and it becomes a river. do you think most of the people are going to come to beech mtn with a fresh set of specialized storm's? probably not. most of them will not even have full face helmets.
now picture the cost of sending all those people to your race. its a varsity sport. travel, lodging, entry fees and insurance are taken care of. are schools going to be willing to dish out the dough for a program where people are not enjoying themselves? or racking up points because most of their athletes cannot ride the track? we are trying to grow the sport here. i am scared of the homogeny at bigger schools. if we scare the bike kids away, then all we have left are ball sports. sweatpants and air jordan's yo.
just saying guy, if you're major is event planning then you get an F.
sorry Peej
i was just using your misfortune (or bad judgment) to juxtapose a bad idea with sending the B and C racers down the same track. not only is it a bad idea for there safety, but think about how much time it will take. if the USAC race starts at 2, then it might be done by 4. maybe. i for one dont want to be at beech mtn from 8am until past midnight with the night race. and yes, until midnight is not an exaggeration. setting up stuff and taking it down has to be factored in. isn't slalom the next day?
so then think about how many people in collegiate there are. theres more than racing the USAC race, and they will take much longer than you think.
one thing that needs to be removed from racing is the elitist attitude. knowing how to ride mtn bikes and riding down the beech mtn course are two different things. there will be no progression after practicing all day (for the B an C riders), waiting for the USAC race to go off and finish, and then waiting longer for all the collegiate racers. it really is just a bad idea from every perspective to have the C women on the same course as pros.
i didnt take any shots at you in my original post. that wasn't my intention, but for your own satisfaction, you did. but now i can't resist. uncle jesse from full house called, he wants his haircut back.
i was just using your misfortune (or bad judgment) to juxtapose a bad idea with sending the B and C racers down the same track. not only is it a bad idea for there safety, but think about how much time it will take. if the USAC race starts at 2, then it might be done by 4. maybe. i for one dont want to be at beech mtn from 8am until past midnight with the night race. and yes, until midnight is not an exaggeration. setting up stuff and taking it down has to be factored in. isn't slalom the next day?
so then think about how many people in collegiate there are. theres more than racing the USAC race, and they will take much longer than you think.
one thing that needs to be removed from racing is the elitist attitude. knowing how to ride mtn bikes and riding down the beech mtn course are two different things. there will be no progression after practicing all day (for the B an C riders), waiting for the USAC race to go off and finish, and then waiting longer for all the collegiate racers. it really is just a bad idea from every perspective to have the C women on the same course as pros.
i didnt take any shots at you in my original post. that wasn't my intention, but for your own satisfaction, you did. but now i can't resist. uncle jesse from full house called, he wants his haircut back.
I'm gonna put you two kiddies in a corner and make you hug it out.
And in the other corner will be you and Cecil
Tag team cage match?And in the other corner will be you and Cecil
No need for that. I put my hands up and said its not worth it anymore. I am tired of trying to help and being accused of something elseAnd in the other corner will be you and Cecil
It's now just time to sit back and watch!!!!
Cecil
I'll bring the beer
Hows about a results listing for the past beech race?I like beer!
And not that my oppinion is gonna effect anything but the course we ran for race #2 didn't really have anything amazingly difficult about it. It didn't seem really all that steep or really rocky or anything. Yeah it's hard to ride it super fast when its slick like that but if your a beginner your aren't going to be going that fast. Anyways IMO that course we ran for the 2nd race would be fine as a beginner course. maybe just do some bigger route around the rock drop that's not as steep as going right next to it and maybe a couple small changes/ repairs. I know some of the berms seem to have gotten pretty blown out and rutted up.
I had a question about racing collegiate too. As in what if the school i'm going to at the moment doesn't have any sort of bike team, club etc. Can you still get a collegiate add-on to your regular license or how does all that work.
Anyone have podium pics for pro/open?
fixed.
Haha props, you got me. But i cut it all off now. But how did me crashing help you prove that point?.... its ok. But anyway, I guess you didn't see the ten year olds riding the last beech 2 downhill track. If those children have the chance to decide whether or not they can handle the course. Why can't collegiate racers make the choice? Racing C's down the track will take and hour longer at maximum. And as for the "elitist" attitude. If you can't dance, stay the F$%^ off the dance floor.... If you can't swim. Stay the f^&* out of the deep end. Downhill can be considered the deep end. Maybe you should take the chicken out of your taco.........
this is too much fun!