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TTC Downhill Race - October 10th!!

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
The first ever Trials Training Center Downhill Race is ON!! October 10th will be the first round of what we hope to turn into a consistent series. For those of you who haven't caught the other thread about the TTC, it is located just off of I-24, a little bit West of Chattanooga. (There are directions on the TTC website).

These are brand new trails, and I've got to say that I'm very impressed with the way the intermediate race run has turned out. We don't have the elevation that Windrock does, but these guys have managed to cut a killer race trail that should take fast guys over 3 minutes to finish, and that includes features like tight bermed corners, rock gardens, moderate drops, a steep shoot or two, multiple jumps, (including a nice stepdown and a road gap), and more. The race run isn't particularly pedally, and is very big bike friendly, but can be ridden on shorter travel bikes.

The beginner trail is a little shorter at a little over 2 minutes, and has a lot of the same features as the intermediate run, just on a smaller scale. The beginner trail will be ridable on a hardtail for many of you, but will keep you on your toes.

I've attached a race flier, but we've added a couple of things, including a start time for the downhill race. **The dh race will start at 11:00am, (**This is the beginner race start time, and is still tentative; the next classes will start later.)and will be followed by a Super D race if there is enough interest. The super d race will be a group start, and will be a combination of open gravel sections, and tight, rocky fire roads.

All of this should definitely should make for some sweet racing.

We'd also like to ask all of you who aren't able or interested in actually racing to still come out and show your support. Since the TTC is a private facility, the owners will be checking out what kind of turnout we have, and that will directly affect how much support we get from them in the future. (Keep in mind that we only got access to this land in August, and these guys have already put in two solid trails, so we're already making serious progress, and support of the land manger is definitely going to help).

As with any dh race, it should prove to be seriously fun to both race or spectate, so come check it out! When you come by, make sure to thank Troy, (roperacer), and his Chattanooga clan for putting this all together!

More to come, and if you have questions, just let me know,
Tryon

Note: The times listed here are all in Centeral time.
 

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TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
It would really help us out to know who is planning on coming out, so post up if you're up for it!
 

profro

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2002
5,617
314
Walden Ridge
I hope you guys are open to move the race start time back some. A Saturday race starting at 11am can't give much practice time. I know if I drive 2 hrs to get there I'd like to have at least 4 hrs of practice for my money and time.
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
I'll be there.
Nice!

I hope you guys are open to move the race start time back some. A Saturday race starting at 11am can't give much practice time. I know if I drive 2 hrs to get there I'd like to have at least 4 hrs of practice for my money and time.
That's a good point man, thanks for the input. This is our first shot at putting on a race, so feedback definitely helps. I'll get with Troy and chat about that. Ideally, what time would you like to see the actual race start?


I wrote the original posts last night when I was a little intoxicated, so sorry if it came across as a little cheesy. Just trying to build some hype for this event!! Yet another BRAND NEW downhill race in the Southeast!

A couple of other things that you might like to know:
-There will be a guy there filming, so we'll have a video to show off.

-Although we're still working on everything, we already have some pretty sweet prizes, such as a KHS dirt jump frame, multiple sets of tires, a set of Troy Lee T-Bone knee guards and more. If any of know of a shop that might be interested in helping sponsor the event, we'd love to give them credit!

-If the weather doesn't cooperate, we will definitely reschedule the race.

-The concession stand will be open with lots of food.

-If anyone would like to camp, there are nice camp sites, RV sites, and small cabins to rent at reasonable prices. These are all right at the base of the hill, right in the middle of the event. See www.TrialsTrainingCenter.com for more details.

-The guys from Clemson are coming down to time the event! Thanks guys, this will keep us from trying to make it work with 6 stop watches and scratch paper.

That's all I've got for now, more to come,
Tryon
 

roperacer

Monkey
Aug 17, 2009
320
0
chattanooga tn
the begginer race will start around 11 or so.. and that is on a different trail so that should leave plenty of time for runs on the main trail. u can also camp friday nite at the ttc. and cathrine i think will be doing consessions also, so we wont starve! but if we need to, we can move the start times, its not like we have to be done by a certin time.
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
Thanks Troy.

Doug, after talking to Troy, I realized that the TTC is in the Central time zone, so that might help you guys coming from Knoxville out some.
 
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profro

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2002
5,617
314
Walden Ridge
I think its totally reasonable to get 4 hrs of practice. So if practice starts at 9, then racing could start by 1, but honestly unless you have a 100 racers you could probably start around 3 and still get in all the racers.

Also, I prefer a 1 run format. Or seeding runs with a final run.
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
I think its totally reasonable to get 4 hrs of practice. So if practice starts at 9, then racing could start by 1, but honestly unless you have a 100 racers you could probably start around 3 and still get in all the racers.

Also, I prefer a 1 run format. Or seeding runs with a final run.
It sounds like that will be about how it will turn out. The nice thing is that the pro/am guys can be practicing while the beginners are racing, since it won't be on the same trail.

We have talked about a two run format, but aren't totally sure how much more confusing that makes everything. If the Clemson guys know how to arrange seeding, we'll definitely look into that. Some of that will depend on how many racers come out.

Really, we'll have a lot of flexibility in timing, etc., so it should all work well. Thanks again for the feedback man.

Tryon
 

roperacer

Monkey
Aug 17, 2009
320
0
chattanooga tn
what does everyone think about the rain, if it is raining,or wet, change the race date or race wet? only one section on the coarse that i would not ride or would be fairly risky for the average dh'r, and i think i can cut a trail around that section this weekend just in case. other than that it might just be a blast racing the trail wet. and the begginner trail is ridable when wet also...i think.. havent done it but i would think it is. hopefully it does not rain, but u can never tell.
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
I'm down too man! That's part of why this place is so cool; we don't have to worry about people getting mad about hurting the trails! (Except for you).
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
Well, we've managed to put together a few more prizes, and are looking like we'll have even more before the race.

I also mapped out the Super D course yesterday, and it might be harder than the dh races! :D But only because you'll have to pedal! It's going to start on a really rough jeep road, (if you can call it that), then drop down into a series of fire roads with a couple of tricky corners. Then there is a slightly uphill section, (there's the climb that qualifies it as a Super D), then drops back down through some kinda rough stuff, puts you on the gravel road for a few hundred feet, and then finally drops into a rough spot to the finish. Having the first part be the most technical should give gravity riders a bit of an advantage, (at least until we have to start pedaling!)

The Super D is going to be more of a 'Bragging Rights' race, but I've still managed to put together a few cheesy prizes for the winners. We may go with male/female, winner takes all.
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
One more important item: Since the start of the intermediate dh run is only accessible by pretty rough fire roads, if it is too wet up there, we will only be able to shuttle you about 2/3 of the way up the hill. It only takes about 5 minutes to walk from there, but, of course, it is uphill. If it is dry enough, and all goes as planned, we'll use a 4x4 and shuttle about 5 at a time to the turnaround near the top.
 

roperacer

Monkey
Aug 17, 2009
320
0
chattanooga tn
camping for the race is 10 bucks,, cabins are 50$ that will sleep 4 or 5 people, the weather looks like sh*t and if it rains all week we might go for the next weekend, it looks like the sun is going to come back out on sunday,( i dont mind riding wet but racing in the rain i dont think we will be able to do),,we got a camera crew, race timers( with laptops),and other people that will not want to stand in the rain, so if it rains all week or on race day, it looks like racing on sunday,or the following weekend,, hopefully it will not come to this, but we will keep you posted this week.
 

BrianHudson

Chimp
Sep 26, 2009
59
0
Mobile Alabama
Me and two other riders are coming from Mobile AL. I had to ask for friday off at work and so did one of the guys I'm bringing. Paris mt. race is on the 17th and windrock is on the 24th/25th and then its carters lake, so please didn't change race date.
 

roperacer

Monkey
Aug 17, 2009
320
0
chattanooga tn
we have tents and tarps we can set up, and cancell the camera crew till next race,but the upper section of the shuttle road will prolly be slop so, we are looking at a 5 min or so push/pedal to the top, or we can run half of the course. also,, if we dont get at least 25 racers i think,, we will end up loosing a little chunk of cash. ( and i am jobless)
 

profro

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2002
5,617
314
Walden Ridge
I know of 4 or 5 that are coming, but all this wish-washing won't be good if we invest a drive down on Saturday and you move the race at last minute. If you are going to cancel, I suggest you do it mid-week at the latest.
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
Nice! I'm with you Troy, let's just do the damned thing!

Sounds like there are plenty of you guys who are in, and I'm willing to bring the easy-up and hang out in the rain! Kinda wish I had a set of mud tires though.:think:

We are ON for Saturday!!
 
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TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
One more updated for today:

**One $30 entry fee enters you into any and all races that you want to do on Saturday!**

That means that you can do the Hardtail class DH on the beginner trail, then do the Amateur DH on the intermediate trail, and finish up your day with a nice Super D!! And all for the cost of one single race!

And if all goes well, that's exactly what I'm planning on doing!
 

roperacer

Monkey
Aug 17, 2009
320
0
chattanooga tn
hmm,, if its raining hard i might ride in rubber boots rain pants and a rainjacket with the hood over my helmet,,hell i might even wear goggles...but someone has to take a pic of me :O) i will wear that crap for sure in the super d.
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
Haha, nice! I'm gonna have trouble taking your picture though when I'm WAY out in front of you!! :rofl:
 

roperacer

Monkey
Aug 17, 2009
320
0
chattanooga tn
looks like saturday @ 10 am it is a 30% chance of rain up intill like 4 or 5 pm,,,thats a bit better that 80% !!!!!!!!!! this is prolly my last post,,,im off to the T.T.C d.h.
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
Well, it looks like we're as ready as we'll ever be for the races tomorrow! The weather is looking better and better. It will likely be a little muddy, but that's part of racing!

FYI, you are welcome to come out as early as 7am or so on Saturday morning to get accustomed to the different tracks. Just make sure that you find an official, either a TTC employee, Troy, myself, (Tryon), or some others who will be easy to spot, and SIGN A WAIVER before riding.

We will have both dh trails open for warm up all the way up until each race begins.

The Super D track will be open to WALK, but not to ride until later in the day. (Adding to the suspense!) That means that nobody will get more practice than anybody else on that one!

We will have a PA set up for making announcements throughout the day, so keep your ears open.

Again, this is the first race that any of us have put on, so we'll have to work through things as they come up, but I promise it will be fun!

Expect a pre-race meeting at about 11am central time, just before we start up the beginner dh and hardtail races. This will take place under the pavilion, near the podium.

The schedule will go something like the following. Races will begin just after 11am central time. Timing will largely depend on how many racers we have, and how much time each race takes:

Beginner DH on beginner trail, (male and female)
Hardtail DH on beginner trail, (male and female)

Amateur DH on intermediate trail, (male and female; possibly divided up in to classes)
Pro DH on intermediate trail, (male and female)

Amateur Super D, (male and female)
Pro Super D, (male and female)

This is just an outline. We will expand classes if we have enough racers, or combine if we don't.

We'll see you all tomorrow!

-Tryon
 

gteo

Chimp
Oct 11, 2009
1
0
Grandbay Alabama
Just want to say thanks for a great time, this was my very first DH event ever and I have to say your hard work and effort was very rewarding for me.

Thank you again and I will try to make your next event as well.

if you have a email list going yet please add me to it. gteofilo@gmail.com
 

TryFour

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
119
0
Thanks guys, we appreciate the kind words. Conditions weren't exactly ideal, and I was impressed that so many of you guys were able to make it! (For those of you who missed it, we had about 20 racers, and quite a few spectators!). It means a lot for the future of the downhill riding and racing at the TTC that so many showed up in poor weather conditions, especially since shuttling ended up being a nightmare.

I promise that the trail is significantly more flowy when you're not battling trying to stay upright in the mud! We also really appreciate the feedback that you guys gave us about the intermediate race trail, and we'll continue to work to improve the flow.

We've got our feet wet now, and have a much better understanding of how to put on a race! Next time we'll work very hard to have less down time and more riding.

For those of you who couldn't stay until the end, we had a nasty little super d race!! A few of us pushed back up to the top and raced xc style back down to the bottom of the hill. I thought it was the most fun event of the day, (even though I broke a pedal on the first crank), and definitely enjoyed trying out something new.

Anyway, I just wanted to personally thank everybody for coming out and showing your support. We'll try to find a dry weekend and have another one soon!

-Tryon