Walter's Ranch 2015 - time to enjoy some gnarly

[Pumpkinpatch]

Well, what was planned as a "new type of Walter's" as a faster flowing rocky challenge turned into a mother nature test to 130 very very hardy souls that made the start. Reports from those who were able to ride the track before the rains came were encouraging that we'd created something really fun and challenging.

A tip of the hat to everyone for coming out and giving it your all today. I promise to order up better weather for next year.

All in all, we learned a lot. Not the least of which is how well people in our series step in and help.
Thanks to Brad Stretz for being the Trailmaster and laying out some killer trail and to family (Wife Jonette, Lauren, Jeremy and Jared) and friends (the Caldwell crew w/son Jake and Mom and Dad, Kasey O, Macon E, and Dominic Clemente) to helping to pull this off. Thanks also to Dan Johnson and Tim Wolfe for all the guidance and encouragement.

My race day help worked their butts off to make the race run safely and helped out a lot. Thanks to Mrs Shafer and Mrs Caldwell and Steve Grun for working the gate and being very responsible adults with all that cash.
Thanks David Knight, The father/son duo's of Bill and Seth Thomas and Tony and Jared Toman, Andy Wamsley and to young Jacob Martin circulated and showed the big boys it is all doable out there.
Thanks Jeremy and Steve Grun for helping to keep the scoring clean and Lauren for helping sign up go smooth and help the racers keep their positive attitudes.

I hope that I didn't leave anyone out.
Sure was fun. Ready to do it again.

[swedishfishmx]

What a beautiful weekend except for the hours between 11am-12:35pm.

Glad I was apart of the whole weekend. The course was awesome. Can't wait to help out another one.

[jstr244]

Nice job, guys! You all did an awesome job. I had fun watching everyone come through scoring! Some smiles were larger than others.

Now, where are all the race reports? I know there has to have been some good stories from out there.

[pacadermng67]

Well I was looking forward to reading some of the race reports as well, but seeing as there are none so far, I'll tell the story of the view from the back of the pack.

I left Manhattan at 6 to give myself enough time to run a practice lap prior to the race. Of course the rain followed me the whole way through KS before finally letting up as I crossed the state line.

The practice lap gave me a little time to get used to the rocks, because after all, I am a noob riding on dirt. About halfway through the practice lap I really started feeling the flow of the course and the layout really boosted my confidence in being able to do well. When I returned to my car, the clouds decided to open up and thoroughly soak everything. When the time came to move to the start line, my KDX, which usually starts on the first kick, refused to start. Finally, I got it running and made my way over to the starting point to see all the classes take off while the Trailrider class still tried using the couple trees to shield us from all the mud being slung through the air. The sign went up, then dropped and we were off.

The first mile or so I was running in the middle of the pack, attempting to get used to having my back end slide out sideways and finding lines around people that stalled out on the track. Things were going well until suddenly, when going down one of those hills in 2nd gear with the clutch held in, my engine died. No problem, I just bump started it as I continued to roll. The KDX decided that it didnt like how I was treating it so as I was heading up a hill, it decided to go out again. This time it didnt want to start... for at least 3 minutes. Luckily, the young sweep rider (sorry I didnt catch his name) came by and helped me get the bike onto flat ground off the track just as I heard the terrible sound of the Juniors charging up the hill. Yup, not only was I at the back of my class, but, all the Juniors were now in front of me. I'm gonna claim my noob status as an excuse on that one since some of them I'm sure have riden offroad 5x as long as me. Dang, are some of them fast!

I finally get the bike going and am able to go about 1 to 1.5 miles before the bike decides it wants to take a rest despite my urging it on. The track was still challenging in places, but definietly doable as I passed by two riders in my class as I charged forward as best I could. I was gaining ground, but everytime I got closer, the KDX decided to take a breather and it would take me a good 30 seconds to get it moving again. Finally, I crossed through scoring and had a quick debate about pulling off.

I quickly remembered that I hadn't raced since Carbondale last year and the fact I was so excited to get back into it, I had drove the almost 4 hours from Manhattan to be there. So onto the second lap I went. The track was getting rutted but it was still very managable. As I got more tired, I began to make more mistakes. I got fixated on targets you'd typically want to avoid (like trees) and it would take that much more effort to get moving again. But still, I saw more riders in my class and it gave me a boost to keep moving.

Finally about mile 4, the bike decided it needed a good five minute rest. I was just cruising through a flat section and gave the KDX a good bit of throttle and it cut out. Well damn. A sweep rider stopped by and asked how he could help. This was the first time I considered taking the easy way back. Eventually, I told myself to keep moving.

At mile 6, I had to pull of to the side to take a rest. I was at a clearing and a road that would allow me to leave the race and just head back to the car. A couple sweep riders came by and asked if I wanted to follow them back. The young sweep rider from earlier came by and said he could show me the way back. I seriously considered it, but decided if I only had 3 miles to go, I was going to finish my second lap.

I made it all the way back to scoring and about 20 feet away from the finish, I stalled out in the rut. To make things worse, the kickstarter wouldnt flip out. The mud must've gunked things up. So I sat there clueless until a kind soul helped me drag the bike out of the rut and push the bike the 20 ft across the finish line. I had finished lap 2! Completely exhausted of all my energy but I made it. All that was left was the push back to the car before I could lay down on my trailer and collect myself for 20 minutes. To the stranger who helped me get the bike across and back to my car, you have my deepest gratitude.

Overall, this race will definitely be a memory. Thanks to all the people that helped put this race on. The course was definitely fun and flowed well. All the race workers were friendly and helpful. I give it a 8/10. (9/10 with rice and without rain)

I can't wait to get back out and race again!

(Sorry for being so longwinded, I'm stuck at work all night and dont have anything else to do)

[Brveagle]

I didn't see any photoG's out there, but did anyone brave the elements to snap a few pictures?