well that was humbling

[shipwrek12001]

I fgured I wasn't too bad of rider, untill I rode with you guys.
I was doin ok on the double track untill the single track killed me, then it seemed I couldn't do either. Thanks for bailing me out at times.
I'll stick to double track thx

 

[RnR]

Don't feel bad. I have had a similar revelation. That's why I sign up for the novice group. I don't really think I'm a novice but after blowing two fire road corners in the intermediate group last year I knew I needed something a little slower. Especially when the trails are unfamiliar. This is my sophomore year with the BMA and IMO the club could use some improvement in organizing leads for newbies and mortals. Problem is the people who know the area are also the fast guys. And they really don't want to spend their day taking it easy. So it's up to you, me and others in the club to step up and fill that gap. I promise I'm going to learn my way around those woods this year. Then I can competently lead or sweep and offer more value than just demonstrating how a KTM can be used as a submarine.

Rob

 

[Skyllz]

Don't feel bad ... Then I can competently lead or sweep and offer more value than just demonstrating how a KTM can be used as a submarine.

Rob

I can relate to that to. Except for the submarine part :lol:

I was not able to attend sunday but I would have been in the same boat for sure.(boat.. submarine...) I can drive my bike but I am NOWHERE close to being able to follow some guys in here that not only have gazillions more miles under their belt but know this place like the back of their hand.

I maybe more confident then I was on a bike last summer but I certainly dont know the areas yet enough to lead a group. Hopefully the gods of time planification(AKA last minute mother in law that forgot to ask if we had anything to do first) will not hit me again this summer and I'll be able to ride most week-ends.

This is something I want to get more involved with, hopefully I'll be able to know the trails a little better this summer.

 

[KTMgirl73]

I've sent my scout to check out the area and report back (as hubby knows my ability better than anyone else). I got an okay, as long as I ride with him...

 

[shipwrek12001]

This is my sophomore year with the BMA and IMO the club could use some improvement in organizing leads for newbies and mortals. Problem is the people who know the area are also the fast guys. And they really don't want to spend their day taking it easy.

I guess it would be my fault showing up late (family first). I showed near 11am. Met the two girls cooking lunch, thank you by the way, telling me they would be back for lunch soon. So I was back by lunch, hung around untill everyone started to saddle up. Nothing said, no instruction so saddle up and go. Mike was off rescuing a drowned sailer and was not back untill after we were gone. Not knowing what to do, get'r in gear and go. Goin down the double track I was fine. turned up the single track thought to myself wtf am I doin. before I new it, a wet log took me out. no problem get up and go. down again, and again. don't forget my face plant infront of a few. I was beat trying to keep my DRZ super tanker vertical on that single. maybe if I didn't try to keep up I might of fell 3 times less. :lol:
The guys helped me in most cases getting me goin again which was great, thank you, and someone even finished a hill for me on my bike. Then shortly after it was suggested I go "that way" back to the road. gladly, a couple of the senior members escorted me back to the vehicles.
That was my first day at the BMA.

 

[Doug]

I was doin ok on the double track untill the single track killed me, then it seemed I couldn't do either. Thanks for bailing me out at times.

Don't feel bad Sean, it happens all the time. Better to be safe and get out the direct and easy why then to get tired and overwhelmed... and bail or get hurt in the tougher stuff. Attending the riders meeting might have helped your general orientation on the ride and explained a bit for you, but oh well!

The club rides are minimalist affairs (as opposed to the "Calabogie Boogie" in September, which takes literally hundreds of hours to pull off) and organizors are completly reliant on riders to "rank" their abilities when setting up groups. Out of a couple dozen riders on Sunday, the majority called themselves "experts"! No doubt many were, however the Calabogie terrain is the ultimate judge...and might have a different opinion of one's abilities! :lol:
It's very hard to get this right and the issue comes up every year.

It's sad that this ride remains under-subscribed in recent times. Considering all the people constantly asking "where do I ride, where do I park...
where do I find ____________ etc. it's unfortunate as it's a great opportunity to learn one's way around, and one of the advantages of being a club member.

All that for 10 bucks...including a great lunch!
Thanks to Mike O. and crew for their efforts.

Doug

 

[snail]

Speaking as the 'drowned sailor', it is WAY more humiliating and time-consuming to delay everyone in this fashion than to suffer the indignity a few falls. By the way, I also fell about 3 or 4 times prior to the submarine manouvre, so I believe that I am well qualified to make this comparison.

Apologies and thanks to the intermediate group and especially to Mike for the rescue. Thanks also to the tireless BBQ volunteers who kept food warm for us.

Is there any interest amongst the slower er I mean careful riders in getting together for some informal rides this season? I have lost my usual dirt bike companions this year, and I don't like to ride in the woods alone. In the spirit of full disclosure, my sense of direction and memory for trails is not any better than my riding ability, but I have recently purchase a mount for my GPS...

Colin

 

[scotiadallas]

Snail, I'm totally up for riding wherever and whenever I can. Please drop me a line if you have interest in going out. I'm a "medium" rider and getting worse daily! :shock:

I've got a "blue plated" 450 EXC.

Thanks,
Dallas

 

[snail]

Hi Dallas:

I will certainly contact you when I am up for riding, thanks for the invitation. I probably won't be able to go out this weekend, but it looks like you have already got at least one other person on board for that.

I also received two private messages from a couple of other guys. I was able to successfully reply to one of them. The other message disappeared into cyberspace and I can't find any trace of it. My apologies to the person that sent me "lost" PM, unfortunately I don't quite remember their username. They had asked me if I was planning to attend Kevin's world famous Calabogie 101, and my answer is yes. If they don't mind sending me another short PM, I will be very careful not to lose it this time.

Colin

 

[mike oreilly]

I haven't been able to log on to the forum from home for some reason, so my reflections on the weekend are a bit delayed. The constructive criticism and thoughts from others are instructive though.

As Doug alludes to, the terrain in that area is the great equalizer - we don't want to hammer folks but as everyone knows the transition from easy 2 track to challenging single track can be very immediate up there. I specifically told the intermediates that we would be riding the same terrain as the experts but at a slower pace. I also specifically covered the riding system at the riders meeting: ride your own pace and be responsible for the person behind you; if you want to go fast, pass the other guy and then wait at signifigant trail junctions; do not ride over your head, ride your pace. Most of the tough sections are short enough that with an experienced guide you can get through them and ride easier stuff home. I think we all experienced on Sunday the effect of fatique on our mistake level (I know I went for a swim late in the day). With this system you ride your own pace; the group gets spread out so we're not one on top of the other and we keep track of everyone (when Colin watered out, we were back to him in less than 5 minutes - that kind of thing is critical). Again: do not ride over your head or feel pressured to - it only leads to trouble for everyone in the group.

These object of these rides is to provide people with the resources to be able to go back to the area on their own - with a knowledge of the area (ie: the map provided) and to network with other riders. It is gratifying to read Rob's comments about this. Those of us who have been around for a while have no magic bullet. We just got out there, explored, went down lots of dead ends and had our share of misadentures and get offs etc. My hope and expectation is that guys who showed up as novices last year or this year will be the ones to step up and lead groups in the future.

Anyway, thanks again for the thoughts. This kind of feedback is what helped us to evolve the Boogie into one of the best received rides last year. And finally, I have to mention this: let's not kid ourselves, by any objective standard, guys like me and Doug and Dave are all well past our best before dates. Sure we're still competent (and can fake it for a little while anyway) but really fast or anything like that?? Not really, but you should have seen us back in the day!

Mike[/i]

 

[scotiadallas]

Mike,

Thanks for the insight. I haven't done a lot of riding in groups of more than 2 or three so your information about being responsible for the guy behind you really makes sense. I didn't understand that before. In the future, I'm hoping to be one of those guys that can competently lead rides of various skill levels in the Calabogie area.

Two comments:

1. The BMA should assemble a detailed Calabogie 101 information package. I read Kevin's and it's very helpful on what to expect and proper bike/equipment setup. I think your info on how to ride in a group and what's expected of everyone really highlights the reality of the Calabogie area - things can probably get ugly pretty fast. If the group understands that this riding area is remote and has it's own unique challenges it may be better prepared to deal with any mishaps that may occur.

2. Somewhere I read a thread on "use it or lose it". I think another good resource for the club would be to compile detailed GPS maps of the area. We could name the trails (I know there is debate on what the "actual" name are) and outline the parking spots, best way out of the forest if there's trouble and mark any hazards one should be aware of. I'm not saying that this should be a free download for just anyone, but if a core group of ride leaders could have this information it would certainly improve the learning curve for newer guys that want to help out. My main concern about riding in the area is lack of geographical knowledge. I certainly wouldn't be able to lead a ride and keep it within the confines of Novice, Intermediate or Expert. No doubt I would get myself into trails over my head (those who know me - laugh now!).

Anyway, thanks again Mike. Reading your info was helpful.

Dallas

 

[Skyllz]

I was unable to attend this past Sunday ride however I feel something is emerging from this topic. Something I had on my mind for quite a while actually.

From my un-educated/still newbie to the club point of view(feel free to correct) there seems to be 3 types of riders in the BMA now.

1. Those who knows most if not all the trails, are good riders(way better then average even if they claim they “are old and slower they used to be”).

2. Those who are still novice to intermediate riders, would love to ride more and lead small groups but are still at the mercy of the more experienced people because of our lack of knowledge of the trails.

3. Those who are novice/intermediate riders that will show up to just about any trail rides to follow along a good leader for a novice to intermediate group.

I feel like I’m part of group 2 along with other people that voiced this in this topic.

I would suggest, upon availability, maybe to form a group and organize a few rides this summer where those people that are n.2 would go with n.1 to get more trail knowledge. This could be done at a faster pace down the trail(intermediate) with more time at the intersections to explain where we are and where it leads. I know I would love this and take quite a few notes(GPS and written).

In the end, hopefully, this would allow the novice/intermediate groups to be lead by different people and allow the experts to go balls out if they feel like, knowing there are other people that can lead the other groups on those days.

I really appreciate the hard work the people who are putting rides up are doing, I am sure however they would appreciate of others would be able to do it from time to time also.

 

[shipwrek12001]

ok correct me if I'm wrong

1 show up on time
2 rate yourself fairly
3 don't drive past your own ability
4 look out for the person behind you
5 bikes don't float
6 ask questions

suggestion

1 If someone is new to the club, then he rides on novice until proven or member stands up for him.
2 Recap ride for late comers at lunch. Look for new faces or bikes
3 Mark leaders or organizers, I don't know anyone.
4 more info on trails. I.E. I don't see on the map given, how hard the trails are.

???