I just flew back from Baja last night. I’m staying by the beach in Santa Monica, recuperating, and thinking about the 1,230 off-road motorcycle trip I just took from Ensenada to Cab San Lucas. We did 1,230 miles in 6 days, averaging 37 MPH. We drove down the entire Baja Peninsula, cris-crossing from coast to coast and back in a single day. It was amazing how varied the landscape would be in a given day – as you reduced or gained altitude, as you approached or went away from the Ocean, neared big mineral deposits. Alien and beautiful country. Major stops included Enseneda, San Quintin, Bahia De Los Angeles, San Ignacio, San Juanico, Loreto, La Paz, Todos Santos and finally, Cabo San Lucas. Along the way I managed to slip by cows, horses, donkeys, snakes, fly swarms, rabbits and coyotes. Made it to Cabo in one piece, but I’m pretty beat up – swollen hands with large blisters, bruised shoulder, knees and shins. Sore all over. I have new respect for the sport and particularly the Baja Peninsula. I’ll write a bunch of posts this coming week that talk about the memorable moments – way too much for one post. But yes, it is done. Done and done.
I leave for Baja in the morning – going to ride from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas. Although this is going to be a lot longer than Training Run #1, I can’t imagine it will be more difficult. Excited to log miles and see that part of the world though – going to be fantastic. I flew out to LA early and spent the weekend in La Quinta, CA watching a DOFB alum play polo, and caught the Men’s Semi-final Games at the Pacific Life Open. Here are some pics. Will post the ones from Baja when I get back in a week.
14 Mar
Posted by Birch as Baja 1000, Motorcycle, Training
The trip to Jesse’s Secret Utah Desert Training Lab yielded much in the way of skill development, supporting bruises and hilarity. The following are a few things learned which might be of use to someone. No doubt remedial to most who are riding the Baja 1000. But we never said we’re experts; just hell bent on doing it.
The Front Brake Must Be Used With Caution: For those of who have spent a lifetime on street bikes, this one’s pretty tough. On a street bike at least 80% of your braking power comes out of the front end & I know some folks who’ve probably never even used the rear set. Dirt bikes, however, are different. First and foremost, there’s little in the way of a traction coefficient on sand or dirt. If you hit the brakes they lock and you’re sliding. While the front disc remains the more powerful of the two brakes, as it has greater capacity to slow rather than lock, the nature of the terrain adds far more variables to the equation. Long story short, until you master some of the more formulaic braking techniques, front braking has a tendency to make the bike duck/tuck the front end which leads to immediate instability. As a result, speed in loose pack, especially downhill, is best controlled with a combination of engine breaking/clutch feathering and rear breaking.
Riding MX is All About Legs and Core: The key to good riding, (and by that I mean keeping the tires down and the plastics up), is rapid weight redistribution. Everyone has different styles but I find that the best way to do this is to spend the majority of time standing on the pegs. Standing allows you to more rapidly react to the forces that are acting on the bike as a result of uneven terrain; especially at speed. Keeping your weight deep in your heels further helps keep your center of gravity low and your chassis glued to the machine rather than rocketing through the air with every bounce. Standing on the pegs for long periods, and essentially acting as a human shock absorber, requires serious leg and core strength.
Acceleration is the Solution to Most Problems: Acceleration on loose terrain (sand, soft-pack, talus) = traction. In almost any situation, whether coming into a sand turn, climbing a hill of fractured shale or negotiating single-track, a firm grasp on the surface is what you’re lookin’ for. It’s sort of like driving at speed on slipper snow. Counter intuitive as it may feel, giving it the juice seems to be the best way to get out of situations that are heading south.
Weight forward on turns: Turning in sand, gravel or on a steep dirt incline is sketchy business. Your natural inclination is to sit back and try to force the handlebars around the turn. What you really want to do is try to put as much weight as possible on the front tire to ensure it tracks tightly around the corner. In sand, gravel etc. the easiest way to do this is by sliding way up front on the bike so your humping the tank and then use your inside leg as an outrigger as necessary. On the steeps it’s easiest to stand and then force your weight forward onto the bars.
Air time Is Good Time: Can’t be afraid to air it out. On the whoops – just gas it till your bounding across the tops. In the pits/dunes…well, try to keep your weight as centered and let’er rip.
For more riding tips, check out Dirt Rider. Man this shit is fun!
The Dukes of Flatbush planned to use a SPOT Satellite Messenger in their bid for the 2008 Baja 1000, but just learned that another device with the same capabilities has been mandated by SCORE. It’s called IriTrack and was already mandatory equipment in the Paris Dakar rally.
Here’s a description of the unit from that site:
“IriTrack satellite monitoring is a new system which enables you to benefit from enhanced safety and is a real communication tool. It enables real-time monitoring of positions and tracking of competitors, thereby making it easier to follow the race.
The system responds to most situations which require vehicles or participants to be monitored in all parts of the world, including those not covered by telephone networks as in the desert. Clearing any doubt by voice phone questioning, alert following a violent shock, automatic transmission of alarms to the PC, satellite telephone, etc… a host of options making the system an indispensable tool.
IRITRACK and your safety
IriTrack enables you to transmit qualified information to the race PC in real time. If you come up against a problem, you can be pinpointed by the organization whom you can speak with remotely.
Fields of application are as follows:
* Triggering or requesting emergency help in case of a serious incident (you or another competitor).
* Signal a distress situation which might prevent you from continuing / or compromise your health.
With two possible modes:
* Transmission of an alarm and/or telephone contact with the race PC
* Automatic: if a brutal shock or a prolonged halt of the vehicle is detected, the system transmits an alarm message to the race PC indicating the competitor’s GPS position. With the telephone function, the race PC may contact him without any action on his part (automatic receiver pick-up and inbuilt microphone) to establish dialogue.”
This device will also allow SCORE to monitor a team’s speed on paved sections of the Baja 1000 course which is limited to 60mph.If you exceed that speed, your team receives a time penalty which could affect your standing or worse, your ability to complete the race in the alloted time.
These units are available for rental and for sale – I guess we’ll figure out what option makes the most sense. One big question: where the hell does this thing go on a bike?
Good discussions about this issue on baja.net forums – read the thread.
A friend of the Dukes and fellow Baja 1000 nut, Jay Sherman, just started a new social network using ning. It’s called RacerSpace and is “for everyone who enjoys powersports, racing, and being a fan! Motocross, Racing, TT, bikes, quads, racers, fans, whatever!”
If you haven’t seen it, check it out. Also, visit the DOFB Racing section.
One thing I learned on our recent training run in Utah is that not all chest protection is created equal. I was wearing a pretty typical Roost Deflector along with elbow guards.
We were headed due West into a blinding, setting sun. I couldn’t see and slipped out of the rut I was driving in. When things go wrong, they go wrong quickly. In a split second, the bike was down and I was lying on my right side. I was only going around 20 MPH, but the impact was intense. I took the force of it on my right shoulder and head. My head was fine, but my shoulder was seriously bruised. It’s been a week and I feel like I was in a car accident. My shoulder is incredibly weak and sore. The long and the short of it: typical chest protection does very little to protect your sides or shoulders.
That was all I needed to explore other options. I’ve settled on a more comprehensive solution by Thor called an Impact SE Rig. It has chest protection and an articulated spine, along with shoulder caps, elbow guards and forearm guards. It even has a built in kidney belt which is a must when riding whoops.
There are a number of these systems out there by great manufacturers like Fox, Axo, EVS and Six Six One.
We plan to use my 2007 FJ Cruiser as a support vehicle in our bid for the 2008 Baja 1000. I’m particularly excited because it affords the perfect opportunity to turn the truck into something out of Mad Max. Make it so mean, it’d make a freight train take a dirt road.
I decided to start with a K&N 77 Series High-Flow Air Intake System. It’s a cheap way to add 10hp to the truck and the design is resistant to dirt and sand. Let’s all take a deep breath together.
06 Mar
Posted by Graham as Baja 1000, Electronics, Gadgets, Motorcycle, Travel
One of the pieces of gear we’ll bring to Mexico for the 2008 Baja 1000 is a SPOT Satellite Messenger. This device can alert your team and send GPS coordinates if you run into problems, but a really cool feature is something called ‘spotcasting’. SPOT can acquire and send your GPS coordinates to your account every 10 minutes. This information can be ported to Google Maps so everyone with access to the Internet can keep up with your progress.
I tried this functionality out for the first time on our Utah training run. My biggest mistake was putting the unit in a padded pocket deep inside of my Camelbak. Without a clear line of sight, this unit only works intermittently. I expected to see hundreds of waypoints, but only clocked 37 over the course of three days. Stupid is as stupid does. On our next training run, I’ll affix the unit to the outside of the backpack. I expect this will solve the problem and I’ll be able to see an accurate reflection of the course I travelled. It was cool to check out the waypoints we did capture in Google Earth. Take a gander…
I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I’ll have to chalk it up to dark forces. I got a crown last Monday, unfortunately the type you get from a dentist, not the pointy gold variety that sits atop your noodle. I relaunched heavy.com on Wednesday. Woke up on Thursday with a high fever and massive stomach cramps, then boarded a plane for Vegas to spend the weekend in Utah and Arizona training for the 2008 Baja 1000 with the Dukes racing team. What a week…
I’m happy to report that we all survived the first training run. Most of us have a ton of road experience, but much less time riding off-road so this was literally a ‘crash course’. We rode around 150 miles over three days, spending time on a variety of terrain: roads, double track, single track, washes, river beds, silt beds, shale, gravel, dirt. You name it, we rode it.
Big props to Jesse Kimball who hosted the event and was our fearless desert guide. This was an incredible step towards our goal of completing the 2008 Baja 1000. It really put everything in perspective – we’re going to need a lot of riding time and will redouble our efforts in the gym, running, biking, whatever you got. This race is going to require absolute dedication.
I’ll post a few pics here, but check out this photo gallery and this photo gallery. Around 100 pictures in all. Great stuff. I’ll also follow up with a gear review in case it helps anyone out with similar pursuits. Enjoy!
19 Feb
Posted by Graham as Baja 1000, Gadgets, Misc, Motorcycle, Travel
The more you learn about the Baja 1000, the more trouble you’re in. Although we have signed up for Honda / JCR Pit Services during the race, we’ll pre-run the course for 3-4 days leading up to the race without any outside help. That will involve a purpose-built race bike that will be used solely for pre-running along with one or two support vehicles. Although there won’t be as much time pressure, we’ll be out in the middle of the desert with limited access to supplies. One thing I’ve been concerned about is our access to fuel or water. And we’re talking about fuel for multiple vehicles and water for a decent size support staff. We’ve been tossing around the idea of mounting a fuel drum to the top of the roof rack, but I came across a less costly option, albeit one with limited capacity. These can holders mount to a roof rack and accept standard 5 gallon Wedco gas and water cans. Might be the ticket…
The 2008 Baja 1000 is going to require the Dukes of Flatbush racing team to be in top shape. Apart from weight training and a lot of riding, we tend to run a lot of road races. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to think about a year long training regimen – it’s much easier to break it up into monthly goals. I just did a little research and came up with my 2008 Calendar:
April 26 – Brooklyn Half-Marathon, Brooklyn, NY
May 18th – Bay to Breakers 12k,San Francisco, CA
June 21 – Shelter Island 10k, Shelter Island, NY
July 13 – Montauk Point Lighthouse Sprint Triathlon & Relay, Montauk, NY
August 23 – Queens Half Marathon, Queens, NY
September 6 – NYC Hash House Harriers Red Dress Run XI, New York, NY
September 14 – Staten Island Half Marathon, Staten Island, NY
The Half-Marathons are pretty standard, but you’ve gotta get fired up about the Bay to Breakers and the Hash House Harriers Red Dress run. Both of these races require liberal doses of foolishness and skullduggery. The Hash House Harriers probably say it best – they are a drinking club with a running problem. On on!
Bay to Breakers
Hash House Harriers Red Dress Run
14 Feb
Posted by Graham as Baja 1000, Motorcycle, Travel
One of the best things about preparing to race the 2008 Baja 1000 are the people you meet along the way. I’m a member of the Baja 1000 group on Facebook and have been trading emails with an Australian team who is going down in Baja in November. Their team is called Aussie Iron Rider and is comprised of two brothers, Warren Lovelace and Adrian Lovelace. The crazy part – both of these blokes plan to solo the entire race! Warren is riding a 2005 Honda TRX 450R, Iron Man in the Sportsman ATV class. Adrian is riding a 2001 Honda XR 400R, Iron Man in the Sportsman Motorcycle class. The Dukes of Flatbush will have four riders to share the pain, so we certainly tip our hats to anyone crazy enough to go it alone. We wish them the best of luck and will see them in Mexico!
Warren Lovelace Adrian Lovelace
12 Feb
Posted by Birch as Baja 1000, Motorcycle, Travel
Another awesome training report filed by roving western duke and all around maniac Jesse:
“I have been training hard. Ate shit going about 50mph last Thursday. Another concussion, and a trip to the ER. Overall feeling good. My knee is out of commission for a while, but should be in good shape by the end of the month. I am going to have to get some of those knee braces and a good steering stabilizer.”
I couldn’t ride this past weekend so I decided to go to California for some fun that did not involve the use of my legs. I have attached some photos.
Awesome pics….damn guy is killing it! Heal that knee man – we’re commin!
Most of the motocross equipment you see these days looks like it was taken off the set of Star Wars. Safety gear sent from the future to save one lucky man. The graphics can also be a bit much – you can end up looking like a big bag of Doritos tearing across the desert. For those of you who prefer the simpler style of the 60′s and 70′s, check out these Alpinestars – Super Victory Boots:
There is also a line of Vintage Jerseys – have to love the Bultaco and Maico ones.
05 Feb
Posted by Graham as Baja 1000, Gadgets, Motorcycle
I have played a lot of sports over the years and have been a pretty active runner for the past 5 years. I haven’t had many medical issues, but my knees have gone a little ‘wonky’ when I do serious endurance races like Marathons. When thinking about the Dukes bid for the 2008 Baja 1000, my knees are a bit of a concern. If I’m going to spend 8-10 hours riding, often standing in the saddle, I’m going to want as much support and protection as possible.
There don’t appear to be too many options in this realm – you are either looking at standard knee protection or a pretty advanced system. I’ve read up on custom-made CTI braces that costs around $1,400. Zoinks! Luckily, CTI started a sister company named Asterisk to produce a more affordable line specifically geared for athletes. By affordable, we’re talking about $600 (available online for $550), but it seems like a small price to pay if it helps me finish the race and in the case of an accident, prevents hyper-extension and soft tissue damage. I’m going to test these out in a few weeks and will give everyone a full report. If you have any first hand knowledge, please leave a comment. I’d certainly be interested to hear…
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