24 Hours of Starvation Ridge in WA -- October 26 & 27, 2019 (new dates)

[Mark911]

Just looked at this tread for the first time. I'm good for a race in Oct as it should be a bit cooler up there compared to SoCal that time of year! I've been racing since the late 60s so nothing should be new to me.

 

[revoltlution]

Found this riderplanet page on starvation ridge...
Starvation Ridge

 

[bluefxstc]

Just looked at this tread for the first time. I'm good for a race in Oct as it should be a bit cooler up there compared to SoCal that time of year! I've been racing since the late 60s so nothing should be new to me.

Great, I will put you on the rider list.

 

[Speedkills]

I'd be in if I can get my knee fixed by then. I give it 50/50 odds. I'm not fast but riding it with a bunch of you guys would sure be easier than doing all 24 hours on my cr500 like last time. It does indeed get cold there, I used the big flappy handguard extenders you zip tie on.

You can find the course here, it's a bit west of the Moto track.
Google Maps

There are some really neat bits to the track, little singletrack gullies that are a blast in the dark and an old cabin you ride through that has 3 doorways, 36", then 35", then 34" if memory serves.

 

[Speedkills]

People tend to do the six hour first to get a feel for it and decide if their up for the 24 if they're close enough to do that.

 

[Redwolf]

People tend to do the six hour first to get a feel for it and decide if their up for the 24 if they're close enough to do that.

How sensible, try a short race and work our way up... I've got better things to do than be sensible. I'm going riding in the rain now.

 

[bluefxstc]

I'd be in if I can get my knee fixed by then. I give it 50/50 odds. I'm not fast but riding it with a bunch of you guys would sure be easier than doing all 24 hours on my cr500 like last time. It does indeed get cold there, I used the big flappy handguard extenders you zip tie on.

You can find the course here, it's a bit west of the Moto track.
Google Maps

There are some really neat bits to the track, little singletrack gullies that are a blast in the dark and an old cabin you ride through that has 3 doorways, 36", then 35", then 34" if memory serves.

Awesome! We now have 8 riders who have expressed an interest. Me, @Silent But Dirty @ElectroBraap @revoltlution @Bionicman @Redwolf @Mark911 and @Speedkills listed in sign up order. Keep an eye on the Perry Mountain race thread. That race is in June so we should be able to learn a lot from there experience on what works and what doesn't work.

 

[Redwolf]

Got my eye on both 24hr race threads, planning to pay attention to everything they said works best. I may even have a clue how to ride a race by October... But it's going to take some work to teach me how to ride in a group.

 

[wildman240]

Got my eye on both 24hr race threads, planning to pay attention to everything they said works best. I may even have a clue how to ride a race by October... But it's going to take some work to teach me how to ride in a group.

In a race like this...you'll be riding by yourself most of the time. Occasionally you'll have a rider or two that either you are passing or are being passed by. The only real "group" will be a the very start of the race off the line and then as it spreads out in the treeline.

 

[Redwolf]

In a race like this...you'll be riding by yourself most of the time. Occasionally you'll have a rider or two that either you are passing or are being passed by. The only real "group" will be a the very start of the race off the line and then as it spreads out in the treeline.

By my normal riding situation, that's a crowd... I'm more accustomed to riding for days without seeing a single soul.

 

[revoltlution]

I hope the NE team utilizes (and updates) the Google docs worksheet. That could be a good starting point.

 

[Silent But Dirty]

I will be out of my element for sure. My races average around 10 minutes! Can't wait to give this a go.

 

[revoltlution]

This race has me excited for 2019!

 

[Redwolf]

Hey, I have never been in a race before, ever. I've never been so excited for summer to be over before!

 

[OneLapper]

I hope the NE team utilizes (and updates) the Google docs worksheet. That could be a good starting point.

We plan on using and updating the google doc. Just haven't gotten that far yet! Still feeling relieved that we got in, lol! I don't think anyone was expecting the event to sell out in three days.

 

[revoltlution]

Still feeling relieved that we got in, lol! I don't think anyone was expecting the event to sell out in three days.

Super excited for you guys! I'll take this as our first and most important task... Get registered!
I'm thinking we should be team AltaOwnersForum.com (West) to represent, in your footsteps of course.

 

[F451]

It's great to see you guys coming together for this race, you're going to love it.

Sounds like you guys are covering all the important bases, but here's some random input based on the couple of times I've run it (keep in mind I'm an old slow trail rider, definitely not a racer, have only done 3 races in my entire life, the Desert 100 once, Starvation Ridge 24 Hr twice, had a great time at all 3 races):

• Laps have been 18-22 miles historically.
• Pace is "relatively" fast since most of the course is not single track.
• Most teams have their riders do one lap at a time. I'm not sure an Alta would make 2 laps at a race pace.
• Lap times vary: 2018 Results: 35 mins - 60+ mins with plenty of laps well over 1 hr. For an "amateur" team effort I would budget for at least 60 mins lap times. See the 2018 race results here: https://overthebarsgang.com/wp-cont...RVATION-RIDGE-24-HOUR-TEAM-RACE-RESULTS-2.txt And yes those results display as one big mess, but look at the lap times, all over the place time-wise. I've sent Debbie an email asking for the "clean" version of the race results, I'll post those up if I get a response from her so you guys can get a better idea of laps times.
• Track your laps! I recommend creating a lap/rider grid sheet type document and printing that out. Use it to schedule everyone's laps, times, notes, etc. We lost a lap one year, for some reason it didn't get logged in the official results, didn't matter in our case but it would be a bummer to lose a podium spot because of some foul up. Recording everything also helps keep track of who has the next lap, who's on deck after that, etc. Also makes it easy to fill in riders/bikes if someone has to drop out of the race for whatever reason (we've lost riders in each of the 2 races I've done (injuries but also people just refusing to do their late night laps - what the hell?!).
• Number of riders: 4-6 works best IMO.
• Number of teams: 2, one team for go fast/serious guys, one team for more casual riders might be a good way to set up the teams? Just depends on what people want out of the race. Some people take their racing VERY seriously and get bummed about slow pokes on their team. My teams have been knuckleheads so it worked out perfectly for me, Lol.
• Mud races: they are brutal out there (on both man and machine) and greatly extend lap times. I'm not sure I would do another mud race out there after doing one in 2010.
• Play Days: usually not run on the 24 hr course, are usually held on the GP style track (which will give you an idea of the course, but the best is to view the video like the one already posted in this thread). As was mentioned the 6 hr or 12 hr races would be a good trial run, but I would not say they are necessary. I think with some decent planning you would be fine to just show up and race the 24 hr.
• No Race Experience: You couldn't possibly have less race experience or knowledge then me, so there is that. And I did just fine at all my races. just consider it a fast 20 mile trail ride without any breaks.
• Worried about holding up go fast guys? Don't worry about it. Generally the rule is to hold your line and let the go fast guys decide how they are going to pass you. Usually they will be going so fast that they will blow by you before you even know they are there. Trying to get out of their way will only lead to collisions. Exception of course is on the few single track type sections, in that case, if someone is on your butt and there are no passing lines, pull over and let them by. You will also be doing most of your riding by yourself, so holding anyone up is rare anyway and is pretty much a non-issue IMO. And I've never had a go fast guy give me grief in any race, they are usually super cool and appreciate anyone who is out there trying.
• Lighting: I recommend a battery powered helmet light (or two depending on your desire and budget) and some type of headlight. If you're not Baja 1000 fast, pretty much any decent helmet light/headlight setup should work fine.
• Generators allowed to run all night? Best to double check with the race organizers but I'm pretty sure you can run them all night as a lot of teams have lighted pit areas (some of the pit areas are killer, heaters, kitchen setups, trailers setup as work shops, etc).
• Sound check: that will be fun on the Alta! Lol
• Transponders: in the past its been a belt mounted transponder that you transfer the entire belt from rider to rider when you pit in-between laps (you have to pass through the pit area in-between laps).

This is a typical pit setup, pop up along your pit row, some type of trailer behind that to use as a garage, campers behind that. A tarp or two on the sides of your pop up is nice as it can get windy and cold out there, especially at night.



Mud races: there's a fair amount of elevation changes on the course, so the pic below is an easy part. Imagine a hill climb in this crap in the middle of the night when you're exhausted and its raining. You will be seriously wondering what the hell you are doing out there, Lol.



One of my go fast buddies talking to another one of my go fast buddies about how stupid mud races are, Lol.



My YZ rear wheel after flatting the rear tire and riding the last 10 miles or so of my lap on the flat, it was packed with mud, what a stone breaker. And this pic was AFTER I cleaned up the wheel, Lol.



Hopefully the conditions will be primo and you'll be cruising around with Mt. Ranier in the background looking like a hero the entire weekend.

 

[SuburbanDad]

Ah yeah, I'd be down for this. I have always wanted to do the 24 hour Starvation Ridge race. I am not sure how I missed this thread in 2018.

22 miles at a race pace in the mud is going to be a stretch, but doable with judicious use of throttle and choosing good lines around the boggiest stuff. If there are 2 teams, I would definitely qualify for the more casual team. I am more interested in completing the lap than a brisk pace that only makes it 3/4 of the way

 

[Redwolf]

At the rate we are attracting interested members, we may have a shot at making 2 teams for this event, how cool would that be!

 

[bluefxstc]

We now have 9 riders who have expressed an interest. Me, @Silent But Dirty @ElectroBraap @revoltlution @Bionicman @Redwolf @Mark911 @Speedkills and @SuburbanDad listed in sign up order. 3 more and we can have two teams of 6. Would be really cool to have a pit area with 12 Alta riders. Fast team and a slow team. Like SurbanDad I would be part of the slow team as I am a compete to complete rider, not a compete to win. Anyone else? Need 3 more to make 12 and probably should have 5 because life will probably get in the way for a couple of riders. #TeamAlta