2007 Frostbite, Reiter Trails, February 4th
Race Report by Travis Redfield
tight Reiter single-track
a racer coming through an interesting rock section
Any race held at Reiter Trails is guaranteed to prove difficult at best, and the 2007 Frostbite was no exception. Typical Reiter trails are strewn with head size boulders, layers upon layers of roots, ruts, more roots, more rocks, and all coated in what seems like a grease film that is uncharacteristic of any other area I have rode. To attest to the difficulty of Reiter, most long course riders were requiring over an hour to complete the 12 mile course loop. Most races at Reiter bring a small turn out, but this being the first race of the year it brought one of the largest turnouts at Reiter that I had ever seen. Not even the torture of the previous race at Reiter in November, the White Knuckle, was enough to keep people from contesting the first race of the season. There were over 20 riders in the Open A class alone, and likely near 100 total long course riders.
I had spent all of the day before prepping my bike for the race... fresh set of tires, grip heaters for the cold weather, new FMF Gnarly pipe to take the abuse of the rocks and roots, new grips, silicone spray everywhere for the mud, and all the usual work. I felt very confident with the condition and performance of my bike, the previous weekend riding in somewhat similar conditions at Tahuya WA it worked flawlessly. I knew this was going to prove a very physical race, but I also felt extremely confident about my physical condition as I had been putting extra effort into workouts the month prior.
The Open A class would be the 2nd starting wave directly behind AA. I was one of the early riders to the line and had found a preferable starting position. As the lines had grown to full size and the AA class about to begin a known racer next to me pointed out my front tire was flat! I looked in disbelief but their was no doubting it, the bead was not even seated on one side. I did not know what to do, the AA wave was seconds from starting and my class would be less than a minute behind. I thought to just start the race on the flat but then opted to turn to the pits and determine if the tire would take air. I went to Highgear Motorsports pit area and asked for a pump, unfortunately the air can they had was empty and we struggled to find an air pump. After at least 5 minutes of searching one was found and my tire appeared to hold air. I headed back to the start with all the long course riders having already left and only a portion of the short course riders remaining. At this point I felt I could catch my wave and still have a good race so I charged on.
Initially the trails were wide with plenty of passing opportunity and I made quick work of countless riders ahead of me. But then the trails converged to the typical narrow and gnarly single-track Reiter is famous for and I faced numerous bottlenecks. At the same time it became unpleasantly apparent that my front tire had already leaked down and I was riding on a flat. Never the less, I was charging through the bottlenecks with little work and making good time.
By the first check I felt I was near the front of the B riders and closely approaching the tail of the A waves. My front tire was proving extremely difficult on the roots and rocks as it provided little stability at speed and also was beating my arms badly. It finally caused a get-off and as I left the bike I struck the gas cap spinning it enough to come completely off and I lost what seemed like a gallon of fuel as I rushed back to the bike and make it upright. I took off again being a bit more careful and aware of my front tire, I still felt good and continued to ride the best I could.
I took fuel after the first lap to replace what I had lost and asked how far I was behind the A waves and was told that they had only just passed through. My pit support aired my tire and it again held for a short period, probably 5-10 minutes, which was enough to make me feel confident in the front end again and charge even harder. I started catching riders that I recognized from the A waves and was feeling relieved. I continued to make ground and pass riders, but the course was deteriorating and I was taking an even worse beating with more rocks and roots exposed. The mud had also increased making the rocks and roots more slick, which seemed amplified by my flat front and I began to struggle keeping the front end planted.
I arrived at the end of my 2nd lap with only 10-15 minutes left before the course closed. I was informed that the leader of the Open A class would only have 3 laps total, and with my 2 laps complete I would have sufficient number of laps to receive points. With that I decided it best not to struggle any further with my tire and chance more damage to my wheel and myself as my arms were extremely sore and I doubted my chance of gaining significant ground on my wave.
I ended up finishing 13th out of +20 riders. I had expected a top 5 finish and I am of course not pleased having such a terrible time the first race of the season, but I am proud that I made the best attempt I could under the circumstances and at least received points instead of DNF'ing the race. And the fact remains that just surviving a race at Reiter is an accomplishment in itself.
I would like to thank the support I received from the pit help at Highear Motorsports and the rest of my sponsors (MSR, FMF, Scotts Goggles, Cycra, Motorex, Kenda, Pivot Works, Pro Taper). I also want to thank the Stumpjumpers MC for the tremendous amount of work they performed to provide a great race.
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