Long Ruts on Straights

Nothing reminds me of motocross more than a rutted up, fast, flowing track.  This is the pinnacle obstacle that separates the men from the boys.  If you watched Southwick this past weekend, then you saw the insane ruts in the moist New England sand.  Most beginners find themselves nervous approaching long ruts and often end up on the ground.  It doesn’t matter if a rut is in a corner, on a straight or on the face of a jump, you will encounter one sooner or later.  Some look at this as a burden, but you can actually use these to your advantage.

A lot of people can go fast on a straightaway.  It’s pretty simple; open the throttle as far as possible.  That’s generally how ruts get formed on straights.  People actually use the power of their bikes and it trenches out the soil.  Obviously, the main line will get dug the deepest.  In the beginning of the day, this won’t be a bad choice to use.  It just depends on how it sets you up for the next section.  However, a majority of the time, the main line usually gets too deep and ends up slowing you down.

When the whole straight gets rutted out, things start to get a little tricky.  The middle of the track is going to have deeper ruts than the edges of the track.  So, by taking the edges of the track, you can avoid the choppy mess made by the slower riders and you can save your energy for more important times in the moto.

As with any rut, approaching it with both wheels in line is very important.  You want to keep both wheels in the rut, preventing you from getting cross rutted.  You also maintain your momentum and forward drive, as well.  Once, you have both wheels lined up, keeping your head up and vision ahead is very important.  Staring at the ground right in front of you will only send you one place, the dirt.  That is not where you want to be.  A good guide is to keep your vision a few bike lengths ahead of you.  The faster you go, the further you want to look.

Depending on how deep the ruts are, a good idea is to ride on the balls of your feet (and point your toes in, gripping the cases).  This prevents your feet from getting caught in the rut and ripping your leg off the peg.  As always, you want to be gripping the bike with your knees and applying steady, consistent throttle.  As you get to the end of the straight, there are more than likely going to be braking bumps.  This is where you want to start shifting your weight back slightly to keep you from going over the bars.

Like I said, if you can conquer ruts, you can conquer anything.  It is mind over matter and just keeping good form and looking ahead.  Stay loose and relax; you’ll get through them sooner than you think.

Source: http://www.mxtrainingblog.com/riding-techniques/long-ruts-on-straights/

Jeff Stanton Rex Staten James Stewart Jr Brian Stonebridge David Strijbos

Chrome Divas come to Des Moines

I’ve been keeping this under my helmet for awhile, but am so excited to finally be able to mention that the CHROME DIVAS have come to Des Moines – and that I am a founding member!

While poking around on the Web one night last summer I did some reading about this organization for women motorcycle enthusiasts, founded in 2002. I was surprised to learn that although there was a very large and active chapter in the Cedar Rapids area, there was not yet a chapter here in Des Moines.

So, together with my gal pals Shirley, Susan (Coyote) and Stephanie (Iowa Harley Girl), we launched the Chrome Divas of Des Moines in August 2011. We’ve added two additional members since then – Janet (“Seven Over”) and Penney (“One Cent”).

The Chrome Divas is simply an organization for women who share a passion for motorcycles – all brands, all levels of riding. We currently meet monthly, and we’ll be creating opportunities to ride together and work on behalf of some our favorite community organizations. Our primary mission is four-fold:

  • Promote a positive image of women who ride, and of motorcycling in general.
  • Provide a social atmosphere for women who ride or simply love motorcycles to gather and get to know each other.
  • Give back to our community by participating in local non-profit events and activities.
  • Ride and have fun!

We’re lucky and thankful to have Sambetti’s, a local bar and grill, as the “official home of the Chrome Divas of Des Moines.” A big THANK YOU to Paul Strome, owner of Sambetti’s, for his encouragement and support of our little group!  (I personally recommend the “10 oz top” special, the chicken strips, the house dressing on the crisp, cold salads, and – OMG – the ONION RINGS!! Lunch, dinner or drinks – Sambetti’s is one of my favorite spots in Des Moines!)

As for membership, right now we’re keeping growth slow and purposeful so as not to get too big too fast, but we are excited about being part of this great organization and are definitely planning to increase our numbers!

 

 

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikerChickNews/~3/vKuS2ihxylg/

David Philippaerts Mickael Pichon Jim Pomeroy Christophe Pourcel Sebastien Pourcel

2012 Lucas Oil Mt. Morris PA AMA Pro Motocross Highlight Video

Ryan Dungey, Eli Tomac, and Jessica Patterson were the big winner's in Saturday's Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross event in Mt. Morris, PA (High Point Raceway!). Click here for results, points and more from "High Point"

Source: http://www.supercross.com/news/2012-lucas-oil-mt-morris-pa-ama-pro-motocross-highlight-video

John van den Berk Marnicq Bervoets Fritz Betzlbacher Dave Bickers Anthony Boissiere

Paul Langlands Takes 3rd at Lords Of Dirt

Paul Langlands Metal Mulisha BMX Lord Of Dirt Comp

Lords of Dirt Tour is back again with 3 stops this year kicking off in the UK! Metal Mulisha BMX rider Paul Langlands fought against the heavy rain and went out for the best trick at stop 1. Check out the video update on how it all went down, and watch Paul dominate this 40 foot jump claiming a solid 3rd place finish!

Source: http://www.metalmulisha.com/blog/2012/06/paul-langlands-takes-3rd-at-lords-of-dirt/

Marvin Musquin Brian Myerscough Maximilian Nagl Kurt Nicoll Bill Nilsson