behind him. He never let off, never took a foot off the pegs, and didn’t look phased in the least. This is what separates the really fast guys from us middling riders. At the end of this section, there was a short transfer marked Free Territory into a known control and the start of the “Bobsled Course” marked on the route sheet.
The Bobsled Course did not disappoint. Most of us know this as the “fun side” of Freetown. The contrast between this section and the previous was stark and welcome! Sandy loam that swooped constantly left to right, up and down, beckoning you to leave your right hand twisted and stay off the brakes as late as you dare. The grin-o-meter was pegged for the full three miles of this trail and everyone felt like Juha Salminen for just a little while.
The last section of the day was one that obviously took a lot of the trailboss’s time. This was either fresh cut or trail that bikes hadn’t been allowed to ride in a long time. It seemed purposely designed to test your will to maintain good riding form, keep a loose grip, and persevere. This section is where I found my clutch hand failing, my grip too tight, and the blisters starting to bother my hands. We popped out of the section and onto the tar just up the road from parking. For a tall, lanky guy like me the real challenge in this section were the face-slappers. Standing on the pegs while keeping your head less than 18 inches above the bars is not an easy task if you’re 6’5”.
While this ride was a little short compared to others on mileage (just about 50 ground miles) it was not short on the club’s effort or on challenge. In fact, if I’m honest, any more trail mileage and the fun factor would have gone down a little for me.
In the end, Jeremy Anthony edged Jim Senecal by just one point to take the Overall. If you’re not up on the enduro thing, that means that after 40 miles of trail, the win came down to a single minute – OR LESS! “Missing a flip” can result in one point’s difference but it could be determined by a single second.
If you have a street plate on your bike, you’re missing the best trail in New England if you’re not doing the Klim NETRA enduro series. Ridership at the 2018 edition of Clarkie's was up more than 20% over last year. If you’re not already part of the enduro family, c’mon out. We’ll help you get started. No laps, no pre-riding, just miles and miles of single-track that you usually do not repeat at all for the whole day. There’s nothing else like it in New England!