Big Bear Trail Riders: Annual Big Bear Run 2019

2019 BBTR report:

The @bigbear_trailriders  event is a Dual Sport bragging rights event no doubt! The whole Big Bears TR club puts on one outstanding event that caters to all levels of riders and if you have the guts to allow them to send you on a journey that will kick 95% of our asses well they will deliver that’s for sure!

PREP:

-This being my 5th year getting ready for the hard route, the first year turning around, 2nd & 3rd year earning a Hard Route plaque and last year, unfortunately, I had a bad crash a month before the event that messed up my shoulder and fractured rips so I was unable to participate in the ride, but I was definitely attending and cheering everyone on through Gold and 38 Special!

-My strategy going into the event was to ride solo, my reason was due to test myself against myself. I didn’t want to chase a pace of another rider as well as I didn’t want to have another rider slow me down. Call me selfish this year but being my 4th year actually riding the event I felt it was time to have it all on my shoulders to see where I could finish.

-Leading up to the event I wanted to get a current taste of the terrain that I knew we would have during the event so I took the trip to Big Bear twice to pre-run. The long winter definitely made some changes to many of trails so pre running was a good idea. Unfortunately on my 2nd pre-run weekend, 2 weeks before the event I had a very stupid hi speed crash that had me landing on my left arm. I still rode that day and the next, probably 150miles but my arm was sore and bugging me, but I was not going to let that stop me that’s for sure. (I’ll post that footage of the crash in the following week haha).

-Bike prep was pretty simple really, my 2018 KTM 500 excf had 2300 miles on it and it’s pretty well built. I pretty much just went over it checking the common things and all I installed new was a new @DDCracing sprockets and chain plus a set of @MaxxisTires front and rear. The bibs I stayed with was a set I had been running for 1100 miles and still looked and felt good. Everything else on the bike has been the same from when it was built or upgraded.

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RIDE DAY AM:

-Early morning to get geared up and be in line by 5:15 am as the first ticket is released at 6 am and I wanted to get out early to Gold and make my way to 38 special before the gridlock on the trail.

-Gold mountain was the usual, sun in your eyes along with tons of dust but I took my time and tried to pick off as many riders as I could before I got to the first steps. The first steps I came up to had a handful of riders stacked up and I heard of a line on the right side of the tree that was pretty quick and as I came to making a decision I seen my buddy @mfrank67 hit that right side tree line so I made chase and cleared it pretty easy. I then came to the second steps and I have done this one a bunch of different ways in the past and I picked the right of the tree again but this time I didn’t hit it fast enough and if I got stopped and when I went to put a left leg down there was nothing under me so I fell over. So bummed I was happy to hear a familiar voice from @mcclellanbob that was not participating in the ride but rode up to be apart of the @WLFenduro crew that was helping riders on the hard sections of Gold Mountian. He helped me up and gave me encouragement and I got back on the bike and made my way up the steps.

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Honestly, at this point, I think it’s better for me to do a LIVE stream and go into more details of all the different sections and how it was for me. Maybe tomorrow night… I will post confirmation and it will be great for everyone to join and listen.

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Finish PM:

-Down Gold Mountain was the last leg of the ride to the checkers and I was beat, had to piss and knew there was a couple of riders not far behind because I had just passed them at the end of John Bull! I seriously almost gave in and pissed my pants because I didn’t want to stop but luckily I didn’t haha… I took it easy so I didn’t make a stupid mistake in the rocks and finally came to the switchbacks that lead to the bottom of Gold. I caught a sight of the canopy that my buddy @criss_66 and @garrryc was in charge of, check pint 7, the checkers! I started rev’ing my bike to get his attention because I knew he was waiting for me and when I came around that last turn….. holy shit there was a whole gang of homies cheering me into the checkers! I was welcomed by high 5’s and tons of smiles, beer… I gave that back and asked for my fav… whiskey and of course @criss_66 had me hooked up instantly with some @bulleit !

-After passing through the checkers I jammed back to the start line to turn in all my Hard Route checkpoint tickets and to get “Logged in” as a returning rider, this list also acts as a numbering system that riders like to also use as a finishing order hahaha. I was the 21st rider to return with all my checkpoint tickets and I crossed the finish line at 6:15 pm.

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Special Thanks:

-Much thanks to all the @bigbear_trailriders club members that have a hand in this event, I look forward to getting my ass kicked each year and damn do you dish one hell of a challenge!

-Thank you to all my homies that pre-ran with me and also the homie’s that were at the finish line to give me an awesome checkers congrats!

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If you ride a plated bike and want a challenge then you need to sign up for the 2020 BBTR event!

OUTWIT / OUTLAST / OUTRIDE

#BigBearTrailRiders

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Photo Creds:  @tarakadak @brycetopp @bobs_chris_bobs @redman68