Dino for Saturday?

[Pivot5]

So a question for you experienced trail folks. I know DINO says that the saturday race will go rain or shine but will the trail actually be rideable with all this rain we have been getting?

[holzhaus]

The trail is very sandy and drains amazingly well. It doesn't have very many spots that get muddy.
If it is actually raining while racing (or has just finished), you'll get a lot of gritty splash. Roots and wood bridges would be slick.

[Fett]

I can second what Brian is saying.  I have raced there for over a decade and have raced it in the rain. It is one place that just does not get muddy due to the soil composition being very sandy. It does get tricky, but you will not come out of a lap covered in mud.

[craigebaker]

So, I've just replaced much of my drivetrain for this race season. This includes, BB, pedals, cleats, cassette, chain, etc. Can you tell me that the conditions will not put those new components into jeopardy or require me to replace the BB after the race? BB30 is the new standard and does not do well in mud. None of the components for modern XC mountain bikes are designed to withstand the rigors of mud, especially mixed with sand. Thanks in advance for the guidance!

[holzhaus]

If it's raining, an old bike may be a wise choice. Grit-filled water sprays up on everything if it is raining during the race (wear clear glasses). If the rain has had a few hours to soak down, it's not too bad.

[craigebaker]

Thanks for clarifying Brian.

[Fett]

So, I've just replaced much of my drivetrain for this race season. This includes, BB, pedals, cleats, cassette, chain, etc. Can you tell me that the conditions will not put those new components into jeopardy or require me to replace the BB after the race? BB30 is the new standard and does not do well in mud. None of the components for modern XC mountain bikes are designed to withstand the rigors of mud, especially mixed with sand. Thanks in advance for the guidance!

Sounds like you bought a mountain bike designed by a roadie.  I would give you an even harder time, but you are going to probably crush me on your roadie bike Saturday.  At least, I will be drinking beer while you are rebuilding your bike. 

[craigebaker]

Fett - You might be right, although my roadie bike does have suspensiony forks. Yes, that's a new term I coined (suspensiony). Hopefully the afternoon in Winona was like here in Indy today. It stayed dry all afternoon, although there is a lot of flooding. Tomorrow is still like 50% chance and Saturday is down to 20% for the moment. Who knows. I had people calling me in Rob's camper at 7AM last year to get the conditions on the ground. We booked a hotel room this afternoon, so I guess that makes us all in at this point. However, I am bringing a real ROAD BIKE......just in case and will jump in the RR or Crit if it doesn't work out ;-D

Glad to hear you'll be at the race Fett! Think I'll skip the rebuild and have a beer too.

[Dave Tozer]

Heading up for a late afternoon pre-ride today. I'll report back.

Going to ride the "old" bike today and make a game-day decision on what to ride tomorrow. 

[holzhaus]

Very good conditions right now. Almost zero mud.

[craigebaker]

Winona is the fastest drying trail I've seen. It was amazing with all that rain all week that the trail conditions felt almost perfect to me. Lap times were the same as last year for the most part. Most of the trail I would characterize as ideal. I don't think we're ever going to have to worry about this trail being too muddy unless maybe if racing during a major down pour.

Brian - Thanks for putting up with my mud anxiety. It was a great day of racing!

[Dave Tozer]

I'm sure William Snyder will have images up (http://prints.williamlsnyder.com/MTB), but anyone know who the other folks were taking pictures during the race?

There was a guy hanging from a tree with a video camera too! 

[RiverBankRider]

Plus, the drone cam was out again.

[williamLsnyder]

Photo's are up!  They are listed in order by Bib number.  If I couldn't make out your number it's listed as 'Unknown' and should show up on the last page.  Enjoy!

http://prints.williamlsnyder.com/MTB/DINO-2014/DINO-Winona-2014/

[Bqwyatt]

there are some pictures and video's starting to pop up on their facebook page.


https://www.facebook.com/fatandskinnytirefest