2009 East Coast Outlaw Downhill Series

[SpeedFiend]

which state park? pa has a lot of them.

[GravityRider15]

which state park? pa has a lot of them.

Hickory Run

[SpeedFiend]

ridley creek is where i would like to see a race

not even close to the top of the run


this is closer to the bottom when you could be going about fourty five if you wanted, i usually take the line on the right. some people dislike the pavement quality, and while in not a huge fan, its not enough to ignore this gem of a run. closed to traffic, although i have seen the odd car coming up this run, its best hit around 7 in the morning. takes about a minute and a half.

[Pat S]

I'm not opposed to easy races in the least bit, last weekend me, krebhorn, and doctor worm traveled 7 hours to montreal just to race a course that topped out at 30 mph and only 40 seconds long. However, the course included two turns that really tested riders when it came to keeping a tuck through the turn and picking your line to maximize exit speed and had a tight turn at the bottom which could cause you to drift out, even though you were only going like 15-20 mph. I'd much rather race a course like that than a 45 mph basically straight course, corners are really what challenges riders, make the course fun, and brings out the top riders. I'm much more likely to travel a couple hours for a sub 40 mph technical course than a 45+ mph straight because going through a corner 4 wide at 35 is much more fun (and one could argue less dangerous) than just drafting someone at 45.

That said, whatever, I'll probably travel to pretty much anything regardless of the course.

edit: and this is my course for the record. Location is being kept secret so spot doesnt get blown before the race. If you want to skate it, its between bear mountain and connecticut- contact me if you want to skate it and other fast runs in the area.

[rayzor tattoos]

I'm not opposed to easy races in the least bit, last weekend me, krebhorn, and doctor worm traveled 7 hours to montreal just to race a course that topped out at 30 mph and only 40 seconds long. However, the course included two turns that really tested riders when it came to keeping a tuck through the turn and picking your line to maximize exit speed and had a tight turn at the bottom which could cause you to drift out, even though you were only going like 15-20 mph. I'd much rather race a course like that than a 45 mph basically straight course, corners are really what challenges riders, make the course fun, and brings out the top riders. I'm much more likely to travel a couple hours for a sub 40 mph technical course than a 45+ mph straight because going through a corner 4 wide at 35 is much more fun (and one could argue less dangerous) than just drafting someone at 45.

That said, whatever, I'll probably travel to pretty much anything regardless of the course.

let's just have some races and have a good time
which i am sure we will
see ya in jersey

[nightskateboards]

well i know the sherriff here, so any road we want in raleigh , can be ours..

there are a few posibilities for slower/technical type races that we have, so just give me the word, and il think some things up.. as for slalom. if there is a posibilitie for it, is totaly goin on here..

as twitch has said before, we have a really awesome bike path , that is almost impossible to finish with more than 2 people.. so that might be a possibilitie.

but there are also a few roads here that could be 50 easy , so ill look into them aswell.

jake

[Justin Metcalf]

well i know the sherriff here, so any road we want in raleigh , can be ours..

there are a few posibilities for slower/technical type races that we have, so just give me the word, and il think some things up.. as for slalom. if there is a posibilitie for it, is totaly goin on here..

as twitch has said before, we have a really awesome bike path , that is almost impossible to finish with more than 2 people.. so that might be a possibilitie.

but there are also a few roads here that could be 50 easy , so ill look into them aswell.

jake

haha my man, it's good you know the sheriff but you're going to need a bit more than that (unless Raleigh is really unusual about that).

Closing a road isn't just a phone call and a chat about what you want done. I'm working on closing a road in VA that is almost untraveled on...pain in the rear.

[Everett McCord]

from: W Johnson St and W Park Dr to: Park Dr & Woodburn Rd, Raleigh, NC 27605 - Google Maps

Here is another possibility, it just got repaved like yesterday, I have ridden it before and it was quite fun, potholes and all It is around 30-35 I would say, and even though it is residential it really is not that busy, and as nightskateboards said we can get roads closed easy

Just fyi this hill is B to A for some reason I couldn't get it to work A to B

[nightskateboards]

haha my man, it's good you know the sheriff but you're going to need a bit more than that (unless Raleigh is really unusual about that).

Closing a road isn't just a phone call and a chat about what you want done. I'm working on closing a road in VA that is almost untraveled on...pain in the rear.

wel knowing the sherriff, and my moms best freind being a foot race organizer, and he gets roads shut off for marathons ALOT , and i have talked to him about holding a race i was thinking about a while back and he said he'd be happy to help. but i can try my best

[Justin Metcalf]

marathons you can't fall and kill yourself with a head injury at 40 mph or higher.

Best of luck man, but don't be too surprised if you're in for a lot of work.

[nightskateboards]

marathons you can't fall and kill yourself with a head injury at 40 mph or higher.

Best of luck man, but don't be too surprised if you're in for a lot of work.

hahaha unless someone started running realllly fast

[Everett McCord]

marathons you can't fall and kill yourself with a head injury at 40 mph or higher.

Best of luck man, but don't be too surprised if you're in for a lot of work.

we'll you definitely can die, just think of the Chicago Marathon last year. Not a head injury but still its a death

[Justin Metcalf]

yeah...you can die walking your dog in the park. You get the point though.

What we do is slightly more dangerous than running a 26 mile 385 yard race. *Shrug* I'm talking out of what I have experienced working on closing a road in VA. It's not easy and knowing the sheriff will help, but isn't all you need.

Best of luck though!

[circuslegacy]

March or April I can do something in western Massachusetts.

WE NEED TO HIT MT GREYLOCK THIS SPRING

Northeast Freeride 2009

666

Yea, me and my buddies took a trip out to Greylock a couple years ago and the road was under construction. I've been waiting for 09 to come around for some silky smooth fresh pavement!! mmmmm yummy.

[Crappysurfer]

seismic is in on Sultans II

[dkeller33]

I'll agree with you on the fun part.
But ill have to disagree with you on everything else.

There are a lot more than 6 "elite" riders on the east coast that will travel to gnar spots because thats what it all about.
Sure it's good to try to bring the "newbies" into the equation too but just face the fact, that with downhill racing you either are ready or your not.
Throw unexperienced people in the middle of some serious racing is how people get hurt.
Ever seen what happens to a person when they smack the hood of a car at 40mph? I have, and I hope I never do again.

My bottom line is that outlaw downhill events in the extremely populated east coast have to be taken almost over seriously.
People die doing this ####, and it always because of cars which are always part of outlaw racing.

So let the newbies start low and slow, but for us guys who know what 50+mph is all about and do it on a regular basis's we want GNAR.

If it doesn't scare the piss outta me I'm not having as much fun as I could be.

And again if you want a "newbie" downhill race just go watch soapbox derby or something.
The kids who come out and dont think they are good enough to race will get so stoked from watching that they will go out and ride every single day until they feel they have the skills to come back to compete.

And what makes you think anyone is traveling hours, incurring hotel costs, fuel prices, food etc to watch? You want Gnar that's great go for Gnar and good luck with that. And honestly, I hope you have the time of your life. Kill it and have a great time..............

I'm really shocked that there is such an elitist attitude involved in this sport. Again it brings me back to the 80's vert contests. We rode a big ramp (for the day), 12' tall, and hated small ramps but when those scenes with smaller ramps had contests, we were there to support their scene. It's called camaRADerie. You go out and support your bro's from other places. You go chill and make friends and have fun. You don't sit and whine about how this isn't good enough or there is better etc etc. You band together, make friends, support other scenes, and ride the ride of the day. You do it because it's fun and good for the sport. I can't ever think of one trip when we didn't go home happy to have been a part of it.

I guess since skateboarding has become so mainstream the attitude has switched from 'all for one' to me, me, me (maybe it's society in general). I feel sorry for you guys because you're missing what's great about skateboarding. On second thought, I don't feel sorry for you. I feel sorry for those guys who sacrifised their blood, sweat, tears, and bones so you guys could have 4 wheels under your feet just to degrade it into some self centered, ego-centric..................... you know what? This isn't even worth the bother.....

[dkeller33]

wel knowing the sherriff, and my moms best freind being a foot race organizer, and he gets roads shut off for marathons ALOT , and i have talked to him about holding a race i was thinking about a while back and he said he'd be happy to help. but i can try my best

and you go for it my little brother. Don't listen to the doom and gloom from these guys. You go and try to pull it off and work your butt off to make it happen.

[Pat S]

But would they make the smaller ramp sessions part of a year long competition with a cumulative points system?

I love skating with people I haven't skated before so I'm always down to skate smaller hills if the crowd is good(like yesterday for example.) My neighborhood is 20 times gnarlier than scotts mountain road, but I went out there to have fun and hangout.

But when it comes to a series of races with cumulative points, I think the courses should be somewhat demanding. You don't neccessarily need a turn that requires drifting or a hairpin or anything, just a somewhat hard turn or two that allows for interesting lines and more than just tucking/drafting as that's just one aspect of speedboarding.

edit: and of course, a race doesnt have to be in the series to happen.

[doctor worm]

as far as the course goes. i think a low bust factor is much more important than the difficulty. residential courses, that is a course with even one house on it, will NOT work for an outlaw. ever. even if you think the neighborhood is on board, it only takes one sour apple to get the entire outlaw called off by the police. now which is worse, going to a race that isnt quite hard enough, or going to a race and not being able to skate at all, and potentially being fined/arrested?

nick and i have limited experience planning races, but at least we have some. in our experiences, no one wanted to have an am race. the first sultans of speed had an "Am" category, and one person signed up. the course isnt really that hard or dangerous, but its fun, and relatively secluded. other people who are planning their races should look for a course with similar characteristics.

[Longbord1]

Everyone has been making very very valid points. It's great to see.

Another thing that I will be printing out, is a waiver. The organizers should not be responsible for anything that happens to YOU. Basically, if you crash and get hurt, you can't sue anyone or anything of that nature. You skate at your own risk.

I also recommend bringing insurance cards as a precaution just in case something did go wrong.