Hare Scramble Noob

Get hydrated. Be confident. Don't wait at bottle necks. Don't freak out when your not as fast as other guys. Speed will come with experience. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.


Parts
Fly wheel weight and hand guards.

Don't crash your brains out. If you don't finish you'll never win.

For parts and equipment I'd recommend a flywheel weight, bark busters, oversize fuel tank, hydration pack, and roll offs for your goggles. I use the Scott works system (roll offs with 2-3 tear offs for the first lap craziness).

For fitness, I recommend focusing on cardio. If you get winded, you can't ride to your potential. Use an exercise bike, bicycle, or running whichever works best for you.

For riding advice, Don't worry too much about the starts at first...the race is long and you have time to make up for a poor start. For bottlenecks, don't get excited when you come across one. if you have to, take a few seconds to look around and see how to get around or through. If you just try to blast through, you're likely to cost yourself more time thsn checking out lines around or through for a few seconds. Also, just try to ride smooth...mentally, you should approach your first few races as a trail ride. ride smooth, and within your comfort zone, and you might be surprised where you finish. The biggest thing is staying off the ground. The more you have to pick up the bike and restart it, the quicker you'll run out of energy.

Best of luck!

Harescramble essentials include:
Hand Guards, preferably metal reenforced.
Hydration pack.

Good Ideas:
Fresh Rubber
Add a tooth or two to the rear
Skid plate
Rekluse EXP clutch
Pipe guard
OS gas tank
Spare gloves
Spare goggles

I used to just race Moto, these days it's mostly woods which I'm loving. Cardio cardio cardio, strength (upper body and lower body) then more cardio cardio cardio.

With a stock tank you'll need to pit for gas for sure, even in a 2 hour race. Have spare gloves and goggles with your pit person. Gatorade G2 is best as it's not as concentrated as the regular stuff which can cause cramps. Ride smooth, look for the smoothest lines. You're talking time and laps over at least two hours, not a 5 or 10 lap moto sprint. Smooth is fast in this game. Smooth is also less taxing on bike and body.

Good luck and have fun!

The things that will cost you positions are crashing, stalling and taking a wrong turn. Don't crash in the first turn, it's a long race. Definitely eat right and hydrate. If you aren't used to riding at a fast pace for 2 hours then take some ibuprofen before the race and possibly put an anti-cramping electrolyte in your water pack or drink it before the race. Register for the C class to start (or whatever the lowest class is in your series). Have FUN!

i was thinking of doing a hare and hound here in southern California. does anyone know if i can carry gas? i have a super small tank. less than 2 gallons. i kno they make os tanks its just not in the budjet right now. thanks in advance

Drink 2 bottles of pedialyte the night before and make sure you're pee is clear by the start of the race.

Ride to finish, not to win...

Some venues do not allow refilling fuel unless it is at a designated place with mats under the bikes. That said, if no one sees that you have fuel in your pack and they don't see you fill up, no harm I guess. The venues where mats are required are usually on national forest or state land.