An Ode to the Little Raccoon Enduro A Only Test Section
Five miles of Ohio clay, humility, and finding your limits
Five miles of Ohio singletrack, where wet clay writes its own rules— greasy, unpredictable, meaner than what Georgia offered. I came in thinking I knew slick. Ohio laughed.
The off-camber sections early on in the day, manageable. But Test 6? Test 6 was different. Side-hilling that demanded everything— stand up, weigh the pegs, or watch the roots spit you sideways.
The first steep left-hander, I attacked it wrong and hit the ground hard, I tasted dirt and realized: This is gonna be TOUGH.
The hill climb off the road rose quick and steep out of the creek crossing. You had to commit, had to give it the respect it deserved. I didn't. I hesitated. That moment of doubt was what the terrain needed to spit me out like a rag doll.
Between the climbs and descents, brief moments to breathe, to reset, but Test 6 had me figured out — relentless, unforgiving, each respite just long enough to fool me into thinking I'd recovered.
Mile after mile of making mistakes, trying to override what my body knew, exhaustion clouding split-second decisions. The terrain evolved beyond my experience, each turn revealing new ways to test what I thought I had.
But this is why I, we, race enduro — to find the edge of our abilities, to stand at the boundary between what we are and what we could become. Test 6 showed me that line, drawn in Ohio clay and carved in every slick root Ohio had to offer.
By the end, beaten but not broken, I found something as I rolled through the yellow checkout ribbon: gratitude. For the challenge that didn't coddle. For the test that tested everything. For discovering exactly where I stand and exactly what work remains.
Five miles of humility. Five miles of education. This is what an A Only test should be— unforgiving, honest, transformative.
Thank you Appalachian Enduro Riders for reminding me why I chase these limits, and for showing me the next hill to climb.
https://youtube.com/shorts/EQiqE2CdL3U
Thanks for reading. The Test 3 POV video is out on the Seat Time youtube channel and the full race recap will be out next week. Make sure you share with your riding buddies, and get them to subscribe. Enjoy #GettingSeattime & Stay #Stoked! 🤘🏻🤙🏻⚡️