A Day @ Riverhead:

Posted: Tue 01 Apr 2003

A day at Riverhead - By a Check Point Operator:

An interesting view of what seems like a typical Kiwi Enduro from another perspective. Thanks to the writer who shall remain anonymous.

I was working a couple of checks and to be honest, was amazed when I got back to headquarters to find out how many people had pulled the pin.

My rider had lost 7 minutes leading up to the farm, lost another 2 there, but was looking okay. All the experts were on time (coming in way early), a lot of the Intermediates were also either early or on time. One Intermediate had time to head back to headquarters after having a bit of a rest, refuelling & only lost 3 minutes by the time he went through the check (which was 3 or more k\'s up the road).

We had two riders DNF at this point - one was low on fuel after the farm, so headed back, the other had broken his front brake lever (or was it clutch, I can\'t remember) & decided 26k was too far to ride without it. Another person holed his radiator prior to coming into the check,

One person houred out at this point, but he was close to houring out before he got there (he\'d fallen off a bridge or something, so lost a lot of time).

There was a hill on the farm that gave a lot of problems & as one person said, if they had worked together with they\'d both have gotten out of there easier. I heard the terrain test after the farm was exhausting (Two guys topped for a chat & some lollies/chocolate during it, lol, hence some really high times in terrain test 3). My rider also admits he shouldn\'t have had those beers & gone to sleep so late Saturday night prior! He DNF\'ed due to severe cramp in his back & arms & legs.

I honestly thought the times were too loose the way people were coming in. Wierd results though from what I\'d seen.