C-Forum

I'm heading up to Cheatfest next weekend to do the race on Friday. I have never run the river before, but hoping for the best in the race nonetheless. It's going to be quite interesting discovering a new river while at high speed and while in no doubt a good amount of pain.

Anyone else racing? Jay? Neal? I think I have to work back here in DC on Sat., so unfortunately probably won't be able to go to other rivers.

Alden

Alden,
i just duct taped my cockpit rim back onto the boat, sewed my skirt together and glued it, glued some foam, felt funny for awhile, now i'm ready to race. i'll be there friday. this has got to be the most painful races of the year, there's a lot of flat water in the canyon. let's hope for more rain. since you haven't been down the canyon before, i'd recommend getting out at just about every rapid to scout during the race. also, no matter what anyone else tells you, the fastest line through big nasty and coliseum is right into the big holes...backwards.
jay

Jay,

as mayor Richard Daley would have said, "I'll look into that."

I'm planning to race my slalom boat - what about you? Cascade?

I need to find someone who is going to be fast and follow them - I'd prefer someone in a slalom boat - so that I can follow their lines down the rapids and not get lost out there. There's no way I can keep up with Geoff Calhoun in his wildwater boat, but at the same time I don't want to follow folks in short plastic boats because they might be too slow.

Also planning to do the Upper Yough race this year in my slalom boat.

Ah, it's good to be not injured this year!

Alden

If you can't find someone fast to follow down the lines, you're probably not at the Cheat Race.

Jeremy, I understand there is going to have quite the duel in the under 10' class . . . I hear Graybill has been making predictions . . . in fact I think he's about one step away from trying to kiss Suzy Kolbert on live TV . . .

I hope I end up at the Cheat Fest Race, and not at "Chest Fest" or whatever it was called last year . . .

I paddled a wildwater C-1 for the first time today. It was pretty fast. I don't know about racing one on a river though.

ALden

Well, recently acquired fatherhood precludes me from racing the "Massacre-ence" this year, and I'm gonna miss it. I really like my Maverick slalom boat for that race--it really helps on that LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG distance and on all that flatwater.

Alden, don't worry about who to follow. By the time you get to the top of Big Nasty, you'll be with the better boaters who know the routes (at least that has been my method ). And don't pay any attention to that hole; I hit it at 5' and ended up just fine (by the time I downed my 5th beer at the takeout). Just don't seek out the video that showed what REALLY happened .

Have a great time, race hard, and don't let Milt "Aiken" cut you off near the finish like he did me last year . He likes to race like he's in NASCAR!

Post your results.
Neal (KNeal)

Alden, I'm pretty sure that old guy Steve is gonna kick my butt. He beat me by about 2.5 minutes last year. Something tells me that slalom training is better preperation for the Cheat Race than rodeo training (if you believe such a thing even exists). Seriously, you'd probably have a good time if you just followed him.

I raced my wildwater boat (k-1) twice on the Cheat, and then decided if would be a lot more fun if I was actually in control, and switched to short boat. Joe and I were going to race my C-2 (old school end hole boat) last year, and then I realized we'd probably destroy the boat half way to descision....

Jeremy

Jeremy,

I know, Joe was trying to convince me to race C-2 also, even though we're both righties. Hopefully you can hang with Graybill, because if you beat him, maybe Steve will be at the take out, sipping a consolation beer, shaking his head, trying to imagine what went wrong. He'll be singing, "Clearly I remember picking on the boy . . . seemed a harmless little f--- . . . ohh but we unleashed the Lion . . . gnashed his teeth and made a surprise pass at Big Nasty . . . ohh, Jeremy spoke in . . . class todayyyy . . . "

Well, he'll be singing a sad, sad song either way.

I think TVF was good training for you guys.

later
Alden

Have say . . . I was a little surprised at the low canoe turnout at the Cheat Race. There were only two C-1s (Jay and I) and not a single OC-1. There were, on the other hand, 130 kayakers! I did see at least one other C-1 on a car, so hopefully there were at least some cruisers out there to represent. I was also thinking that the Cheat would probably get along with a boat like the Pearsall (what I'm going to call the Maven) pretty well.

Next year hopefully Jeremy and Joe will race C-1 instead of kayak (losers), Kneal will tell the wife he's "just going to the hardware store, yes with my boat on the car," and Louie will tell everyone on boatertalk, "Imm gondning hisnhdnd inagaddadaviddababby hdhdk" and get himself up there.

Until the Upper Yough race,

Alden