by Mark Myers
What’s your name?
-Mark Myers
How old are you?
-30
Where are you from?
-Fort Lauderdale, Florida but originally from Johnsonburg, PA
When did you get into the sport of hard enduro and when did you ride a dirt bike for the first time?
-My first hard enduro was at the Covid Crusher 2.0 this season. I first rode a dirt bike when I was about 5 years old.
What bike do you ride?
-This season I was lucky enough to ride my dad’s bike, which was a 2021 Husqvarna TE 300i
What team do you ride in (if any)
-No Team Affiliation
How many hard enduro races have you entered (roughly, doesn’t have to be 100% accurate)?
-All but 2 of the SEER Events. Unable to make those due to prior engagements. I did sign up for 2 other AMA races, but those Sunday races make it harder to get to.
If possible, what would you characterize yourself as? Beginner, weekend warrior, ambitious amateur, semi-pro or pro?
-Weekend Warrior, living in South Florida I don’t get the opportunity to ride very often. So when SEER hosts an event, I try my best to get there!
What race are you going to talk about and what year did you do it?
– The Cliffhanger, I watched it in 2020, but I raced it in 2021 and it did not disappoint.
What was the race format like – how many days, hours or races did you have to do to finish/win the race?
– It was a 4 hour race, and you had to get to as many check points as possible within that time frame.
What excited you the most about this race? Was it the terrain, the grip, the camaraderie, the organization, the weather, your own performance or something entirely different?
– I was very excited for this race because it was the season finale of the SEER series. It came down to this race in series points for the championship. That made it very exciting. I always love the camaraderie at the SEER races. The weather turned out beautiful for this race, and I was excited to see how I would perform at this race considering that they were going to make this more difficult. All in all it was an absolutely amazing time.
What kind of tires/mousse/tubeless/tube did you use and why? More importantly – would you recommend your setup or did you learn that something else would have been better?
– I’m going to be 100% honest, my brother set up my bike for me and I believe he had some sort of Matis tire on the front and rear. I think that the rear tire was set up on a type of tubliss/mousse combination. The front tire was just tubliss.
Was there anything bike setup-wise that you discovered to work great and that you’d like to share?
– One thing that is an absolute must have for these races is some type of bark buster for protecting your hands, and a grab handle for moving the bike around when it’s stuck.
How tough did you find the track physically and mentally?
-The track was definitely a challenge. Although the obstacles were challenging, they were doable.
Was the track easy to follow (markings or GPS) and was the difficulty level of the track what you expected, easier or harder?
-It was fairly easy to follow, although there was one time that I missed a turn and ended up on part of the Gold/Silver course. It was my mistake though, I didn’t so that the first lap around.
Where did you stay during the race, was it a good choice and would you do it again? (camping, hotel, private etc.)
-We stayed in a camper at the TTC hook up site. Always a great experience, and would gladly do it again.
What result did you get and are you happy with it?
-I ended up 6th in my class, but I ended up winning the series championship in the Bronze 16-34 class. During the race I did run into some trouble with my radiator. I was able to get back to the pits to fix it and continue racing. I am very happy with it definitely all things considered.
Did you feel like you got a good value for your money at this race?
-Yes, I feel that these races are a good value.
What would be your best piece of advice, to a person who is considering entering this race for the first time?
-Train as much as possible and get as much seat time as you can. Keep moving.
What (if anything) would you like to see changed in the event to improve it?
-For the series finale, I would like to be able to race in the morning, and then watch the pros (Gold) race at some point separately, or vice versa. That would have been pretty cool to see, but not really sure if there is a way for this to happen.
Finally, would you do this race again and recommend it to other riders?
I would love to do this race again and I would recommend this race to other riders. It was a great experience!