Dan's Damn Ditch Claims Another Victim
 

I don't know who this is. This morning about 10:30.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...ntg/s800/a.jpg

Argh, this is killing me. Where is this I can't picture it!

Edit: Wait, is this just above the second ranch? I can't picture many places where the mountain is on the right as you climb up NG.

This is descending, about two miles up from NG kiosk

The ZigZag is the last two corners before the sweeping right that you can take at full speed.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8...DCg/s640/b.jpg

I pray that the rider heals fully and in thanks for the first responders who helped him.

Dan's Ditch is a tricky one. Your photo captures how off-camber it is.
You want to lean left to take a good line but the road leans right.
Then it also has bumps, divots & center line "bop dots" in odd places.
It is turn 2 in the Right-Left Zig Zag and it can mess you up.

You get there and mistake it for finally being at "the sweeping right that you can take at full speed".
Then S U R P R I S E its Dan's Ditch.
Too much speed into the Right of the Zig Zag sets you up for calamity in the Left out of the Zig Zag that is pictured.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...ntg/s800/a.jpg

Note the remnants of a white painted arrow between the fading center line and the front tire of the ambulance.
The organizers of the DMD put that there, and also other key markings in other corners.
This arrow is almost gone, but here it used to suggest a good line through this corner, around its bumps and divots.

As Lanceoldstrong, I know this corner almost as well as I know the "Dan" it is named for. :innocent:
I crashed there two years ago on 6/20/12 and needed the ambulance and first responders too.
Get well soon oh forlorn latest victim of Dan's Ditch. You will remain in my prayers.

OH SHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIzzle! That's where I crashed a few years ago too. I was being stupid and trying to bomb the descent for a GoPro video. I actually went around the closed gate on a Red Flag day, and I guess I got what I had coming to me (I stupidly followed some dude who said it was cool, he knew the rangers and it was fine blah blah). On the descent I tried to go even faster than my normal bomber speed and took the corner way way too fast. I know that corner well, and knew I should not have taken it so fast. You are right, it is off camber, there's a pavement change complete with bump, and divots in the pavement. Just slid out on my left side, bike was totally fine except a few scrapes on the bar tape, left shifter, and the left side of my rear QR. My left shoe, hip, shoulder, and forearm, took all the impact. I remember rolling over once and literally eating the pavement, as I tore a hole in my upper lip and scraped a good layer or two off my nose. Don't know how I didn't lose any teeth, which really was the best part of the whole thing. Flesh heals...teeth do not.

I still have the video, but I can't watch it. My GF has and cringes every time she sees the crash. I have plenty of aftermath pictures of my shoulder, hip, and face where I took the brunt of the fall. Dan's Ditch huh...yeah it's an evil corner! The right hander just before it is a beautiful semi-high speed compression turn, then this POS shows up

Yikes, Heal Fast!