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August 27, 2002: We know the identity of the happiest man in Des Moines, Iowa and we know how he got that way. On East 14th Street just off I-235 can be found the best BBQ in Des Moines: Big Daddy's. Riders were offered the opportunity to earn 255 points by stopping in and purchasing a bottle of BBQ sauce. What neither Rallymaster nor rider knew is that the restaurant closed temporarily for remodeling last week. The first rider arriving at the bonus observed the empty parking lot but thought a closer inspection was in order. A knock at the door brought out none other than Big Daddy himself, who was more than happy to sell some sauce to a passerby on a day he'd otherwise be closed. Big Daddy returned to his hammer and saw, only to be interrupted a few moments later as another rider knocked on the door. While we don't know whether Big Daddy was born at night, we can safely guess he wasn't born last night, because by the time the third or fourth rider came through, a table was set up in the empty lot of the closed restaurant with plenty of BBQ sauce for sale. Further evidence of the Big Man's intelligence and entrepreneurial spirit was evidenced by the freshly applied $10 price tags on sauce bottles that every other day sell for about $3.50. Though he doesn't know it yet, the consensus in the family friendly minivan is that Big Daddy owes TeamStrange lunch. One of the most valuable bonuses on this leg was a photo of World Record Largest Tree #5 at Big Oak Tree State Park in Dorena, MO. To earn this bonus, riders had to make their way about a quarter mile down a boardwalk, locate Tree #5 and take its picture. If this sounds like an easy 464 points then you've never been to Tree #5. The park's combination of fertile soil, warm climate and lots of water have led not only to extremely large trees, but a plethora of creatures that like hanging in and around large trees. We're talking giant spiders, four legged predators, creepy sounding birds and the like. Riders reported that walking the half mile to Tree #5 and back in the dark makes sitting through a screening of the movie Alien seem like child's play. One competitor thought he'd pull one over on the creatures of the night and ride down to the bonus. The riding DOWN part of the plan worked well, but the riding BACK part hit a snag when the rider discovered there wasn't enough room to turn the bike around at the end of the path. Personally, I don't know which is more frightening: spooky woods dripping with thick spider webs or the thought of duck walking a fully prepped and fueled rally bike a quarter mile backwards up a boardwalk. Remember all the column space I devoted to Mexico yesterday? Well, forget all that. No one even sniffed the bait. It seemed like such a good idea to offer at least one person the opportunity to be the first rider ever to score points on a bonus south of the border. This opportunity will not be present on leg two of the event. As usual, scoring served up some tough lessons for unprepared riders. You will notice three riders, one of them back for his third ButtLite, finished the leg with zero points. This distinction was earned by failing to keep track of and turn in all rally paperwork at the checkpoint. A number of other riders failed to claim bonuses to which they went, either because they forgot to fill in their time and odometer readings or wrote their answers on the wrong lines of the answer sheet. I'll spare you the lengthy reading comprehension speech in favor of simply reporting that this skill remains valuable on TeamStrange events. Rally staff were also served a disappointment at the scoring table. Robert Wooldridge earned his Zanz bonus by purchasing $17 worth of Chilitos for the checkpoint, only to have his cooler containing the valuable cargo fall off somewhere near my parents' house in Hudson, Wisconsin. Mom and Dad, lunch for you and the gang can be found somewhere in the ditch along County Road A between St. Croix Street and Trout Brook Road. Wooldridge had the last laugh on us, because he retained his receipt and was awarded the bonus points. Who says what goes around doesn't come around? Jim Owen's tire travails were well covered in my colleague Dirk Diggler's report of this morning. Jim's flat required multiple plugs and all the attendant delay, yet he still put together a stellar run sufficient to send him solidly into third place. Anyone with this kind of grit and determination bears a close watch on leg 2. Paul Pelland is apparently using his "Just Married" sign to introduce the locals to his decidedly twisted sense of humor. While walking back to his bike after a gas stop, Pelland was stopped and asked whether he was, in fact, newly betrothed. "Yeah, I am," Paul replied, "and when she comes out tell her I left without her." Some riders exercised creative thinking skills. "The Cattle Drive," an immense statuary installation at the corner of Griffin and Young Streets in Dallas, Texas, depicts a cattle drive in larger than life scale. There are cows up on a rocky hill, cows fording a creek, and cows doing all kinds of bovine stuff all over the place. Riders had to correctly count the numerous cow statues spread over the site, a difficult task even outside the context of a motorcycle endurance rally. Rather than panic or try eight times to count the cows (as we did), Frederick Droegemueller took a different tack. "It's simple," he told us. "Just count the hooves and divide by four." Joe Ray's suggestion of using ear tags speaks to the artistic realism of the site. And now to the results. Readers are cautioned not to read too much into the standings at this early point in the rally. Ironbutt history is filled with riders who rode strong on day one only to be left grasping at straws in the back of the field several days later. This is not a twenty four hour event, and cannot be won using tactics that work in shorter events. The ButtLite will not be won on a single leg. While not predictive, it can be instructive to first peruse the middle of the pack. You can't slough off on the first leg of any multi day rally and expect to do well, but many skilled riders will try and continuously ramp up their intensity and effort as the event proceeds. Thus, riders like Mike Hutsal, Will Outlaw, Tom Roe and Eric Jewell bear watching, as they all have the patience to pace themselves and the skill to take advantage of developing opportunities. There are a number of new faces in the center of the pack, any one of whom could be ready to make a statement on this and future LD rallies. As an unknown rookie rider, Mark Kiecker was once underestimated by his more experienced peers who no longer make this mistake. A motivated rider's desire to win is not at all affected by the fact that she bears an unfamiliar name. You will see this material again. The foregoing caveats should take nothing away from the accomplishments of Todd Witte, who put together a 1700 mile ride stretching from Hannibal, Missouri to Hudson, Wisconsin right into first place. Though Todd looked a bit careworn, he told me he had time enough to stop for sleep and a brief swim in a hotel pool on his way to Monticello. Email pundits will no doubt quickly claim his efforts are the result of the superiority of Todd's new FJR over his previously favored Harley. Hogwash. When this man gets on a motorcycle--any motorcycle--he's all business. Riders who take care of business can win this event. You read it here first. After a short riders meeting, second leg route sheets were distributed. Within minutes, the parking lot stood almost empty. Inside, Eric Jewell and Mike Phelps pondered their options, with Eric considering Flin Flon, Manitoba and Mike eyeing wide open western spaces. Outside, Rick Miller's Concours sat dead, its battery reportedly run down from powering Rider 31's laptop computer. Spectators quickly gathered round to help bump start the bike and Rick soon rode off, leaving behind only the question of whether his solid first leg score was endangered by failing electrics. As the rally van hurtles west through the rainy North Dakota night, it occupants fight sleep and ponder the possibilities for leg two. At the end of this leg, Airyn Darling, Dale Wilson and the staff of Beaudry Motorsports are ready for the riders' arrival in Post Falls, Idaho. Another far less pleasant surprise likely awaits at least half the field on arrival. Tomorrow we'll consider the potential consequences of decisions too quickly made. See you then. |
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