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2002 Minnesota 1000 Don Angell ride report It was another great Team Strange event. I enjoy the challenge of their rallies and have tried to make at least one a year since ’98. This year, I was a little disappointed in my performance, though. With such stiff competition, just a few mental errors are all it takes to be out of it. I’ve always done rallies with no intention of winning, just keeping the front runners honest. Every event has a few twists that make them mentally challenging and this one was no exception. This year, having variable start times added a level of complexity to route planning that made it very difficult to do too much planning. I rode up from Dallas on Thursday with the idea of running the rally Saturday morning to Sunday morning. I had a reservation for a room in Yankton, S.D, but found the historic Argo Hotel in Crofton just 30 minutes east of Niobrara on the way. I secured a room and got to the Two River Saloon about noon. I checked in to the rally, got the initial rally pack and headed back to the Argo for a shower, route planning and nap (good thing it turned out). I had failed to pick up on the fact that points could not be obtained until after you had committed to start the rally. Previous MN1Ks had bonuses at local shops that could be grabbed before the rally, so I didn’t think anything of the 1900 points for Arlene Liska’s presentation at the Liar’s Banquet. When Eddie made the clarification, it was a revelation to me. I had planned on leaving Saturday morning, but Alrene’s bonus points were significant relative to the others in the rally (an indication that it might be a wise choice to start now). The only thing was that my maps and gear were 30 miles away! I couldn’t do any planning with the additional bonus locations on the second sheet without the maps and notes. And I couldn’t leave to go get them, since it was unknown when the presentation would start/end. As it turned out, I signed in at 18:45, the meal/presentation was over at 19:45. After returning to Crofton, checking the route and loading up, I wasn’t on the road until after 9PM – a two-hour handicap. I chose to go to Wyoming – Devil’s Tower, Alladin, Hell’s Hole, Lusk and a few others in between. The flaw in my plan was thinking that I should get the time-dependent bonuses first. (My route would have worked better going in the reverse order). I headed west on I-90 for the Rapid City. It began to drizzle as I looped to Keystone and then Deadwood for a casino coin. It was between 0300 and 0400 and not a soul on the road through the Black Hills. I could tell by the type road that it probably is a pretty area during the daylight – oh well, another trip. When I got to Sundance, Wy it was 05:00 Mountain Time (hadn’t allowed for a time change). I knew I was way too early to follow my original plan, thinking that it would be impossible to wait 3 hours and still make the big bonus at Lusk and get back on time. Since the penalty for being late was a DNF, it added pressure to design a route that would get you back within 24 hours. (And Team Strange just loves to give grief for busting the time, ask Seth). I chose to spend a 3-hour sleep bonus in Sundance reviewing all the possible routes. I finally figured I would not be able to do it all and still get back in time, so I regretfully decided to drop Lusk. I left for the tower at 08:00, got there as it opened. Coming out of the visitor center, I had the unique opportunity of seeing the sun just break over the top of Devil’s Tower – awesome site, but no time to take it in. I looped by Alladin and was back in Grand Rapids by 1100. At that point, it was just a matter of getting back to Niobrara in seven hours. I set a leisurely pace stopping at the Badlands bonus. I stopped a couple of time for drinks and again for ice cream and a visit with some Australian tourists. Took the 2-lane roads back to Niobrara and the last bonus at Monowi. I arrived back at 1730, more than an hour early, but there were no other bonus locations within range. Failing to enter my starting odometer reading on the bonus sheet was the biggest disappointment. I knew I had compromised my route, but didn’t expect to make such a trivial but costly mistake of 1034 points. Because of the way the starting times were figured, I am still unsure exactly when I needed to be back by, either 18:45 or 19:45. I should have gotten that clarification in order to make an accurate go/no go decision to head for Lusk, as it turned out I probably would have been able to make it. Either way, there were 7 or 8 hours during the 24 that were spent not moving. I was considering all my mistakes, when accepting my tenth place plaque which led me to comment that I was disappointed… not in the rally, just in my performance. This was my 12th 24-hour rally and I learn a little from each one. There are always more woulda/shoulda/coulda stories than flawlessly successful rides. And it’s always easier to sort things out after the fact than during the rally. Guess I’ll just have to keep entering until I get it down right. Great ride, great weather, great rally! |
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