•
ay3
tX
'FiUt Dag
Dear Katie & Crew,
Hello there. I SUppo3l! this will get there
about the same time we will. " " ' - , it will
lIlow that my thoughts are with you. This
country and its people have a lot of good and
a lot of bad, of couno the bad probably
begins with language ba!rier, aDd could be
CCleld with
everyone jammed togelber u if they planned
it that way. Dave lost the beJring screw from
his transmission and it dropped our team to
ala
01
a..
CI)
~
l>l
2:
l>l
...:l
This is the story of the International Six Days Trial as excerpted from the letters sent home by
Ted Penton. It is a vivid portrayal of the week of fun and agony at Garmisch, Germany, and Ted
not only tells how it was on a check crew, but he clearly reveals the misery and determination of
the riders themselves.
.
Cycles News is proud to publish these letters, and we thank Ted for allowing us the privilege.
Each rider does exactly the same thing when
be rides in. If there is more than one ill at one
time they park their bikes in close formation,
'!bey speek very little to each other and DO
one gets excited. Their captain stands by to
cbecIt the operation and tall the rider when it
is his time to check in.
It Is a real laugh in one way heca_ the
next truck is British and twice as saewed up
as a band of plqmies trying to catch a greased
piq. One will grab the rider's gas cap and
usual1y drop it ill the mud. Another will stick
a funnel ill the tank that bu a spout that is
too big for the tank. He runs to get something
el3l! u a third man pours fuel ill. The funnel
falls over and the guy drops the can u he tries
to catch the funnel. Of cour. the caD drops
on the foot of the rider wbo a1most drops his
macbine. In the mean time be bas his tool
pack open and the wbole mea falls ill the
mud. Somebody stepped on the 9U cap and
bent it so it won't fit the tank.
About now someone yells that it is time for
the rider to cbedt ill. He pushes his macbine
llWay with his bands run of tools. He forgets
his 9la-s and one glove. He got DO gas,
except aD 0 _ his pants, and a smasbed toe ill
the barqaiIl. He got no drink or any gr_ OIl
his cbaiIl. and the crew are ocreamlnq at each
other as two riders come ill and stare
dumb .founded at this clrcua. Every rider is a
new show and a dlffentDt ocrew-up.
The only sad pert is that the Russians don't
enjoy the bumor. They look at the Ilritisb ill
disgust. About an hour ago theN _ _ two
Triumpb riders sIttiIlg in the mlddle of tbr
_to They were off their machines and
greasing their cbaiIls. There _ _ a lot of
macbines oomlng down the stntet. Now comes
an old ram.. woman on a lraetor with five
kids sitting OIl the fenders and pu1llDlJ a little
trailer. She 'pwhed ill the clutch aDd slowed
for the mea ill the _ . Just at the wrong
moment her foot must have IIlpped !%om the
clutch aDd Ibe bit one Triwnpb. It knocked
the other over. The riders rolled up the _
and she ran 0_ one rear wheel. the greue
bucket. and a rider's helmet. Everyone was
yelling at the poor woman and her lradar ....
out of control. '!be kids _'" Iaugbillg and
"""med to think it .... great sport. The
Russians just Ibook tbek beads in disbelief.
The tractor finally stalled.
...
-
(.)
:>..
(.)
about 10th.
Well, they bave all come and gone aDd aD is
well. However, they said that the lrail is much
abead. Their macbiIles were very
muddy and the new mes they installed this
manillg are badly wcm already from so
much spinning,
Their eyes look very tired aDd they have
blister. on their bandL They get off and on
their machines very slowly now. The trial bas
been long and It is _Jring them down. Each
time they p_ their macbines look a IIttIa
more battered.
Behind them lie
a thousand - .
of bl1Is too steep to walk UP. rocks, ADd.
mud, water, and mountain lralls.so dangarous
that goats take detours. Ahead is stl1l ....
200 mlles of the roughest torrain. _ a l
speclal tests, and a bigb speed road .....
The Russians have !oat sevaral m.... but the
equipment that is still nIDlIiD
