Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126487
at the roadside. It turned out to be two chopper riders working on their bikes by headlamp, but the incident got blown up into rumors of three riders dead as the troupe chained down through California, meeting in scattered groups and rehashing their experiences. For thOlle who were fresh enough and savvy enough to ride straight through the first night past Portland and ~eep going, the weather held. Those who chose to rest right away awoke Saturday to rain which would follow their miserable trek all down the damp Oregon coast to the California state line. Fortunately for the wet ones, Check Point Two was a Godsend - a giant roaring fire in a brick barbecue oven the size of a small house great place to dry steaming leathers and soggy sleeping bags. . Moving south through redwood country and swooping mountain curves, the run reached the sun, and everything turned super. Ride, enjoy, and above all, keep moving, past the Golden Gate with fog rolling in and out of the bay, then ever southward as the highway turned to freeway and the miles droned on. One young fellow on a Suzuki 1100 was getting to the checks just as they opened, intent on setting some sort of record. The bulk of us were in and out of the checks by about six hours prior to closing, with one or two through in the last possible minutes, or worse, getting in minutes too late and losing their chance for fmisher status. Border crossing into Mexico was again fast and straightforward, and the run used the toll road for a straight shot to Ensenada, providing one survived the route through Tijuana and the detours. When the finish check near the Pacifica Hotel finally closed, 270 entrants had officially completed the run - 216 male riders, nine female riders (including one healthy lass in a cop .helmet astride a blue Electra-Glide, and one lady who bought a new 650 BMW, started the run with 15 miles on the clock, and er - broke it in on the way south), 31 passengers, and four "unknowns." (Huh?) The Oldest Bike award went to Steve Tarriton, finishing on a 1952 BMW R68 with a chromed open prop shaft (neat); Oldest Rider was D. Baker, age 68, who has also finished all five Three Flags Classics; Lonl/; Distance Riders were Gabriel and Reinhard Busch from Germany, part of a small but enthusiastic contingent of European entrants adding more to the international flavor of this run. Long Distance Female Rider (inside continental U.S.) was Kay Nicholls, who also shared the Smallest Bike award for finishing on a Kaw KZ2oo. Co·owner of the Small Bike honors was Roger Rietta on his Vespa scooter, who crashed three times on the way (including once in the finishers parade) and finally completed his first Three Flags after years of trying. Last but not least there was the youngoWoman (whose name I missed) who got a roaring, standing ovation from the banquet assembly (partially explains missing the name). Afflicted with MS, she elected to endure numbing cold, rain, pain, muscle spasms, and all, to finish her first T.hree Flags as a passenger. She stood there on the raised dais of the grand chamber of the old resort hotel, leaninR on a cane and the shoulder of her rider/partner, took the mike and told us all in a clear voice, "One thing I know from this trip - set your mind to it, 'cause dammit, you can do it." It brought the house down. • o 00 0') ...... 25