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/126499
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The Las Vegas chapter of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association wave to the photographer near Zzyzx Road. A total of 496 riders entered the road run.
Cycle: News B to V Road
Ride and Poker Run
Lair outdraws
Stardust in
Vegas
By Charles Morey
BARSTOW, CA-LAS VEGAS, NV,
NOV. 29
While the Phantom Duck of the
Desert's legal defense / attack
fund came out the biggest winner
in the second annual Cycle News
Barstow to Vegas Road Ride and Poker
Run - over $1,250 was collected for
the defender of off-road motorcyclists'
land use rights - Kawasaki rider
Bruce Lair topped the 496·rider field
in true Las Vegas style.
But Lair wasn't the first rider to pull
a winning hand out of the boxes. At
the final checkpoint - manned by the
Victor McLaglen Motorcycle Drill
Team, Cycle News owners Chuck and
Sharon Clayton and Chuck and Connie
Johnson
a Roadburners M.C.
member who calls himself Ziggy Star-
dust finally worked his way through
the long lines of finishers and reached
into the card box. Stardust pulled five
envelopes, handed them to Chuck
Johnson, then watched as the envelopes
were torn open to reveal the best hand
of the day, a King-high straight flush.
"Nobody's gonoa touch that," Stardust hoped, "It's a pretty tough one to
beat." But Bruce Lair hadn't arrived
yet.
Finishers filed in, singley or riding
in groups of as many as llO, and pulled
a seemingly endless number of fivecard combinations. One of the larger
groups was the Gold Wing Road
Riders Association with 26 members of
the Las Vegas group in attendance.
Then: "We're working on another
one'" Lair was at the table, and one·
by-one the envelopes were discarded
leaving a second King-high straight
flush!
,
Lair was all smiles; Stardust looked
worried.
Shortly after 5:00 p.m. closing time
for poker run finishers, the pair gathered under the motorhome awning for
the final shootout: A single card
drawn from a new deck by each, high
card wins.
Stardust drew first, looked at his
card and kept it covered against his
chest. Lair pulled his card and flipped
it over immediately: A 10 of clubs ...
"You've got it." shrugged Stardust
showing a five.
The day had begun early back at
Alvord Road, just 20 miles east of
Barstow. As the sleepyheads emerged
from the Cycle News motorhome and
the Victor McLaglen crew arrived, a
crowd of motorcyclists formed around
the registration area awaiting the 8:00
a.m. sign· in time. Many dirt riders
came over fTom the camping area to
make their donations to the Quacker
Box, a contribution carton set·up for
the PDOD legal fund. By the day's
end, over $250 found its way into the
two Quacker Boxes kept at both signin and the final check.
From 8:00 to 11 :00, street riders
rolled in, warmed up from their chilly
early morning ride, then headed out
onto 1-15 toward Las Vegas.
Forty miles later they rolled in at
Baker at the combination road ride
check and trailride gas stop, where
their arrival was recorded. Then it was
back onto the freeway for a 65·mile
run to Jean, NV where checkpoint two
was held inside Pop's Oasis. Pop's
could have been judged the toughest
part of the course: Awaiting riders was
a warm casino, drinks and a reasonablypriced buffet lunch. Not everyone
made it past Pop·s.
But for those who saddled up once
again, a shon 20-mile hop down 1·15
to the Blue Diamond off-ramp led to
the run's end, and after that, Las Vegas.
Once the top three hands were decided, other prize winners were decided
by a drawing. In addition to the Cycle
News cash and products given the first
15, other prizes were given away.
Vegas Cycle Center put up a jersey and
a case of oil which went to Dennis
Davis. Sportsman Cycle Sales donated
a rear tire which was won by Kilty
Greenlee. Yamaha gave 50 Power
Cable Injectors that were awarded to
50 more happy riders.
What plans had the winner made
for his cash prize? Lair grinned and
pointed toward the Las Vegas sltyline.
"Over there!" he said.
The second annual Cycle News
Road Ride and Poker Run saw a
260% increase in entries - from approximately 190 to 496. The '81
edition is already in the works with
numerous improvements in the planning stages.
Special thanks to the Victor
McLaglen crew who ably handled
checks for the second year. And tbanks
to the Cycle News staffers and friends
who donated a weekend of their time
to work on the project.
Results
BEST HAND: 1. Bruce Lair IKing.high straight flush)
$100; 2. Ziggy Stardust (KIng-high straight flush) $75;
3. Don Cameron (Queen-high straight) $50.
JACKET WINNERS: Sidney Weatherford; Bob
Annachee: Albert Olds; Clifford Klenin; LOUIe Latnlle.
VEST WINNERS: Tony Vargas; Martha Dutcher:
Ron Dailey; Monty Montague.
T-SHIRT WINNERS: Sanford Kort: Dwight Rowe:
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