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/127130
~ . . ~ .. - ~ .. 00 00 0\ T hat I was stranded in Monterey without a ride home, an d found it was all just a game. ........ I had ridden up for th e Grand Prix. M y bik e had m astered the California Coast. A nd th e races we re su per b and gathered with old friends, and with new f riends. Each day I found m yself within a pattern of life that excluded every thi n g but motor cycl es and riders. Th e outside world turn ed to vapo r and dust behind m e. And urhe n th e pract ice and racin g days passed, and were gon e, I was left w ith this strange detachment . It p ulled at my bars uihen l rode, and it kept m e f rom leaving. I tried th e Big Sur. Arid it brought me back in through the Carmel - out of th e Valley and to th e Pacif ic agaill. I even gave northbound a shot. But these high ways always curve d back in on them selves. Each day I returned to just w here I had started. Th ere w as 'som eth ing here, magnetic it seem ed, compulsively drawing. And then one even ing under Pen insu la stars, I we nt up L nureles Grade R oad, up over th e mountain s and doum ' by Laguna Seca on ce more. And stop ped there ill -t he dark by that an cient lake. Something worked 011 the wind, first li ke a w his per, then a low moan, rising ever so slightly. I heard in it songs lik e v in tage road races coming back , races I had ridden to here, and ridden back fro m fo r so man y years. And now that w as no longer possible. I cou ld not break loose from th is place - not on th ese two w heels. And later that night I dreamed tha t to put away m y bike I could find some riew wa y home. And I tried tha t. But it did 1I0t work. No. I was still as helpless to leave as ever befo re. T hen , then I had a th ou gh t. It was not th e bik e o r so m e od d exterior force doin g th is to me, but a discipline stronger, deeper. It was my own will that held m e here. And I could not imagine how to change it. I needed a pla yer to u nlock this spe ll. And sudden ly I had it! I kn ew w hat to do! A nd w hen I rode south the very nex t dawlI , I was w ith a [riend. T hat rider I had been before. "I think I'U just settle for a little dip after this one ." I -' Copyright Page 3 Productions. From an idea by Caro l Sims William Edgar r-----------------------------------------------------------------, SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM . , N ame_-.:: ::-:= ::-::-:-::-:-=:-:,,- _ 77 (P LEA S E PR INT CLE A Rl Y I A d d ress _ Cit y St at e --'-Z ip _ r o Th is is a re newa l o Please bill me o Enclosed is check or money order 1 . Charge my 0 V isa 0 M as t ercar d 1 ~_~ ~ 1 V~ OK, please start m y subscription to Cycle News and send me the newspaper . S igna tu re o o week fo r on e ye ar (50 issues) for $32.50 every week f or t w o years ( 10 0 issu es) f or $60.00 six m on th s sec on d c la ss (2 5 iss ues) fo r $ 17.00 O ne ye ar 15 0 i ss ues}. 2n d cl as s Ca na da or M ex ic o and all oth er forei gn c ou n t ries $ 6 1 .00 (U S f und s) Frr st c lass a nd airma il rates a va il ab le up on reque st ~ Se nd t o : CYCLE NEWS, lnc., _ MC /V isa # o eve ry _ Ex pi rati o n D at e P .O . B o x 4 9 8 , Long Beach . CA 9 0801 -0498 / _ (21 3) 427-7433 ~3