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/127592
Ph il Engl, who trailered his Kawasaki
KLR650 fro m M ilwau kee, Wiscons in,
fell victim to the brid ge as he attempted
to ride across. "I almost made it across,"
he la ter explai ned with a laugh, " bu t
then the bike slipped off th e b oa rd . I
m ana g e d to get it b ack up, star ted
across again, and the boa rd flew up and
stood on end. So I said, to heck with the
boards. I moved them out of th e way
and hopped my bike across on the cross
bea ms."
Eng l. who is spe nding his retirem en t
travelling aro und the country p articipating in even ts such as th is one and just
generally enjoying himself, also became
the recipien t of the coveted Ha rd Luck
Awa rd . It wasn't earned for unorthodox
bridge crossing, though . It seems Engl
got lost both days and never made it to
a single checkpoint. Saturday he al most
ran out of ga s try in g to ge t b a ck on
track, d ecid ed to take the paved ro ad
b a c k in to to wn to get gas , co u ld n 't
rem ember where he entered the paved
roa d, so he h ead ed b ack to th e ranch
and geared up for Su nday. The sweep
crew caug ht up to him on Sunday while
he was lost. He as ked how much further
he had to go . They advised him to forget
it and take the road back.
Engl's stories joined coun tless others,
which were swapped Saturday n ight
during the free barbecue held at th e
event headquarters.
Trail rid e rs w ere b le ssed Sunday
wit h beautiful weather. Due to the ra in
the p revious day and night, tra il conditions con tinued to be excellen t, bu t now
the temp er ature had been kicked up a
few notches and the sun shone br ightly
at tim es as it mea n d ered through th e
clouds.
While Saturda y's rid e contained severa l easy /moderate split sections and
on e downhill challenge, Sunday offered
an easier faster pace on mostly w ellu se d logg in g roa ds a nd gravel b ac k
ro ads. Th e course w ound u p in to the
Coast Ran ge of Northwest O regon and
then across the divide, providing several sp ectac u la r vis tas including panoramas of the town of Tillamook and the
Pacific Ocean.
The third checkpoin t of the day was
jus t yards from the surf and sandy shore
in the small tow n of Oceanside. Und er
the blue midd ay sky, riders tried their
hand at tossing a frisbee into a bicycle
tire in a grass lot bes id e Oceanside's
main d rag .
The final checkpoint of the day featured a fairly technical, multi-level trials
course. It definitely separa ted the men
from the boys and the women from the
girls. Dou g Ruth dropped his BMW in a
tight downhill comer, but only his pride
wa s hurt.
The event ended with an awards ceremony that included the presentation of
m any door prizes. Nearly everyone left
with something. Plaques were given for
the top three point earners each day and
top 20 overall. Add it io nal sp e ci al
awards w ere given, including Engl 's
aforementioned Hard Luck Award.
Terry Wolber ventured dow n from
An chorage, Alaska , to take the Farthest
D istance Travelled awa rd . Eu gene
Cooper, 79, of Seattle, Washington, was
the oldest rider. Nathan Riddle, 17, wa s
at the opposite end of the age sp ectrum.
Riddle rode an old Honda Reflex and
surprised more than a few when he finished second overa ll. T om Young of
Portland cap tu red the overall win riding
a very sano, bu t barely stree t legal ATK.
H is vic tory came via h is exp ert trials
riding abili ties . It was a treat to watch
him negotiate the final test each da y. For
hi s e ffor ts, Young rece ived a trophy,
upon the receipt of which he remarked,
"Does anyone have a bungee cord? I
think I'll ha ve to strap th is to m y handlebars Brando style and ride home." C\'
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o ororo . CA
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Simi Vo lley. CA
COLO RAD
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G ilroy. CA
Mot or serv ices
C heste r; C A
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santa Mor ia . CA
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los Ang e les_CA
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Cokley. CA
(510) 625-4390
Wilson 's M OTorcycles
Fre sno, CA
(209) 237-0215
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O ra ng e Co unty Cycle
Garden Grove. CA
Ya maha Country.
San Jose. CA
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Bremerto n. WA
Redondo Beach. CA
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San Fra ncis co. CA
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