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on the first loop, was mostly one line in a rut. If you got out of the rut, there was no traction. Simply abusing the clutch and ignoring the steam pouring from the radiator was the only way up. I still wonder how the 125cc riders made it up that thing; I was literally p,-!shing another USA rider up the hill at one point. He would get in the ruts and stop every 30 feet, so I would give a warning yell and then hit him in the rear wheel to get him going (I'm surprised I didn't bend my forks from the impact). He would get another 30 feet, and I'd do it again. I must have "rubbed" him about 10 times before I was able to get out of the rut and get by. "With the exception of some major mud holes, the trail was the easy part of the day, and the tests were the part that would take their toll. We had to really concentrate on not falling and wasting time and energy on the ground. As nasty as it was, we were all smiling at the day's end." DAY FOUR "As we impounded at the end of day three, it started raining and did not stop. Tbe morning of day four greeted us with snow and sleet on the ground at the hotel. We knew it was going to be a brutal day. There is really no way of describing the way my body felt at the start of the fourth day of the ISDE. This feeling becomes severely worse when temperatures are near freezing and it is raining. Things got bad everywhere. Again, the trail was holding up pretty well, but the man-made mud holes and the tests became nearly impassable in many places. We rode a test (control one). where I would start down a hill to an off-camber turn and slide all the way to the trees at the bottom of the hill. No traction whatsoever! Some guys were saying that there was better traction if you could find grass, but I never found it. The times in this test the day before were around 7 to 8 minutes for the fast guys, and today we were just lucky to get through in less than 20 minutes. I have never had to "dog paddle" through ruts that were 1/4-mile long and 1 1/2 feet deep in places - no kidding! This was probably the most difficult day I have ever had on a bike, let alone in a race. The Czech organizers thought it would be fun to keep running us through a mud hole that was created by partially diverting an irrigation ditch into a field. There was a 2-foot-wide wooden bridge across the ditch that was the only way across, and as you crossed the bridge you could see at least 10 to 12 different ruts that were up to the fenders. We would charge across until the bike would go no further and then have to lift it out of the muck. All this fun was placed right before a test, so our goggles were steamed and usually covered, and the front brakes wouldn't work from all the slime in the front rotor. Those Czech guys are pretty funny. Most riders lost a lot of time because nobody would help pull our bikes out of the airbox-deep mud and ruts, and there were no good lines through. (I am sure they were helping the Czech riders though.) This was a day where we simply had to put all our thoughts toward finishing the day." DAY FIVE "Day five was back on the same route as days one and two, only run in reverse. The course was very muddy and totally beaten up. Again, it was a struggle to maintain the route sp~ed and not drop trail points. I took a wrong turn in a town after a grass test where the schedule was tight and lost eight points -whoopsie! (I hate taking @@%#@# trail pointsl) "The tests were again difficult mainly because we had to ride them in the opposite direction. There were cross ruts and they were super slippery from rain and mud. The tests seemed to tack up as the day went on, but by this point, we were aII so tired from day four that it made it hard to attack. Survival again! Peggy was working the check at parc ferme and made sure we got all the necessary maintenance completed before the final impound, and we looked forward to the final day tomorrow." DAY SIX "We were all glad to wake up on day six and not hear rain outside. Usually they kind of take it easy on you for the last day, so we were pleased to be over the hump and almost finished. The route sheet showed that we would ride about 45 miles before the final moto on some of the same trail as days three and four. They again sent us up a nasty rutted uphill that turned into an open road with "China Rocks" and mud everywhere. When we headed up this section, all of us thought we would be sent into the bad mud hole from days three and fOUT, but they teased us by going in that direction and then turned us away right before it got ugly. Those Czechs are such comedians. "We then rode mostly roads to get to the final check before the final moto, which was basically a grasstrack on a hillside with more off-camber turns and was about 20-feet wide for 40 riders in each moto. If you got a bad start (like I did), you were doomed to be in the back of the pack. No matter how hard I fought to pass guys and get up in the pack, the leaders kept pulling away from us. I had bruises from all the roost for a week afterward. "Then, with the race behind us, it was time to smoke the tires a little, pack the container and drink some good Czech pivo (beer)." AFTERTHOUGHTS "Once again, we had a great time with a few exceptions in how the event was organized. We all made a lot of new friends (some of us really good friends), enjoyed the food and had a really fun time with the team this year. It was a tough ride, though. Wolfe was one of only a few American riders to earn a silver medal at this year's Six Days. Here, Wolfe rides delicately in a muddy and slick special test. Out of 514 riders that entered this year's ISDE, only 307 finished. Team USA started with 41 riders and finished with 21. The only team to have a 100% finish rate was Slovakia - one guy started, one guy finished. "I am very grateful that I was able to attend the ISDE this year. After attend this world-renowned event. I would like to thank Peggy, all my sponsors (Bighorn Toyota, Bridgestone, Colorado Powersports, Dragon Optical, Durelle Racing, Eagle Motor Works, FMF, Moose Racing USA, RMEC, Wagner Electric, Bear Stearns), family and friends for their support and for helping me attend the ISDE again." eN tearing my ACL the morning that I should have been in Texas at the Skull Creek Qualifier, I didn't think I would be going to the Czech Republic. With the help of Vail Orthopaedics and Edwards Sports Medicine/PT, I was able to rehab my knee and \5!l[};]&J7] DrB 7][};]@ D~[§)§ !?@&JDDW @@@[J[J7]~ "It's a chance to spend $600 on event signup fees, put 20,000 miles on a brand new vehicle to follow the qualifiers, and invest $400 for a new set of tires to replace the baloney skins that you wore out traveling across the country. Don't forget the $500 in fines paid to the various state patrols for "moving violations," the $150 in new music to help fight boredom on the road, the $800 in fuel to get from point A to point Band $250 worth of Taco Bell, Wendys and Krispy Kreme. And that's just to get there {the ISDEj and participate. "Add 5 to 10 sets of Bridgestones, 30 oil changes, $350 for race gas, 10 gallons of two-stroke oil, 30 gallons of transmission oil, three chain/sprocket sets, three sets of riding gear, three pair of riding boots, six pairs of gloves, eight pairs of goggles, 25 lenses, $100 in Gatorade, about 90 "energy bars," and $100 worth of Advil, and Neosporin. But there's more... "Remember the wife/girlfriend/family that understands spending this much time and money for a piece of plastic here in the USA and the earned chance to fly to Europe to spend more money on a vacation. Their vacation really entails six days of having to stand at a dusty or muddy checkpoint for six hours a day stuffmg food and flUids into riders' mouths and bikes. And remember the quality time spent together while on vacation? Actually, it's about 12 minutes a..day while the rider attempts to keep all bike and body parts together without giving in to mental and physical fatigue.. "On the other hand... "The ISDE is the chance of a lifetime to compete in one of the most prestigious motorcycle races in the world. It is something that racers dream of and train toward for years. Qualifying for the team is just the beginning. It consists of attending 2 to 3 "two-day" qualifiers, held in May and June. The qualifiers simulate the ISDE format, which is well known on the European circuit, but foreign to many American riders. "Being a part of the event is only one aspect of the ISDE - the other is racing and riding with the world's best riders. One of the greatest experiences from last year's ISDE was the feeling that I had on day one when I headed out of town and into the first woods section. I couldn't believe that I was riding in France in one of the most well-known off-road events in the world with riders like Ahola, Sala, Merriman and Salminen to name a few that I had read about in the magaz;nes, yet I had never dreamed of riding the same course with them - J was grinning from ear to ear. "Whichever way you look at it, qualifying for the ISDE is an experience never to be forgotten. But for now, with the team selected and the bikes crated and shipped to Europe, it's time to work on the winning formula. The winning formula? Well it's really quite simple: Just keep the pace on the trail, and go as fast as you can in the grass tests for six days straight." - Dave Wolfe cue I e n e vv S • NOVEMBER 13. 2002 61