VOLUME 58 ISSUE 47 NOVEMBER 23, 2021 P81
didn't let that plan happen
(thanks, mom!) but I did get a
full day prior to the race on both
bikes to build a nice compari-
son. And when it came time to
race on Sunday, you know which
one I picked. You can read
about the 2022 KTM 350 XC-F
Factory Edition in last week's
issue and the test I wrote.
But the race, man what an
exercise in survival for both man
and machine. The weather and
popularity of the Ironman GNCC
this year led officials to split into
two and cut the morning race
down from two hours to one and
a half. That didn't stop me from
racing for two hours and 47 min-
utes during a 1.5-hour race. Right
from the start, conditions were
bad, and they got worse. My lap
times followed suit with my third
and final lap tanking one hour
and 15 minutes all by itself. I didn't
stand up much on that last lap, as
navigating the course required my
legs to be propped to the side like
outrigger skis. Plus, I was about
to pick my bike up out of a mud
hole again, so why bother stand-
ing up, right?
The environment was a mix of
cold water from the sky, heavy
slop from the earth, and a bitter
smell of boiling coolant steam-
ing from my crotch. Everywhere
I rode there that morning were
victims. Bikes expiring with riders
waiting for a rescue, riders hav-
ing moments of clarity and leav-
ing the race, abandoned bikes
where riders just left them—it
was chaos everywhere. I picked
Ben's bike up at least 10 times
and it never really fell over. I don't
think I had a traditional crash dur-
ing the day. I would ride, fall into
a rut or mud hole, and it just sort
of stopped moving forward. So,
I'd jump off and lift it up or drag it
(Right) It was one
of those "fun when
it's over" sort of
races. We were
happy to survive,
finish, deliver Ben's
bike in one piece
and, for sure, we
were impressed by
everyone giving
it a go.
