Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1536785
June 2025 23 The course starts on city streets and as soon as it hit the dirt I could tell it would be a mudder unless- the rain skirted around us. The trails were greasy, the roots and rocks slicker than snot, and there was plenty of standing water on the grasstrack por ons. It was slow going and mine were the first "post rain" re tracks on a good por on of the course. There were several hard-easy splits on the course, and I took the easy lines cuz I'm old and don't like to fall or get stuck. The open parts of the modern course were slick but not too bad, but the woods were another ma er. The weekend was going to be interes ng, to say the least. There was a good wind blowing and some sca ered sunshine, and by the me the second vintage and modern sigh ng laps were run the course had tacked up nicely to where you could rail most of the trails. Racers were cau ously op mis c that the rain would hold off and make Sunday's condi ons minty. I was moteling it about 30 miles away and awoke Sunday to thunder and pouring rain, but being Kansas, it could be pouring here with not a drop a few miles away, so there was s ll hope. Those hopes were dashed as Florence got pounded over- night, with more rain forecasted just in me for the vintage race. Three local youngsters (who worked their asses off sweeping Sunday) rode in off the course as I was unloading my bike and ge ng my party a re on. One look at their mud-caked bikes and filthy gear confirmed that dust would not be on anyone's mind today. Good waterproofing, extra gloves and clean goggles would be the order of the day. The vintage race was delayed an hour in hopes that the course might drain a li le, and Fred Hoess hole- sho ed the dead engine/facing your bike start on the slick brick streets. Thankfully, most of the riders were cau ous with the slick street-muddy knobby combina- on, although there were a few that bit it when they got too speed happy in the corners. Then there was Fred Hoess, who came through the engine-deep water at one intersec on and proceeded to wheelie the length of the city block to the next turn! The ground was s ll saturated, however, and once the course went into the woods and fields, it quickly became a muddy mess. Low-lying areas turned into muddy ponds and "alternate lines" deteriorated rapidly as riders searched for any line that would give them a hint of trac on. Bikes were throwing bow waves through the standing water in the mile-long grass track sec on. Surprisingly, only 7 of the 71 starters dnf'd, but I'm be ng everyone was happy to see the checkered flag fly.