Trail Rider Magazine

18 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com a) 2 b) 4 c) 9 13) It is good manners to thank check workers. I always try to do it at ANEC races back home. I wanted to do it here. How do you say "thank you" in Portuguese? a) Obrigado b) Obrigada c) Both mean thank you, but the one you use depends on the gender of the person you're speaking to, and you might acci- dentally offend some poor guy who was already feeling a bit emasculated by lacking the grip strength to punch a hole- through my duct-taped and double-lami- nated punch card. d) But luckily, he knew I was an "estupido nortre americana" and I hurriedly and with great embarrassment corrected myself before he could say anything. e) Technically, all four of these are correct, but as my editor pointed out, only (a) and (b) are actual answers to the ques on, and I might not be great at wri ng exams. 14) I stopped to draw something in the dust on the back of somebody's car as I rode past it. What did I draw? a) A dirtbike b) A surprisingly good a empt at Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory (the mel n clocks), given my meframe and choice of materials. c) A giant set of ts, because drawing dicks is really overdone and deriva ve. All the art cri cs agree. 15) There was an older woman riding in our class on the row ahead of me. On the first day she immediately fell back by a considerable amount, assumed the new minute, and I never saw her again. On the second day, what happened in the long transfer sec on? a) I passed her immediately and cleanly, giving her a thumbs-up of encouragement b) I came around a blind corner and completely smoked her, nearly crea ng an interna onal incident. c) I rode behind her casually through the first half of the transfer un l we got to th river crossing and the gnarly log sec ons, helped her up the riverbank and over the logs, then high-tailed it through the second half of the transfer so I'd s ll have me to eat my Snickers bar at the checkpoint. 16) The podium ceremony was a bit confusing, and I couldn't understand anything being said. How did I solve this problem? a) Listened very carefully for my name and nearly missed the podium because it was so badly mispronounced. b) Very carefully watched the other wom- en who finished on the podium so I would know when to go. c) Dozed off while basking in the wonderful Portuguese sun, and Pedro the Portuguese Director of Racing had to come wake me up. 17) How did we celebrate the win a erward? a) Portuguese champagne b) Ice cream and bodysurfing in the ocean c) a well-deserved nap 18) Do I ever take myself seriously?? a) Where's the fun in that? b) Only when it really counts, and even then, just barely… c) Never in the pages of Trail Rider Magazine ;) e) All of the above! Answer Key: 1) Answer F: It was very sandy, much like the ISDE will be, but not at all like this year's EnduroGP of Portugal. My suspension guy said it would be fun, and my mo o when it comes to racing might as well be "Why not?" 2) Answer B: I have never go en dressed faster in my en re life. 3) Answer A

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