Trail Rider Magazine

September 2026 27 Lap Dog So I was thinking about mul -lap events (hare scram- bles, grand prix, etc.) and how a racer's approach to them changes with age. When we're young we're banging out laps with reckless abandon, usually disappointed when we see the checkered flag just as we were hi ng our "groove". So many post-race jaw sessions where all was possible 'if we only had one more lap'. With electronic scoring and accurate lap mes posted online a vast majority of those fantasies implode as the wannabe winners realize they were actually losing ground every lap to the guy they were chasing. I can remember finishing a race and not even know- ing how many laps I did. I would think my buddy passed me on lap 3, only to see that it was actually lap 4 or 5. As you get a li le older all that changes. While we s ll start the race with every inten on of charging to the checkered, a much more intricate strategy occurs throughout the race. To support this strategy, you listen very carefully during the start- line Riders Mee ng – you know, the ones you would completely ignore before you rode in a class with A+ in it (40+, 50+, etc.) or named a er a precious metal (Golden Master). How long is the lap, what about that gnarly hillclimb, etc. is all cri cal strategic informa on. The first lap is sort of a feeling-it-out, first-date approach – take good lines, ride in control, assess the course condi ons and difficulty, and of course how your bike is working (Did I check the re pressure? Is my clutch slipping?). If the event is a real beatdown due to weather condi ons and/or an overzealous Trail Boss, you start thinking how far you want to push this – could this be a one-lap day? A vast majority of the me SOMEBODY you know is at the scoring sta on cheering you on, and any thought of stopping quickly evaporates. As you click off the laps, have a crash or two, and struggle through the rocky creek crossing for the third or fourth me you can feel your life energy ebb- ing. You start to ques on your life choices: "I go a get more sleep", "Eat fewer carbs", "Joey wanted to go golfing today, that would have been a lot easier", "Wonder if those Wegovy side effects are real". Each lap takes on its own unique character in your mind. You know exactly when you transi on from seeing your class rival and taking chances to catch him to "OMG this HAS to be the last lap". At a certain point you some mes make the decision that this WILL be your last lap and take into considera on when the last me the race leader (who is younger than your riding shorts) came by, and is he due to pass me again so I wouldn't have to do yet another lap? Many years ago I saw this phenomenon play out at the Virginia City Grand Prix in Nevada. At the me desert ace Larry Roeseler had won the race four or five mes in a row and the organizers were offering a pure silver brick to anyone who could beat him. The lap started and ended right on the old West-style dirt road through town, and they put out the checkered flag two hours a er the last rider le . I was racing the tough 30-mile course on Saturday's Amateur day. There had been a lot of rain leading up to the event and whole trail sec ons had been washed out. It was a LONG lap. As we neared the end of it, I could see a large group of people on a hill overlooking the town. At first I just thought it was just a gathering of spectators, but then I saw that there were at least 100 bikes there. I say bikes because all of their riders were dismounted, helmets off, drinking beer, smok- ing cigare es (and other stuff), and partying with a group of 'fans' who had brought lawn chairs, coolers, and boom boxes. Confused, I pulled up and asked someone what was going on. The reply "less than five minutes". That was apparently how long before they threw the checkered flag and we wouldn't have to ride another 30 miles. Not wan ng to make any waves (nor ride another 30 miles of hell), I decided to wait it out with them. What soon followed was u er mayhem. Guys couldn't find their bikes, guys couldn't start their bikes, and once aboard they tried to race the final half-mile 'moto' to the finish at full thro le in their compromised condi on. Of course it was made worse by the event photographers all lining the course before the finish line and people wanted to wheelie for the camera. Needless to say there were many collisions and crashes much en- joyed by the spectators. And Roeseler won again the next day. Trail Tales Trail Tales By Chris Burton By Chris Burton

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