Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/742659
Flashback! Team USA! Be Proud Americans By Kurt Flachbart 2016 ISDE Navarra, Spain No doubt, over the last year or so, the majority of us Americans have been feeling the s ng from the state of aff airs in our beloved country. Mainstream and social media sites have bombarded us with endless bad news during recent months and non-stop coverage of heinous, embarrassing stunts our country's leaders have been pulling. As a self-employed, hard-working, proud American, bad news can sure wears you down over me. Well, my friends, just when you begin to think all hope is lost and we're going to hell in a hand basket, Team USA wins the ISDE World Trophy for the fi rst me in the 91-year-history of the Interna onal Six Day Enduro, aka the "Olympics of Motorcycling." This is really something to be proud about! That's right, folks. Team USA's Kailub Russell, Taylor Robert and Layne Michael (Michael, fi lling in for last year's 2015 Overall Winner, Ryan Sipes, who broke his arm one week before the start of the event) has taken the pres gious World Trophy! This news makes me feel good — tremendously proud in fact — of our boys who fi nally made it happen by winning the 2016 ISDE World Trophy! Our Junior Trophy Team, consis ng of Brothers Grant and Stuart Baylor, along with Trevor Bollinger, also delivered a stellar performance a er working their way up from fourth place on Day 1 to just 45.23 seconds behind the winning Swedish team over the course of six days. Team USA had two teams on the podium in the Club Team division: Team Trail Jesters, consis ng of Ben Kelly, Josh Toth and Jason Klammer; Toth was also overall club rider. Club Team category USA took second and third overall, with Trail Jesters and Eric Cleveland Memorial Team, consis ng of Jimmy Jarre , Broc Helper and Alex Dorcey. The Women's World Cup Team, consis ng of Nichole Bradford, Rachael Gu sh and Tarah Gieger, fi nished fourth, just 32 minutes behind the winning Australian team, its fourth consecu ve ISDE tle. Fantas c performance, ladies! For the second year in a row, an American, Taylor Robert claimed Top Overall Individual Honors, with Ryan Sipes winning overall in 2015. The fi rst-ever F.I.M. Vintage trophy was also won by ISDE legend Fred Hoess on his 1986 Husqvarna WR250, basically the same motorcycle he competed on back in 1985, which had also been held in Spain. Hoess has completed 25 ISDEs in his career. Great news like this huge win is very upli ing. It's a shame mainstream media has lost focus of what's good in our country. We have a lot to be proud about. Way to go, boys, you sure did a great job represen ng our great country with such a domineering performance. You showed those "Fast Europeans" just how we Americans roll! -Kurt November 2016 5