Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/757317
pace. Makes you wonder what his time would have been if he'd stayed upright. If you fi gure the time and mileage out, these guys were averaging nearly 35 mph through this test! An easy 5.9 mile transfer section brought riders to the second test. is transfer section traversed one of the areas used as a grass track special test in 1994 and included plenty of easy sweepers and top gear straights devoid of the infamous Zink Ranch rocks. Riders arrived at the Test 2 check-in with plenty of time to spare. e second test was a fast, rolling aff air designed to give the Pros plenty of room to air it out while not beating up on the C riders. e Tulsa Trail Riders designed the course this way to make sure the less experienced riders got plenty of riding time in. e tests got progressively tighter and tougher as the day progressed. e C riders got their fi ll by the time they reached the C cut-off at 48 miles, and likewise the B and senior riders 10 miles later. Jesse Groemm slayed the second test topping second place Cory Buttrick by almost 6 and a half minutes, ensuring Buttrick would have to step it up if he wanted to make the podium. A er the second test check-out, an easy 6.4 mile transfer section carried riders to the gas and service area located in the middle of the 3rd, 4th and 5th tests. e service area was centrally located so that the three tests could loop riders out and back to the same loca- tion, a great advantage for the Pros and anyone else needing repairs or refreshments between tests. Cory Buttrick answered Groemm's challenge and blistered the 7.1 mile third special test, gaining back 5 minutes on Groemm who fi nished in second place. is test was tightened up a bit and included a fair amount of single track woods riding interspersed with short romps across open pastures. Riders had to use caution in the faster sections and not wander off of the marked trail. e Tulsa guys had brush hogged the main trails so the ever-present Zink rocks would be visible. Off the mowed trail, there was no telling what lurked beneath the prairie grass, and many a rider has met an unfortunate early end to his ride through the years cutting through the tall stuff . A quick return to the service area dumped the competitors right into the 8.6 mile 4th timed section which was tighter still. e Trail Rid- ers had spent countless hours clearing new single track through the woods, and where in previous tests the riders had enjoyed plenty of time using the upper gears, test 4 had everyone stirring the lower half of the gearbox. Buttrick again bested second place Groemm through this test, gaining back 11 more seconds and putting him within strik- ing distance for the overall. Another return to the service area, and the riders checked in to test 5, a 7.6 mile tight and bony woods section of fi rst, second and third gear clutch and go threading through miles of blackjack pines. e trail wound back and forth through the trees with no place to open it December 2016 27