2015 Ride with the Champs

[staudt]

well done 400 brian

[400brian]

A quick shower and a change of clothes and we were out the door. Rainville was building a first out trophy or something when we went by, but we collected the Bennetts in the lobby, and headed over to the Whitetail.

The autograph session was still going on when we arrived, though there was no line anymore. This allowed me to take the RWTC cap I had gotten that morning over to Jon to get it signed. I don't think I had gotten anything signed by Jon since the first year bib back in 2007. When he saw me his first words were : "Hey, did you make it?" I set the cap down in front of him and replied: " Number 7 Jon!" So he signed the cap for me, and we talked a little bit about the riding conditions and such.

As the autograph session ended, we took over the tables, and got ourselves some beverages. It felt good to just relax a bit finally and sip a cold Spotted Cow! We re-hashed the day a bit, and some laughs were shared.

Sometime before the program started, a fellow came over to me and asked if I was the guy who had rode a mid-mount up to Fishtails 7 times? Obviously someone had pointed me out to him, though I do not know who that was. I admitted that I was the guy, and he told me he wanted to shake my hand! I laughed and shook his hand, and he congratulated me and said he thought that that was a real accomplishment! As he turned to leave, he stopped and said: "oh, by the way, I'm Archie Simonson! I hope my jaw didn't dropped too obviously.
Among other things, Mr Simonson won the '77 I-500 on a Polaris, and I had never met him before. I was touched that he took the time to come over and do what he did.

The meal was good, the program long. Mark won two tickets for the 2016 RWTC in the raffle drawing, though I think he was in the can when his name was drawn.
The JD crew was happy to see Bob Enns get inducted, and he gave a good speech at the podium.

The program ran so long that we really didn't get to visit much afterward, everyone pretty much headed out. I did talk to the three guys who got ate by the Swamp, and I heard Joe Wanie's tale of flipping the LF II the night before.

It had been a long eventful day, everyone was tired, but I thought we were in pretty good spirits, we'd had a fun weekend!

Just a few thoughts left to wrap up 2015 RWTC.

[skoalmint]

You should have been a reporter Brian ! great memory , Great story .Brock

[400brian]

The word was that what the Larsen boy hit out on Star Lake, was a berm of snow, apparently made by someone plowing a clear spot for a fish house.

Mark wasn't sure what was making the funny noises coming out of his '78 LF there at the end.

I want to commend the three new guys who rode with us: Lincoln, Kyle, and Mark. These guys really had no idea what they were getting into when they went riding with us on Friday. But their sleds were ready to go, they were game to go, and they put on as many miles that weekend as anybody. Good job guys!

Dan Larsen needs acknowledgement. Dan has been riding the Vintage Challenge since the first year. We didn't think he was going to make it this year, but he did, but with very little sleep. Dan is typically our tail-gunner, bringing up the rear, towing anyone who needs it, lending a hand if that is all that is required. This is a thankless, low visibility job, but one that is very necessary for the event to run smoothly. THANK YOU DAN!

On Sunday morning, I was loading up our sleds and preparing for the trip home. They were un-loading the dead Polaris from Rainville's trailer into its owners right beside us, and Garret Rimko was in the parking lot observing all this. Garret is 15 years old, and at one point he came over and asked; "how fast does that old sled of yours go?" I replied that I might get it up around 60 mph on a good day. He then told me that the evening before, as we left Sayner for that last wild leg back to the motel, that he had been determined to hang with Joe and I, but he couldn't do it! I laughed and said; "yeah, we were hitting it pretty hard." I asked him if he had had a good time? He enthusiastically assured me that he had, and when I then asked if he wanted to come back again next year, he replied YES! When I was his age, I would have loved to do something like this.

Living the dream folks!

I came home with two mementos of the 2015 RWTC. The before mentioned cap, and A patch that JDJR presented to me in the lobby before we left. I think he had intended to present it at the Banquet, but had forgotten to take it with him in all the last minute hoopla.

[400brian]

That pretty much concludes the 2015 RWTC report.

The snow conditions were less than ideal, but because it was one of the few places in the mid-west with ANY snow, the tourists were up there riding it anyway. The trails sucked on Friday, but were great compared to what we rode on Saturday.

But we did ride, and that is what we went up there to do. We've had a couple of great years, we were due for a less than wonderful one. As a side note, 200 miles south where we are, the trails were never open AT ALL! A complete dud winter.

I don't know if the fun we have on this ride comes through in my telling about it or not. My perspective is no doubt a little different from other participants being as I'm doing it on a mid-mount, the trail is rougher for me!
But, we have a great time, there is camaraderie, and there is a real sense of accomplishment in finishing. It can be a yardstick to measure your sled wrenching abilities, your physical condition, or even your relationship with lady luck. The Vintage Challenge is truly a Challenge, one that I look forward to each winter.

Lord willing, we'll be back in 2016, I booked the room at the Whitetail on our way out.

See you in St. Germain, February 2016!

[JoeRainville]

Hey Linder,

Congrats on being a 7 time JDX-8 finisher. Trust me, if anyone is "X Rated", it's you buddy!

-JDJR

[lwb140]

Great recap brian. I do believe the majestic 180 mile ride forms quite a brotherhood among its participants. There is an amount of perpetration and forethought that goes into a successful ride . Special thanks to everyone who made the ride and the entire weekend one to remember . For some reason this year I was much more relaxed and at ease than in years past . Truely a pleasant weekend. Mindy and I are looking forward to next year.personnaly I can't wait for the midmount ride to bents camp , it will be one for the story books

[JDT]

Brian your annual recaps are priceless.

And your streak of success is legendary.

Thank you for taking the time to share it all.