Had some great phone conversatins with John over the last couple of nights. He's been busy as a three-legged dog with fleas keeping after his two charges. Today he reports a great running day for the Ariel, but Tom, the Harley rider, is ill. I suspect John is bedded down about 60 miles from me.
Tomorrow I'm riding out 83 miles to see the bikes and riders at the scheduled stop closest to me. That will be my longest ride ever on a motorcycle. So it's my own personal Cannonball. Wouldn't do it if I didn't have a friend on a big Harley riding along.
Turns out, I won't get to meet John in person. Support crews can't be on the same route with the bikes. If there's a breakdown, the bike is picked up by the official truck and carried to the next end point where the crew can work on it. Points are deducted accordingly. Also turns out, John's support route runs 30 - 40 miles south if where we will ride to get to the stop for the bikes.
John told me an amusing fact about the race. The riders don't know where they're going on the back roads until they get there. The route is wound onto rollers that mount on the bars and the rider scrolls through the instructions ss he goes.
I'll be sure to post some pictures, hopefully not of my bike broken down.
Richard L.
