Pearson Hare Scramble

Sometimes experiencing different things in life can be an eye opening experience and good to help develop an appreciation for the “different” things in life. That being said on Saturday May 16 Team P&G (less the new recruit Smoothie) decided that as a group we were going to ride the MMC promoted D16 Harescramble event in Pearson Wi (near the north pole, more on that later). I am going to preface this by saying that I have never considered riding H.S. to be my strong point, nor would the other boys in pink (more on that later too). So after some verbal harassment Gus and I conned Dean into riding AA. Dean consistently beats up on the kids so we decided he should come and ride with us in our clown circus on the front row!

Having helped put the enduro on up inPearson for many years I decided it would be fun to head up on Friday with the normal suspects (AKA club members) and hang out, help out and generally get the pits set up ahead of time so Gus and Dean could rock star it and just show up with their gear bags and race. Friday nite and few beers, some fish and fries at the local establishment found all in good spirits and upon our return to the pits Gus and Dean had completed their marathon travels to the nort woods, both were found with smiles and a beer in hand! Ah the good times we have….nice to see the Dean of Mean with his big smile on again…it has been awhile. Trying to be all serious we decide to call it a day and lights out at 11:00! ?

Saturday AM and race day find’s overcast skies and snow shower’s…yes you read that right…snow showers. Shiza…WTF it is May! Thus the North Pole comment earlier! We head off to breakfast and fill our bellies with coffee, eggs, bacon, sausage and gold ole’fashion gravy……all part of our new “Make me go fast or fall asleep diet” program….which by the way we have a book coming out that can help whip you into shape eating and drinking your way to the AA class. No not really but if we did it would be called “We can’t help whip you into shape eating and drinking your way to the AA class program” or something like that! Sooooo anywho….fast forward and we speed back to the pits and find Johnny “The Strangler” Strangfeld setting up his pits right next to us………..he is a silly bird and for some reason when we are together we always ask each other “do you race?”…don’t know why I told you that but it seemed pertinent in my head!

The noon start time found us all huddled into the woods trying to stay out of the nor’easter wind that was blowing like Jenna Jamison in…..opps I guess I don’t know as I have never seen one of her movies but I hear they are great theatrical masterpieces! ? But seriously, let’s get down to brass tacks here…not really but I always wanted to say that! The AA line found a decent turnout and would prove to be a good race! With the raising or the dropping of the arrow on a piece of lath (That is how Brian Terry started the race, I can’t remember which as we were all harassing him on how we wanted the start to go) off we went into the woods. I found myself waaaaaay out in the rhubarb trying to find traction around the first turn. Johnny stuck to the inside with Ryan Moss right next to him. Blasting 1/3 speed (that is all I like to go) we headed into the woods. Ryan Moss in first, Strangfeld in second and me in third we began to pick our way thru the one or two rocks that littered the course. I felt that we were riding consertivaely thru the timber, yet somehow the three of us were pulling away from the rest of the group…sweet! Those suckers don’t know how to ride in the timber was just one of the thoughts that came to my mind! Right about then I decided that I was going to shut the door on my good buddy John and show him my back fender. I waited to strike at just the wrong moment….ducking to the inside of a corner and made a W line (W for WHEEEEEEEECKED..not even wrecked). Just as I was about to put my wheel in on him somebody dropped a wet, barkless tree into my path, my highly respected method of putting the front tire on one side of the log and the other on the opposite proved a bad choice and spilled me to the ground and I mean good! I jumped up , grabbed my bike and blasted off down the trail. I only lost a few spots and decided to make up those positions on one of the roads, just as the trail ducked into the woods I decided to try my other highly respected method of grabbing only the front brake on a slick trail……sending me yet again sliding down the trail on my back. Lucky for me I broke my fall with head lessoning the blow to the rest of my body. As I slide down the trail, the first thought that came to my head, was not, dang I am getting passed…..but more so…dang I hope nobody runs over me mistaking me for a big red, Moose wearing rock! Picking my bike up yet again I thought that maybe that was the last of my falling off….but it was not to be….just after the scoring tent I swerved to miss a clean piece of trail and hit a rock spilling me to the ground yet again. The good news once again is that I broke the fall with my head. I laid there for a moment trying to get out from under the bike and began rethinking my new life as a H.S. rider, I had this discussion with the tweetie birds flying in and around my head and the stars I was seeing.

So to review. Lap one 2 crashes. Lap 2 one crash. Not a good start to my day. But just then old Mr Steady Gus Drone came buzzing up, for a moment I thought he was there to help me up and get me going, but not so much…he was there to show me the fast way around the track for half a lap…geez whats up dude….Hep a brother out would ya? Following Gus around helped me to clear my head and then in turn get mad. When I get mad I seem to ride better…or at least it feels like it. I snuck around Gus in a rock garden as he laid his bike sideways on the rocks in an effort that I consider to be showing me the smooth line…or maybe he fell off either way he was ok and I decided to “grip it and rip it” as the kids say. I set sail and decided to see who I could catch with the remaining laps. A 14 mile loop meant that we would only be able to muster 3 laps so I would have to kick her in the butt. Just as I was feeling the groove I could hear someone coming up behind me…..I looked back and it was the Moss. WTF…how did I get in front of him! He passes me and I decide that I am going to just stick to his fender and try to find a time to chat with him. That moment came in the form of a slippery corner when we both putted around it…I hollered out to him and he stopped. As it turned out he fell down too…weird I know…but he bent his bark buster and loosened up his clutch perch and stopped to make repairs. Whew…for a moment I thought I missed some trail. The Moss (I don’t why I am saying that but it reminds of people saying “the Donald” as in trump…weird huh?) and I road together for a bit and for some odd reason I was able to sneak by him, I think he felt bad for not stopping to help me when I feel off for the 30th time (though that would have been tough as he was in front me at the time). Either way I decided to just focus on what was in front of me…one by one I clawed, well more putted my way past the young Messerschmitt rider, then onto Mr Bernard. The red number 6 stayed in front for a long time, I rode behind him for a bit fully expecting him to pull over. Silly me, this is a H.S. NOT and endure, see in the endure races, we pull over when someone catches us……..not the case in the H.S. Anywho…..finally I just decided to bully my way past him and managed to sneak away from him….I would guess he too felt bad for not helping me pick up my bike earlier!

The Strangler showing good form on his way to 2nd overall.
As I weaved my way thru the grass track section near the start I hoped that this was the last lap as I was starting to think about the nice cool Coors light in my cooler. Funny the different motivation we all have, for some folks it is the feeling of winning, others beating other riders…but not me…I race TO the beer at the end…like a pot of gold at the end of rainbow…but without the freaky little red bearded dude…we just have Smooth Shomberg and his smile at our coolers!
As it turns out that was the last lap. Somewhere in all the carnage the 17 year old fast kid from MN worked his way into first, Johnny in second and I managed to sneak into third with a cunning ride…kind of like Cinderella boy out nowhere deal! Well not really…more like a lucky ride!
So 42 miles of racing found the AA riders in this order:
1) Nate Ferderer
2) John “The strangler” Strangfeld
3) Pete Laubmeier


Good time for sure. I guess as it turns out there is gold at the end of the rainbow! In the form of cool, refreshing Coors light! So until then…..you kids keep it on the DL and I will see you on the flip flop! Just brushing up on my hip lingediy!
Random Thoughts….really random:

1) Thanks to Brian Terry and Engineer Brad for setting up a super course. Technical, long and fun. What every ride should be like.
2) Gus rides awesome where he is sick or not (he was sick this time).
3) Thanks to the entire MMC crew for putting on a great event. Each year they out do themselves working an event that is 3.5 hrs from their homes.
4) Dean still looks like a goon with his race glasses…but he still hauls butt!
5) Bob Kau is going to run tire balls in Whooper JR’s bike from now out (he got two flats in two days) See that is a random thought!
6) The pink comment in the first paragraph has to do with our bike color scheme this year. In a small effort to give a tip of the visor to those fighting cancer we have made the Moose Racing Icon on our graphics Pink with “Racing for a cure” on it. You see….our newest team member Curt Smooth Shomberg lost his mother to breast cancer, Gus’s brother in law was just diagnosed with Thyroid cancer and my fiancé’s mother has multiple myeloma bone cancer. The disease truly does affect everyone either directly or indirectly. If we can spark just one persons interest in the fight then we will consider our year a success.