Almanzo 100

Spring Valley, MN
Saturday May 15, 2010
by: Joe Duffy

100 miles of gravel roads. . . Hard not to question what the hell about that drives one to go ahead and sign up. Everyone I told what the Almanzo was all about just looked at me like I was a ra-tard. . . And rightfully so. My excuse is that it seemed like the right thing at the time. . . IN JANUARY!

The 29nSNGL* crew departed Mpls on Friday night en route to Rochester so we were able to get a good nights rest and get to the starting line without worry of the long drive at the crack of dawn. The plan proved solid and we arrived at the race ready to roll. We met up with a few fellow T6 team members as well as a few more in the 29nSNGL* crew who opted for the early morning commute. Our group was 8 strong and if you add the two 2010 Metal Kits, we were a wrecking crew of 10.

The goal prior was to ride it like a training mission. Keep the pace line moving strong and efficient and leave no one behind. The theory was a good one, but in reality the junk show began as soon as the gun went off. 350 or so riders on the open road out of the gate proved too much to get things lined up. Our group was instantly in tatters and we were all scrambling to find a wheel of a digi camo kit.

And then things got really interesting. . . It was about 3.5 miles in when shit really hit the fan. A monster descent on gravel and speeds that were a bit too much to handle with so many adrenaline junkies stacked along the gravel road. I’ll never forget when I first noticed the carnage of the massive wreck in front of me. I was topping out at close to 40 MPH and had to lock up the brakes which did absolutely nothing but chatter my rig up and down and put me further out of control. Somehow I was able to avoid the mess and finally come to a stop right past ground zero. Unfortunately two in the crew were not so lucky. Turns out Jocko had been in front and went down hard into the right ditch. A cracked helmet, scrambled mind and very sore body was the result. He made a run to the ER 2 days later to check on some popping noises from him ribs while laying on the couch. Then Farrez, who was on my tail heading into the descent was also not so lucky. The road bent right and he went straight, heading straight for the ravine. He basically went full speed off the road and had to lay it down to avoid a certain trip to the hospital. Props to Sherman and Danno for looking after our boys in the midst of a crazy and frantic situation.

Still being in the danger zone and seeing Farrez instantly pop up with bike in hand (truthfully I had no idea Jocko was involved)  I opted to saddle back up and get the f*ck out of there. I tried to hang on T6 Nick’s wheel up the following climb but it was later found out to be his day in the saddle as he put down a crushing ride and took top honors in our crew.

I rode the next 30 solo, trying to grab onto as many wheels as possible to avoid the mental anguish of suffering alone. At mile 30 I came across Kaveh on the side of the road who was not feeling it and contemplating calling it quits for the day. Finally finding someone to share the pain with, I was not having it. We were going to ride it out and finish this f*cker. 50 straight miles we rolled at a nice easy pace. Exactly what he needed to recover and what I needed to ensure I would cross the finish line in the waiting hours. Big props to him for pulling me along for the last 20 or so while we were together. All was well until my body started shutting down and I watched helplessly as he rode away into the distance.

The final 20 was another tough solo mission, but I managed to get across the line and shake the hand of the man in charge, Chris Skogens, which was a pretty cool feeling. It was done.

Shortly after, Farrez and Seve came scrambling across as well. Unbelievable that they were able to finish after that wreck. Huge balls. Huge! And props to the rest of the crew as we all made it across the finish line in more or less 1 piece. Our season will benefit for such a monster tackled so early in the season. Thanks Almanzo. See you next year!

Cheers,
Duff