Fremont Pass

Tennessee Pass

Cottonwood Pass

Wolf Creek Pass

Silverton

Avon to Durango

Durango to Avon

Rabbit Ears Pass

Muddy Pass

Colorado / Wyoming border northeast of Walden

Willow Creek Pass

Ute Pass northeast of Silverthorn

Avon to Walden to Avon

Avon

Avon

Avon, Bill and Brian

Avon, winners Craig and George Barnes

The Thin-Air Tourist Trophy

1999 Thin-Air TT shirt

After competing in last year's Utah 1088 I wanted to try another endurance rally that was a little closer to home. The Chapter C Freewheeler's Thin-Air TT (Tourist Trophy) based out of the Christie Lodge in Avon, Colorado, was just the ticket. It would cover about 1100 miles of winding, scenic Colorado highways from Durango in the southwest to Walden in the northeast. So you can have a better idea what this top-notch endurance rally involved, here are some of the details.

This was the second annual Thin-Air TT put on by the Chapter C Freewheelers, an all-makes motorcycle club in Denver that is known for its long distance riding preferences. Unlike the 1998 Utah 1088 that was a 26-hour, non-stop, 1169-mile event, the TT was run in a 1+1 format similar to the well known Cal 1+1. We had 15 hours to cover Saturday’s base route of 621 miles, and 11 hours for Sunday’s route of 431 miles. Splitting the riding over two days certainly didn't eliminate the long miles (especially if we added too many side trips for additional bonus points) or the challenge of doing well, but did eliminate the nighttime riding. The format also allowed us to see all the great scenery along the way, something the rally masters didn't want us to miss.

The first activity upon arriving in Avon on Friday afternoon was to check into the Christie Lodge where most of us were sharing a room with another of the TT competitors. Next was the odometer check where our starting mileage was noted, we rode west on I-70, turned around at a prescribed exit, and returned to Avon where our ending mileage was noted. Then it was time to socialize with old friends from the Utah 1088 and to meet new folks. A couple of the other entrants were Jim and Faye Hickerson from New Mexico who have ridden in our COG Ride the Divide in years past. (A couple of months after the TT, Jim rode his Concours to a Silver Medal finish in the Iron Butt Rally.) Another activity was to stroll through the parking garage to check out the other bikes that were entered: two other Concours, Gold Wings, BMWs, ST1100s, and even a Yamaha Virago 1100 that a couple had ridden from Massachutsess. At 8pm the rally masters Bill Gillespie and Brian Boberick covered the rules of the rally and gave us Saturday's base route so we would have an idea where we would be going, basically a 600-mile loop from Avon to Durango and back.

Saturday started at 4:30am when Bill handed out the rally packs that contained a card with our rally number and several pages that listed the day's bonus locations, most of which were located along the base route and worth 20-50 points each. (A bonus location is usually a road sign, historical marker, or other sign that has the answer to a question on the rally instructions. Example: In Bond Colorado, what are Post Office hours on Saturday? Answer: Ride to Bond, find the Post Office, read the sign, and write the answer on the bonus listing. An extra 100 points could be gained for each Polaroid photo of our rally number card on the signs for the Continental Divide crossings. The same for the welcome signs to the states bordering Colorado, and for some of the National Monuments in the state. Then there were some really big bonuses for places quite far off the base route, like 500+ that could be gained at 4-Corners where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet.) We couldn't leave Avon until 5:30am so we had an hour to plan our routes and to mark our maps. The technique I used was to highlight the base route and place arrows to the places or mileposts with bonus points. Then it was fairly easy to see which spurs for additional points could be reached and still allow me to make the 11:30am-1:30pm checkpoint in Durango and the 8:30pm checkpoint back at Avon.

My strategy was to follow the base route, gather all the points along its route, take a few side trips to take the 100-point photos, press a little to get to Durango by the time the checkpoint opened, then cruise the second half of the day back to Avon, gathering the points along the way. Right away I deviated from the base route down US-24 by taking I-70 to Copper Mountain to gather some points (What is the last bus stop in the ski area?), then up CO- 91 to a historical sign at Kokomo (When was the local Masons club founded?), and to Fremont Pass for a 100-point photo. At each stop there were other TT folks, so I wasn't the only one following this slight detour.

Near Leadville I backtracked north on US-24 for 12 miles to get a quick photo at Tennessee Pass. Heading south from Leadville back on the base route I bypassed a side trip to Independence Pass, figuring with its distance and tourist traffic it would take too long. As it turns out, one of the largest bonuses (250 points) could be earned by taking a photo of a snowball placed on the motorcycle seat and Independence Pass was just about the only place where snow could be found near the roads we traveled. Oh, well. I did ride the 15 miles from Buena Vista up a really great, curvy road to Cottonwood Pass for another 100-point photo. I then started debating whether the upcoming 20-point bonuses around "Puny Bueny" were worth the time it would take to find and record the answers. But since I'm pretty familiar with the area I went ahead and grabbed all three. (Lesson yet to be learned: How much time do you spend trying to find a bonus location?)

Down the road a bit in Villa Grove, after spending too much time wandering around looking for the Post Office, it was starting to look a little if-fy to make Durango by my chosen 11:30 time. I had made bold marks on the map across the route 120 and 60 miles from Durango, figuring I needed to hit those marks at 9:30 and 10:30. I pressed on to Saguache (Gateway to the San Luis Valley) and with very short stops picked up the two bonus locations there. There were 50 more points available at a milepost on CO-114 west of Saguache but after riding just far enough along to determine it was too far away, I decided to turn around press on south. I took the 13-mile route from Center to Del Norte, skipping the 26-mile route through Monte Vista where some more points were available. Still watching the clock, at Del Norte I couldn't quickly find who it's famous NASA astronaut was, so I headed west for Wolf Creek Pass. (Maybe I was catching on to the points/time question.)

I stopped for a fast 100-point photo at Wolf Creek Pass, cruised through Pagosa Springs, then bypassed an easy 100-point photo of Chimney Rock. I had finally been able to pass some cars and figured the 100 points wouldn't really make a difference anyway. (Lesson learned: An easy 100 points do make a difference and shouldn't be passed up for wimpy reasons.) Got to the checkpoint in Durango at 12:30 and found out that only a third of us had checked in so far. Suddenly my chances were looking better.

Part of my strategy was to stop two or three times during the day for a 20-30 minute break to freshen up, eat, and drink, which I did at a Texaco in Durango. By then it was pretty hot and I was overdue for shedding the Capilene undershirt. After taking off again, I met Brad Hogue, a two-time Iron Butt Rally entrant, who was riding his Concours around the route counter-clockwise and was just coming into Durango. He had tried to maximize his 8 hours and got to the checkpoint 3 minutes after it closed. No Saturday points for him. (Lesson learned: Be greedy for points, but not too greedy.)

North of Durango were four bonus points to brake to a stop, quickly scribble the answer while wearing gloves, safely stash the rally sheet and pen, and hit the gas. (Lesson learned: Pens can get lost. Carry extras.) At Silverton I rode around until I finally found the city hall and train museum for some points (What is the number on the Rio Grande locomotive?) and then put the Capilene back on because of the chilly rain. On north along the twisty Million Dollar Highway I slowed George Barnes down while looking for a memorial to snow plow drivers (sorry, George). Then it was just a non-stop ride through Ouray to Montrose where I was greeted by an unbelievable number of red traffic lights. A frustrating situation when you are trying to make time. There was also a lot of standing water in Montrose, the result of a heavy rain and sleet storm that hit soon before I arrived. Some of the other TTers ahead of me used the sleet to build their 250-point snowballs. In mid-summer.

After a couple of bonuses in the heat near Delta the base route took us (me and my Gold Wing riding roommate who had caught up with me) up Grand Mesa with its curvy roads and big views back down into the valley. Around Skyway we ran into very thick, cold fog and had to slow down a bit until we got out of it as we descended the north side of the Mesa. Part of my reason for getting to Durango early was to allow time to cope with things like weather and fatigue in the second half of the day. That good idea took the pressure off so I could ride slower and safer, and could take another 20-30 minute rest stop near Palisade. After that it was a fairly easy ride east on I-70 through Glenwood Springs, past a huge rainbow that folks were stopping to photograph, and then to Avon with about a 1/2 hour to spare.

At the hotel I turned in the rally sheet and photos and unloaded the bike. Then it was time to chat with the other riders and to enjoy Saturday's rally meal of grilled hamburgers with all the fixings. Later when day's results were posted, I was very surprised to find myself 4th in the solo class and 6th overall.

Sunday started with rally instructions being passed out at 4:30am again. With a mid-day checkpoint at Walden there appeared to be two routes that could be taken, both with similar points results. The 265-mile base route through Rifle, Craig, and Steamboat could result in about 400 points (with an extra 236 for riding an extra 60 miles to Grand Junction and back, and with an extra 215 points for riding an extra 40 miles to Baggs, Wyoming, and back). A second 160-mile route through Bond, Yampa and Gore Pass could result in 535 points. Which way to go? I chose the shorter route, roughly figuring that no one would be able to ride all those extra miles. (Lesson learned: Top finishers ride the extra miles.) I waited again until 5:45, when dawn was actually breaking, to start the day's riding. (Lesson learned: Top finishers leave promptly at the 5:30 start time, daylight or not.)

After my first stop at State Bridge for 50 points I met George Barnes who was heading back south. I guessed that he had missed the turn-off for the bonus location and was coming back for it. Wrong. He had already run up to Bond for the 53 points and was returning to I-70 and the loop west to Rifle, etc. (Lesson learned: Top finishers grab the points on all the routes to Walden.) I continued north into cold, heavy fog that required a stop to put on an electric vest. In mid-summer. After a jaunt to Yampa for 84 points I crossed the very scenic and winding 27 miles across Gore Pass, then turned north for 100-point photos at Rabbit Ears and Muddy Passes. (Lesson learned: Don't try to get cute with the photos. I was focusing on getting the rally card, bike, sign, and background into one nice picture and failed to notice that the rally card had blown over. No rally card, no points. Re-take photo, waste film.) (Lessons learned: Keep track of how many frames of film are left. Bring extra film.) I was down to one photo left, with lots of opportunities still to come.

I got to Walden 2 hours before the checkpoint was to open (poor planning; or was it a planned easy ride?) and had to decide how to maximize the usefulness of my time. I went ahead and gathered the three bonuses at Walden, then lit out for Wyoming, figuring to get a gas receipt as proof of visiting a neighboring state rather than using my last photo which could be taken at a Pass later. From an earlier ride in July I thought there was a gas station at Foxpark, but had to go all the way to Woods Landing before finding an open station. I got back to Walden in plenty of time but had just ridden 80 miles for 100 points. With nothing else to do, I guess that was all right. Besides, the road and scenery were great.

At Rand I quickly stopped for another 20 points, then continued on to Willow Creek Pass to take my last 100-point photo. With no film left, at Granby I turned west and south to pick up 247 points by going through Kremmling and Ute Pass on my way to Silverthorn. With film I could have gotten 317 points by going over Berthoud and Loveland Passes getting to the same place. Live and learn. After another 20-minute rest stop it was a simple cruise on I-70 back to Avon. Turned in the rally sheet and photos and waited for the awards banquet.

The banquet, another well-done part of the rally, was BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, and all the rest. Finally it was time for the results and awards. There was to be one "noose" award for the person who best hung himself, but so many folks missed the checkpoint in Durango that the rope was made into a miniature noose for each of those 15 folks. Every finisher then got a little trophy and over half of the riders got a door prize (electric vest, weekend at Avon, t-shirts, etc.) The top three in each class, solo and two-up, each got a very nice trophy. First place in solo division was Gary Egan (an Iron Butt Rally winner). First in the two-up division, and first over-all, were George and Craig Barnes (George went on to win the 1999 IBR with a record 13,000+ miles in 11 days.) I was pleased with my 5th of 15 in class and 8th of 22 overall. (Lessons learned: It was possible to get to Four Corners and Baggs Wyoming and still make the checkpoints on time. There was a third route to Walden and back that included seven 100-point photos of Divide passes.)

Bob, Brian, and the Freewheelers put on a mighty fine rally. Plenty of challenge to pick a route that would maximize points while still allowing the checkpoints to be met, lots of beautiful scenery, and plenty of curvy mountain roads. If you've considered trying an endurance rally, but have been unsure of whether or not to do it, the Thin-Air TT would be a really great rally to ride.

-- Randy Bishop, Littleton Colorado