IBR
veteran Art Garvin posted the largest change in position on with a solid 35,013-point
Leg 2, vaulting him from the bottom of the pack at 65th after Leg 1
to 32nd. Fellow veterans Steve Snell and Jim Burriss
had similar Leg 2 performances and were rewarded for it. First-time rider Gerry
Arel shook off the Leg one nerves and started to find
his pace with a 31,606-point Leg 2 which moved him from 69th to 48th.
Of
course, riders cannot move up in the standings without others dropping. Jim
Owen only lost one place in the standings but when you’re
standing on the mountaintop, that first step can be a long way down. I will
tell you that at the 4:00 am Leg 3 rider meeting Jim seemed to be wearing a new
suit of determination, having been overtaken. Mike Brooke outscored Jim Owen on
Leg 2 with 50,498 points to Jim’s 47,319. While both scores are huge compared
to the rest of the field, that 3,179-point difference is bigger than it looks.
Both riders cleaned up everything in their path, but Mike saw a few things
differently and leapt over Jim to claim the lead spot.
The
riders who had the largest position gains spent all their time in the northeast
scooping up bonuses like a toy Tonka excavator. In contrast, the riders who
took a chance on the 14,050-point bonus in Mound, Minnesota (code: TONKA)
either dropped in position or stayed about the same (except Dan Simmonds who
had nowhere to go but up after Leg 1). 2019 IBR winner Wendy Crockett was in 5th
place after Leg 1 and looked to make a move after her tire troubles on the
first day. She put down big miles in tough conditions in her typical fashion,
riding from Indiana to the Outer Banks of North Carolina before turning around
to hit the tight time window in Mound, Minnesota. Her choice of big miles for a
pair of huge bonuses vs. more bonuses with smaller miles and points didn’t work out in her favor. She dropped 10 positions to 15th
at the end of Leg 2. The Iron Butt Rally: it can be a cruel master. When I
spotted Wendy at the checkpoint, I wanted to ask how she was doing but decided
against it. Sometimes intense competitors just need to right their ship alone.
Wendy
still has time for fans – even on a bad day.
But
where there is sadness there is also joy and satisfaction. Veteran Eric Bray did
not over-extend on Leg 1, saving energy for a solid Leg 2. Eric moved from 12th
place to 7th with a 3rd-highest leg score of 45,709
points. Eric looked a bit on the worn side during scoring (but still better
than me on a good day). Two days ago, I made a note in my book that veteran Kirsten
Talken-Spaulding seemed more organized than at the
start in Provo. She has apparently hit her stride, jumping from 22nd
place to 10th.
Eric Bray all smiles as
usual.
Kirsten Talken-Spaulding (KTS) maneuvering through the parking lot.
Bob
Lilley is lurking quietly out there. An experienced and relentless competitor,
Bob, who rose from 13th place to 8th, might be just getting
some juices flowing, which can only mean trouble for the other leaders.
Bob Lilly throwing
kisses to the onlookers.
Also
really stepping up his game, in 32nd place after ending Leg 1 in 65th,
is long-time veteran Art Garvin. He found new life on Leg 2 but looked like he
needed some serious down time.
Art Garvin out for Leg
3
Jim
Burriss, the scribe-appointed “nicest guy”, had a huge Leg 2 and was all smiles
and strawberries at the checkpoint after moving from 64th place to
40th. The smell of home cooking can really bring out the best in a rider and
many of these riders honed their skills in eastern rallies like Cape Fear and
the Void.
Jim Burress running his
third IBR on the same Victory Cross Country.
That
local knowledge can be especially helpful in the east where it pays to be
comfortable on confined city streets, to know the best ways to get around
bottlenecks or even just the proper way to “get directions” out of a New York
pedestrian. In the third leg, the rally shifts westward, where mountains are more
than 4,000 ft high, a traffic jam might be just a single pilot car, and the
heat will fry an egg on pavement.
First
out of the gate this morning was Ken Aman, followed by Ben Ernst and Steve Giffin. Ken and Steve have run nearly identical rallies and
are only 100 miles and 1,500 points apart in the standings. Ben, Steve, and Michael Brooke are all IBR rookies
making a bid for a podium finish but there are nearly 4 long days left and the
field is tight. Riders are in position, quietly setting their plans in stone.
Moving Day is over and Championship Sunday is dawning
on the IBR.
Steve Giffen has come
on strong.
Ken Aman, first out of
the lot for Leg 3.