It's a lovely overcast and less humid morning in Spartanburg, SC at IB5000 headquarters. Got in last night after a 10 hour drive of my own, but it's nothing compared to the fast feet Kirsten has been making to try and pull enough points to finish. Sitting in the hotel lobby I can watch riders pull in to the check-in area outside. People have pulled up some chairs and are just chatting and waiting for their friends and family members to arrive. As the riders dismount, road worn and tired, most have very big smiles. Already saw some good friends who are set up at the scoring tables. (And heard some complaints from a couple riders about the decaf coffee in the urn outside the scoring room - I mean REALLY - these people have just ridden several thousand miles!) The rookie rider who hit a black bear (yes - black bear) is here with his happy girlfriend. He totalled his bike, but is fine. So, apparently is the bear, who was stunned but got up and walked away after a few minutes. The young man flew here to be able to attend the conclusion of the rally with everyone. He's gotten several hand-shakes and slaps on the back.
Kirsten is making her way here and I think picked up another good bonus location early this morning. Riders start to get penalty points by 10:00 a.m. That's about 1.5 hours away. And we'll find out the overall results at this evening's banquet.
Will post some more pictures later. Stay tuned!
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