Leg One is Done

The comms system onboard for Team Talken McGaffin (Rider 9) is working well. Uncharacteristically, I have received every call she has made, and we can hear each other in those short few minute conversations that rally spouses are used to. Unlike the hilarious transcriptions of the call in bonuses, the audio is audible this year. And bonus for me, I can hear both Chris and Kirsten as needed. What wasn’t working on Leg 1 however was Chris’ Garmin XT, so routing from the pillion seat was not going as planned. I put out a call for assistance and Paul Partin responded that he was going to be at the Tulsa checkpoint, and he would bring a box o’ cables to see what could be done. Soldering was involved. And now the Garmin is not giving Chris fits as they ride into Leg 2. Huge thanks and a hug are coming for you Paul in Pittsburgh!

Not long after my last post, Lisa Rufo appeared on social media to relay the story of the deer strike (scary) and say they are out of the rally. I’m so glad Lisa and Molly are ok and heading safely home, but the bike no longer has a front end. Steve Rufo made the hard decision to continue the rally solo on his ride to becoming an IBR finisher. He, Kirsten/ Chris and several other riders were at a bonus location together at the end of Leg 1 before riding into the Tulsa checkpoint. Here’s to smooth sailing for Steve. 

Two-up team Lisa Rufo and Molly Hecker at the Start in Pittsburgh

The standings from Leg 1 are available on the IBR site - and you can tell the theme this year is food! At one point I looked at the Spot and saw that Kirsten / Chris were riding over water. I thought, they’re good, but really? Zoom in and they were headed to Cedar Key, FL to nab “Cedar Key Clams” worth 4,548 points - the largest points grab on their leg. We are set up so that my photos and Kirsten’s photos from cell phones automatically load to a shared site. However, new IBR rules this year prohibit sharing ANYTHING produced by a rider during their ride. Long-standing rally rules also prohibit sharing any real-time tracking for riders or bonus locations - this is all to keep riders safe while they need to be focusing on their routing, rest, and rolling. Happily, the new IBR site links directly to the scorecards of each rider after the Leg is complete! 

Rider 9 Talken/ McGaffin kept all of the 21,194 points at the scoring table that they had collected. They are currently in 19th position, and 3rd of the two-up teams for Leg 1. Riders were told at the Start to aim for 12,000 points for this leg to be on pace to become a finisher. Kirsten/ Chris rode over 3,000 miles from Monday morning to Wednesday evening - a heck of a leg by any standard, but especially since they are still working out the details of riding two-up. Plans for Leg 2 include decent rest and hopefully a rear tire change at Checkpoint 2. Two-up riding and big miles = a lot of wear on the rear rubber. And now that the Garmin is working again, Chris was able to chime into a recent check-in call to say that the GPS was doing a comedy routine. It wanted them to go back 50 miles that they just came. So, things are pretty much rally normal. 

All appears to be going well with Team Talken McGaffin at Checkpoint 1