Day 15: Battle Mountain, NV

For the final time the Usual Suspects - Mike Sova, Chris Broome, your author, John Jackstone, Jonathan Woolrich, Mark Mueller, Brad Teubner, Preston Seu, Rob Hitchcock and doubtless one or two others I've neglected to notice - drag themselves down to the lobby, there to mainline coffee and pass caustic comments on the morning Fox "News" TV show.  The stupid, it burns...

Out to the course, set up and get busy.  Larry has the bottom part of his fairing attached and makes the only run I've ever seen in which the rider has been chatting to his chase crew while still riding.  Mike makes a much better run in Chuck Norus and decides to have a go over the full course.

Some good times, some bad winds and yet more mechanical problems for the Arrow Hawk, of which I shall apprise you when I've actually laid eyes on the results.  In the meantime, and for your pleasure and edumaction, here is a photograph of a shattered Thomas after failing by the smallest of margins to qualify for a 70 mph hat:

He had been asleep, but woke up before I could fetch my camera chiz.

Something was slipping in the depths of the Arrow Hawk's Rohloff; fortunately Hans van Vugt is an Expert and he is able to fettle it in time for the evening runs.  Mike Mowett exceeds 57 mph on his first and last run on the full course; Amanda Chu does a 55, which is why she got a 50 mph hat later in the evening.  No, I don't understand it either.  Thomas van Schaik does a 69.99, and sore is he vexed.

Back to base camp to try to catch up on missing shut-eye, drink BEER, etc.  And to take photos of Things.

Eivie III.  Note height of bystanders' knees.

Arrow Hawk.  Builder Don Schroeder back left; riders James Schroeder, Kara Snyder and Tiffany Underwood (front right).  No, not all at the same time...

Thomas van Schaik, gooning.

And then out to the course for the final runs of the year.  And yet again the wind wouldn't co-operate.  Barbara wouldhave set a new record with her 76.4, but the wind was over the limit.  Damjan got a new personal best, but it wasn't enough to wrest the European record back into the hands of a Bloke.  And then we'd had enough, so we had a party instead.

L-R: Eric Ware, Whittney Metcalf, Thomas and his Magic Hat, Larry Lem

Mike Sova and John Jackstone with medals.  The event might still have happened without John, but we'd have needed at least three extra people.

Clowns of '10: Jan-Marcel van Dijkman, Larry Lem and Thomas van Schaik.  David Verbroekken pretends he's not there.

And then home?  No, then packing up Stuffs to return to Eureka on the morrow, and creaking and groaning and being unable to move any faster than a heavily-drugged sloth.  And bed.  Crash! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Curious thing seen on the road: George Leone, Whittney Metcalf and Ivan from Team Primal sprinting to catch a brakeless Eric Ware. And they succeeded too.