Great Falls, Mont., Sept. 20—Yesterday was a dreary and very cold day for the adventurous riders, but the bikes loved the weather and generally performed well. Chris Tribbey was back on the road and the little X worked hard up the 7,400-foot pass to arrive at the Great Falls Harley-Davidson with a perfect score for the day. Byrne Bramwell is no longer in the top three after his 1913 Henderson broke a front fork. Miraculously, the very experienced Canadian ice racer handled the break like a pro and managed to bring the machine to a safe stop, but he’ll not be on the road today.
Thursday’s adventures kicked off with an emergency meeting to prepare staff for a change in the day’s route. Montana’s Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier was reopened yesterday after closures due to snow, so the original plan to take riders over the mountain pass is now accompanied by a secondary option. Riders are given a choice to take route 12A, the Going-to-the-Sun Road or to opt out and take option 12Z, which is a bypass and includes a 12-mile-less score if chosen. The green flag is scheduled for later than usual and will include a poll of which riders will take which route so staff can follow along with each group and keep a head count. Glacier National Park is beautiful, but dangerous. Weather is currently in the mid-40s with a light rain and today’s motto will be “Safety First” as the staff works to bring every rider in safely.
Standings for Stage 11:
For complete information on the Motorcycle Cannonball, go to www.motorcyclecannonball.com
