The following story is my account of the ISDE in Spain.  I have made every attempt for this composition to be as accurate as possible.  The names included here are not fiction, and are the actual people who made this event entertaining for me and many others.  Enjoy, and hopefully it is not too detailed to put you asleep.   -ed.
 

DAY 1 - A Schedule

Assignment - Check 4 (Soccer Field)

Conditions: cool, fog, light rain on and off during the day

It was a dark and raining morning.  At the start area there was excitement and nervousness everywhere as far as the eye could see.  There is always something new at the ISDE, rules are no exception but are out of the rider's control.  That is why it is best to be prepared for anything.

It is always good to wear all of your new gear at least once.  Jim attempts to use an undersized MS PakJak as a straight-jacket, and realizes it is too small. Good thing I happened to bring mine. He used it more than just once, since it was rather cool and a bit damp a few mornings.  I am sure others forgot things and did not quite have it together yet.  They may have 5 more days to get it right and -turn the novice into an experienced Six Days rider.

Jim arrives at our service area and removes his fanny pack.  I noticed that it was ready to fall apart and there are just a few stitches holding it together. He gives me the okay to do a quick repair by poking three holes through it for ty-raps to fit through. Looks like most of the tools are still in place so he takes off, fueled up and ready for more adventure.

Glen was next to arrive at the pit area. He seems quite relaxed - his experience at the ISDE is showing.  Everything seems to be in order and organized - well focused.

Bruce is the next though. He is running late and needs a little encouragement to continue. The hilly terrain is giving him a challenge, maybe a little more than he thought at first.  His left case cover is weeping oil from a crash on a hill. We hope that he doesn't crash on that side again.  Attention will be required at the end of the day in the work area before impounding the bike overnight.  The left rad and shroud are still in good condition.  He gets back on and keeps going, worrying about his case cover more than he should.

Guy arrives calm and is doing well. I noticed in the morning that there is potential for wear on his clutch cable from a bracket mounting the rad to the frame. Since he has some spare time, I mention it to him so he decides to remove his seat, tank and file down the sharp edge and wrap some protection on the cable.  Everything else is in order so he continues on his way.

Allen never did make it to our gas area. We waited patiently, hoping he would arrive, but word from the other riders was that he was sitting on the side of the road with mechanical difficulties.   We continued to wait, and wait (....and hope).

Jon was also running late. He came in to the gas with 30 seconds before his time limit.   He had problems with the intake bolts, throttle and crashed on a hill. Struggling to continue, he was feeling the remains of a medical problem he was fighting just a few months ago. His spirits were low.  The next stop was 'no service' which meant he had to receive gas at this stop or he may run out.  Once we filled the FE with fuel, he got back on and rode to the end of the day.  He went through the check about 3 minutes too late.

Dean seemed a bit surprised of the terrain also.  Traffic jams of about a hundred riders on a hill caused him to lose some time.  Some trouble with the carburetor intake manifold increased his delay.  When cleaning off some mud, he happens to touch his clamp holding the intake manifold onto the air-box, and notices it needs tightening too.

Results at the end of the day show Guy is just on gold, Glen just missing gold and riding on silver, Bruce and Jim on bronze.  Meg and Lorenz form a search party to find Allen and bring him back to camp. They trace a trail that leads them through many stories until they finally learn where he was, but had already left with another rider who also needed a ride back.  Later that night I found him with a liquid refreshment comforting him while explaining that his crank bearing in his bike failed between check 2 and check 3.

Rumors circulated that a KTM support person lubed a rider's chain while an official took note. That rider was out for day 2.
 
 

DAY 2 - A Schedule

Assignment - Check 3 (Sod Field)

Conditions: frost in the morning, sun warming up during the day

Jim is running a little late, maybe 5 minutes from the last check, 20 minutes down so far in total.  Everything going good, he continues.

Glen is about 10 minutes down, doing well. Took some pictures at the #2 cross test.

Guy is doing well, but his coolant is about 1L low. We fill his bike up and he continues, photos also at #2 cross test.

Bruce is still going strong, but running late. His patched up engine case is holding okay. His spirits are better than day 1 (a short course in rider confidence building).  He seems to be talking quite a bit about some photographers taking his picture on the trail.  I take some photos of him at the #2 cross test also.

Dean arrives relaxed and takes his time at the stop. He is about 6 minutes late but is not concerned about it at the moment.  Maybe he was wondering what the terrain would be like the other days?

At the end of the day, Jim is worried that he may be in trouble for having his odometer reset by someone other than himself. He is even more nervous because there was an official nearby!  Jim also is wondering whether he should have taken that alternate line over top of a marker, as pointed out by Lorenz.

Word comes back as everything is fine and he has another exciting day to look forward to tomorrow.
 
 
 
 

DAY 3 - A Schedule

Assignment - Check 5 (Transfer Station)

Conditions: bright sun and a fresh breeze in the morning

Jim arrives to our check on time, but 14 minutes down total. Everything is going well except it looks like it will be time to change a rear tire before impound tonight.

Glen is on time, but seems pre-occupied about setting the front rebound on his forks - something is just not quite right.

Guy comes in singing as if he is Frank Sinatra on wheels, just gelling with his bike.  Radiator cap is now fixed and his coolant level is just where it ought to be.

Bruce is 44 minutes down. His explanation for lack of punctuality is from crashing off of a cliff and scraping his left side case cover - but it is not quite leaking through.

Dean has trouble on a hill and a failing ignition finally hours him out.

It rains throughout the night - this gets Jim and Bruce a little worried for Day 4.
 
 

DAY 4 - A Schedule

Assignment - Check 1&6 (Aqua Duct)

Conditions: warm due to the overcast sky and rain overnight

Everyone looks in fine shape going through check, but just a bit damp.  On the way back, the check was number 6, and the situation was different.  Glen was in and through, still going well, and Guy came in for a short break, letting us know that Jim was not far behind, but there was no word of how Bruce was doing.  Guy was lost for a few minutes, along with Swedish pilot Bjorn Carlson.  He was a little upset and now tired, not quite focused and not ready for another mx test.  He could feel his gold slipping away with less chance of getting it back.

Quickly, we prepared for an Indy style pit stop for Jim.  Since this check was going to be nearly a drive-by and Jim had a small gas tank on his 125,  I thought it would be best if he could at least take some extra fuel with him in my camelback - just incase.  He came in and we told him to keep going, just get back to the finish area as soon as he could, incase there would be a modification in the results, then he would still be in.  We were hopeful and didn't want to see his dream of finishing his first Six Days to be washed away, but were not sure just how things were going to turn out.

After waiting and waiting, with only a few stragglers left at the check, we decide to pack it in and get back to the start/finish area without knowing what happened to Bruce.

The finish work area is a bit busy with Guy and Glen.  Guy is determined to change his spring on his Husaberg by swapping it with Jon Cornwall's FE.  Roland, from Husaberg, and Jon give some tips to Guy on making the change as quick as possible and Roland offers him his fancy tool to open up the bottom of the swingarm so the shock can be inserted easier.  By practising a few times, he feels confident with his time of 7.5 minutes.

The entertainment was diminishing as almost everyone was done with their preparations for the morning.  Then we heard word that Bruce was still on his way, determined to bring his machinery back.  We wait in tacit hope.  Minutes passed - we also hear that he bummed some gas at check 4, so he should have enough to make it back, we expect.  Every thumper we hear, we wonder if it is him.  Time was ticking by and he finally arrives - 2 hrs and 14 minutes late.  He was tired and so focused on getting his bike to the end and drove right by Team Canada's work area to ensure he impounded.

The good news at the end of the day was that there was a re-route in the course during the day which is contrary to the rules.  Some checks were thrown out, along with the penalty time that would cause a DNF for Jim and Bruce.  The point here is under any circumstances, always get the bike back to the finish because as a rider, you just don't know how the jury will rule the issues at the end of the day.
 

DAY 5 - A Schedule

Assignment - Check 5 (The Burbs- no service)

Conditions: a beautiful day for a ride, just a little frost and clear skies

Since the check is not too far away, we decide to stop by the start.  Jim is all set and goes on just like it was another day.  Glen changes his front tire and mouse just like any day before.  Guy impresses everyone and himself by changing the shock in 6 minutes.  He calmly says he even had enough time to do a tire change too.  He takes a breather and hits the trail.  Bruce is hyped about talking to Giovanni Sala and getting his autograph, but forgets where he placed his scorecard.  With everyone gone, we decide to leave so our check would be set-up in time.

The route to the check was not well marked.  Mike and I were one of the first ones to arrive, as usual.  I decided that since we had some time we should take a closer look at the mx course by taking the rental around it.  The course was rather sandy, so I had to stop before venturing further on a steep downhill.  We had a brief look around then went back to set up, where we met up with Julie.

Jim was a few minutes late, but doing well, Glen came in and was asking about the settings on his forks.  They still didn't quite feel like they were set right.  Guy comes in a bit shaken and reveals his emotions.  He explains he just ran into the front end of a car that was in the middle of the road heading towards him.  With a detailed look at his forks and front end components, he decides the damage to his bike was very minimal, but the hood and bumper on the car suffered damage.  His back and shoulder muscles were a bit tense and in need of a few stretches to get them back in shape.  Bruce comes in 40 minutes late but is still going strong.

Back at the parc-ferme, Jim changes his rear tire.  Difficulty with the valve stem accepting air, Jim decides to impound with a flat and repair it in the morning.  Glen and Guy do the usual routine.  Locking up the wheels Bruce slides to a stop and makes a course correction to get to the pit area.  Bruce decides to change the rear tire, but struggles a bit to get the task accomplished.  The four riders go back to the hotel and get some rest as they realize there is just a short ride left for the last day.

DAY 6 - A Schedule

Assignment - Final MX test at the army base

Conditions: cool and dry, overcast skies

Jim changes his tube one more time before heading out to the trail, but does it without much energy wasted.  Everyone gets out without any problems.

The army base was still closed at the time we arrived.  We attempted to enter at a gate, but we were told they planned to cut the fence to let us in instead.  There was a mad rush to get there first and get prime real estate for the riders.  All the riders arrived being a little surprised that the last road section was so long and not paying attention, they started to lose time.  Jim and Glen were the only ones that were able to ride the final mx, due to the dust. Guy wanted to ride it thinking it may get him in a better position, but other riders were refusing to race due to the dangerous dust.  Later, there was a jury decision to cancel all of the remaining races.  Disappointed, the riders realized that they had completed their Spanish ISDE.  Well done guys!