Cal24 2009 - BARF Style Reloaded!

[aciurczak]

If people read the account of last year's Cal24, you've already heard about the "Cal24 Patrol", where a rally worker had a radar gun out in the middle of nowhere and clocked rally bikes to confirm they were being "reasonable". The penalties were significant, but there was a bit of bellyaching and it turned out that some of the scoring penalties had to be modified afterwards for a few reasons that are detailed in that earlier writeup.

Anyway, I just re-read this year's rally pack a little closer and got a kick out of now much more explicit warnings about the "Cal24 Patrol". I won't quote the entire rally pack, but I have a feeling Tom won't mind if I just show you this small excerpt. Made me laugh...

One of the consequences you may need to face is running into the Cal24 Patrol. We did this last year and have fine tuned the process. The way it works is this: At certain places along the route, or maybe on the way to bonus locations, you may encounter the Cal24 Patrol. They use a radar gun. They will give you a grace of 20 MPH (and that’s better than the other “Patrol” you may encounter during your travels) over the posted limit. If you are going over 20 MPH over the posted limit you will incur the following penalties:

1st Offense: You will be given a choice of a 1 minute penalty or a 100 point penalty for each MPH over the posted limit.
2nd Offense: You will be given BOTH a 1 minute penalty AND a 100 point penalty for each MPH over the posted limit.
3rd Offense: You don’t want to know. It will not be pretty……

I am hoping with all my might that some poor bastage gets nailed with the 3rd offense, because though Tom says we don't want to know, I really really want to know. As long as it's not me.

 

[budman]

Damn... Alex... glad you found your wallet..

Are you going to chronicle your run in this thread?? Or start another??

I hope all you guys have fun... will be following.

I cannot get a fix on the wife's plans to commit to a time at Freds..

Go team barf!

 

[Whodat]

So what do I get if I wear my barf hat?

 

[budman]

From Tom and Mark...

 

[Whodat]

From Tom and Mark...

bastidge

 

[aciurczak]

Are you going to chronicle your run in this thread?? Or start another??

This'll be the one! Getting ready for tech inspection soon...

 

[NoGall]

Good luck, guys! Go get them!!!! :w00t

 

[aciurczak]

Tech inspection done! Here's a pic of the RallyBastard and his evil helper this afternoon:

Had to show all the standard items (tire plug kit, flashlight, etc.) then completed the odometer check. That's a short loop of less than 20 miles that the rally organizers have measured pretty carefully in order to calibrate your own bike's odometer. That error factor is then used to calculate actual mileage during the rally. I did it with two other bikes, and mine was on the low end and theirs was on the high end; there was a difference of 0.6 miles over this relatively short route between our bikes.

Created the rally flag, which is just a small towel with our rider # on it. I got myself signed up early this year, so I'm running the lucky #1. Back home resting for a short while, posting up some pics, and will be back for the rider meetings this evening...

 

[Dmitriy]

Alex talked me into this nonsense too.

 

[aciurczak]

Here's Dmitriy's before picture:

Doesn't he look happy, comfortable, and well-rested? Can't wait for the after pics...

Riders meeting was fun, Tom and Mark went over some details. But the nitty-gritty isn't in front of us until 5 AM tomorrow morning. From the few tidbits that were shared, it sounds like this could be a fun one. They're all fun of course, but this one will be too.
I liked the sound of some optional bonuses that could put big miles (1500+) into the day, and if they are feasible it may end up being what I look to do. With the 2 hours available of planning in the morning, there should be a little more time to optimize the plan so I'll have a little better idea of what I'm doing compared to some rallies in the past where I hop on the bike with a remarkably fuzzy conception of the plan.

Some gratuitous bike shots:

And pool shots:

We'll be back in that same place at 0500 for further instruction before starting the pain portion of the event.

More pics right up here...

 

[CuriousMike]

I swear I saw half of these riders out on Hwy 25/198 this morning.

 

[aciurczak2]

The Calm Before the Storm

Well, I just checked and Alex is fast asleep ... well, he's snoring, so I'm assuming he's asleep and dreaming about winning the Cal24 :

I'm not sure I'm ready for the excitement. There are so many SPOT folks this year, it's going to be confusing if folks go in all different directions.

Good luck everyone and enjoy your few more hours of sleep.

 

[budman]

Cool... the guys are about up to Chico already..

Hit both Andy's and Alex's spot.. the appear to be pretty close to each other and neither appears to have gone off the route.. not sure.. but they seem the same.

The are 10 spot listings on the Cal 24 site.

Good luck guys..!

 

[aciurczak2]

Morning Update

Well, Alex called in to let me know how things were going. He's riding with our friend Don Beaton. There seems to be 2 routes you can take. One keeps you in the Bay area (Coalinga, then up to Napa). The other, if you want an adventure - Portland, OREGON!

Alex of course went for the OREGON adventure. It's worth a lot of points, but only if you manage to get the bonus out there and make it back in time.

The Bay Area route sounded like there were lots of familiar roads filled with all kinds of bonuses, but you'd have to collect a good portion of them for the points to add up to the one in Portland.

Looking at his SPOT, it looks like he's been on 5 this whole time. Must be a pretty boring ride! 5 is pretty long, flat, and not much to look at.

Let you know more, when I hear from Alex again.

 

[budman]

Moving North

Here is a shot from Alex's SPOT at about 10:30AM

Still moving North..

Also you can swith the SPOT page to terrain or satelite.. which is cool..

 

[aciurczak2]

Alex Spot at 10:50am

 

[aciurczak2]

Lunchtime Update

Hello again! Alex called in again to let me know how things are going. He's been mainly on route 5 (highway) which could be considered boring on a motorcycle, but he's had to stay alert. He said that there are a lot of CHP on route 5 today. They aren't the Cal24 Police, but the real thing, so they've had to keep their throttle hand in check.

Alex shared with me the Bonus they are trying to get in Portland. For those who are familiar with the Cal24, you will all recognize the name Jeff Earls. He has won the Cal24 for the last 3 years. He isn't participating this year... rumor has it that he opted out because he will be riding in the Iron Butt this year which is taking place in 2 weeks. I think someone needs to talk to Jeff about Priorities!

Anyway, the Bonus in Portland is to become a member of the Jeff Earls Fan Club. Jeff lives in Portland and so they need to pay a visit to him, get their picture taken with him, along with obtaining an autograph, and that's the MEGA bonus!

Let you know more when I hear again from the folks on the road...

 

[machete]

awesome. Maybe next year for me.

 

[aciurczak2]

Evening Update

Well, it looks from Alex's spot that he's made it to the bar where they meet up with Jeff Earls. It's the Lucky Lab Beer Hall on Quimby in Portland. The bonus is only open from 5:30-6:30, so it looks like they've made it.

I'm not sure what the plans are after their induction into the Jeff Earls Fan Club. I guess one route home is to go the same way they came (route 5), but maybe there are other bonuses out there they can snag on the way home.

Alex said he'd call again later once he has a plan put together. I sure hope the trip to Portland was worth it!

 

[budman]

Cool bonus.....


Hell of a long way for an autograph