The Dirtbag Challenge has now come and gone. This past week has been so crazy I'm not sure where to start. I'm not going to bother with the last few fabrication or assembly photos and just jump to some final pictures.
But first, there was some drama earlier in the week that should be mentioned. Last weekend I finished the final welding, but was not able to assemble the bike. I arranged to take Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off of work to allow assembly time and be ready for Friday morning departure. Well, none of that went as planned.
Wednesday morning I woke up at 6am with a burning pain in my gut. It felt like I was passing a gall stone (had one a few years ago). So off to ER I go!
Once at the hospital they do some scans and blood work. The verdict... I've got a gallbladder full of stones and its infected! Dirtbag will have to wait. Fuck!
The doctors discuss removing my gallbladder, but other medical issues are preventing them from doing that at this time so I'll have to wait a few months for the operation. In the mean time they decide to install a drain bag with a tube to help my gallbladder expel fluids. Great
I'm finally released from the hospital Friday night. There is no way to make the Dirtbag ride at this point. There is still the party on Sunday, but the bike is still in pieces and I feel like shit.
It takes every once of energy I can find to motivate myself to assemble the bike on Saturday. I work till 11pm while taking lots of rest breaks along the way (did I mention I had just been released after 3 days in the hospital). I get up early on Sunday and continue. I don't worry about lights. No rear brake. I focus on what I barely need to make the bike run.
Around noon I kick it over and it fires up! I ride down the driveway and into the street making a u-turn and back up the driveway. Good enough!
By 2:30 I've got the bike loaded into my truck and wife and I head to the party. I arrive before the Dirtbags so I can finally catch my breath. I meet up up with a friend who was on the ride but got separated. We are waiting at a rendezvous point a few blocks away expecting the main group anytime. I text my wife and she lets me know the group just arrived from the other direction. Crap!
I fire up the bike and head over to the party. I pull in and light up my first burnout. A few people recognize me and go nuts that I made it. I go nuts happy that I made it! Suddenly the exhaustion is gone. I can't believe I made it to the last and final Dirtbag Challeneg after everything that has happened
arty
20220925_173017 by
andbike, on Flickr
20220925_175916 by
andbike, on Flickr
Discussing details of the build with Mr Dirtbag himself...
dirtbag photo 1 by
andbike, on Flickr
My second burnout. (notice proper two finger braking while palming the throttle). Not sure how to load a video, but if it doesn't load you can click the still image and should go the the video... I think).
DBC burnout by
andbike, on Flickr
Dirtbag has had a few long standing traditions... first, if you don't complete the ride you don't get to be in the show. And second, only Dirtbags get to vote on Dirtbags for awards. Three, there is an award called the "Founder's Choice" which is traditionally reserved for someone who is deserving of an award but did not otherwise receive one. I was highly honored to receive the
2022 Dirtbag Challenge Founder's Choice Award!
Now I can rest.
