Riding with Eddie

Riding with Eddie

This would be my tale of riding with Eddie and scattering his remains.

At the 2010 Minnesota 1,000, a few friends of Eddie received a small vial of his ashes. Lurleen had passed them out and written the dispersal as a non-points paying bonus. I loved the idea and recalled how Eddie told me on several occasions that when he died, he wanted to be scattered far and wide. Preferably from a motorcycle. Preferably during an event.

I wasn't competing that year but Lurleen gently told me to keep the vial and to scatter them in the manner I thought best.

I thought long and hard about that request. I was paralyzed by mourning the rest of that summer and couldn't focus. Over the winter, I decided I would visit a Teamstrange bonus site. TS riders know this is no easy task. I have been to hundreds of wacky and irreverent places thanks to the work of TS Rally masters.

Sometime after New Years, 2011, I selected the Mother Featherlegs monument, near Lusk, Wyoming. I had been to it twice: the first time successfully claiming it for points in an event, the second on my ST-1100. That trip was one of the most perfect afternoons of my riding career. I stopped and took photos, something I rarely do. I felt that a celebration of joyous riding would be a good way to honor my friend.

Life can be complicated at times and I had a hard time committing to two days to ride out to Lusk and back. I did have one motorcycle trip on the books, an extended Dual Sport ride in Colorado. I thought that I could perhaps combine the two rides.

Summer burned away and I still had the vial. Then it struck me: I would scatter the contents on the top of Tincup Pass (12,154 ft), near St. Elmo, Colorado. Why Tincup Pass?

In August 2010, I rode a portion of the Trans-America Trail with some friends. While crossing Tincup, I lost my focus, grabbed a handful of brake and tucked the front end. The bike was more-or-less fine but a mangled hand caused a trip to the ER. I felt bad about delaying my friends and not making it over.

I knew Eddie for over 20 years and during that time he utterly and single-handedly transformed me as a rider. When I met him (after buying my first BMW, a '78 R-80 standard) I was a complete rookie rider. No night riding. No rain or inclement weather. Never ride farther than half a tank. A 90-mile trip to Hinckley, Minnesota was an epic undertaking requiring three stops each way.

Eddie changed all that. His relentless enthusiasm and his persuasive manner hooked me. Little by little my boundaries were stretched. In 1995, I entered the inaugural MN1K. I rode most of the night. I could confidently flip the petcocks to reserve on the fly. I dodged critters. I rode in the rain. I didn't do well, but I finished. Best of all, I smashed my own personal record by piling on over 700 miles that day.

At the awards, Eddie thanked each and every one of us for participating. I can't speak for the others, but I left that morning feeling as cool as Steve McQueen and with the skills of Mick Doohan. I was hooked.

Back to Tincup. I chose this for personal reasons. Eddie, if asked after the fact, would kindly dissect my TS rides and coach me on how to ride smarter. Shorter gas stops. Combine restroom and food breaks with fuel stops. Double-check that you have filled out the sheet correctly. Review your plan for the bonus on deck as you ride to the next one. More importantly, he taught by example. Never give up. Never cash in. Clear your head, re-calculate and try to salvage what you can. Hope that others are riding sloppier than are you.

Crashing on Tincup had bothered me since that day. I knew the best way to get over it was to ride over it. In early September 2011 I arrived in St. Elmo with my friend Paul. We had been trail riding for a few days and were in the groove. We easily made it up to the summit and paused.

I parked my DR-350 away from the sign and got out the vial. I started to say a few words but quickly started crying. I didn't care. I thanked Eddie for inspiring and teaching me, for sharing his riding passion, his love of life and his endless curiosity.

Even though I was wiped from the release, I remembered his coaching and paused to double-check the bonus sheet, noting the time of day and my odometer reading. Days later, somebody cracked that I shouldn’t be surprised when Eddie denies the points on a technicality when I meet him at the scoring table in the sky.

If you want to get to this location, follow the signs to Tincup Pass from either Tincup or St. Elmo, CO. Once at the summit, if you face the sign, you will see a large piece of black basalt, 20-feet or so away, behind it and to the right as you face the sign. That is the spot where I pushed my bike and fulfilled the bonus requirements.

[ Pics coming ]

Ride on my brother.

Minister of BBQ