Chase riders kicked their day off with a nice ride and a pop quiz in the middle of a cornfield, with several of the riders never even getting off their motorcycles to answer the 10-point test. The al fresco classroom experience was then followed closely by a pulse-quickening trip across a famous haunted bridge.
The old Wabash Cannonball Bridge, located on the Illinois and Indiana borders, was built as a railroad bridge back in 1897 and is believed by some to be bad luck to cross. Chase riders, however, found it to be a rite of passage as they wrangled their antiques over the warped, off camber and riveted ancient planks. The tense but successful crossing certainly gave the group something to talk about as they gathered for lunch hosted by the friendly folks at Bud’s Harley-Davidson in nearby Evansville, Indiana.
The long miles and the heat of the day spent crossing three states taxed both men, women and machines. By the time riders rolled into Harley-Davidson of Bowling Green, Kentucky, one rider’s saddlebag had caught fire and another’s engine shot flames as he tried to kick start the tired machine. It was easily extinguished and Matt Miller, #46, rode his 1947 HD U off for a night’s rest.
With only 6 days left in the race, there are 45 of the remaining 65 competitors who have ridden every mile, but the scores are vastly different. Based on the complicated scoring system that includes handicaps for age of both riders and machines,the size of the engine and scores on the daily tests, things change daily. Consequentially, it is still anybody game. Check out the scores, go to the website to read about the riders and be sure to get yourself out to a stop near you so see this rolling museum!
You can catch the riders at Bumpus Harley-Davidson, Murfreesboro, Tennessee tomorrow at 11:00 or at Coker Tires in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 5:00 to 6:15.
