The weary road warriors arrived in Sturgis, South Dakota and promptly set about celebrating their success thus far. With an astonishing 54 racers with perfect scores, the goal to make every mile has turned intense. Today’s one day of rest is an opportunity to twist wrenches, tune and time the tired old iron and prepare for higher temperatures and elevations as the journey takes the fearless riders out into the western half of America. Cornfields and soybeans will be replaced by vast spans of open range and roaming animals as the caravan ventures into Montana tomorrow. Class I riders, Chris Tribbey and Dean Bordigioni, in first and second place respectively, are about to find out how their simple singles like the higher elevations through Montana mountain ranges and beyond.

The top four positions on the score board are all held by different marques: Tribbey, who is employed by Harley-Davidson, is riding an Excelsior while Bordigioni, a California winemaker, is atop a Harley-Davidson. Third and forth place riders, Byrne Bramwell from Canada and Fred Wacker from Illinois, are both on 1913s, one is a Henderson, the other an Indian.

 
The Cannonball ladies are not only enjoying themselves, they are also running strong. Three of the four gals are first time Cannonballers and holding perfect scores. Cris Sommer-Simmons is a 4 time competitor and her 1915 H-D, Effie, is familiar with the routine but likes to give Cris grief every now and then and spent two days with less than perfect scores. Commercial airline pilot, Andrea Labarbara, is in 5th place on her 1913 Henderson. Land speed record holder Jody Perewitz left Maine with a goal to be the first woman to complete all the miles with her 1926 Harley-Davidson JD. She currently holds 40th place. Kersten Heling, on a 1922 H-D, is being torn between the thrill of the ride and the love of her family that consists of three little boys, the youngest of which is not even 1 year old. Kirsten started the run with a contingency plan to leave if she missed her children, but she shared yesterday that she’s decided to stay with the run until the end. “My husband took the boys and went home yesterday and I had a good cry since I’m going to miss my family, but the Cannonball has become like family, too. They really have..so I’m going to finish. I’m hoping that someday my kids look at my doing this and say, “My mom is a badass.”
 
Tuesday’s ride will cover 299 miles and end with a hosted dinner at Beartooth Harley-Davidson in Billings, Montana.

Stage 8 Results

Click Here for Stage 8 Results

 

 
 
 
 
Despite early predictions of hot weather and massive break downs, the ancient iron ran well on Saturday even though it was hot. Sweep crews grumbled over the boredom of cruising the back roads looking for people to help and finding none, but were happy that no more than 3 bikes made the trailer. The bad news is that just 52 miles out of the evening stop in Pierre, South Dakota everyone’s favorite Indian crashed. The only motorcycle to have competed in all 5 of the Motorcycle Cannonballs, Shinya Kimura’s 1915 Indian Hedstrom, took a tumble when the tire peeled off the clincher rim and sent team rider, Yoshimasa Nimi, off into the ditch. Neither the bike nor rider fared well, but neither are out permanently and we’re certain Team 80 will ride again. Cannonball medics assessed the rider’s wounds and sent Yoshi to the hospital for an evaluation while Shinya got busy triaging the Indian. As of this writing, Yoshi is a bit battered but will mend and the Hedstrom is in surgery. Fellow riders stepped up to offer needed parts and support with anything the most beloved team on the Cannonball might need. The hope is to make the miles through the Badlands of South Dakota and Rushmore before the group arrives in Sturgis for a celebration and a day of rest, but Yoshi’s health is the priority.
The evening celebration in the city of Pierre was a pleasant afternoon alng the waterfront under dappled shade as residents came out to wish riders well. The Chamber of Commerce hosted a very nice dinner under air conditioning and riders enjoyed the community’s warm hospitality.
Today’s ride is another long one, 294 miles that will include sight seeing and a ceremonial finish on Harley-Davidson Way in downtown Sturgis. Everyone is invited to join the group at they celebrate each other’s victory of overcoming the difficulties thus far. Riders are weary and look forward to getting some laundry done before spending the night it the same bed twice in Sturgis. Even though there’s a lot of wrenching and preparation for riding in the west, spirits are still high and riders are still happy. 

The Results from Stage 7 are in.

Stage 7
Cedar Rapids, IA to Spirit LAke, IA
291 Miles

Click here for Stage 7 Results

 

The day started out overcast and misty as riders made their way out of Cedar Rapids, but it warmed up quickly as the group puttered across miles and miles of cornfields to find themselves motoring through a small Amish community. School children gathered at the fence to wave at the passing riders as adults trotted horse-drawn buggies along the roadsides. 

Flat tires continue to plague the riders who are running clincher tires. Though frustrating, the blowouts failed to cost Georgia rider #96, Doug Jones, any points. Doug managed to ride his flat into the mechanics bay of Mason City Harley-Davidson where lunch was being served for Cannonball riders. Depsite the time spent changing 2 more flat flat tires over the course of the 274-mile day, Doug is ranked 7th in perfect scores. Mark Lowen, however, was not so lucky. The frustrated Californian has set his own Cannonball record by suffering 5 flats in one day.

Sweep trucks picked up 9 broken bikes over the course of the day before arriving for a parking lot party in Spirit Lake, Iowa, home of the Indian Motorcycle Factory. Riders and the public alike gathered to check out the old bikes and poke around the Indian factory. Tours were offered and several riders found themsleves wondering what it would be like to own a model from the historic brand. Sweep rider Davey Jones even bought a trinket for the new bike he’ll be discussing with his wife when he returns home. The new genie bell will have to wait a while before it finds a permanent place in the wind, however. Dave is pretty sure it will take a while to convince Darlene a new bike is in order.

Saturday will be the longest day of the entire transcontinental run. Riders will cover a whopping 314 miles before arriving for a dinner in Steamboat Park hosted by the city of Pierre, South Dakota. So come to the park to see what a bunch of functional antique motorcycles looks like. 

Results from Stage 5 are in!!!

Stage 5
Bourbannais, IL to Anamosa, IA
236 Miles

Click Here for Stage 6 Results

Thursday’s ride was kicked off by a broken and battered Mike Carson manning the flag duties to wave off the enthusiastic racers. It was an incredible day of sunshine, warm temps and even warmer hospitality as riders were treated to lunch at Workman Harley-Davidson, Rock Falls, Illinois where the place was rocking with enthusiastic folks who just wanted to see the old bikes as they made their way through the area before crossing the Mississippi River. The 229 mile route wound through cornfields and backwater towns before delivering riders to the National Motorcycle Museum, Anamosa, Iowa. After dinner at the museum, riders were allowed to trailer their bikes the remaining 25 miles to Cedar Rapids for the night. 
 
The grind of riding and wrenching is starting to wear on the competitors as they work their way towards their one day of rest scheduled for Sturgis, South Dakota on Monday, which is still 882 miles away. Tomorrow will be spent knocking out 274 miles of that with a lunch scheduled at Harley-Davidson of Mason City, Mason City, Iowa before dinner at the only Indian Motorcycle facility visit on the trip. You can visit the riders at the Indian Motorcycle Factory and Experience Center in Spirit Lake, Iowa on Friday afternoon. 

Stage 5 from Ohio into Illinois started off with high anxiety for the intrepid travelers as they jockeyed their way through the morning commute, construction and a few miles of interstate before settling in for some mellow riding through the cornfields of America’s heartland. Just before the lunch stop at Kersting’s Cycle Center & Museum in Winemac, Indiana, father and son riders Buck #3 and Mike Carson #15 found themselves sliding across a construction zone to end up in a ditch. The senior Carson was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for several broken bones before being released to join his crew in Bourbannais, Illinois where there was a party in the parking lot to celebrate Buck’s birthday. Buck is nursing his own less-serious wounds but is more concerned about the condition of his 1925 H-D. Though he was able to ride the machine in to finish out the day and keep his perfect score, the bike has a broken fork and a bit of its own road rash. The crew was working to get the machine safe for tomorrow’s ride from Illinois to Iowa. Mike’s miles are done, however, since he’s looking at surgery and continued care. His 1928 H-D fared much better than he did. 

The good news is that there were no fires for Stage 5. After #24, Kelly Modlin’s 1928 Indian Chief errupted into flames Sunday and #17 Rick Salisbury’s very rare 1927 Indian Ace exploded in a fireball on Tuesday, it was good to have no sparks. Both men were able to continue on route with their charred machines and finished out their days. Both have ridden every mile, though Modlin was penalized 3 points for coming in late. Salisbury, however, is still holding a perfect score.

 
In other news, everything from tire flats to mystery magneto malfunctions plagued the group and sweep trailers were once again earning their keep by transporting the disabled machines. The sun has reappeared, which has served to elevate spirits and amp up the party vibe in the pits while crews work to get themselves and each other back between the stripes. Tune in tomorrow as riders are hosted to lunch at Workman Harley-Davidson, Rock Falls, Illinois before rolling in for a celebratory dinner at the famous National Motorcycle Museum, in Anamosa, Iowa. So come on out, race fans, we’re anxious to share our stories and show off our proud antique motorcycles.

The Results from Stage 5 are in!!! 

Stage 5
Bowling Green, Oh to Bourbannais, IL
260 Miles

 

Click Here for Stage 5 Results

The most difficult antique run in the world started off Stage 4 with 100 competitors riding out of New York under overcast skies and brisk temperatures before turning misty and wet, a condition that would remain all the way through the state of Pennsylvania before the sun made its appearance late during the afternoon in Ohio. While riders attempted to navigate their way over 273 miles across 3 states, the geriatric machines threw temper tantrums and kept sweep crews busy trying to keep track of broken machines. By the time riders rolled into the warm welcome by local dignitaries like 2 city mayors and a plethora of press that mingled through the crowd of fans during the reception at the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, there were 13 bikes on the trailers and another 3 who were otherwise out of the running for the day. Among those were one of the Rinker Indians that was taken out by a transmission issue, though we’re certain all 3 of the father/sons bikes will be back on the road by the green flag tomorrow morning. 

 
One of our favorite farmers, Steve Andreasen #95, looked rather glum over the breakdown of his 1914 H-D. He’d just gotten it back on the road after cracking the engine open for repairs but ended up back on the sweep truck this afternoon. Over a drive-thru burger supper, Steve and his wife, Robin, discussed strategies while shoring each other up as they prepared to repeat the arduous process again tonight. 
 
On the bright side, temperatures are predicted to warm up as the group makes their way into Illinois tomorrow evening. There’s a party planned during the lunch that will be hosted by Kersting’s Keg Harley-Davidson in Denham, Indiana so be sure to take your lunch break in time to come hang with the cool kids on the old iron.