Ken Meese

Is it the end of Day 4? I think it is…

Ken was in 13th place at the end of Leg 1! That’s a solid showing out of 107 bikes. You can see the full results here. The amazing Jim Owens is in first place; he won in 2009 (Ken’s first year running, when he came in 9th) and has come in second as well. I think it’s pretty cool that two 2-up teams are in the top 10.

In Leg 1, getting three of the same category in a row (of the five animal categories) meant the third bonus’s points were doubled. In Leg 2, getting four different categories in a row means the fourth bonus’s points are tripled. Even though it’s the same list of bonuses, the combination change means it’s a whole new routing challenge. Fun!

(This next bit is clearly translated through me, someone who doesn’t really understand bike mechanics. Apologies for the squiffy details—and if you’re someone who can explain it better, you are encouraged to do so in the comments!)

Sometime yesterday he found a problem with his front brake controls; he heard a clunk and a bolt is missing, maybe? Now, when he uses the rear brakes, the front brakes engage, so this isn’t an immediate safety concern, but it’s better to have the front controls. He lost more than an hour at the local BMW dealer who didn’t have the exact part but tried to find a workaround, and then he lost more time working on it at the hotel (to no avail). The latest news is that the awesome-beyond-words Dave Stoler stripped the parts off his own bike and overnighted them to Ken’s brother, Dennis, so Ken will have them at the second checkpoint on Saturday evening.

The extra time spent on the bike meant less sleep time, so he’s paying close attention to how he feels on this leg, and set up what be believes is a solid plan that factors in some solid sleep blocks. He said it was a hot day today, but he hydrated with water and sports drinks.

I look forward to talking to him tomorrow and hearing about his adventures. The next checkpoint is Saturday evening in Dallas (if I previously said Sunday evening, I apologize!).

xo Dayle