BannedCR500Riders.com

I got talked into this last year and had mixed emotions, while I had a total blast we didn't finish and it was out of my hands....I could go on and on about that but I've had a year to let it go and really havnt done well at it. Anyway my same buddy who is like 65 years old and has watched "Dust to Glory" too many times is paying and we are doing it again. Last year he rode it about 5 miles, his nephew rode the next 20 or so to Ojos, I rode it the next few hundred and handed it off. That guy was going to ride about 60 and then I was going to bring it home.....I never got it back.

This year it's the same 2 for the start to about mile marker 30, then it's me, if we don't make it, it's me. It's my bike, prepped by me (I'll get my sproket bolts tight ) so if we physically don't make it or we mechanically don't make it....it's me. Not sure what our number is yet but I'll post it up, wish us luck. It's the 6th of June, basically a month away.

I'll try to keep my head straight and not get too caught up in the moment and ride safe more than fast. What I did learn last year is the most important thing is everyone getting home safe......Johnny Cambell doesn't seem to need me on team Honda so with that as the perspective it's just for fun.....But I sure would like to finish.

Good luck Rhino, great attitude, enjoy the ride and good luck. We will all be rooting for you and watching for your results. Please be sure to let us know about your 2014 experience! Be safe!

You need a helmet cam bro.

Riding in June, that's brutal, be sure to stay hydrated!
Good luck and keep us posted!

Sounds awesome! Good luck and ride safe!

Team JCR isn't competing in the Baja anymore and with the sad passing of KC66........you might just win this thing.........
Ride safe Matt!

I'm definetly not going to win, this kind of riding isn't at all what I'm semi-O.K. at. It's wide open fast stuff and that just flat out scares me, I'm a slow singletracker woods type guy. I put the 650 into 5th and run it around 3g I gear it tall, stand up on the pegs and cruise like 50 or something....the whoops are a pounding, those trophy trucks make BIG whoops. I'm a Dad and a Husband and a Son first, I need to stay in one piece to be any good at those things.

I'll be trying hard to stay hydrated, last year I did well and felt good to go for my second session but last year was pretty cool for Mexico that time of year. Everyone thinks they are going to reverse the course and I am really hoping they don't. The way it was layed out last year you are pounding whoops in the morning when it's cool and get that out of the way, you deal with Mike's sky ranch in the heat which Baja guys call a technical section...that means you bang 4th maybe third but its got some rocks so it's way closer to what I'm O.K. at, then you hit the coast and cool off and hit Europan towards the evening. Europan is probably the most techy with a lot of silt and big ruts, I'd rather deal with that at the end of the day when I'm tired than pound whoops if it was reversed.

As far as the helmet cam goes I've got friends that want to wire one up. I personally feel I'm not good or fast enough for one and have never felt the need. My buddy who lives in the Bay Area and is a very fast local track guy sends me his videos....it's like watching paint dry, it looks so slow compared to a lap with V2 or Stewart. My video of my normal day to day riding would be better than my Baja video and both would probably be as exciting as watching baby super 8 movies of me in the swimming pool.

I'm getting nervous, those of you who have met me know I'm just a fat old guy who loves dirtbikes, I bit off a big chunk this year and I'm certainly not a pillar of fitness. I've been riding my bicycle a lot and I've been riding my motorcycle a lot as well. This weekend is my last ride on the 650, time to break it down and get it right, it starts getting so real.

Matt, you're like a roll model for all us old fat guys, we will all be rooting you on

Kuma wrote:Matt, you're like a roll model for all us old fat guys, we will all be rooting you on

He is a role model for us skinny guys too.......

Good luck and ride safe!!!!!

Hellbear wrote:Good luck and ride safe!!!!!

x491...err x644!

Maps out, exactly what I didn't want, end the day with 150 miles of trophy truck whoops....oh well.

Just focus on keeping the rubber side down!

Kuma wrote:Matt, you're like a roll model for all us old fat guys, we will all be rooting you on

The Finish Line afterparty will be awesome!!

That's all I will be thinking about the whole time, I got all excited just seeing Dianna Dahlgren say our team at the draw......I've been telling my wife she had a special twinkle in her eye. Getting close now, we should have played the shrinking Hoon game or biggest loser. I'm a fat fuck right now, still riding my bicycle and I'm in decent shape cardio wise but I'm carrying some extra tonnage.

Hey Rhino are you going to try for three?!!!!

No, I would do it again in a minute but only with other people's money. I am going to France with the family this year, and the guy who was paying for me went to South America on a motorcycle so I'm not sure it's his dream anymore now that we finished. That chapter may have passed....I'm turning into a snow biker this coming winter, see where that ends up.

Cool I didn't think you were just because you haven't mentioned it. I read about your snowbike sounds like alot of fun.

Enjoy France!!!