The Dreaded DNF, Well Almost
by Gerry Goode

The 600K has always been one of my favorite rides. The forty hour limit and the amount of night riding required to complete the ride can be a challenge. A rider has to have confidence in oneself and dependable equipment before attempting the ride. While preparing for this years Arizona 600K I felt that I had dependable equipment. My self confidence was low because I had a bad ride in Davis on April 8. For me the 600K started out slow but after 55 miles I felt that I was in a comfortable groove.

Upon reaching the turnaround point in Tombstone and having two delicious helpings of Ziti and sauce that Susan prepared I believed that I was ready to complete the ride. I started back to Sonoita. When I reached Mustang Corner it was getting colder and darker. I stopped at the Shell station to top off my bottles and to put on some warmer clothes. I leaned my bike against some green plastic chairs and went into the store. When I returned my bike had slipped down to the ground. The biked looked okay and I started to ride to Sonoita. I turned the lights on as soon as I crossed RT 90.

After about three miles I noticed that the front lights flickered. When I was about nine miles from Sonoita the lights went out again. I used my Cateye LED and followed the white line and continued to ride. Steve Jewell, a support volunteer, drove by and stopped down the road. He asked if everything was alright and I told him my problem. I put the bike in front of his parked car and with the lights we found a broken wire. When we saw the problem I thought it would be easy to fix, being a former telephone repairman in another life. Well it wasn't that easy. I could not get the wire to stay on the lug without solder. Finally Steve suggested that we bypass the main light. I took apart the main connection and taped the auxiliary light to the lug. We gave the wheel a spin and the light went on I was back in business. I thanked Steve for checking on me and helping me fix the light. Steve said that he was going to drive to Sonoita and watch me ride through.

Riding with one Lumitec was better than riding with a Cateye LED and I was very comfortable. After I rode about four miles the lights started to flick again. I checked my tape connection as best as I could in the dark and everything seemed okay again. I continued riding and when I was within sight of Sonoita the lights flickered again. I saw Steve's car in front of the Steak Out restaurant. I rode over to him and said that I was afraid to continue. I knew the rest of the course and it was mostly down hill. It scared me to think that my lights may go out while going down a hill.

I called Susan on my cell phone and told her that I was going to bail. She asked me how I felt and I said fine but I did not think it would be safe if I continued with insufficient lights. She told me she had a light and wanted to know if I wanted to use it. I said sure all cyclists know that nobody wants to DNF. Susan was in Tombstone and I was in Sonoita. After she woke the riders up she was going to head up toward Sonoita and bring the light.

Steve and I went into the Steak Out restaurant and sat at the bar. We drank coffee, had a cheeseburger, swapped bike stories and received many stares from the other bar patrons. The waitress and the bar maid treated us like we were celebrities. They kept our cups full. The other customers at the bar were probably there every night and we had a different enthusiasm about us. I was dressed in a bright yellow shirt with reflective tape on the back. The regulars all wore cowboy hats and jeans.

About 10 PM Susan arrived with the light. After reading Susan's story on the ride I found out that Lonnie Wolff lent it to her for me. Thanks Lonnie you're a ride saver, I am sure you know that nobody wants the dreaded DNF. I wired it up and checked that all connections were secure. Just as I was finishing up my preparations when we saw Mike Enfield passing the Steak House on his way back to Casa Grande. Mike rode over to us to see what was going on.

We took off together and had approximately 150 miles left to finish the ride. Mike is a stronger rider than me and like all ultra riders he goes at his own pace. So he went ahead of me and before long he was out of my sight. It turned out to be a spectacular night ride. The lights work perfectly, the weather was clear, a minimum amount of traffic and I was riding in my groove. I had many hours to reflect about what happened earlier while riding between Mustang Corner and Sonoita. We riders only turn the cranks. The support we receive from the RBA's, like Susan Plonsky, the volunteers, like Steve Jewell, and the kindness of the other riders, like Lonnie Wolff, is what keeps us going.

One more and rather weird incident happened to me before I finished the ride. It was a short time after 7:00 AM and I just rode under I10 heading up Jimmie Kerr Blvd. the sun rising on my left and my shadow was on the road. The traffic was very light and every time a car went by it ran over my shadow. It was an eerie feeling. It brought back memories of being hit from behind. We really are at the mercy of the motorized vehicles on the road.

When I finished the ride it was 7:39. I cleaned up, discreetly changed my clothes without an incident and drove to The Belgium Waffle for a scrumptious breakfast. After eating I drove back to where the ride started. Susan Plonsky had just arrived and she had my gear. We chatted for a while and I thanked her again for coming to my aid in the middle of the night. While driving down Jimmie Kerr Blvd heading home I saw Catherine Shenk about 2 miles from the finish. I understand she had a scary ride.

We are extremely lucky to belong to organizations like RUSA & UMCA. There are many dedicated people who put in long hours organizing the events in which we participate. Riding is easy but when something goes wrong we are so lucky to have a dedicated group of volunteers running the ride and the comrade of like minded riders. Thanks to all of the above for preventing another dreaded DNF.

After last year I planned to cut back on my riding but I still enjoy it too much to quit. I am looking forward to the Cascade 1200 and RAO [Race Across Oregon - SP] in the coming months. Aren't we lucky to be healthy enough to do this riding? I know I am, retirement is great.