2022 Prairie City Grand Prix

Went to the first Dist 36 Cross Country race of 2022 at Prairie City, the weather was good the course 8.5 miles, was a little dusty in places but a far cry from totally dusty or a total mudder in recent years.

As you can see by the picture the first bike race had some 250 mostly C riders plus about the same number family and friends all hanging out on the starting line plus four riders in the 70 + Pioneer Class. I took a couple of pictures of two perennial riders; Pete is 75+ and Fred who has to be 82+ whom I used to ride against all the time. They are still doing it and I’m taking pictures. In the row right in front of the Pioneer class was the Jr. Sportsman class which had uh; let’s see if I can get this straight my wife’s niece’s 17 year old son Alex, whom I also took a picture of.  

I forgot to take a picture of Larry whose job today was to start each row with shot gun blast. Actually I didn’t forget, Larry scared me, he looked a little scary standing their cradling that shot gun. As I walked up I was trying to remember if Larry and I were on good terms.

As has been the case the past quite a few years now the C 200 riders are usually at least the first three or four overall, those kids are fast. I’d say they all ride KTM or Husky 150’s.

The second bike race was the AA, A and B race which had I believe had seventeen rows, two more than the first race, seems to me in years past this race always had between 500 and 700 hundred riders so this year’s event was 602.

On one hand I’d have to say I’ve have been disappointed with the number of AA riders at the races that I have attended the past few years. There are still a few of the younger AA riders who are now getting their chance at the front. For me gone are the grizzled guys I watched come up through the ranks and dominate the AA class for quite a few years? They’ve all moved on, most probably married now some with kids now. I would expect at some point in the future they will show up again as Vet’s or Senior riders. But when you look at the number of riders that are coming up, all’s well, it won’t be long and the AA row will be full of riders whom I also won’t their names.

It was a good day; it’s always good to see some old friends, if some of my aches and pains disappeared I just might get inspired again and line up in the Pioneer class, maybe.

Doug 21J

PS Turns out I can’t even take pictures, of the dozen pictures I took only two came out and they are of the AA, A and B riders lining up. With today’s technology taking pictures should be pretty fool proof, apparently not so. But at least you can see it was a nice day.