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Cotopaxi Two-Step

RMTA Trials Series

Rounds 8 & 9

September 18-19, 2010

Cotopaxi, Colorado

By Ron Pocher

Photos By John Clement

Lots of people always come early and leave late when the RMTA series finally makes its way to Tucker Ranch. It’s just one of those magical spots that you can’t wait to get to and you don’t want to leave. This Cotopaxi treasure just seems to emit a sense of comfort. You know you’re in “trials country” when you wake up on the Tucker’s spread.

Legend has it that there weren’t a whole lot of things that Cliff Tucker enjoyed more than creating new trials sections on his ranch. Son Todd also possesses that fondness and is obviously following in the footsteps of his hard working dad. Todd cleared and designed eleven brand new, never-before-seen traps for this year’s edition.

Tucker was joined by his two sons, Bailey and Alex, for the upper class layout and line choice of Saturday’s, Round 8. They had plenty of assistance at the score table as Sherri Jacobson, Marcie Manniko and Luca Wood were grouped with four more members of the Tucker clan – Sherri, Grace, Rae Ann and Marcy. Stan Hensley and Jeff Marcus, who also teamed up for the second day of the Ute Cup, came up with eight well-designed traps that the support classes were required to negotiate four times each.

The father and son team of Chris and Micah Hertrich were the lower class Trials Masters for Sunday’s Round 9 and they unveiled ten sections that ultimately challenged all three lines. “I like to set sections that encourage improvement”, said the elder Hertrich. Brothers Steven and Kyle Deines were joined by “Natty” Nick Shaver, in picking out the traps for their more talented upper class cohorts. This group’s section collection proved a bit challenging, to say the least. The Olson sisters, Kelsey and Megan, whose looks and demeanor have the Olsen Twins beat five to one, handled the score table with both grace and an exquisite sense of fashion.

Nathan Taylor was the only bloke who signed up for the Junior A class but he looked to be in fine form and only needed nine dabs on day one. Sunday’s sections proved to be a bit more difficult as Sir Nathan rolled home with a 13-point card.

The Junior B division saw six youngsters taking to the Round 8 traps while one more tike joined the action for Round 9. Jackson Lewis continued his winning ways by topping Luca Wood 26 to 31 on day one. Mia Manniko was also holding a 31-card, that showed the same number of cleans as Wood, but came up a couple one’s shy for third. Shelby Taylor put in a fine ride for fourth with 44 while “birthday girl” Samantha Hutchinson notched her first top five finish with 50. Manniko came out firing on all cylinders on day two and upset new class champ, Lewis, to snatch the gold. Tristen Pieper improved her day one outing by three places to just nip Wood for the bronze.

Chase “Yella Head” Abbott needed but one more win to clinch the Novice class title and he went about doing just that in yet another tight scuffle with Micah Hertrich. Abbott overcame an opening trap “five” to squeeze by Hertrich for the gold, 12 to 18. Nigel Parker also punched an 18-card but came up three cleans shy and had to settle for bronze. Tristan Sinks steered his way to fourth while Evan Manniko rounded out the top five in his first Novice class ride. Abbott jumped to the Amateur class on day two while Hertrich sat out to help dad with the Trials Master duties. This left things wide open in the quest for the “Vanderbeek Memorial Cup” and when the dust had settled, Nigel held it high. Mr. Parker put in a fine performance of just 27 marks lost to claim the gold and the cup. Jay Stevenson joined the fray on Sunday and pocketed the silver with 54, while Sinks and Manniko each hopped up a spot from their day one outings to place third and fourth, respectively.

Though uncontested, Jody Hutchinson rode beautifully each day and headed back home with two Women’s class golds. Ed Peacock missed day one, due to the AHRMA event up north in Milliken on Saturday, but Sunday found him in his usual position at the top of the Vintage B class with a stellar 28-point ride.

The Amateur division boasted a stout contingent as nine riders geared up for adventure on both days. Those darn Lindeman boys, Ryan and Ty, are literally improving with each ride and look to be on course for a future that holds bigger obstacles. This “feet-up” pair of siblings is quickly swooping by a good percentage of the club (like they were tied to a tree). Younger brother Ty claimed his second gold of the series, just sneaking by John Hutchinson, 8 to 11. Brian Housman rounded out the day one podium with his stellar 16-point ride. Miss Madison Leigh snatched her first ever Amateur class gold, come Sunday, and for a minute there I thought Grandpa Stan was “gonna break right down and bawl”, but then he remembered how ornery he was and abstained from such behavior. The sometimes cranky curmudgeon was obviously proud, and rightfully so. Hutchinson pocketed his second silver of the weekend while Adam Faleck absconded with the bronze. Abbott scooted home fourth in his first RMTA Amateur class ride.

David “King Kong” Keorwitz stayed his usual course and only needed ten dabs through Saturday’s four loops. Koerwitz threaded his way to yet another Senior Amateur win, thus wrapping up the class championship in the process. Sharon Jubb was just off the mark and rolled home in second. Koerwitz looked to be on pace to post another win, on Sunday, but gear box gremlins forced him to throw in the towel on loop three. John Clement made the most of Dave’s misfortune and muscled his TL 125 to the gold medal with a fine 51-point outing. Jubb again found herself in second and claimed her third podium finish of the series.

Ten riders signed up to wrestle for the Intermediate gold in both rounds and only Sunday’s Advanced class saw a higher number of entrants, with twelve. Pete Helfter already had the class title in hand but put an exclamation point on his dominance by handily winning both days. Helfter waltzed away with the “Hartman Memorial Cup” on the strength of his day two victory. Darren Myers extended his recent stay on the podium and left the site with a pair of silvers. John Taylor just edged Patrick Dechant for the Saturday bronze, 70 to 71, while Drew Sinks claimed the final podium spot on Sunday.

Saturday’s sections seemed to be agreeing with Mr. Neil Pieper as he topped the Senior Intermediate group with his impressive 30-card. Pieper’s effort was the second best intermediate level ride of the day. Mike Bolas was just ten dabs back in second while Rick Daniel clawed his way to third with 42. Daniel, who had been competing on his four stroke as of late, must have had the answer come to him in a dream, as Sunday saw him commandeering his two stroke with relative ease. Daniel posted the second best intermediate level card on day two and nabbed the gold with 22. Pieper added a silver to his day one gold while Bolas dropped a notch to third.

The Veteran Intermediate class saw the same podium finishers in both rounds and, as usual, Mike Buchholz was the man to beat. For the second straight year Mike had six gold medals to go along with the six best scores that he posted in this 2010 points race. Buchholz punched the best intermediate level card on both days with his 24 and 19-point tallies. Frank Petersen was also handling the technical traps rather nicely and pocketed a pair of silvers with his 36 and 27-point totals. Ron Pocher steered his way to third in each round with Jeff Payne rolling home in fourth on day one and Gary Plsek claiming that spot on day two.

The RMTA Advanced class is always a tough proposition and a dude that is always tough snared the gold on both days. John Sinks won each round by plenty. Sinks topped Stephen Marcus by eight on Saturday, 24 to 32, then slid by Greg Howie, 21 to 30, in Sunday’s round. Sinks also edged “Dynamo” Dechant in Saturday night’s unofficial bicycle trials in the “Moto-Goato” pits. That other Lindeman kid, Ryan, put in his best two rides of the series and headed back to Elizabeth (Colorado, that is) with a matching set of bronze medals. Marcus and Howie also had a fourth place finish apiece to help keep their runner-up points company.

Ron Schmelzle looks like he’ll also put six first place finishes toward his season ending points total, as he handled the Senior Advanced class on both days. Mark Manniko rode exhibition in each round and showed that he knows a thing or two about keeping one’s feet on one’s pegs as he took just one foot off in sixty-three sections. Manniko cleaned Saturday’s trial but had to take a dab somewhere on the opening-loop of day two. Pity. Ron Gardner hopped his way to second on day one but was pushed back to third on Sunday when Rick Plsek made his annual appearance. Dion Plsek also put in a worthy performance and rolled home in fourth.

Kyle Deines and Chris Hertrich have had some scathing battles in this year’s Expert division but it looks like Kyle will come up one ride shy and not be a factor in the race for the title. Deines did his best to help remind Hertrich to keep at it this off-season by just nipping Chris for the gold on Saturday, 36 to 37. Both gents served as Trials Masters on day two and therefore could only slug it out in the opening round. Keith Busch just nicked brother Kevin in the skirmish for the bronze, 53 to 54, while Al Duke rounded out the top five with 75. Kevin Busch fought his way through some rather difficult sections, on Sunday, to garner first place points with his hard earned 74-card. Duke claimed the runner-up spot while Tom Hedwall kept battling all morning and snagged third place points.

Keith Wineland was, well, Keith Wineland. The kid from Fountain was on fire on day one and punched one-cards on the first two loops. The final circuit proved a bit more trying, as he needed four dabs, but who knows exactly what he might have been trying on that closing go-around. With another season nearing its end, Wineland looks set to match Manniko on career RMTA championships with nine. His win streak may reach back even farther, but I do know that in the two years that I’ve been in this club he hasn’t lost a single RMTA or WMTA round that he’s competed in. Wineland’s day two victory helped him hoist the “Matt Plsek Memorial Cup”, a trophy that’s been keeping Keith company for three years now. Bailey Tucker was able to snatch the Championship class silver on both days but did so by the skin of his teeth on Saturday as Dustin Hedwall finished just one dab arrears of Bailey’s 58-card. Steven Deines wasn’t far off the pace, in fourth, but couldn’t pursue a day two upgrade due to his Trials Master obligations. Hedwall again had to settle for the bronze on Sunday, when a disappointing loop one spoiled another close finish.

Each year at this event one of the most cherished awards in the Rocky Mountain region is handed out to one lucky plonker. All of the Sunday class winners, from Novice to Pro, are tossed in a hat and a drawn card determines the recipient. Buchholz and Mike Wehling teamed up to create this beautiful trophy which is basically a large wooden vase mounted atop an elegant piece of white quartz mixed with mica. The rock came from the legendary “Left Hand Canyon” while the cup was carefully turned down from a piñon log that once rested on the grounds of the Tucker Ranch. Receiving the “Cliff Tucker Memorial Cup” is certainly an honor, and this year that honor went to Senior Amateur class winner, John Clement.

Todd Tucker no longer competes as much as he once did. He’s now more concerned with assisting in the advances of his two son’s steadily improving skills. On the rare occasion when he does go for the gold, it’s always rather impressive how well he still does with limited practice time. When Todd Tucker suits up for an RMTA round, you’re lucky to beat him. Todd handles a dirt bike with that same calculated precision, but then again, all of the Tucker clan is pretty much guilty of that characteristic. When you visit the Tucker Ranch, the home court boys can show you a thing or two on any steed.

During my first year in trials I’d often finish a round or a practice session with a tear in my eye. Even though I had ridden and raced all kinds of off-road events for most of my life, having neglected trials was an obvious regret that left me saddened. Please don’t make the same mistake that I did and wait until you’re fifty to give it a go. It holds a measure of fun that any true motorcycle enthusiast should never have to live without. It finally occurred to me that I may have missed the sport but at least I got to meet the people – and oh what people they are.