The Cape Fear 1000 Rally

The Cape Fear 1000- April 20th to April 22nd, is a 26 hour rally benefiting the non-profit Victory Junction Gang. The rally is somewhat unique in that it starts from four different locations around the country and ends in Wilmington, NC.

Don Sills, Kevin Pugh and myself began the Cape Fear 1000 Rally leaving from Cairo, IL. We arrived in Cairo to find 25 riders fueling at the Fill Up Mart. After gaining the necessary gas receipt and calling in to officially start our rally, Kevin and I were off to Mayfield, KY to collect our first bonus point. Don Sills rode the rally solo.

Our rally bonus locations included:

1. Mayfield, KY -A photo of the Woodridge Monuments, Maple Lawn Cemetery with rally flag.

2. Fairview, KY - A photo of the Jefferson Davis Monument with bike and rally flag.

3. Glasgow, KY - Gas Receipt

4. Lebanon, TN - A photo of Gen. Hatton with rally flag.

5. Oak Ridge, TN - Gas receipt

6. Chestnut Hill, TN - A photo of the sign on the A. J. Bush Gen. Merchandise store.

7. Ashville, NC - Four-hour rest stop.

8. Statesville, NC - A photo of The Wine Maestro

9. Randleman, NC - A photo of the gate at the Victory Junction Gang Camp.

10. Greensboro, NC - A National Park Stamp from the Guilford County Court House.

11. Raleigh, NC - Gas Receipt

12. Finish rally at the Green Tree Inn, Wilmington, NC

A big congratulation goes to the winning rider, Mike Allen with 36,920 points.

Kevin and I rode slightly over 1,000 miles in the 26-hour period (2,004 miles roundtrip in 3 1/2 days). Our ride scored 25,770 points, good for 39th position. Unfortunately, I personally suffered a penalty when I failed to bring my finish/time sheet to the scoring table, reducing my point total to 10,190, or 70th position. Don Sills accumulated 24,440 points, good for 43rd position.

After a couple of days of rest, I have had a chance to reflect on the Cape Fear Rally experience. As a result of riding this rally, I met some really nice people who are very dedicated to long distance riding and the safe promotion, protection, perfection of the art. I also found rally riding to be a very intense experience with little room for errors if you expect to be competitive.

I have not yet decided if I will ride The Cape Fear Rally again although I did enjoy the experience and regard it very positively. I would also highly recommend this rally if you enjoy long distance competitive rides. The Cape Fear Rally was extremely well run and top notch in every respect.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
~Mark Twain~

"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends." ~Japanese Proverb~