Day 1At around 130-miles total, we had to ride two laps around a 65-mile loop, with three tests each lap on day 1. At the end of every day we would have the final special test, on the beach, right before we went into the Parc Ferme , which we did at the end of all five days. We had a total of seven tests every day (not counting day six).Trophy Team
The ISDE is a team competition, and the highest level is the contest between the Trophy Teams. Our Trophy Team (myself, Kurt Caselli, Ricky Dietrich, Damon Huffman, Timmy Weigand and Nathan Kanney) had a huge blow when Monster Kawasaki’s Dietrich had clutch problems and his muffler came apart after a crash. He barely made it through the first test, and by the time he repaired the damage, it was too late to get to the next check and he houred out. Unfortunately Ricky’s Six Days was over, which was a huge disappointment after his second overall finish at 2008′s ISDE in Greece.Caselli finished 10th overall for the day, and he posted the fastest time in one test.I was running second American with 21st overall and 10th in the competitive E2 class.The Trophy Team finished in fifth, but with Dietrich out the team had used it’s one throwaway, and the remaining five riders would have to make all their tests count.Highlights
• The Jr. Team had an amazing day and their four-man team, consisting of Russell Bobbitt, David Kamo, Jamie Lanza and Cory Buttrick, was running in 2nd place.
• Bobbitt was the top Jr. Team member for the day with a 20th place finish in the E2 class.
• The US Women’s Team finished the day in third behind France and Spain. Maria Forsberg, Amanda Mastin and Lacy Jones are all extremely talented riders and their goal was to be as consistent as possible to finish on the podium.
• Club rider Ryan Powell finished first in the C2 class for the day.
• Still trying to figure out how the ISDE format was run, Jr. Team rider Cory Buttrick dropped four trail minutes on day one. Rookie!Day 2
This was the same course as day one, but it started to get a lot rougher. During the first two days the transfer sections were pretty easy and weren’t that sandy, but the tests were grueling!Trophy Team
I was in 5th gear on a backside straightaway when my bike hit something, swapped out and threw me off. Although I suffered a slight concussion, and wasn’t really sure which way I was supposed to go, I was able to get back on, only losing a little over a minute. I finished the test, but was really sore for the next couple days. I went from 21st to 37th after the day was done.Huffman’s tendinitis really started to bother him on days two and three. It was a huge factor for the rest of Six Days, but he toughed it out and finished strong on day six.Caselli moved into 6th overall, but the test times on day two had deteriorated for the majority of riders. The second day, on the same course, had taken a major toll on the terrain.ISDE rookie Timmy Weigand posted the 19th overall fastest time in the 5th special test.Highlights
• The Jr. Trophy team suffered a loss when their captain, David Kamo, had his stator go out causing him to hour out of the Six Days. David is a veteran ISDE member and has finished every ISDE he’s competed in, so this was a blow for everyone. Although out of the race, David continued to be a huge help to all the Trophy Teams by walking tests and pointing out good lines.
• Day two was rough for everyone and all three U.S. teams dropped a position. The Jr. Trophy team was put in the same position as the Trophy Team, missing a rider, and the remaining three riders’ scores would count for every test.
• Jr. Team member Cory Buttrick posted the 23rd overall fastest time in test five.
• US Women’s Team member Maria Forsberg remained in third in the Women’s division, while her US Women’s Team sat in fourth.Day 4
Back to riding the same course we did on day three, and I can 100% say these were the biggest sand whoop sections I’ve ever ridden. They went on for miles, and you would just basically have to jump to each face of the next whoop. Everyone’s backs and legs would start hurting so badly we would have to slow down and roll them. Then it would be back to hitting the faces again, so we could make the checks on time.Trophy Team
Kanney had exhaust problems and had to change the exhaust at the end of the day before he re-impounded. Although he felt that the whole week had been a struggle, overall he was still pushing himself and keeping it on two wheels.The US Trophy Team moved into 5th, with the Jr. Team holding strong in 3rd and the Women’s Team maintaining 4th.Highlights
• Jamie Lanza continued to have a great Six Days and was consistently improving his test times.Day 5
Finally, no more sand whoops! It was a new course and almost all new tests. This is usually the day where you really have to dig deep and not make any mental mistakes. Once again the day was around 130-miles, but it had a lot of really cool mountain transfer sections and some awesome views.Trophy Team
It was a tough day for Weigand. Not only was he up all night with flu symptoms, but then he went down on one of the trail sections and cut the end of his pinky off down to the bone. However, like a true champion he persevered and finished out the day losing only two minutes for not making his time checks.Huffman’s tendinitis was continuing to plague him and he struggled just to hold on to his handlebar throughout the day. Although in severe pain, he soldiered on and posted consistent times. He dropped back overall, but was already looking ahead to what he needed to do to finish out the event.Caselli had a great ride and finished 2nd overall for the day. The new trails and tests worked in Caselli’s favor. One of his best times was when he finally conquered the enduro test, which had been a challenge for him all week long. I myself moved up to 25th overall and to 12th in the E2 class.Highlights
• Forsberg moved into 2nd overall in the women’s standings.
• The Jr. Team continued to post consistent test times. Buttrick scored the fourth overall fastest time during one of the day’s special tests.Day 6
Dr. McGee and his brother Spook were a huge help this year. As you can tell, we were plagued with injury after injury and having our own medic team was a lifesaver. We definitely wouldn’t have finished where we did without their support. Today we only had about 60-miles of riding before we got to the final moto, which we were all looking forward to, taking place at the same location where they held a World MX GP race earlier in the year.Trophy Team
Day six was a great day for all the Trophy Team’s riders. Team USA moved back into 5th after all five riders posted amazing times in the final MX.Caselli was on fire, but his bike washed out a couple of times during the final test. He finished fourth for the day and ended the ISDE in seventh overall.Kurt commented, “This year was very eventful with rider injuries and bike problems, however we’re already thinking about next year and feel really good about it.”I was really moving on the MX track and had worked my way into fourth when I went down and smashed my finger. I stripped the skin from the knuckle up and the nail lifted from the front of the nail bed. I stayed focused and worked my way back up from 14th to seventh by the end of the moto, finishing 25th OA for all six days.Motocrossers Weigand and Huffman, both dealing with injuries, posted amazing times during their motos, which really helped to move the Trophy Team into fifth (we started the day out in seventh).To keep up with Destry and next year’s ISDE effort, keep an eye on
www.destryabbott.com.Highlights• Bobbitt separated his shoulder on a sand section heading to the MX final. Although he was in a lot of pain, he toughed it out and made it to the USA pits in pretty bad shape. The Med team taped him up before his moto and he went out there and rode his six-lap moto to help the Jr. Team clinch their third place spot on the podium.
• Jamie Lanza was on fire during the final MX race and pulled off the fifth overall fastest time, finishing Top American for the day, and second in the E1 class. He was a huge fan favorite and had people coming up to him after the race to get pictures and autographs.
