I've seen many-a-post on various forums dealing with the subject of poor or inconsiderate riders, and I realize that a certain percentage of them can simply be chalked up to whining and one persons' word vs. anothers' in description of the account...none of which can be helped or solved in any way by banging away on a keyboard. This post might sound just like one of those to some people, but I just want everyone to understand that I am posting it with that knowledge in mind. My intention is not to complain, but rather to WARN other riders...and to let people know that these guys are out there so that if and when they DO wreck themselves or kill someone else...there will be a record of their pattern of behavior so it is not dismissed as an isolated incident. I'm posting here and in the WI section of Hardcoresledder.com, and hoping that it reaches a decent audience.
On Saturday, January 17th, myself, my wife, and three other sleds (one of which was riding 2-up), were on the grade heading north into Mercer at about 2:30 in the afternoon. We were going to S & S Arctic Cat, as the 2-up sled had a suspected broken secondary spring, and we were going to try to ascertain the exact problem before heading back to St. Germain. The grade was crowded, and extremely bumpy, and a slight mist was in the air, which required frequent wiping of visors/goggles. On the last open stretch before town, I looked down, and we were running about 55-60 mph. I stopped for a stop sign, and as I started off again, I turned back to see if my buddy was behind me on his Cat Turbo. Instead, I see a red and orange XP-S blowing THROUGH the sign passing my friend. I accelerated up to about 60, and I could feel that this guy was trying to pass me (on bumps with poor visibility). The next stop sign was right ahead, and my wife was stopped there. The XP-S rider pulled in behind her, and I pulled to his right and gave him a ***? gesture. He responded by flipping me off, and then riding around my unsuspecting wife. I took off after him, and as I was giving chase, I turn around and yet ANOTHER XP-S is trying to get around me. The first guy has caught up to the two-up at this point, and passes him on the RIGHT side just as the trail turns and doglegs outside of town. Had there been oncoming traffic, my buddy would likely have been pushed into it. I took advantage of the short straight, and passed my buddy on the left, still chasing, and still with the other XP-S on my *** trying to pass ME. The three of us went past the leader in my group just as we hit the slow zone at the Great Northern Lodge, and the first XP-S pinned it. I stayed with him, and the other XP-S AGAIN tried to come around me... At this point, we were just about at S & S, the second guy finally passed me, and I just gave up...when the rest of my group shows up, and a THIRD XP-S is in the middle of it racing through. I turned to go into the dealer, when my buddy on the Cat Turbo catches up, waves at me, and takes off down the trail in a continued chase of these idiots. My wife and the leader of our group also gave chase into downtown Mercer, while the two-up (which was the hurt sled) stayed behind. Sure enough...at the stop sign just past the main intersection in town, sat the last of the XP-Ss...this one had underglow on it. The rider was standing and talking on his communicator, trying to find his compatriots, who had basically ditched him in their attempt to get away from us. My buddy on the Turbo lit into the guy, who pled his case by saying it wasn't HIM that did the passing and blowing of the stop signs...it was the other two. Technically, this was true, and after telling the guy that the two he was riding with were the biggest (obscenity-deleted) I had ever encountered in 30 years of riding, I had had enough, and, with my wife, turned to go back to S & S. My buddy on the Turbo followed, but my OTHER friend, the one that had been leading our group, decided to investigate further. One left turn and two blocks down the street at the gas station...he found the other two guys. He rode up to them and told them they were riding like idiots...to which they responded..."There are three of us and one of you...you might want to just move along." So he did...right back to S & S, where he told myself and the Turbo guy, so all three of us went BACK over to the station. Much yelling ensued...and one of the riders decided to get in my face...not surprising since I am 5'7" and 170 and the other two guys were 6'+ and 270. I pushed him out of my face repeatedly, and he eventually walked away. Their attitude was COMPLETELY arrogant...THEY asked US if WE felt we owned the trails or something??? We said what were we doing wrong? We weren't blocking the trail, were were riding fast and safe in a single-file line...THEY felt the need to blow stop signs and pass in an unsafe manner. We asked them what if there had been a kid on a sled? They just responded that there wasn't, so who cared. We left them, thankful that they were going north and we were going south.
I have never encountered a group like this before...the recklessness accompanied by the attitude of nonchalance when it came to their response to an OBVIOUS what-if question regarding other trail users -especially considering how crowded the trails were this weekend.
So, please take this as a warning should you encounter these three. I know that there will always be an "anonymous" aspect to sledding, what with everyone looking the same with riding gear on and sleds not being unique...so the biggest identifying feature I could provide would be that it was THREE red and yellow XP-Ss all together (which can't be that common), all the riders were in black Klim gear with BVS helmets, and communicators, and at least one of them had "Cross Country Riders" embroidered on the back of his jacket. All of them were middle-aged...probably in their 40s.
Best of luck to anyone else who has the misfortune of dealing with these guys. I am just glad nobody ended up getting hurt.
On Saturday, January 17th, myself, my wife, and three other sleds (one of which was riding 2-up), were on the grade heading north into Mercer at about 2:30 in the afternoon. We were going to S & S Arctic Cat, as the 2-up sled had a suspected broken secondary spring, and we were going to try to ascertain the exact problem before heading back to St. Germain. The grade was crowded, and extremely bumpy, and a slight mist was in the air, which required frequent wiping of visors/goggles. On the last open stretch before town, I looked down, and we were running about 55-60 mph. I stopped for a stop sign, and as I started off again, I turned back to see if my buddy was behind me on his Cat Turbo. Instead, I see a red and orange XP-S blowing THROUGH the sign passing my friend. I accelerated up to about 60, and I could feel that this guy was trying to pass me (on bumps with poor visibility). The next stop sign was right ahead, and my wife was stopped there. The XP-S rider pulled in behind her, and I pulled to his right and gave him a ***? gesture. He responded by flipping me off, and then riding around my unsuspecting wife. I took off after him, and as I was giving chase, I turn around and yet ANOTHER XP-S is trying to get around me. The first guy has caught up to the two-up at this point, and passes him on the RIGHT side just as the trail turns and doglegs outside of town. Had there been oncoming traffic, my buddy would likely have been pushed into it. I took advantage of the short straight, and passed my buddy on the left, still chasing, and still with the other XP-S on my *** trying to pass ME. The three of us went past the leader in my group just as we hit the slow zone at the Great Northern Lodge, and the first XP-S pinned it. I stayed with him, and the other XP-S AGAIN tried to come around me... At this point, we were just about at S & S, the second guy finally passed me, and I just gave up...when the rest of my group shows up, and a THIRD XP-S is in the middle of it racing through. I turned to go into the dealer, when my buddy on the Cat Turbo catches up, waves at me, and takes off down the trail in a continued chase of these idiots. My wife and the leader of our group also gave chase into downtown Mercer, while the two-up (which was the hurt sled) stayed behind. Sure enough...at the stop sign just past the main intersection in town, sat the last of the XP-Ss...this one had underglow on it. The rider was standing and talking on his communicator, trying to find his compatriots, who had basically ditched him in their attempt to get away from us. My buddy on the Turbo lit into the guy, who pled his case by saying it wasn't HIM that did the passing and blowing of the stop signs...it was the other two. Technically, this was true, and after telling the guy that the two he was riding with were the biggest (obscenity-deleted) I had ever encountered in 30 years of riding, I had had enough, and, with my wife, turned to go back to S & S. My buddy on the Turbo followed, but my OTHER friend, the one that had been leading our group, decided to investigate further. One left turn and two blocks down the street at the gas station...he found the other two guys. He rode up to them and told them they were riding like idiots...to which they responded..."There are three of us and one of you...you might want to just move along." So he did...right back to S & S, where he told myself and the Turbo guy, so all three of us went BACK over to the station. Much yelling ensued...and one of the riders decided to get in my face...not surprising since I am 5'7" and 170 and the other two guys were 6'+ and 270. I pushed him out of my face repeatedly, and he eventually walked away. Their attitude was COMPLETELY arrogant...THEY asked US if WE felt we owned the trails or something??? We said what were we doing wrong? We weren't blocking the trail, were were riding fast and safe in a single-file line...THEY felt the need to blow stop signs and pass in an unsafe manner. We asked them what if there had been a kid on a sled? They just responded that there wasn't, so who cared. We left them, thankful that they were going north and we were going south.
I have never encountered a group like this before...the recklessness accompanied by the attitude of nonchalance when it came to their response to an OBVIOUS what-if question regarding other trail users -especially considering how crowded the trails were this weekend.
So, please take this as a warning should you encounter these three. I know that there will always be an "anonymous" aspect to sledding, what with everyone looking the same with riding gear on and sleds not being unique...so the biggest identifying feature I could provide would be that it was THREE red and yellow XP-Ss all together (which can't be that common), all the riders were in black Klim gear with BVS helmets, and communicators, and at least one of them had "Cross Country Riders" embroidered on the back of his jacket. All of them were middle-aged...probably in their 40s.
Best of luck to anyone else who has the misfortune of dealing with these guys. I am just glad nobody ended up getting hurt.
