ODESSA, Wash. – An oasis sprung from the central Washington desert is the best way to describe the Stumpjumpers Desert 100, thousands of dirt bikers descending on Odessa to do what they do best: ride.
“A sense of freedom on a bike, the air, the trail, being able to pick a line, getting to the top of the hill and looking back with pride, you made it,” dirt bike racer Keith Schmick said.
Since 1967, Desert 100 has welcomed thousands of men, women and even children racers to Odessa, Washington to drive through the dust in early April.
Camp director Steve Bentley took me on a ride around the massive camp, surrounded by hundreds of RVs and campers parked across the brush.
“They all come in by themselves,” Bentley said. “Some of the ones that wait in line for two days will take caution tape and quarter off an area for when their friends’ riding buddies show off. Some of them have quartered off almost a football field.”
Now we arrive at vendor row.
“It’s a city where almost anything you’d need to race or ride is gonna be here,” Bentley said.
On the row, we meet Dave Sheets the mechanic, a vital part of the event.
“Love dirt bikes, love to mess with them,” Sheets said. “And actually, honestly, when I first started doing it, I wanted to do my own suspension so I could get it done for free. So now it’s like, it’s a hobby turned into a monster.”
Dave helps fix the bikes up to get back on the courses, something the riders will certainly appreciate to get back the most valuable time they can.
“This is a big family event for us, we’ve got three, four generations that did this, this year we’re a little smaller in numbers, but we like to be here every year,” Schmick said.
Organizing an event this huge isn’t a one-man job, and Brett Defenbaugh leads the charge for the event in his first of two years as director.
“Well, I came to race the event before I had any idea what I was getting into, and I was able to finish,” Defenbaugh said. “And then I came back the next year and did it again, and I wanted to get more involved, so I actually joined the dirt bike club, we do rides a lot, and I have made some of the best friends that I have ever had.”
Tomorrow morning, over 1,500 bikers will take the track to race for the official Desert 100, the winners earn a $500 prize.
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