Monday Morning Coffee Opinion Column

By Billy Rainford

The recent passing of Wally Levy got me thinking about some of what’s really important in life. Although Wally left way too early, he had a very positive impact on everyone who knew him or even just met him once. And it’s definitely not just because he’s gone that people are saying nice things about him; he was genuinely a good dude. What a nice legacy to leave behind. Nobody gets out alive!

I took quite a bit of psychology in University and I like to give people little projects to work on, unsolicited or otherwise. 🤣 The simplest one and one of the most important skills I know is that of giving out a compliment. Your task for today is to do just that.

I know that sounds ridiculously easy, but there’s a theory out there that says some people have trouble doing it because, in their mind, to give someone else a compliment equates to an insult to yourself. Honestly, there are people who just can’t give them out! I’m sure you know someone like that, or maybe you’re just now realizing you may be one of them! Go tell someone how well they did something and watch how good it makes you feel. I’m serious, try it.

I didn’t get out to a track this weekend, but I did get out on my MTB for a couple rides. What a difference the temperature makes! It was only 6-8 Celsius on my last ride and I could feel it burning in my lungs. We were away for a while in France and then it rained for a few days straight when we got back, so I was off the bike for an extended period of time. The cold air really lets you know!

Whenever the Canadian Triple Crown Series is in the London area – for Gopher Dunes and Walton Raceway – I always make a point of trying to get people out for a cycle. Whether it’s on the road or on the trails, I feel we’ve got some pretty fun terrain to ride around here and I like to share it with our riders who are crossing the country.

I’ve taken a few people on the Fanshawe Lake Loop from my place but I don’t think I’ve done the Boler “Mountain” Loop from my place with any riders. I’ve also shown the Fanshawe Loop from a GoPro mounted on my helmet on a Surron at night but nothing of the Boler route, until now…

I slapped the camera on my helmet for the loop on the weekend and will have it live on our YouTube channel later today. I’ve got the video all done, I’m just trying to figure out if I should do some sort of voice-over on it or not.

I was definitely breathing a little harder than I normally would on some of the climbs, but I’m blaming it on the temperature. In fact, there were a few times when I really wanted to just hop off and walk but knew I couldn’t because it was being recorded! It was good motivation.

Tyler Gibbs CREO Team Photo Shoot

#22 Tyler Gibbs from Mission, BC is set to begin his 2023-24 season with CREO KTM team to race the General Tire Arenacross series that starts November 3-4 for Rounds 1 and 2 at Storemont Vail Events Center in Topeka, Kansas.

GT Arenacross Schedule:

Rounds 1-2: November 2-3 Topeka, KS

Rounds 3-4: December 1-2 Enid, OK

Rounds 5-6: December 9-10 Lebanon, MO

Rounds 7-8: January 5-6 Lincoln,. NE

Rounds 9-10: January 12-13 Dallas, TX

Rounds 11-12: January 19-20 Kansas City, MO

Rounds 13-14: January 26-27 Wichita, KS

Rounds 15-16: February 2-3 Springfield, MO

We got to know Team Owner Jeff Crutcher last year when he had Guillaume St Cyr riding for him for a few rounds of Monster Energy AMA Supercross.

This deal will also see Tyler race the eastern swing of the AMA Supercross series.

The team:

#26 Jorgen Talviku – 26

#23 Dawson Kaub – 23

#22 Tyler Gibbs – 22

Marek Kunnapas – Mechanic

Jeff Crutcher – Principal

Jorgen Talviku is from Estonia and represented his country at the 2023 Motocross of Nations in Ernée, France.

Dawson Kaub spent time at Viney Ranch in Murrieta last year and we got to know him there.

Here are a few shots of Tyler:

Tyler Gibbs with Jeff Crutcher.

Good luck, team.

Dubya World Vet Championships at Glen Helen

I’ll be flying out to California (I have to specify “flying” otherwise people will assume I’m driving!) on Thursday for the 39th annual Dubya World Vet Championships at Glen Helen to cover the event and specifically Team Canada.

I’ve watched coverage of this event for years and always wanted to get out there, so when Ryan “Skippy” Mobbs asked if I’d like to join them I jumped at the chance.

We’ve got a strong official team, and I know there will be a bunch of other Canucks making the trip, so I’m really looking forward to it.

And check this thing out!

I was talking with Johnny Proteau the other day and he’s driving the Team Canada rig down to Glen Helen, but it’s not just another rig! Have a look at www.hdtoybox.com

Team Canada is pitted along the start straight heading into the Talladega first turn so you know I’ll be getting some video from up on top of this thing!

Noel Flatters from SuperFine Media was in Idaho Falls, Idaho, all weekend covering rounds 3 and 4 of the IRC Endurocross series where Canadian #84 Trystan Hart took the wins on both nights. Fellow Canadian #53 Melissa Harten finished 2-3 in the Women’s Pro class.

Noel will check in from our “Western Bureau” with another photo report covering all the action from Saturday. Here’s his in depth Race Report from Friday night:

SuperFine Media Race Report | 2023 IRC Endurocross Round 3 – Idaho Falls

By: Noel Flatters @ SuperFine Media

Brought to you by iRide Supplements.

Round 3 of the IRC Tires Endurocross Presented by Progressive Series was a fun one for Canadian Enduro fans. Trystan Hart (FMF KTM Factory Racing) bounced back from what he referred to as terrible Rounds 1 & 2 to take the overall win tonight, and to move up from 5th to 3rd overall in the series here in Idaho Falls, ID. Canadian Melissa Harten (Beta Racing Canada) kept things rolling in the Pro Women’s class with a P2 on the night that further solidified her hold on 2nd overall in the series with three rounds left.

Spenser Wilton (aka The People’s Champ) was ready to rumble for Round 3.
The pits outside the arena were pretty chilly today, but at least it didn’t snow like the day before!
Canadian Enduro legend, Shelby Turner, chatting here with 2023 AMA Hard Enduro Series champ, Hallie Marks (Sherco USA), was in the house for her TV commentating duties while she recovers from double ACL surgeries.
Gus Riordan (FMF RPM KTM Racing) made a guest appearance fresh off his win at the final round of the GNCC series to wrench for his brother Will here at Round 3. We chatted briefly, and he’s thinking about possibly riding one or both of the upcoming Endurocross rounds in Redmond, OR and Reno, NV.
The track was the story for the first part of the day here in Idaho Falls. Riders had voiced their opinions Thursday about the lack of a big technical feature that would help to separate the field. The promoters obliged by adding in a wicked log matrix, which ended up being almost non-race-able for the vast majority of the fields here. Changes were made to the matrix throughout the day, and a log was eventually removed to keep the obstacle flowing. Cody Webb (FactoryOne Sherco) chipped in to do a little shovel-work during the Pro track walk.
A boil-over in the log matrix during Pro Women’s afternoon racing.
This is German pro Tim Apolle (Beta Racing USA) doubling the last feature before the finish line in practice yesterday afternoon. It was, from my perspective, a really cool little section that would play to riders who could get on the throttle hard after exiting the final corner. Tim was rear-wheel tapping it on the way over, which just looked sick. This section was changed after practice/qualifying to slow things down over the jump. Not sure why, but in the end it may have been a bit too much of a huck-to-flat situation? Racers had to hit the revised section/feature blind when racing started. Rachel Gutish (P1 overall and winner of Round 3) described it as the ‘mystery feature’ when I interviewed her post-race.
The rock garden was pretty good in Round 3. Just the right mix of speed and carnage! Canadian pro Spenser Wilton (HTR GasGas) showed good form and speed through here in practice.
Branden Petrie (Sherco Enduro Racing) looked good in Round 3. His highlight was a P7 in Moto 2, but a broken tire bead in Moto 3 resulted in a DNF that likely dropped him out of the top 10 overall in the series.
Rachel Gutish (Over & Out Racing / GasGas) continued her dominance of the Women’s Pro class with her third P1 in three rounds.
Calgary-based Melissa Harten (Beta Canada Racing) had a great night with P2 on a gnarly course!
Hallie Marks (Sherco USA) finished up P3 after having a titanic struggle with the feature that was added after practice and that had to be ridden blind for the race.
Your Pro Women’s podium: Rachel Gutish P1, Melissa Harten P2, Haille Marks P3.
Colton Haaker (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing), shown here taking the win in Moto 2, had a great Round 3. He went 4-1-5/P4 and wore a hot dog suit during the rider introductions. Style for miles!
This was the key moment in Moto 2. Jonny Walker crashed on the exit of the log matrix while leading, allowing Colton Haaker (out of frame), Trystan Hart and Cody Webb to get by him. Those three would finish the moto in that order, with Walker race-managing his way to P4.
Trystan Hart (FMF KTM Factory Racing) takes first place checkers in Moto 3 to finish 1-2-1 on the night for 1st overall. He also moved himself up from 5th to 3rd in the Series overall standings.
Did you even win the round if you didn’t do a burn-out?
Jonny Walker had some very heated words with teammate Tim Apolle after Moto 3. Apolle took Walker out as Walker was lapping him behind Trystan, and Walker dropped from 2nd to 3rd in the Moto. It had been a rough night for Walker already, losing his first motos of the series and then getting taken out while racing Trystan for the win in the final moto.
Your Pro Men’s podium: Tyrstan Hart (1-2-1) 1st, Jonny Walker (2-4-3) 2nd, Cody Webb (5-3-2) P3. That’s a lot of Red Bull up there…
Aussie Will Riordan (FMF RPM KTM Racing) wasn’t happy with his 8-10-10/P9 night and was clearly feeling pretty bagged here at the end of it, but when I chatted with him post-race he was sounding pretty motivated to rectify things the next day in Round 4.
Celebration time!
The Robot is a really a big squishy lovebird underneath that world-class athlete exterior!

It’s raining and 5 Celsius here today. It’s supposed to stop later so there’s a chance I can get out for a cycle, but it’s not looking very plausible at this point. Staying motivated to ride here in Canada can be difficult. We’ve got a couple staitonary bikes in the basement but they are mostly used to dry blankets out of the washing machine. I see people using Zwift and I think that must be the only way to make staying in one place at least a tiny bit less mind-numbing.

I used to meet up with a couple friends and set up our trainers in front of a movie on Sundays but I don’t see that happening again anytime soon because A) I don’t really have to train and B) the friends I used to train with have either moved or don’t ride anymore.

Have a great week, everyone. Next time we’re doing Monday Morning Coffee together, I’ll be on my way back from Glen Helen.

That’s my “Dick in a box” costume from 2007. If you’re reading this from our Facebook page, go ahead and post your halloween costume photos!