Wrap Up
2025 Glacial Lakes MC Grand Tour Results
The results for the 2025 Glacial Lakes MC Grand Tour have been published . . . . drum roll please . . . and I achieved 8th place.
You may recall that back in February, I identified 165 potential bonuses within a 750-kilometre radius of my home, and I had planned to visit around 100 of those locations.
In the end, I visited only 70 towns due to an abnormally wet & rainy Winter.
The South-West Loop, which I did not complete last year, was missed again this year. May be I should make that my first GT ride in 2026 ?
The median bonus score was 36.5 points, so I am happy with my achievement of 70 points, especially considering that the "side dish" of poker chips was not available here in Oz.
As you will recall from your Maths 101 classes, the statistical median can be considered as the “middle” score, as it represents the point where 50% of the data is above and 50% is below.
In hind-sight, the 2 bonuses I skipped on my last ride carried a heavy price, not to mention the 8 bonus points I missed when my North Coast Loop ride was cut short.
Those "extra" points would have moved me to 7th. In the scheme of things, this is no big deal because as the old saying goes, " there is first place and then there are the rest "
All up, I travelled just under 5,000 km and consumed just over 250 litres of fuel.
The winner, Mr Collins, came in with an unbelievable score of 594 points, followed not so closely by Messrs. Synder, Frick & Bowman on 245, 232 & 199 points respectively.
Does that mean that Massachusetts, where Mr Collins is from, is full of towns with old bars and decrepit restaurants showing obvious and advanced signs of age, disorder, and neglect ?
No mention was made in the published results of the "Best Story" or "Best Picture" Awards, as outlined in The Rules, so I assume they were not made for some reason.
Of the 43 riders who "signed up" for this year's Grand Tour, 24 achieved Finisher status. At 56%, this achievement rate is similar to recent Grand Tours.
Overall, I enjoyed the 2025 Grand Tour, particularly the challenge of identifying where the bonuses were and then plotting routes to hoover up as many as possible.
Less enjoyable was riding during our Winter months, or worse, sitting at home waiting for the repeated rain events to stop.
And yes, I know my winter is nothing compared to winter in Minnesota or the Dakotas.
I also learned the valuable lesson of never riding with friends whose bike's battery is more than 4 years old.
But those Winter months are behind me now, and my main riding season (Sept ~ Apr) has begun.
As there is no Grand Tour available, I am toying with the idea of riding the Top 10 Motorcycle Routes in my state.
As I mentioned in an early blog, the Great Dividing Mountain Range runs down the East coast of Oz, and there are several great "motorcycle" routes along the way.
Routes like the Oxley Hwy, Thunderbolts Way, Kings Hwy, Brown Mountain, Bylong Way, Waterfall Way, Nymboida Valley promise hours of motorcycling fun.
Once again, I would like to thank our Rally Master for his time and effort.
Before signing off, and on a more sombre note, it has been announced that Mr Synder (2nd place) and his partner have been involved in a motorcycle accident and are both in hospital in a critical but stable condition. May they both make a quick and complete recovery.
Until next time, take care . . .
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