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Burnout Wednesday
Bikers Avoiding Sturgis Crowds
SUNDANCE -- With his right hand twisting the throttle, Gillette biker Ed Wales spun his back wheel until a thick, gray cloud swallowed him up. Then he triumphantly shot his left fist into the air, making the No. 1 sign, as an American flag fluttered overhead in a mix of burnt rubber and blue exhaust.
A big roar went up as bits of hot rubber rained down on the people, streaking their faces black. They hooted and drank beer.
But Charles Pincombe had something to prove. He'd won the annual burnout competition two years ago, then placed second "to a chick" last year, he said. Pincombe was determined to regain top honors.
When he rapped up his engine, the back tire puked out a thick, low-blooming shroud of smoke. Then Pincombe did what few bikers ever attempt: He planted his boots on the tank and seat and finished his burnout surfer-style.
His biker brethren loved this. They cheered in approval, and for the moment, Pincombe was on top again.
"You can't find that in Sturgis," said Scott Lecy of Rochester, Minn.
This was the Dime Horseshoe Bar's "," which pretty much belongs to the whole town of Sundance, by now.
Northeast Wyoming catches more and more spillover from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally each year. Sundance's Burnout Wednesday is part of the "Devils Tower Loop." On this day, tens of thousands of bikers tour through Beulah, Sundance, Hulett and Aladdin, bringing with them tons of cash and fun.
Lecy and his biker friends, Kenny Hewlet and Charlie Milligan, said it's nice to get out of cramped Sturgis, S.D., where the rally is becoming more of a tourist show every year. They said the rally attracts a lot of non-bikers to Sturgis. There seem to be too many kids and plenty of police.
"Sturgis has changed a lot over the years," Hewlet said.
"It's nice to come here and unwind. And it's organized, so nobody gets hurt."
It's fine to bring young junior to the motorcycle rally so he can see all the different and wonderful breeds of motorcycle. But don't count on these bikers to keep the show PG-13. The young woman in black fishnet was showing more than shoulders and legs. Within the limits of the law, mind you, this is the time and place to cut loose.
Hulett's annual Ham & Jam used to be known for its generous showcase of public nudity. However, even that's been tamed in recent years, and bikers are relegated to exchanging beaded necklaces for flashes in dark corners of Wyoming bars these days.
Local businesses love the one-week injection of cash, and regular locals enjoy mixing with the people and trying to blend in, with varied degrees of success.
As bikers took turns blowing their tires in Sundance on Wednesday afternoon, a pair of local old-timers leaned on the shady part of a brick wall and watched the show.
"I like all the bikes," said Ed Meisner, who moved to the Sundance area in 1944. "I don't particularly care for the burnouts."
Lamenting his successful burnout, Ed Wales leaned his Harley on its kickstand and offered his advice for peeling rubber.
"Just let go of the clutch," he said.
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