In a previous post with many remembering the worst place they ever got stuck...Mike O'Reilly mentioned my article for the 2019 Corduroy Enduro Program that recalled the infamous 1978 event. I'm not sure how to post the link, so I'll just try a "copy/paste". If at all interested, pour a cup of coffee and enjoy. Btw...the 16 year old Canadian mentioned in the last paragraph is multi-time Canadian Enduro champ and ISDT medalist Blair Sharpless...who is now Cord Trail-boss. And another piece of Cord trivia...neither Mike nor I are certified Penton family historians...but we're 90% sure that the Cord is the only major 2 day event won by every "racing" member of the immediate family: JP, Tom, Jeff, and Jack. Now that's something!
The Corduroy...Always Canada's Toughest?
By Richard Colahan, Valley Forge (PA) Trail Riders
It's right there on the Web-site Home page: Canada's Toughest Race, as well as the description of being a hard enduro before "Hard Enduro" was a term. Now in its 66th year, was that always the case? I thought I'd take a look back at a bit of Cord history to get some perspective. I think we'll all agree that an event's "toughness" is relative to its era...for both riders and machines. For example, if we could put Philippe Chaine and his KTM into the Way-back machine and put him on the starting line for the inaugural 1953 Cord...there is no doubt he would breeze through the course without breaking a sweat! But there's also no doubt that dragging a 350 to 400 pound Harley 750, Ariel or Triumph 650, or Norton 600 through the muddy corduroy roads ridden back in those days was an incredible challenge. Not to mention the difficulty in just keeping one of those bikes running for 2 days with their balky magnetos and minimal air filters. And those early Cord's were long...the 1962 event was 596km (370m) long!
I was fortunate enough to ride and finish the Cord 7 times between 1975 and 1982. In those days the 2 day Cord and the Jackpine were the 2 big events that I and my fellow VFTR members looked forward to all year. They were more than just another Enduro; they were grand adventures covering miles and miles of riding. You started early in the morning, and finished late in the afternoon. As a side note, in that time period the Cord ran under 3 different sets of rules! Although the early Cords were run under CMA time-keeping rules (set speed averages, secret checkpoints, points lost for being early as well as late) in the early 1970's they were run under FIM rules similar to the ISDT. Set speed averages with known checkpoints where you lost points for being late, but could arrive early, wait for your number to come up, and check in on time. In 1978, in an effort to reduce speeding on the many back roads used as transit sections, the CMA and BEMC added another twist with a switch to CMA Brand X rules: timekeeping with secret checkpoints...but when you were late you acquired the new number you checked in on. That meant adding your number of late minutes to your original riding number and to the times you had written on your route/time chart. Got all that??? Not too tough to add when you were maybe 4 minutes late...but a real brain-buster when you fell further behind. Try mentally adding a number like 17 or 23 to every minute entry on your route/time chart as you bounced down a muddy corduroy road trying to stay on time! Remember, this was well before the intro of Enduro computers!
As many of you that rode the Cord back in the 70's will recall, the 1978 event stands out as one of the toughest ever. First, it was long...570km (354m) total with 278km (173m) on Saturday and a longer 292km (181m) on Sunday. Departing from the Deer Lodge near Haliburton we did a loop south with gas stops in Irondale, Trapper's Inn, Gooderham and Wilberforce. We crossed the Burnt River in the morning and the Irondale River in the afternoon. Prior to the 5:00 pm finish at Deer Lodge and the bikes' impound for the night, we did the hill climb special test behind the hockey rink in Haliburton, where many of the town-folk turned out to watch! Overall, not too tough of a day...but Sunday would bring the challenge! From Deer Lodge we headed east doing a section of the difficult Peterson trail which took a few points from all riders, with morning gas stops at Portage Lake and Tory Hill. Then another crossing of the Irondale River before a lunch stop in Wilberforce. By the afternoon gas stop 177km (110m) out at Fort Irwin the miles were starting to take their toll and most of us figured (hoped???) that the ride to the finish would ease up a bit. But it wasn't to be. We headed west on Haliburton Lake Rd, rode a section of the HydroLine, then on to a series of gravel roads before turning onto the Powderhorn Trail. Best as I can tell, the Powderhorn is a snowmobile trail that when frozen over and covered with a few feet of snow might be a delight on a snowmobile. But not on this September day. Except for the riders on the earliest numbers it was a rutted, muddy nightmare. Bikes were stuck everywhere in the goo up to the engine cases. There was no alternative path around, the surrounding woods were swamp. Not sure just how many miles long it was, but eventually we came out to a lake-side checkpoint, and what we assumed was the end of the misery, perhaps picking up another easy gravel road to catch our breath. While stopped at the checkpoint having my card marked, I glanced to my left and noticed 2 small boats on the shore. The check crew had gotten there by boat! Back into the woods we went as the section was not over. At one point the trail went up a steep bank at the top of which you had to make a quick left turn to avoid going over the crest into a lake which a number of tired riders unfortunately did. Only their bikes' handlebars were visible above water. Eventually we made it to a gas stop on Sherborne Road north of Carnarvon, now with 243km (151m) ridden. I recall taking the time to wash as much mud as I could from my handgrips and departing with a pair of clean gloves I could at least hold onto the bike again. Now for an easy ride to the finish?? Nope. We did one more loop west of Rte 35 with Big Baldy type rocks and mud and a few more points lost at the last on-course checkpoint. I clearly recall that check crew saying that very few riders had come into their check. After the final gas stop in Carnarvon, finally an easy gravel road ride to the finish at Deer Lodge (which was right on Lake Kashagawigamog). The final tally? 300 entries, 38 finishers, 13%. Certainly one of the toughest Cords ever.
No doubt most riders of the 1978 Cord have a similar story they remember, but I'd like to close with a mention of three finishers. First is the overall win by my friend, the late John Cooper of the South Jersey Enduro Riders on a 175 KTM. John came back to repeat as overall winner in 1979 on a 400 Maico. Second is fellow VFTR club member Rick Becker who was riding his home built special: a Honda XL 125 engine in a Suzuki RM-125 frame. Rick and I teamed up to drag our bikes through the mud of the Powderhorn. I joke that without his help I might still be there! Shortly after the lake-side checkpoint Rick pulled over with a broken throttle cable. He carried a spare (which many of us did in those days) and said he could swap it. There was nothing I could do to help so on I went. At the finish at Deer Lodge I anxiously waited for Rick to come in. Did he get going again and make it those last tough miles? Did he over-shoot that bank and end up in the lake? I began to get nervous that something bad had happened. Suddenly a silent, dead-engine bike turned off Wigamog Road and coasted down the lane to the finish check. It was Rick. He had blown his engine at the 569km mark of a brutal 570km Corduroy, pulled in the clutch and calmly coasted to the finish with a smile, winning the Senior (aka Intermediate) 125 class!
And finally there's the finish of a 16 year old from the Toronto area riding his first Corduroy, an Enduro that his father had won three times. On a Can Am 250 he won the White Trophy as best scoring Canadian Junior, not to mention placing 14th overall. Turned out to be the first of his many successful Corduroys. His name escapes me at the moment...but I'm sure you can figure out who it was!
So there's a brief look back in time at the Corduroy. Canada's toughest Enduro...and a hard enduro long before "Hard Enduro" became a term!
Richard Colahan
1969 V1225
Upper Black Eddy PA