Trevor Kline's ISDE Recap

Wheelsports Rider, Trevor Kline, Gives Us the Scoop on the 2013 ISDE

By Heather Wilson

November 1, 2013

Wheelsports rider, Trevor Kline, qualified for the AMA District 37 club team of the 2013 ISDE that was held Sept. 30 – Oct. 5 in Sardinia, Italy.

Kline said since this was his first time going to the ISDE, he wasn’t sure what to expect. “I had received lots of help and tips from many people who had been to six days before and tried to find the common theme,” said Kline. “Most everyone said to be sure to make it through the first two days without many problems, and then pick it up the rest of the week.”

Sept. 22 – 24

Kline said while checking into his outgoing flight he was greeted by the Scholl family waiting with good luck signs.

“I was totally surprised, as my wife, Catie, and Mike Scholl coordinated the whole thing,” Kline said. “It was really awesome and made me even more excited to get over to Italy and get the race underway.”

Kline’s wife, Catie, went with him, along with Kline’s dad, Charlie. They flew into Rome, arriving Monday morning. Kline said they rented and car and set out to see what Rome had in store for them.

“The closer we got to downtown, the scarier it got,” Kline said. “There were scooters everywhere, and they were absolutely fearless darting in and out of traffic, without even looking to see how close the cars were. Once in downtown, we looked for the closest parking spot so that we could get out of the car and walk before we got into an accident. Once parked, we noticed that every car parked had both bumpers banged up. After our drive in, we could understand why.”

Racing wasn’t the only thing Kline had the opportunity to do. He and his family got to do a little sightseeing in Rome prior to the ISDE, including a visit to the Coliseum.

After seeing a bit of Rome, the Kline family headed back to the airport to catch their flight to Sardegna. Kline said flying over the Tyerian Sea you could see that the water was crystal clear. “The closer we got to the island the more excited we all got,” Kline said.

Sept. 25 - 26

The next few days were spent unloading the container, prepping the bike and walking a few tests in between. He said they even had time to take a short trip to the beach.

“The weather was awesome,” Kline said. “It was mid-80s and sunny every day. However, as warm as it was outside, the water was extremely cold so we didn’t spend much time there.”

Kline said the special tests were fairly long, with each one being close to 4.5 miles. “All of them were very dusty, and super fast, with long straightaways and wide arching turns,” he said. “…something that I normally struggle with, but was ready to prove that to be wrong. I knew that it was going to be a long dusty week.” “Once I had the bike prepped, I headed out to the test track and was amazed that I could tell where it was from miles away by the giant mushroom cloud of dust,” Kline said.

“Once I got to the track, I spun about 10 laps on the worst track I have ever ridden. It had huge powder berms and nothing but craters the whole length of the straightaways. I made a few suspension adjustments and headed back out for a few more laps. After I got done, I decided to change my bike settings back to where I had them originally, since I could not imagine the test sections getting that bad.”

Sept. 27 - Friday

He said Friday was a big day. He went through administration, tech inspection and impound.

“All the hard work finally paid off, and it was time to relax before opening ceremonies,” Kline said.

In the meantime, they visited a museum on the island. “In the lobby of the museum they even had a six days display with some old vintage bikes from past six days that was really neat,” Kline said.

Sept. 28 - Saturday

Opening ceremonies commenced. “We walked down the main street in Olbia, and it was awesome to see all the locals lining the streets and cheering as we walked past,” he said. “When we got to the paddock, I was kind of let down. We just walked up on the stage, they introduced us as the United States, and then we walked off. People were saying that the ceremony was really lame compared to years past, as they have had lots of food vendors and live music in the past.”

Sept. 29 - Sunday

Kline said Sunday was a day to relax. The night before, Kline was talking to U.S. team member Brian Storrie and his wife. They were going snorkeling with some others from the team, so Kline and his family added their names on the list and headed out Sunday morning.

“The snorkeling guides were really unprepared, as we ran out of fuel on the way to our spot, and had to get a tow to a marina for fuel,” Kline said. “Once we arrived, it was awesome. The water was crystal clear, but a little chilly. We fought through that though and had a blast, as it was our first time snorkeling.”

Sept. 30 – Monday – ISDE: Day 1

Kline said his goal was to make it through the first day with no problems and no crashes.

“The transfer trail to the first test was awesome as it was tight and flowing,” Kline said. “However, when we got to the first test, it was a huge dust cloud and looked fairly whooped out already. Sure enough, I took off, and it was exactly as I thought -- fast and really choppy. I made it through with no problems, but I knew I rode way too conservative. The second test was the same, and I went in charging. Three turns in and I was on the ground before I knew what had even happened. I got going again and made it to the end. The rest of the day I rode really tight and really conservative.”

Oct. 1 – Tuesday – ISDE: Day 2

Kline said day two was the exact same course as day one. “It was set to be even rougher and even dustier,” Kline said. “I made it through the first two tests, but had a tip over in each section. I was beginning to get really frustrated with how I was riding. Test 3 was an awesome grass track that was holding up really well. I had a much better time in that section and knew I had made up some time. However, I did not finish the rest of the day that way. I fell again in the next test and struggled to find my groove the rest of the day.”

Oct. 2 – Wednesday – ISDE: Day 3

Day three was set to run day one and day two backwards. “Knowing this I made some serious suspension adjusts to help my bike turn better, as I had fought for front end traction the first two days,” said Kline. “I started the day with a great first test and had finally started to move in the right direction. I had one crash in test two after getting together with a slower rider. I was able to get up fairly quick with little damage to myself or the bike. The rest of the day went really well, and I knew that my times were much better than the first two days. I had gained some confidence and was glad to be done riding clapped out trail.”

Oct. 3 – Thursday – ISDE: Day 4

“Day four offered new trail, and we were to ride that again on day five,” Kline said. “I was really excited for new trail, especially these days, as there were two awesome grass tracks each day. Day four was really uneventful crash-wise, and I knew that I had ridden the best I had all week. I passed five to six riders every test. Still, I knew I could have done better, as the dust was still really thick.”

Oct. 4 – Friday – ISDE: Day 5

“Day five started out really well,” Kline said. “Again, I was to catch a few riders the first few tests. Test 4 was really rocking and fast, and there were two long straightaways down rocky, dry creek beds. The second straightaway I had a rock kick up right in front of me, and my bike swapped out big time. Just as I was beginning to brace for impact, I grabbed a handful of throttle and still have no idea how I didn’t crash. I was able to finish out the test with no problems. After that test, I rode a little more cautious and made it to the finish with no more problems. I had made it to the end of day five and only had the final moto left. I had also finally made it into the top 100 club riders and hoped to move up even more after the moto.”

Kline said Friday night offered a huge monsoon and cool temperatures.

Oct. 5 – Saturday – ISDE: Day 6

“Saturday morning came, and I was really looking forward to the final moto, as I was to be in fast heat of the C3 class,” Kline said. “It was a 50 KM ride to the track, and I knew that it could be muddy. As we arrived at the track, we watched a few of the club motos and the track was extremely one lined. I knew that the start was going to be critical. We lined up on the gate, and I got a mid-pack start. In the first couple turns, I made a couple passes. At the end of the first lap, I had my front tire lose traction on the face of one of the jumps and almost high sided off the face of the jump. I just decided to settle into my own pace and finish the other four laps instead of pushing the issue and crashing out on the final moto. Four laps later, I finished my first ISDE. It was a remarkable experience, and I was glad to finish in one piece after a long week.”

Silver Medal

“All in all it was a great experience,” Kline said. “I was extremely happy to make it through the week without injury, and I ended the week with a silver medal. I could not have done it without the help of my wife, Catie, and my dad, Charlie. They were there for me all week and I cannot thank them enough for keeping me focused the whole week. After two weeks of nothing but pizza, spaghetti and ravioli, and being lost in translation, we were ready for the U.S.”

Oct. 6 – Sunday

Kline said Sunday morning they set out for Rome.

“We arrived home to a welcoming committee of parents and the Scholl family,” Kline said. “It was great to finally be home and get settled back in to life in the U.S. It was an awesome experience, and it would not have been possible without the help of many gracious family members and friends. I can’t wait for another opportunity.”

Supporters

Trevor said he would like to thank everyone who made this experience possible: His wife (Catie), his parents (Jody and Charlie), his in-laws (Mike and Jana), Wheelsports, Larry Silvia, RCD Sales, Licking County Trail Riders, Haymans Dari Bar, Appalachian Dirt Riders, ACES Enduro Series, Hocking Valley MC, Moose Racing, Newman Technical Services, Suomy, Maxima Racing Oils, Oakley, TM Designworks, Dirt Tricks, BOLT Motorcycle Hardware, Leo Vince, A-1 Auto Parts, Columbus Door and Window, Cycra Plastic, ZZ Exteriors, Xtreme Asphalt, Ours Garage, Tri County Chrysler, PAL Printing, FCS Computer, and Wimer’s Cycle.