Stumpjumpers Desert 100 a Dirt Bike Tradition

April 28, 2015

Congratulations to this year's top three overall finishers Jon Seehorn, Matt Clarke, and John Beal!Photos by Kevin Dahlen

Posted by SJMC Desert 100 on Wednesday, April 15, 2015

More than 700 riders thundered across the desert for the trademark mass start at the 45th annual Stumpjumpers Desert 100 earlier this month in Eastern Washington.

Cool spring temperatures made the weekend of April 12-13 ideal for the largest annual gathering of dirt bikes in the Pacific Northwest. The race is famed for its long history and unique mass start that begins with the boom of a cannon blast.

Hosted by the Stumpjumpers Motorcycle Club since 1969, the event is an opportunity for riders to celebrate the end of winter by getting back on the dirt. Drawing more than 5,000 people, the weekend event has evolved over the years to now include a poker tournament, an 80-mile Ironman Run and a Mini's Run for kids.

The race itself consists of 50 mile track through the desert. Some make it once, while others take a pit stop and go for the full 100 miles. Enthusiastic spectators crowd the start and finish to cheer on the riders. Race lovers and dirt bike enthusiasts eagerly look forward to this annual event, with a route laid out over varied terrain. From back roads, farm tracks and private trails the race offers a mix of sand and high desert sage.

This year the club had to find new property for the race as land they had previously used would be fertilized with bio-solids. Lucily a club member read about a ranch further east that was willing to provide their property for recreational use. A deal was struck quickly and the weekend racing went off without a hitch.

Vicki Clinebell majored in journalism at the University of Colorado and headed to an advertising agency before beginning a long career in broadcasting, spanning production and copywriting to Sales and Management for an ABC affiliate station.

Her decision to switch gears to pursue a career in writing fulfilled a lifelong ambition. She started as a blogger for a diverse group of businesses, and now writes for a number of digital publications for companies stationed in her hometown in the Rocky Mountains, and provides advertising copy and media buys for national and regional clients. She finds the research as intersting as the writing—she loves learning about subjects as diverse as construction scaffolding, child safety seats, and the newest trends in beauty and fashion.