Hare Scramble with Eli
By Scott O ’ Sullivan O ’ Sullivan Law Firm
Who says lawyers can ’ t be rock-hopping studs ?! Just when you think lawyers are stiff , boring suits , you meet Eli Ohlhausen , attorney-slashoff-road-maniac .
Eli , who is now an attorney at my firm , started his professional life in the motorcycle industry . He attended the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix , Arizona and , upon graduation , he was hired by a BMW dealership . In just a few short years , Eli moved from certified mechanic , to service advisor , and eventually was promoted to manager of the service department . He knows his bikes .
But he ’ s also sort of an off-road stud . And to prove his off-road prowess hasn ’ t diminished with maturity ( today , he ’ s a stellar lawyer and married to a lovely bride ), he ’ s decided to participate in several “ hare scrambles ” this summer .
What is a hare scramble , you ask ? ( I know I did .) According to Wikipedia : “ Hare scramble is a form of off-road motorcycle racing that varies in distance and time , with the riders completing multiple laps around a marked course through wooded or other rugged natural terrain . The overall winner is the rider who maintains the highest speed throughout the race .”
The personal injury attorney in me would like to add , “… the overall winner is the rider who maintains the highest speed throughout the race … and emerges
unharmed !” But I ’ m not sure Eli factors that last bit into his strategy .
As Eli explained , “ All the riders line up on the line , a gun blasts , and we all take off like a bat out of hell , riding for two hours as fast as you possibly can . The trickiest part comes right at the start when 50 riders go into a hairpin turn that only fits 10 .”
After a moment of stunned silence , I said , “ Yeah , what could possibly go wrong ?”
Eli is planning to participate in several of the rides in the Colorado Off-Road Championship Series . The rides take place all over the state , from Trinidad to Watkins .
Why does Eli like these rides ? I asked him and he looked at me like I had asked , “ Why do kids like candy ?” He thinks the answer is obvious : fun ! Clearly , this attorney has an unusual sense of “ fun .”
Then we got into the truth of the matter : Eli ’ s using the rides as an excuse to get a new bike . He didn ’ t put it that way , but clearly that is a major incentive for ride participation .
His current ride is a KTM EXC which came as a 400cc bike but he used his mad master mechanic skills and the bike is now “ bored and stroked ” to 580cc . Using a foreign language , Eli says to me , “ It launches a monkey on the count of 10 .” ( huh ?) ( Readers take note : he may be willing to sell this bike soon .)
What kind of bike might he get ? He says he ’ d like a KTM 450XC or 350XS .
Stay tuned to learn more about Eli ’ s “ hare-raising ” activities this summer ! www . thunderroadscolorado . com June 2016 Thunder Roads Magazine ® Colorado 9