However, before I get into family stories, yesterday I had some fun times. Ryder is my half brother's half brother, and is 18 years old. He has a dirtbike that actually runs good, but is much larger than my dirtbike. His is a 2014 Suzuki 450cc four-stroke, and mine is the Honda CR80 (80cc) two-stroke. I can have a chance at winning a race against a 250cc four-stroke, but not with Ryder's beast. However, I couldn't resist the urge to ride when Ryder challenged me to a race.
Hannah just got her driver's permit, and can't wait to get her license, so Clarke (her and my half-brother's dad) decided to take her out in her car. Ryder's girlfriend and my little half-brother sat in the back, while Clarke sat up front to give Hannah directions. I won't mention Ryder's girlfriend's name, since she is a popular Youtube, Instagram, and Musically star. She posted my account in her Instagram stuff, and I don't know if y'all really want to see the all dumb stuff I do in my free time.
(Plus, since she posted me to her instagram, I gained over a quarter of the followers I've gained in the last four years in under an hour. I've since gone private, started blocking people, and haven't accepted any more requests. I had 1,105 (mostly inactive) followers two days ago, and suddenly I made it to 1,714 active followers before I went private and started blocking everyone). I currently have 1,508 followers, another 500 follow requests, and over 100 likes on most of my recent pictures (which is dropping as I block people). So yeah.... Don't let popular social media stars tag you in their things unless you want a taste of instant fame, which is something I really, really don't want.) Anyways...
Hannah followed Ryder and I to the end of the road, and then turned around when we did. Clarke stuck his head out the window and gave Ryder and I a 10 second countdown. I pinned the throttle as soon as the countdown ended, and rapidly sped off through all 5 gears. Two-strokes have this advantage called the powerband, which allows it to go a lot faster than four-strokes in the lower gears. Two-strokes are also way lighter than four-strokes. Four-strokes work better the higher you go, and two-strokes are the opposite. Still, I can go about 65 mph uphill here on the high plains, and a lot faster downhill. Only, I'm about as weightless as my dirtbike, and once I reach that 65 mph mark, I start to struggle against the wind. The wind just loves to lift me off my seat.
Meanwhile, Ryder is a lot bigger than me and so is his bike, so he has a lot less trouble riding at high speeds. Ryder was right next to me at the crest of the hill, and as we charged down it, he passed me. We were headed westward, against the 20-30 mph winds of an approaching storm. I was way beyond my speed limit, and I panicked when the wind caught my helmet visor and my hoodie and nearly picked me up. So, I held onto the throttle and clutch with white knuckles, bent down low so my nose was at level with the front number plate on my bike, and slowed down significantly, pulling off to the side to let Hannah drive past me.
"Holy hell! I thought were gonna crash!" Ryder shouted as I pulled up next to him, "I saw you get lifted off the bike."
"Oh crap, and how fast was that?!" I asked as I killed my dirtbike's engine.
"Eh, about 80." Ryder shrugged, "Something like that. But I felt it too, so I slowed down. But damn, you're a stick!"
"Shut the hell up, Ryder." I laughed as I rolled my eyes.
"And (insert Ryder's GF's name here) got it all on Instagram." Ryder announced.
"Aw shi-"
"See!" Ryder's girlfriend interjected as she leaned out the window and showed me the video she took.
"Yeah ok, that's cool. You didn't ta-"
"Oh, don't worry, I tagged both you and Ryder. Your name wasn't in the video for long, but Ryder's was!" Ryder's girlfriend smiled, "Do you want to pose for a picture so your name is in my story longer?"
"Uhm... No thanks. I'm just gonna go home now." was all I said before kicking my bike back to life and heading back, "I don't like fame!!"
Ryder's girlfriend shouted something along the lines of "Are you sure?" as I rode away.
I'm definitely not the only daring speed demon in the family, in fact, my dad and his brothers all love going very fast, and these days my Minnesota cousins hold weekend county road truck races at 2 in the morning. While most people might find that entertaining to watch, I just find it extremely irritating, especially if I'm just trying to have a quiet past-midnight snack by the bonfire. It shouldn't come to a surprise that my cousin Troy (who is 23 years old), has totaled 10 vehicles, most of those he rolled. Of course, my uncle Wade has a lot of extra money, even after taxes, essentials, and charities, so he doesn't really mind. Every year, my cousins participate in the demolition derby, and they've won every time in the last few years.
