Thunder Press January 2021 | Page 23

Below : Malcolm Smith ( 242 ) at a checkpoint during the 45th ISDT in El Escorial , Spain . Malcolm remembers temperatures being really cold and said his fingers went numb on several occasions . Right : Malcolm with a chest full of ISDT medals he won over the years .
The ISDT in El Escorial , Spain
Bruce and Malcolm traveled together to the 1970 International Six Days Trail in El Escorial , Spain – Malcolm ’ s fourth ISDT . There was no camera crew this time , just Bruce ’ s simple , hand-held unit .
“ Bruce and I got along really well ,” Malcolm told me during prep for his autobiography , “ and had some fun on the Spain trip . He and I pretty much went our separate ways during the day . I had my riding and prep work to do , and he had his shooting , and I only remember seeing him once during the riding portion of the event . It was on a rocky downhill with switchbacks . After I passed him and he waved , I got to the bottom , looked up , and waved back . That was it .”
Each evening , their routine was a bit different , as everything pretty much closed down for a two- or three-hour siesta . No restaurants were open , or any other businesses , really . Most Spaniards don ’ t eat until 10 pm , so after Malcolm was done riding in the afternoons he and Bruce would grab a nap at the hotel and wake up at 9:00 or 9:30 for supper .
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