2015 IBR Goals and Objectives

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." -- Antoine de Saint Exupéry

My goal is to complete the 2015 Iron Butt Rally as a Gold Medal Finisher.  I will strive for a personal best by scoring better than my IBR 2013 16th place position.  

In my opinion, successful Iron Butt Rally riders are those who safely reach the final check point on time and with enough points to achieve their goals.  A rider applies his or her knowledge, skills, and abilities using the tools of the sport, in a balanced way among several interacting performance elements to achieve success. See "LD Riding on the Clock -- An Organizing Framework"

Goal-setting involves establishing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bounded (S.M.A.R.T.) objectives. Once these objectives have been set they become the gauge by which goal success can be measured. To achieve my goal I have identified specific objectives for each leg of the Rally.  These objectives are based on my analysis of the Ride Pace of previous IBR finishers.  This analysis reveals two significant metrics which help me identify the specific objectives to reach my goals:

1. Point Spread:  Gold Medal finishers achieve total points above 145% of the minimum to attain Finisher status.
2. Ride Pace:  Gold Medal finishers have an overall average around 45.0 MPH

Point Spread:  There is no way of knowing the minimum points to be considered a finisher until it is announced just prior or at the start of the leg.  This typically occurs at the opening banquet the night before the start of leg 1.  And, at the 6:00 AM  rider meetings for legs 2 & 3.  When the minimum is announced I can determine the point target (objective).

Specifically, I want to know how many bonus location points I must plan for to reach the 145% target over minimum.  Not all of the points will be bonus location points, or points I earn by successfully reaching a location and document the stop as called for by the bonus listing.  About 20% to 30% of the minimum bonus points can be derived from admin bonuses; tracking, rest, call-in and others.  By subtracting the points of the admin bonus from the 145% over minimum value I can then determine the target amount of location bonus points necessary to achieve the leg goal.  This becomes my bonus point target for the route selection task.  I will select bonus locations with the highest value for the calculated achievable miles and the available time.

Ride Pace:   Normally, I can maintain a 45-48 MPH overall average (Ovg) while riding on the clock.  My moving average (Mvg) varies depending on the geographical area but are generally 65-70 MPH in the western US and 60-65 MPH in the eastern US.  Apply these metrics with the announced leg hours and the rest is basic math.  Reference:  Rally Leg Plan Tool -- Profile

Listed below are the planning standards/assumptions  I use to calculate the number of possible bonus locations and bonus location total time for each leg.  Combine the number of bonus locations with the target points for the leg can lead to selecting a route that meets objectives:  145% of leg minimum at a sustainable Ovg around 46 MPH

• Planning on the Clock:  Zero for Leg 1, 2:00 hours for Legs 2 & 3
• Fuel Endurance Distance (FED) -- 350 miles of usable fuel range with small reserve
• Average time per Pit Stop -- 0:10 minutes each
• Rest hours per 24 hour period -- 8 Hours to earn full value of the Rest Bonus with 6 hours for each remaining 24hr period.
• Average time per Bonus Stop -- 0:10 minutes each or multiples of 10 min for bonus stops that require a specific amount of time greater than 10 minutes.

2015 Iron Butt Rally Leg Start/End Date/Time -- Starting and Ending in Albuquerque (ABQ) NM

Leg 1:  10:00 MDT 29 Jun, ABQ NM 82 hours to end 20:00 MDT 2 Jul, ABQ NM

• Route Selection:  0:00 planning on the clock
• Planning Miles:  3,772 miles = 82:00 Lhrs X 46 MPH Ovg 
• Moving Time:  55:28 = 3,772 miles / 68 MPH Mvg
• Pit Stop Number:  10 = 3,772 / 350 FED (rounded up)
• Pit Stop Time: 1:40 = 10 Pit stops X 0:10 per stop
• Rest Stop Number:  3 = 82:00 / 24 hours
• Rest Stop Time:  18:00 = 6:00 standard (day 1), 8:00 Rest Bonus (day2), 4:00 day3
• Bonus Stop Time:  6:51 = 82:00 Lhrs - 55:28 Mvt - 1:40 PSt - 18:00 RSt
• Bonus Stop Number:  41 = 6:51 / 0:10 per standard bonus stop
• Slack Time:  To be calculated after route/bonus number is determined

Leg 2:  06:00 MDT 3 Jul, ABQ NM 60 hours to end in 20:00 EDT 5 Jul, Kingsport TN (EDT)

• Route Selection:  2:00 planning on the clock
• Planning Miles: 2,760  (at 46 Ovg)
• Moving Time: 40:35 (at 68 Mvg)
• Pit Stop Number:  7
• Pit Stop Time:  1:10
• Rest Stop Number:  2
• Rest Stop Time:  12:00 (4:00 day 1, 8:00 RB 2 day, maybe)
• Bonus Stop Time: 4:14
• Bonus Locations:  25 (at 0:10 standard each)
• Slack Time:  To be calculated after route/bonus number is determined

Leg 3:  06:00 AM 6 July, East US 100 hours to end 08:00 MDT 10 July, ABQ NM

• Route Selection:  2:00 planning on the clock
• Planning Miles:  4,500 (at 45.0 Ovg)
• Moving Time:  69:13 (at 65.0 Mvg)
• Pit Stop Number:12
• Pit Stop Time:  2:00
• Rest Stop Number:  4
• Rest Stop Time:  22:00 (split among 4 days maxing the RB)
• Bonus Stop Time:  4:46
• Bonus Locations:  29 (at 0:10 standard each)
• Slack Time:  To be calculated after route/bonus number is determined

After the route is selected I will use the computed route miles, computed Mvg, pit stops, planned rest time and number of selected bonus locations to determine the slack time to the checkpoint. 

I fully expect the plan and objectives to be challenged by the operational environment as I ride the leg.  But, these organizing measurements will help me to make better decisions about changes to the plan.  Understanding how the allocation of total leg hours among the various uses aides me in maintaining a consistent ride pace and manage resources.  Once the slack time is determined I will spend it dearly.  I will seek efficiencies doing bonus. pit and rest stops.   I am committed not to purchase bonus stop time with the currency of excessive moving average MPH (speed).  Also, I am determined to get the quality rest I need during each leg, as it will pay dividends when making decisions as problems and/or stress occurs. 

During training rides and rally practice I will seek to validate the performance objectives I have set for the IBR.  Chief among them are the overall average and moving average MPH.  By training to and being able to maintain these ride pace objectives I achieve the best guard against falling behind plan.  I expect to ride in extreme heat during all the IBR legs.  I will practice riding in the heat, adjusting my riding gear and establishing a hydration regimen that sustains the ride pace. Ultimately, maintaining a balance among the performance elements while riding on the clock will guide the training and preparation activities. 

2013: A Year of Adventures

I knew 2013 was going to be a high mileage year.  I had lots riding goals to accomplish.  I started the year with 3,507 miles on my 2013 BMW R1200GS Adventure on January first.  On December 31st the odometer read 57,987 for a 2013 grand total of 54,480 miles.  I went through some tires during the year.  I have been running Michelin Anakee 3 tires since the first tire change after taking delivery of the GSA in October 2012.  The Anakee's are supposed to be high mileage adventure touring tires.  I'm still doing the evaluation of their performance and will post updates as I make them.

Risk management is something I work at while riding.  Riding many miles, on all types of highways, in all types of traffic conditions and in all types of weather I'm happy to report I had no "close calls" while riding during the year.  I define a close call by an instance of emergency maneuvering to avoid a crash after being surprised by a road or traffic condition. And, as far as riding and risk management goes acquiring, installing and using the FLIR PathFindIR thermal imaging system was one of my most important and innovative 'farkles'.  It was invaluable for riding dusk, night and before dawn.  Especially useful during the 10,000 Miles in 10 Days ride in Texas and on the  IBR.  Using the FLIR while riding helped me to detect and identify warm blooded critters way out of the reach of my driving lights.  I can't imagine riding between dusk and dawn without it.

Of course, my primary riding objective was achieving my goal for the 2013 Iron Butt Rally.  I had many training rides leading up to the IBR during the first half of the year and some therapeutic  P.I.S.S rides afterwards.  Listed below are some of the highlights of the riding adventures during the year.

January:

Using Proximity Point Alerts on the GPS

Big Bend Video Shoot

The Clock Is Running

March:

100ccc Gold Ride Plan

Ride Report -- 100ccc Gold

April:

LD Riding on the Clock -- An Organizing Framework

ROG -- Run Out of Gas Testing

Cape Fear 1,000 Rally

May:

Texas 10,000 Miles in 10 Days

July:

The Iron Butt Rally -- 11,000 Miles in 11 Days

August:

The Colorado 1,000 -- 2013

September:

Round Trip to Salt Lake City

October:

Big Tex Rally -- Posse Ride

IBA Big As Texas Party -- Republic of Texas 1,000

November:

Fun with Bubbler GPS Pro

2014 Is already shaping up to be a fun year.  I have applied for a position on the 2015 Iron Butt Rally.  If I am drawn for a slot I'll be doing several focused training events and rides to keep my riding skills sharp.  I am in the preliminary stages of planning a trans Canada ride with a comrade during August.  I want to ride my motorcycle from The farthest eastern city, St. John's NS to Vancouver BC.  That should be fun.  And, if drawn for a IBR slot, good Canada ride training.  The IBA International Meeting is taking place in Denver in August.  So, the plan is to head there at the end of the trans Canada adventure.  I'll keep my schedule open for more Hard Riding Adventures!

57,000 Miles of Hard Riding Adventures

It's been one year since I took delivery on the 2013 BMW R1200GS Adventure.  What a year of riding adventures it has been.

Besides accumulating a bunch of miles I managed to accomplish many of my ride goals this year.  The over arching goal I had for this rider year was to successfully complete my second Iron Butt Rally.  This goal tended to focus my riding efforts and activities.  Since the IBR I have been working on the ride report.  Instead of rushing to publish my musings about the Rally I thought I'd take my time over the winter months to do a more thorough job.





Listed below, in reverse order, are the Hard Riding Adventures for the last 57,000 miles.


October 2013:

• Big Tex Rally -- Posse Ride  Rally volunteer

• Fun with Bubbler GPS Pro New documentation application testing

September 2013:

• Round Trip to Salt Lake City  Family visit

August 2013:

• The Colorado 1,000n24  Fun rally in the mountains
• Micheline Anakee 3  Running blog of tire performance

July 2013:

• P.I.S.S.  Post IBR Stress Syndrome musing
• The Iron Butt Rally -- 11,000 Miles in 11 Days  16th Place Gold Medal Finish

May 2013:

• Texas 10,000 Miles in 10 Days  IBR Training ride

April 2013:

• The Cape Fear 1,000 Rally  IBR Training ride
• ROG -- Run Out of Gas Testing  Motorcycle performance testing

March 2013:

• 100ccc Gold Ride Plan and Report  IBR Training ride

January 2013:

• Using FLIR While Riding  New equipment performance training

December 2012:

• The FLIR PathFindIR Project  New equipment acquisition and testing

November 2012:

• The New Mount  New equipment acquisition and testing

P.I.S.S.

Post IBR Stress Syndrome:  A milder form of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) where the rider experiences continued stress related to performing in the Iron Butt Rally.  There are four symptoms:

Reliving the event

Memories of the event can come back at any time. You may feel the same anxiety and tension you did when the event took place. You may feel like you're going through the event again. This is called a flashback. Sometimes there is a trigger: a sound or sight that causes you to relive the event. Triggers might include:

• Seeing a motorcycle on the highway
• Getting gas in your car or truck
• Instantly look at your speedometer at the sight of LEO, even when you know you're not speeding
• Waking up in the middle of the night feeling like you must dash out and ride to some vague destination

Avoiding situations that remind you of the event

You may try to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the IBR. You may even avoid talking or thinking about it.

• When asked about your participation in the IBR you may minimize the exciting or uncomfortable details
• You are reluctant to bring up the IBR in conversations with friends and family
• You procrastinate dealing with post IBR issues regarding your motorcycle
• You dread looking at the leg routes you did while on the clock for fear of seeing what you missed.
• The sight of a Cliff bar makes you want to rush out and get a double Whooper with cheese, super-sized fries and a large shake

Feeling Numb

You may find it hard to express your feelings about the IBR. This is another way to avoid memories.

• You may not have positive or loving feelings towards your motorcycle, other peoples motorcycles  and may stay away from the bike dealership
• You may not be interested in riding, planning a trip or anything to do with routing
• You may forget about parts of the IBR that hold valuable lessons or not be able to talk about them.
• You haven't touched your rally flag, plaque or opened your rally book since getting home

Feeling Keyed Up

You may be alert and on the lookout for things that might cause you a delay. This is known as increased emotional arousal. It can cause you to:

• Suddenly become excited or irritable.
• Have a hard time sleeping.
• Have trouble concentrating.
• Fear your actions are not optimal or experience efficiency anxiety.
• Have racing thoughts (but not at excessive speed)

Other symptoms?

Treatments may include but are not limited to:

• Exposure therapy -- Go for a ride, no plan, no schedule, no route
• Equipment recovery -- Detail your motorcycle, riding gear and equipment
• After Action Report -- Do a thorough ride report detailing all lessons learned on the IBR (Working on it)
• Physical training -- Start or continue a physical training program (IBR 2015 is just 750 days away)
• Accumulate fund$ -- Open a IBR15 savings account

The Iron Butt Rally -- 11,000 Miles in 11 Days

IBR Full View Spotwalla Map    See:  IBR Daily Report

Mission Accomplished! -- Gold Medal Finish, 16th Place.  The result are in and I achieved my goals. I rode 10,484 miles and scored 77,051 bonus points.  See the official 2013 IBR Final Results.  I'll post all the details after I arrive back home. 


The Current IBR Weather  (hat tip to Travel_Man)   FUN ALERT:  Drag the Orange Man icon, above the map scale ruler, to my location to see the Google Street View.   

Rally Leg Profiles:  There are 3 legs for a total of 242:00 hours on the rally clock.  The table contains my preliminary planning numbers for each leg.  The initial planning estimates will probably change once I receive the Rally book with the actual bonus locations and other requirements.  These estimates are based my known ride pace and moving average MPH experience.  Compare to an analysis I did of several past IBRs using the OA and MA MPH applied to the 2013 IBR clock hours.  See:  2013 Ride Pace Analysis 

Leg 1:  82:00  Start July 1 1000 EDT in Pittsburgh.  Checkpoint 4 July 2000 EDT in Pittsburgh
Leg 2:  65:00  Start July 5 0600 EDT in Pittsburgh.  Checkpoint 7 July 2000 PDT in Sacramento CA
Leg 3:  95:00  Start July 8 0600 PDT in Sacramento.  Finish 12 July 0800 EDT in Pittsburgh

GiddyUp!  1000 EDT Monday, July 1 -- I will not have time to blog during the rally.  Only private, password protected, maps allowed during the rally.  But you can find my last known location by looking for rider 415 (my IBA number) on the Spotwalla map above.  You can also check out the IBR Daily Reports blog for the latest on the progress of the Rally. 

Rally Check In: 

• Thursday - Friday -- Rider comradery and general hanging out
• Saturday -- Document check, waiver video, technical inspection of MC
• Sunday -- Banquet and Rally theme announcement

Deploy to Pittsburgh:  Thursday, 6/27 -- Left Memphis this morning around 6am for the final leg into Pittsburgh.  Weather was good with just a couple of wet spots from recent showers.  The bike is running great and NO audio issues with my zumo 665.  Reinforcing the RAM mount seemed to solve the problem.  Arrived at the Marriott in Cranberry Township just north of Pittsburgh.  Great hotel with all the amenities. The fun begins tomorrow....or maybe Saturday.  I forget....

Tuesday, 6/25 -- Departing for Pittsburgh.  Going to make an enroute stop in Memphis for an overnight stay.  It's about 1,450 miles from my home near Wimberley, TX to the start hotel just north of Pittsburgh.  This will be a final shake-out ride with hopefully no MC or gear issues.  

Prologue:  I'm riding in the 2013 Iron Butt Rally which is being held starting at 10:00 am, Monday, July 1 and finishing 8:00 am Friday, July 12.  The start and finish are in Pittsburgh, PA.  I'll be one of around 100 long distance riders from around the world.  The IBR is the premier long distance riding event held every other year.  More individuals have gone into space than have finished the Iron Butt Rally.  

My goal for the IBR is to reach the finishing check point in one piece, on time and with enough points to finish better than 23rd place.  But, I will consider a safe finish a worthy accomplishment, even without exceeding my 2011 23rd place Gold Medal IBR finish.  Having said that I'm planning on doing my best in "The World's Toughest Motorcycle Rally."

While I'm planning for a trouble free ride things just seem to happen.  The worst case would be a crash.  Followed by a DNF, or Did Not Finish, status.  This can happen if I'm over 2 hours late to a mandatory check point or do not accumulate enough bonus points to be considered a finisher.  Mechanical breakdowns are a common DNF reason.  I've been riding my GSA hard, without abusing it, since acquiring the bike in October 2012.  So, hopefully any mechanical issues would have exposed themselves by now.   The IBR rules spell out in detail how riders earn points or are penalized points for not following the rules and specifications.  Riders compete for finishing positions:

Finish Position

1. Podium -- Top 10 riders
2. Gold Medal -- Top 20-25 riders which includes the Podium finishers
3. Silver Medal -- Next group to about 35th place
4. Bronze Medal -- Next group to about 45th place
5. Finisher -- All remaining riders who secured enough points
6. DNF -- Did Not Finish

There are no magic formulas, no perfect rally bikes, and no jealously guarded secrets to being successful in the IBR.  Each rider is challenged to apply their skills, knowledge and abilities, using the tools of the long distance motorcycling sport, in a balanced way among several interacting and interdependent performance categories.  See:  Long Distance Riding on the Clock

2011 IBR Leg 3 Goal and Strategy

Jacksonville FL to Ontario CA 



The goal for Leg 3 was to score the Four Corner bonus locations of Key West FL and San Ysidro CA.   Leg 3 was 85:00 hour in length.  I had only the bottom states left to score having consumed all the northern and middle tier states during Legs 1 & 2.  Leg 3 was a relatively easy ride.  I left the hotel in Jacksonville just after the 10pm rider's meeting and headed south to Key West.  I stopped at a rest stop a little after 3am for an hour or so of sleep.  My circadian rhythm causes me to get sleepy between 2am and 4am.  I had been to Key West the year before doing the Ultimate Coast to Coast challenge ride so I know the slog from Homestead to Key West would take some time.  It was raining by the time I left Key West heading north after scoring the Four Corner bonus at the PO.  I ran into thunder storms all the way to Tallahassee where I scored the capital and did the Rest Bonus stop.  I stayed in a hotel and got some quality rest.  Departed just after 6am heading west on I-10.  Through AL, MS and on to Baton Rouge LA for a capital bonus during the day.  Next, up to Texarkana AR where I stopped for a DBR.  I gassed up the GS, and made my last Call-In bonus call.

Call-In bonus calls had a strict procedure to be scored correctly.  The rider had to call the number and leave the follow elements during the time window for the call;  Name, rider number, current location, last bonus scored, next bonus location.  On the two previous Call-In bonus phone calls I wrote the information down lest I forget something.  But, I had just spend the last rest stop in a nice hotel bed after a nice hot shower and I was feeling rested and in full control of my faculties.  So, I dialed the number, waited for the message then said, "This is Tim Masterson, rider number 29, I am in Texarkana AR, I just scored Baton Rouge, and I'm on my way to Texas."  I logged the call in my Passport book, mounted up and headed out.

The ride through the northeast corner of TX up through Indian Country in OK to I-40 was pleasant and uneventful.  Except for technical issue with my tire pressure monitoring system.  I'm riding on the toll Indian Nation Parkway with the bright red LED light started flashing a low pressure on the rear tire.  Rolling off the throttle I applied a little front brake to avoid too much stopping pressure on the rear tire.  This was my first mechanical issue the entire rally so far.  As I dismounted, put the MC up on the center stand, I did what any red blooded bike would do....I kicked the rear tire.  It was hard as a rock!  Hummmmm.....I said, and pulled out my tire gauge to check the pressure.  It was right where it should be.  Inspecting the tire I did not notice any damage, holes, or anything.  I then went to the tire pressure monitoring receiver to check it.  Sure enough it show the rear tire at 5 psi.  I turned it off, then back on. Bingo, it registered 49 psi on the rear tire.  I concluded it must have been an erroneous radio signal to the monitoring unit that set off the low pressure alarm.  Excitement over, I mounted and headed on my way.

I had stopped for rest again just outside of OK City.  Riding across OK, TX, NM, AZ and through the bottom tip of NV was uneventful.  Once in CA the goal was to navigate to the final Four Corner bonus location in San Ysidro, suburb of San Diego.  This was day 10 of the rally and I was feeling the affects of chronic sleep deprivation.  The sleep monster was getting stronger and more frequent.  On I-15 in the desert I noticed my ability to hold a steady visual focus ahead.  This is a clear sign of the onset of "micro sleep."  Spotting an exit ahead I decided to stop for a nap.  I was around 8pm, just dusk, and I had plenty of time cushion.    After a short refreshing power nap I pressed on to San Ysidro for the GOLD.  I arrived around midnight, took the final photo of my GS, my Rally flag and the required post office building.  Now, a final fill up and DBR before heading north.

The ride to the finish Checkpoint in Ontario was a struggle.  I was less then two hours normal driving time from San Diego to the finish hotel.  The GPS was homed in on the location, the route painted on the screen and Greta Garmin was urging me on.  But the sleep monster was really roaring at me during the early morning hours.  I had plenty of time before the Checkpoint window so I stopped three times to nap and refresh before arriving at the finish.

Done!  At the finish in one piece, and scoring all Four Corners to achieve my goal of finishing in the color.....GOLD!  Scoring was a routine and the staff was very efficient.  There was one hitch though.  I was informed there was a problem with my Call-In during Leg 3.  This was a surprise to me as I was very confident I made it and remember it well.  I was escorted over to Tom Austin, chief IBR scorer, for the full story.  He informed me I gave the WRONG rider number during the call.  I was SHOCKED!!!!  He lifted his laptop up, pressed play and I could hear, "This is Tim Masterson, rider number 29, I am in Texarkana AR, I just scored Baton Rouge, and I'm on my way to Texas."  My official Rider Number is.....wait for it....73!  I have no idea why I said 29 instead of 73.  It cost me 500 points and a top 20 finish in the 2011 Iron Butt Rally.  I finished a respectable 23rd and in the IBA record books for riding more than 12,000 mile in the IBR.  Not too shabby for a Rookie!