Iron Butt Rally - 2015

The Iron Butt Rally begins at 10:00 am Monday, June 29, 2015.  Some 100 of the world's top long-distance motorcyclists will put their skills, knowledge and abilities to the test over 11 days and 11,000+ miles in what is rightfully billed as the "World's Toughest Motorcycle Rally." 

Check out the 2015 Iron Butt Rally official page for daily accounts and updates.  The strict IBR rules prohibit blogging during the Rally, so check the official page for the latest goings on.

The Rally is divided into "legs" each for a predetermined number of hours.  While on the clock, riders navigate to optional bonus locations to collect points by documenting their arrival date/time/odometer and usually take a photo of a specified object with their Rally Flag in the picture.  Riders must arrive at the checkpoint within two hours of the end of the leg or be penalized for being late.  Each leg is scored before the next leg begins with riders receiving points for such things as verified bonus location visits, calling in at a specified time and documented resting times. 

I am riding in the IBR for the third time.  My goal is to arrive at the finish checkpoint on time, in one piece and with enough points to be a Gold Medal Finisher.  I will strive to beat my personal best 16th place position in the 2013 IBR.  See 2015 IBR Goals and Objectives.

The ultimate challenge of the IBR is to finish safely.  To do that I must apply my skills, knowledge and abilities in a balanced way across several performance categories while on the clock and under grueling conditions.  See LD Riding on the Clock - An Organizing Framework 

Below are the planning metrics I will be using for each leg.   These will help me make decisions about ride pace and using resources while on the clock. 




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 LgHrs - 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. 

IBR Training Ride

I'm doing a shake down ride in preparation for the 2015 Iron Butt Rally that start June 30.  My IBR goals and objectives are set, the bike is ready for the test run and I plan on getting lots of good riding conditioning before I get back.  

I'm using the IBA Memorial Day Event to get in the George A. Wyman Memorial Grand Tour Gold IBA certification.  I'm planning on starting the Grand Tour Gold on Monday, Memorial Day in San Francisco.  I'm leaving home on Friday morning to ride out to Adobe, just south of Alpine, TX.  I'm delivering the Ardys Kellerman book to Voni Glaves.  Check out "The Paths of Legends" posting below for the details.

Leaving Alpine on Saturday morning I doing a hard 1,000 miles to just north of Los Angeles to get into position to arrive in San Francisco mid afternoon on Sunday.  Got lots to do there before starting the Grand Tour clock on Monday.  Your can follow along here:  Riding the Grand Tour

IBR Training objectives I will be working to accomplish during the Grand Tour are:

Riding and Risk Management:  Riding from TX to CA to NY to TX over all kinds of roads in all kinds of weather will sharpen my riding skills.  My goal is to have no "close calls", which I define as an instance of evasive maneuvers to avoid a hazard I did not see in time, or did not anticipate..

Planning and Navigation:  Point to point and route navigation using concurrent GPS displays, zumo 665 and 590.  The zumo 590 is relatively new to me and I have not used in to navigate a rally so this will be a good exercise.  Loaded all 5 Legs for the Grand Tour. 

Bonus Stop:  Practice Spot-Doc-Pic-Get routine to gain consistency.  I plan on more that 145 bonus location stops while doing the Grand Tour Gold.

• Spot - send OK message to mark the location. 
• Doc - Review the bonus listing for the requirements. 
• Pic - Take the correct picture of pick out the item designated by the bonus location instructions. 
• Get - Review the bonus location 1 more time before "Getting" the next bonus location up in the book and on the GPS, then Get on the road. 

Resource and Rest Management:  I have changed my down-load and up-load routine at motels while doing rest stops.  This ride will be a field validation of the new routine.

Validate LBE:  I have reduced the number of items I carried in previous IBRs and this will be validation of load bearing equipment and that reduction. 

Hydration and Nutrition:  My hydration system has not changed but I have changed to a whole foods plan based diet since the last IBR.  I'm been quite successful adapting to the new nutrition regime while on the road. On this trip I am replace the highly process junk food with no2low processed food with freeze-dried fruit, and veggies. 

Farkles:  I have cleaned up the GPS and Spot mounting arrangement with a "Farkle Bar".  I have also added Garmin SmartLink for smartphone and GPS data linking.  I'm looking to see how this new technology can be employed to enhance information management while on the clock.

Mechanical:  I'm looking for problem areas on the bike and all equipment to identify any weaknesses or potential issues that might show up on the IBR.

When I return home I will have three weeks of down time before deploying to ABQ for the start of the World's Toughest Motorcycle Rally! 

The Paths of Legends

The number of riders actively engaging in the sport of long-distance motorcycling is incredibly small when compared to the millions of motorcyclists around the world.  At the top of the sport is an even smaller group of passionate riders who have ridden in and finished the Iron Butt Rally, "World's Toughest Motorcycle Rally." As recently as 2013 more individuals have gone into space than have finished the Iron Butt Rally.

One of those at the top of any list of long-distance "Legends" was Ardys Kellerman.  A four time finisher of the Iron Butt Rally, Ardys was also famous and loved among the long-distance riding community and with members of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of North America club.  In 2011, "Queenie" to her friends, was one of only two woman motorcyclists to have ridden over 1,000,000 documented miles.  She was 79 years young. 

I had the pleasure of crossing paths with her several times.  She and I, both Texans, traded at Lone Star BMW in Austin.  It was amazing chatting with this kind Lady about her hard riding adventures.  She and Robert Krull, one of the owners of Lone Star, were lifelong friends.  So much so, that when she passed away in 2013 her family asked Robert to take possession of her motorcycle memorabilia.  He attended her Memorial Service.

Last week I was at Lone Star getting a 100,000 mile service and a new driveshaft for my GS Adventure.  Sitting in the customer lounge I picked up  (for the second time, but that's another story) one of the many books laying around with the magazines and such.  It was a book every long-distance rider has probably read;  "Against the Clock", by Ron Ayres, the story of his amazing motorcycle ride to all 49 states in north America....in 7 days!  Ron is also documented as having ridding a motorcycle over 1,000,000 and is a two time finisher of the Iron Butt Rally.  I was tickled to sit next to Ron at the "IBA Legend" luncheon during an IBA International Meeting one year.  I had read all three of his books...several times.  Sadly, I didn't have any of them with me so I couldn't get his autograph.  I asked him to sign my International Meet name plate instead.  Cool....!

Back to the book.  As I opened the cover, I noticed an inscription on the title page.  It read....

"Ardys,

You were always

someone I knew I could

count on for help.  Thanks

 again for being in Oklahoma

 in the middle of the night -

Ron Ayres

September 7, 1999

18:15"

 

I immediately recognized this as being something very personal, special and a sentimental treasure between two Legends of the sport.  Not something that should be laying around in the customer lounge of a motorcycle dealership.  I called Robert Krull, who recently sold the business to the local motorcycle superstore.  He still owned all the furniture, fixtures and decorations, of which the book was among.  He had acquired the book as part of Queenie's personal affects and somehow it got tossed to the dealership reading basket. I asked him if I could buy the book or replace it with my copy.    Robert told me to just take it.  I knew exactly what should be done with this artifact, this treasure, this very special book.

 

Voni Glaves, is the other 1,000,000+ mile Lady long-distance Legend, a Bronze Medal finisher of the Iron Butt Rally and life long friend of Ardys Kellerman.  Both Voni and Ardys appear in Ron's book which is replete with his tributes to the long-distance personalities of the time.  Many are now Legends of the sport.  If anyone would appreciate the uniqueness of this book it would be Voni. 

 

So, I will ensure this book...written by a Legend ... personally autographed and presented to a Legend ... is delivered to a Legend for safe keeping.  I will take it to Voni by motorcycle of course....Ardys wouldn't want it delivered any other way.

Spring Equinox SaddleSore 1,000

This adventure is the last in a series of four 1,000 miles in less than 24 hour IBA challenge rides on each of the celestial events to qualify for the "Four Seasons SaddleSore 1,000" certification.

Full SpotWalla Maps:    BubblerGPS Pro and SPOT


Certified!  Received Iron Butt Association certification for my successful completion of the Four Seasons SaddleSore 1,000 Challenge.  I rode the final SaddleSore 1,000 on March 20, electronically filled using the IBA Premier Member Certification program on March 30 and received certification on April 7, 2015.  IBA Premier Membership...near-instant gratification. 

I completed all 4 of the Four Seasons SS1K events in Texas.  From the start in Orange, TX I rode Interstate 10 all the way to Anthony, turn around and ended in either Van Horn, Alpine or Fort Stockton.

______________________________________________________________________________

The 2015 Spring Equinox occurs Friday, March 20th at 5:45 CDT.  And in the true spirit of the IBA Four Seasons Challenge I will be riding my motorcycle heading into El Paso.  I will post a couple of remarks before I depart and again when I get settled into my hotel at the conclusion of the ride.

Fri, 3-20:  OK, here's the ride plan:  Depart the motel and head for the Exxon station to gas up and obtain the starting DBR.  Then ride east to the Sabine Turnaround to start at the most eastern Texas exit on I-10.  It's only a couple of miles but I want to duplicated the route I took on the Texas Solstice 1,000 I did in June.  The fuel stops are San Antonio, Fort Stockton, Anthony then back to Fort Stockton to end the ride. 

Left Orange at 0430 in a dense fog.  Oh, not my head but the weather was socked in with visibility about 1/4 mile.  By the time I got to Houston around 0600 it had cleared away.  It was overcast with temperatures in the mid to high 60s all the way to west of San Antonio.  I checked the radar on my zumo 665 and saw it was wet starting near Kerrville.  So, at my first pit stop just outside of San Antonio I put on my electric gear and Gore-Tex gloves.  It was wet all the way to Van Horn then cleared up nicely with blue skies and fluffy clouds all the way to Anthony. 

I did a quick pit stop and turnaround for the last segment back to Fort Stockton for the finish.  Filled up at the new Pilot station, popped over to Burger King for a veggie burger and medium fries.  Then to the Days Inn for a hot shower and a good nights sleep after 1,137 miles for the 2015 Spring Equinox.  Met two riders from Newfoundland at the hotel, who were just tickled to sign off on my IBA witness form.  Ah.....another Hard Riding Adventure in the clipboard.

Thu, 3-19:  Departed home around noon heading to Orange to spend the night.  The SaddleSore 1,000 will be done on Friday so I'm planning on leaving early from Orange to minimize traffic delays through Houston.

The ride to Orange was dramatically uneventful....and the weather was good.  I stopped at the Taco Bell for a Cantina Bowl before heading to the Days Inn to get settled in for the night.  The desk clerk witnessed my IBA form, as he had done once before.

IBA JAX Daytona Party

I am attending the annual IBA Daytona Party in Jacksonville, FL this week.  It's towards the end of Daytona Bike Week so there are lots of bikes to see. 

Full SpotWalla Maps are:   BubblerGPS Pro and SPOT Gen3


It is always loads of fun seeing fellow Long-Distance riders and meeting new ones that come to the IBA Daytona Party for the first time.  I hope to be busy at the gathering promoting The George A. Wyman Memorial Grand Tour that was just made available on line. 

Sun, 3-15:  The ides of March....just a short ride home to Wimberley and the end to another Hard Riding Adventure.

Sat, 3.1415 Pi Day!  After enjoying the full breakfast I headed west to Texas.  The weather was good and the traffic pretty normal.  I got all the way to Orange before stopping for the night.  I stopped at the Super8, the same hotel I have been using for the IBA Four Seasons SaddleSore rides I have been doing.  One left, the Spring Equinox on Friday, March 20th.  I made a reservation for Thursday night.

Fri, 3-13:  Got up early again and waited on breakfast to open.  I set up the GAWMP Grand Tour display again, this time on an nice marble table across from where everyone would be signing in for the evening's banquet.  It would get lots of exposure and judging by how the cards and bumper stickers were disappearing, lots of interest.  Around 1000 am I was drafted to help scoring the Full Court SaddleSore 1,000.  That entailed examining the riders ending dated business receipt and verifying each of their required pictures were in order. 

About 3pm the IBA Daytona Party sponsors had a couple of kegs of beer in the Comedy Zone room.  After we were all loosed up with the adult beverages Mike Kneebone made the ride presentations to all the successful finishers of the Full Court SS and BBG rides.  All except one that is.  At the official IBA Daytona Party banquet Mike would present Greg Rice his completion certificate for the Full Press Bun Burner Gold, 1,500 miles in less that 24 hours.  This was Greg's 30th BBG....establishing a new Iron Butt Association record.  Now, what was something to drink about.....not that any of us really needed an excuse.  

Thu, 3-12:  I got up early to see off the riders for the Full Court 1,000 and 1,500 miles in 24 hours ride.  The official start time was 0555 and about 75 riders head out on the prescribed route.  The wouldn't be returning until about midnight.  Everyone had to be back to the hotel by 0555 on Friday morning.


I set up the GAW Memorial Grand Tour display with the blessing of Lisa Landry, the IBA Daytona Party event master.  She was very gracious and accommodating, providing us a table use all day. 

Wed, 3-11:  It was foggy when I left the motel in Pensacola.  I wanted to arrive in Jacksonville about noon so I was on the road at 0630.  I-10 was pretty much empty eastbound.  After the sun came up the fog started to lift and was completely gone by the time I was east of Tallahassee.  I did a quick stop to gas up and have a cup of coffee.  Smooth riding all the way into Jacksonville and I arrive at the hotel a little after 1235.   Arrived alive.....!

Met up with Dr. H to discuss getting the George A. Wyman Memorial 50cc Gold and Grand Tour rides certified by the Iron Butt Association.  He was meeting with Mike Kneebone, President of the IBA on an assortment of IBA items, one of which was the finalization of our Project proposal.  I would hang out with comrades while Dr H. met with the Grand Master of the LD world.  The good news came in a sms text msg at 1804....All Approved!  I celebrated with a couple of other LD guys by going out to dinner at the local Italian eatery....then back to the hotel for some beers.

Tue, 3-10:  Departed for JAX just after sunrise.  The weather looks a little unsettled as a big rain system moved through Texas heading east on Monday.  I'll post an update on the ride when I stop for the night somewhere in Florida.  I want to arrive in Jacksonville, at the IBA Daytona Party Ramada on Hartley, late morning or around noon on Wednesday.

It was cloudy all day but I didn't reach wet conditions until Lake Charles, LA.  Just sprinkles but it made the highway wet.  The spray from other vehicles on the road was wetter than the sprinkles.  By the time I got east of Mobile, AL, the rain had stopped.  I stopped east of Pensacola FL for the night at around 8pm.