Is there Life after the Iron Butt Rally (IBR)?

December 2017 has arrived, and with it, application time for the 2019 Iron Butt Rally. And I have significant withdrawal symptoms.

After all this time, I still think about the Iron Butt Rally. It is a truly magical event, designed to test human beings to the end of their endurance, and to put motorcycles through absolute hell over 11 days and 11,000 miles. I know the latter very well having expended in excess of US$5000 on repairs to my bike in 2017. And 4000 of that was unplanned. It is now sold, and the new buyer has got a bike better than new. But I digress.

My original plan, and agreement with my family, was to enter just four rallies in the USA, two Butt Lites and two IBR's. This is done. I finished both Butt Lites and one IBR which on the odds, is a rather good overall result. To reduce the chance that I would "regress", I have sold both my bikes in the USA. But I do know that the American LDR community is so strong, that if I said "Can someone lend me a bike?" I would receive a rush of offers. But I digress 2!

Back in Australia I have two new-ish bikes, a Harley Davidson and a BMW. Both are excellent riders motorcycles. I had not expected much of the HD Street Glide CVO, but it is such a better bike than the five year old model that was traded on it, that it is actually a pleasure to ride - and ride well - and far. I have come to a couple of realizations since the 2017 IBR finished in July;

1. The financial, physical and emotional cost of riding in an IBR are huge and enduring for many months.
2. It is high-time I re-charged my GPS' and returned them from miles to kilometer units!
3. Most motorcycle club members (BMW or Harley) actually don't like to ride far - they are really interested in the primacy of a social connection, first and foremost.
4. I am more addicted than ever before, to riding to the wild places,
5. And most importantly, there are so many wonderful places still to ride - from a long weekend in Bright, Victoria (that I am really looking forward to, with friends in March 2018). to a longer ride with other friends to Lhasa in May 2018.

Now I may have your attention. 

This ride to Lhasa is a real challenge and may readers will have no idea what it means or where it is. The ride starts in SW China and travels to Shangri La (the real one, not that in the movies) then onto the Chinese Everest Base Camp and finally to the Capital city of Tibet, Lhasa. I have always wanted to go there. This is "The Forbidden Kingdom", a world of magic, a world of wild weather, a place of truly elevated places (above 5000m) and a place that requires very special visa's and approvals. 

And I cant wait!