IBR 2015 Part 2 - Goals and Needs

My Personal Goals 

My goals were simple, after applying to the IBA for a position to compete, were:

1.     Come back alive

2.     Have some fun, seeing as much of the USA and Canada as I could fit into the ride

3.     Be an official “Finisher”.

4.     Hidden agenda; it was to be above the halfway position on the list – 45 at the start.

I achieved all my goals, and made a Bronze Medal position. I am very happy with this and my three digits IBA number (#517), for the first event.

Ten Critical Things You Will Need to Enter

You need these things, not necessarily in this order:

1.     Mental Strength: this is one tough event, even to get to the start – most of the riders are “Type A” personalities for whom small obstacles are to be blown out of the way and the scent of competition is fought for, on a daily basis. Stuff breaks all the time.

2.     A Personal Desire; burning in your soul to ride motorcycles in a very tough event. No will power, no need to enter.

3.    Riding Skills and a License: Once you ride with these guys, you will see that they would be generally in the top 1% of riders in any bike club. They are genuinely world class. They see no problem with riding at 80mph on a gravel road, doing a U turn in a narrow two-way country lane, picking up a fallen bike with one heft, or auto-counter steering around a huge elk at 2am in the morning. One hundred degree heat and driving rain, 60 mph winds do not faze them much. These riders are not just 10% better than a club rider, most are three times better. Be realistic about your skills and improve them if you are not there yet.

4.    A suitable Bike; LDR motorcycles are not standard. They may not be new, many are more than 10 years old, but they are highly modified to fit the particularly rider perfectly – remember this will be your “office” for 20 hours per day and you better love it! Such bikes do not come cheap.

5.    Money: this will cost a serious amount. The old rule was “Take a number you first think is reasonable, triple it, then bring ten times that amount!” A budget is attached, but typically $20,000 to $60,000 is in the ball-park, depending on where you are coming from.

6.     Time Off Work: Every year their employers threaten some riders such that they cannot take the 11 days, let alone the 14 required including the pre-inspections. Two people I know personally have resigned from their work, just to compete. You may have to tell the boss to stick it. Such commitment is not unusual.

7.     Navigation Skills, including in IT; if you cannot drive a GPS or basic computer skills, forget it. Navigation is fundamental to this rally.

8.     A US Passport or Appropriate Visa: strangely this is important, particularly when you have to front the Border Control and answer the question, “Are you a US Citizen?” – Which happened four times to me in south Texas and NM.

9.     Suitable Health; this event is physically demanding. Despite many of the riders being over-weight, you must be in good health and strong enough to manage a heavy motorcycle to ride.

10. An Offer of Entry; if you don’t have this, then you will not be able compete. To get it, you must be an IBA member and done a range of qualifying rides – otherwise – nada.

IBR 2015 Part 1 - Iron Butt Rally - Purpose, Summary

Thoughts from the Iron Butt Rally 2015 by Olaf Moon

Purpose

In 2015, I was a rookie entrant and “official finisher” in the IBR. I have prepared this document purely as my personal thoughts on the Rally, for a few friends and interested family members, knowing full well that some will be very interested and others will disagree with my views in some way.  However is designed to serve two overall purposes:

1.      To provide feedback to interested Long Distance Riders (LDR) who have requested it

2.      To provide a reminder to myself, of what I did right and what should be changed or improved upon, for the next rally.

In Summary;

“Long Distance Motorcycle Riding is as addictive as Crack” - said one Iron Butt Rider.

I spent four years preparing for this rally, trying out different bikes, running a number of SS1000 IBA (Iron Butt Association) rides (and similar but longer IBA Certificate rides), entering the 6 day “Butt Lite VII” rally, riding some long distances to Key West for example, and testing new approaches (such as alternate photographic stances in the winter BMR Rally).

Most new riders consider the most critical element to be their bike and the attached technology. It is not. The most critical element is the mental strength and approach by the rider, followed closely by the navigational strategy used by that rider.

What is the Iron Butt Rally?

The IBR started in 1985 and runs every second year. It is billed as “the World’s Toughest Rally” over 11 days – and all evidence suggests that this is the case, especially as it is run on public roads. It is not a race, but more akin to a scavenger hunt where riders earn points for going to particular waypoints, photographing them with their Rally Flag (and number) in the picture and moving on.

Typically it runs in three legs, with Leg 1 being about 82 hours, Leg 2 65 hours and Leg 3 95 hours. Sleep is at a premium; with riders typically getting about 3-4 hours’ sleep in 24.

There is a minimum target set to be a “Finisher” and receive the fabled “three digit IBA membership number” plus a plaque. There is no prize money. These cannot be “bought” so are at a premium and highly valued by participants. This year’s target was not just to accumulate the highest number of points, rather it was to visit a minimum 25 States and 50 National Parks – in my view this was easier than a straight figure, but others disagree. The organizers determined that the minimum distance required to achieve this was about 8650 miles. I rode 9650 miles and could and should have ridden about 10,800.

Why Do It at All?

There is a common question about why bother? It is often answered by a quotation

“There is no rational reason for what I am about to do” attributed to John Ryan, hero.

In fact it could be considered a very self-interested pastime, as few riders ride in teams or with a pillion (five in 2015). Some consider it even selfish. This is aggravated by the decidedly higher risk of failure or of an accident, appalling weather at times, and the cost of undertaking the venture, let alone the time required, plus the mental and physical demands. The entrance fee alone is US$1900 (which is great value as it happens). In summary, it is a brutal event but huge fun.

So why did I do it? – The personal reasons are;

1.      I love riding motorcycles – I feel great out on the road.

2.      I love a clear rational challenge – something with a specific goal where I could compare myself directly against others

3.      I like to find things to do that will stretch me –everything about who I am

4.      I wanted a good excuse to see much more of America, not just the big cities.

5.      I wanted a goal that would balance in a different way, against work and family.

The fact is, “I do find riding in the IBR to be as addictive as Crack – it’s that simple”.

Entering the IBR

Placing an entrance request to the IBA for a position on the IBR is quite a process. And I support that, because it whittles out the mischievous, and the un-committed. Some thousands apply and pay their deposit of about $100, nearly two years in advance. The process includes submitting a “riders’ resume” – something that every potential entrant should do, just to see what you have achieved so far!

About 120 people are offered places. Some are pre-ordained (the first 10 place getters from the Butt Lite Rally for example- see http://www.teamstrange.com/). Some are so extreme in the “Hopeless Class” that the organizers feel entitlement is warranted (if you ride a 25 year bike or 250cc Scooter e.g.). Some riders have been in so many (up to 8 past IBR’s) that they deserve another run. Some are just old – 79 this year (and he finished). Some have amazing riding resumes (how about 30 “Bun Burner Gold’s” – 1500 miles in 24 hours). Some are just “alien” from other countries like Belgium, Germany, Zambia, Ireland and Australia – and a proportion get a go. Many people who have “screwed the pooch” with the organizers don’t get a hearing – it’s not wise to turn up drunk and tell the Rally Master where to get off. But it happens.

"As Addictive as Crack"

“Long Distance Motorcycle Riding is as addictive as Crack” - so said one Iron Butt Rider.

I spent four years preparing for the 2015 Iron Butt rally, trying out different bikes, running a number of SS1000 IBA rides (and similar but longer events), entering the 6 day “Butt Lite VII” rally, riding some long distances to Key West for example, and testing new approaches (such as alternate photographic stances in the winter BMR Rally).

Most new riders consider the most critical element to be their bike and the attached technology. It is not. The most critical element is the mental strength and approach by the rider, followed closely by the navigational strategy used by that rider. This rally is brutal. It breaks machines, men and minds. (And women). It is also a huge amount of fun.