robeth
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FJRForum Official 2015 Iron Butt Rally Tracking/Analysis thread
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IBF2
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The RM's love this kind of stuff. Rode the 93 IBR thru Yellowstone on the Saturday afternoon of Labor Day weekend. Gave me a whole new "appreciation" for Winnabarges....
gixxerjasen
Well-known member
That's Phil. He's from the UK. It rains every day in the UK. Rain doesn't piss him off.
Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
I'm from the UK too, and I have no problems with riding in rain.
I do have problems with the behaviour of other drivers, though, and that is going to be the subject of an article soon.
I do have problems with the behaviour of other drivers, though, and that is going to be the subject of an article soon.
Bionic Pelvis
Well-known member
Yuck-Record setting heat, wildfires causing issues. I hope everyone is staying hydrated!
https://mashable.com/2015/06/30/western-heat-wave-wildfires/
https://mashable.com/2015/06/30/western-heat-wave-wildfires/
discochris
Well-known member
To echo what Twigg said, I haven't done an IBR either, but I did the Butt Lite 4, which would have been somewhat similar to what your ride was (7 days, just under 7000 miles in my case). I lost twelve pounds in a week. Part of it was not eating as much or as well as I should have, and part of it was likely hydration issues. The hydration issue wasn't the worst in the 100+ degree temps in Nevada and Arizona, it was actually worse in the horrible humid heat in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. I didn't pee all day despite drinking a couple gallons of water, plus some Gatorade and a little bit of Diet Coke. It all came out as sweat.
What has been the hardest for me on multi day rides is my eyes. I wear contacts, and my eyes fatiguing or drying out to the point they're painful has happened more than once. I hate riding (or driving) with my glasses because I don't have the peripheral vision I do with contacts. That's where my physical breakdown has been the worst.
I suspect in terms of the food and drink issue, some of the big dogs in the IBR have a system down to a science as to how and what they eat and drink. But everyone is different. One of the best distance motorcyclists I've ever known is a long distance runner who would eat just total crap on rides - corn dogs, ice cream bars, other junk at gas stops and hop back on the bike and ride crazy long miles. I couldn't believe it. His metabolism had to be insane. If any of the Team Strange vets are reading this, you probably know who I'm talking about.
BritRider
Well-known member
I used to live in Scotland, now I live in Seattle. I also have no problem riding in the rain.
Go Far
mmmm- shiny!
As an IBR keyboardist this year I am going to step out on a limb and speculate that
Leg 2 Bonuses distributed at 6am, July <3>
grommet
Well-known member
I'm in Wichita. There is currently one rider at a hotel in McPherson, about 50 miles north of me, and another coming into Topeka on US 75. If I get out to meet a guy on the road, what kind of things would they like to get? Chocolate, protein bars, Gatorade? I know everyone is different, but I'd like to just give them a high-5 and something to help them on the way. Any ideas from you veteran IBR riders?
Good call. Editing source to reflect this correct information....so we don't have to invoke Einstein, relativity, and movies with Matthew McConaughey.
I personally wouldn't have any objection of somebody coming up and saying, "Hey, I'm a big IBR fan, know you probably don't have much time, but just wanted to say Hi and good luck." and go from there.
I would just note that if it's a big dog that's got 8 more bonuses to get and planned to arrive back in ABQ with 5 minutes to spare....they probably won't want anything and may be curt. They're models of self-sufficiency and would feel awkward and apologetic that they can't spend more time talking. They're obsessed with point and miles. If you're not fueling, sleeping, or bonus snagging...you're wasting time they say.
If it's a middle-packer that's headed straight to ABQ with hours to spare and get rested for the next leg they might have time.
Each one's different.
grommet
Well-known member
It would be very short and sweet. Wave, thumbs up, here's a snack, on your way and good luck.
Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
Although ... If you are offering shoulder and back massages, folk might tarry a little
ConnieRider
Member
Whoever is napping in Susanville is not going to make the 1100 miles to ABQ by 2000 mdt. They probably figured that out and went nighty night.
Wait, I think if we all yelled really loud at the same time, maybe we can wake that rider. Ready, get set, NOW!!
WAKE UP!! You can still make it!! WAKE UP!!
Wait, I think if we all yelled really loud at the same time, maybe we can wake that rider. Ready, get set, NOW!!
WAKE UP!! You can still make it!! WAKE UP!!
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Hello Kitty
Well-known member
Someone asked about how the IBR affects the rider - as others have pointed out, everyone is different. Some of the things others have said, never plagued me. Probably the most irritating physical thing for me was the rashes. I've always tended toward rashes in strange places. During the IBR, it was my lower legs and top of my feet. OMG did it ITCH! I would be riding along, scraping the top of my foot, thru the boot, on the footpegs. I had to be careful when I'd get out of my gear, because the desire to rip my skin off with my fingernails was strong. Clearly, that would be a bad decision.
I made great effort to move and stretch as much as I could on the bike, and at stops. I didn't have much in the way of muscular/joint discomfort that others describe. Pre rally, I did a metric **** ton, or is that tonne?, of yoga and I believe that helped me immensely with regard to this type of discomfort.
Psychologically. Well, that was day by day, hour by hour and sometimes, minute to minute. When 'they' talk about the highest highs followed by the lowest lows, 'they' ain't kidding. Reading the call in bonus details made me laugh. I knew how they felt. It was also a happy feeling to be 'talking to' the rally staff. (Hammy's rambling about peeing may be an example of craving that 'connection') I know it's a computer, but I was leaving a message for the staff. It was a great feeling. But I also understand the multiple calls. The fear that something wasn't clear in my voicemail because of cell coverage compelled me to make repeat calls within the window, just to make sure all info was received. It would be stupid to miss these points! In 09, there was a bonus at a Bridges of Madison County location. You needed to be there by 5PM to buy something in a little gift shop there. Upon receiving the bonus pack, I was an earlier rider out of the checkpoint because I thought I could make it to a Frank Llyod Wright location in WI that was mid to bigger points AND get the bridge, which was a desirable location points-wise. There was a bit of a SNAFU at the Hobo Museum in IA because the hours given in the rally pack weren't quite right, museum had seasonal hours and the season had changed. Wasn't a huge deal or time sink, but I was burning time I didn't have. I wound up making it, barely, to the gift shop. Perhaps you can imagine the highs, and lows, progressing on that route watching my ETA, am I going to need fuel first? Hope not!
It can also be incredibly uplifting to encounter a gaggle of riders. Timed bonuses sometimes push riders together and that was always a very special treat. Someone who understands EXACTLY what you are experiencing, perhaps thru a different lens, but the same 'stuff'. Then more solitude for quite some time before the next encounter with a rider. And then... the scoring table. Wow. Up until the IBR, I had never left a single point on the table. But boy did I make up for lost time. We still had fuel logs back then and I grabbed the receipt of the customer before me at a gas stop in MI, so my fuel log was screwed up. The receipt had someone else's NAME on it. How did I not notice?!?! I DID notice that the time was off by 20 minutes, and took the steps necessary to document THAT. For someone else's receipt. Nice. Wasn't big points, lesson learned, move on. But then! A bigger bonus in leg 2, a cemetary with a headstone that included a parking meter. I DIDN'T CLAIM THE BONUS IN MY RALLY BOOK! What?!?!? Back in the dumps. But back up when Warchild made some crude remark to me.
But more than all of that, is the stuff that happens after the rally. The accomplishment of finishing is big. Real big. A friend snapped a picture of me checking in at the finish and the smile is something I swear I've never seen before on my face. Glad there was a photo. I didn't look good in the classic sense, but the smile said it ALL! Oh and the panicked wake ups - where am I? Where do I need to be? I rode home from Spokane to Baltimore with a friend. We stopped in a motel in MN one night and I woke up in the middle of the night wondering why my screaming meanie hadn't gone off. Packed my stuff, left my room key on the motel desk and ran out to pack the bike. Wait, why is Don's bike next to mine? What's going on here? Dammit, rally is over, go back to bed. Packing my stuff in record time and hitting the road had become a routine and I was on auto pilot.
Those types of things continued for several weeks after the rally as I recall. I think it's pretty common. Waking up at home and wondering what in the hell I was doing THERE! I'd get up to pee and look around the bathroom, slowly realizing I was in my own house and then the panic would start. It's funny now, but wasn't then!
I made great effort to move and stretch as much as I could on the bike, and at stops. I didn't have much in the way of muscular/joint discomfort that others describe. Pre rally, I did a metric **** ton, or is that tonne?, of yoga and I believe that helped me immensely with regard to this type of discomfort.
Psychologically. Well, that was day by day, hour by hour and sometimes, minute to minute. When 'they' talk about the highest highs followed by the lowest lows, 'they' ain't kidding. Reading the call in bonus details made me laugh. I knew how they felt. It was also a happy feeling to be 'talking to' the rally staff. (Hammy's rambling about peeing may be an example of craving that 'connection') I know it's a computer, but I was leaving a message for the staff. It was a great feeling. But I also understand the multiple calls. The fear that something wasn't clear in my voicemail because of cell coverage compelled me to make repeat calls within the window, just to make sure all info was received. It would be stupid to miss these points! In 09, there was a bonus at a Bridges of Madison County location. You needed to be there by 5PM to buy something in a little gift shop there. Upon receiving the bonus pack, I was an earlier rider out of the checkpoint because I thought I could make it to a Frank Llyod Wright location in WI that was mid to bigger points AND get the bridge, which was a desirable location points-wise. There was a bit of a SNAFU at the Hobo Museum in IA because the hours given in the rally pack weren't quite right, museum had seasonal hours and the season had changed. Wasn't a huge deal or time sink, but I was burning time I didn't have. I wound up making it, barely, to the gift shop. Perhaps you can imagine the highs, and lows, progressing on that route watching my ETA, am I going to need fuel first? Hope not!
It can also be incredibly uplifting to encounter a gaggle of riders. Timed bonuses sometimes push riders together and that was always a very special treat. Someone who understands EXACTLY what you are experiencing, perhaps thru a different lens, but the same 'stuff'. Then more solitude for quite some time before the next encounter with a rider. And then... the scoring table. Wow. Up until the IBR, I had never left a single point on the table. But boy did I make up for lost time. We still had fuel logs back then and I grabbed the receipt of the customer before me at a gas stop in MI, so my fuel log was screwed up. The receipt had someone else's NAME on it. How did I not notice?!?! I DID notice that the time was off by 20 minutes, and took the steps necessary to document THAT. For someone else's receipt. Nice. Wasn't big points, lesson learned, move on. But then! A bigger bonus in leg 2, a cemetary with a headstone that included a parking meter. I DIDN'T CLAIM THE BONUS IN MY RALLY BOOK! What?!?!? Back in the dumps. But back up when Warchild made some crude remark to me.
But more than all of that, is the stuff that happens after the rally. The accomplishment of finishing is big. Real big. A friend snapped a picture of me checking in at the finish and the smile is something I swear I've never seen before on my face. Glad there was a photo. I didn't look good in the classic sense, but the smile said it ALL! Oh and the panicked wake ups - where am I? Where do I need to be? I rode home from Spokane to Baltimore with a friend. We stopped in a motel in MN one night and I woke up in the middle of the night wondering why my screaming meanie hadn't gone off. Packed my stuff, left my room key on the motel desk and ran out to pack the bike. Wait, why is Don's bike next to mine? What's going on here? Dammit, rally is over, go back to bed. Packing my stuff in record time and hitting the road had become a routine and I was on auto pilot.
Those types of things continued for several weeks after the rally as I recall. I think it's pretty common. Waking up at home and wondering what in the hell I was doing THERE! I'd get up to pee and look around the bathroom, slowly realizing I was in my own house and then the panic would start. It's funny now, but wasn't then!
grommet
Well-known member
Yeah, just before I went to bed 4 hours ago, I saw that, did the math. At that point, the person could have made it. Now, the window is closed. I believe it's physically impossible. To cover the ground, excessive speed would be needed. Even if that was not discovered, the rear tire would not survive the speed. Ask me how I know that a tire wears very quickly at sustained 100+mph speeds . . .
So now Susanville dude, you might as well just stay in bed.
My Topeka guy is moving and may be coming my way. If he is I'll gear up and go meet him.
Speaking of tires: if anyone hears of a rider anywhere near here (Wichita, KS) needing a tire change, I have a changer. And plenty of tools. It's mobile. I could readily change and balance a tire anywhere within a couple hundred miles of here. I'll be here until the 9th, when I head out to ABQ for the finish. Long shot, but who knows.
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In regards to meeting riders on the road. I had a previous repeat finisher "meet" me on the side of a highway. He was on the shoulder and as he saw me he pulled out. He came up next to me, lifted his chin bar, and gave me a high five.
It was Awesome!!!
No words needed to be exchanged. One of the Emotional high points of the rally for me as he had seen my spot coming his way.
Later on I realized he had taken a few photos of me while riding. As far as offering drink energy bars etc. I don't know that I'd take it if offered. In 13 we had one bonus relatively close to a checkpoint and had a friend who camped out there to take everyone's picture and offer water etc. While it was very well meant, I know for a fact that it threw riders off their routine. I "think" if you meet a rally-er and they need something, they'll ask. They have made it this far without anything, and aren't expecting anything.
Now having said that I think it's great you would offer.
Just my $0.02
It was Awesome!!!
No words needed to be exchanged. One of the Emotional high points of the rally for me as he had seen my spot coming his way.
Later on I realized he had taken a few photos of me while riding. As far as offering drink energy bars etc. I don't know that I'd take it if offered. In 13 we had one bonus relatively close to a checkpoint and had a friend who camped out there to take everyone's picture and offer water etc. While it was very well meant, I know for a fact that it threw riders off their routine. I "think" if you meet a rally-er and they need something, they'll ask. They have made it this far without anything, and aren't expecting anything.
Now having said that I think it's great you would offer.
Just my $0.02
playinatwork
Well-known member
Susanville is on the move. I think he can make it before 10pm but it's gonna take some pedaling.
TomInPA
Well-known member
I've noticed the Susanville Spot has been on the move this morning. He has about 15 hours of travel time left as of 6:00 AM MDT...less on a bike. So has about 14 hours to get there. It's close enough to try, especially considering he can make good time on some of those roads. One long fuel stop, breakdown or a performance award and he will DNF. I think I'll watch this as the day goes on. I can see him watching the GPS ETA click backwards.
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