I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that at least half the riders do not have a master plan, and have basically just said, "Screw it, I'm going to go ride and have fun."
Why do I say this?
1. Word problems are hard. Most people struggle with them.
2. From a computational perspective, this problem is beyond several that are well known in the computing universe as the toughest nuts to crack. The TSP, for example - the Traveling Salesman Problem. Without strings, the IBR is like the TSP but with an additional variable of point value. With strings, it moves to a whole new level.
3. Some of the crucial information needed to solve the puzzle is not available. With the TSP, you have everything you need when you start. If your data changes halfway through the route, the only thing you can do is start over.
The only logical approach is to do the best you can at every stage. Since no one else knows the missing information either, the best methods will still be the best methods.
But back to my point, even with advanced skills in algorithm design and math, the problem is huge. Since most riders probably don't have those skills, I think they'll just shrug and give it their best shot.
IOW, just have some fun, and ride a long way.
Yeah, I know some people have laptops running on the road crunching data. I wish them the best too, and I'll be interested to see what comes out of it.
As an aside, back in the simple 'no strings' days, I did a little work on applying a decent genetic algorithm to the IBR. Started with a
