FJRForum Official 2017 Iron Butt Rally Tracking/Analysis Thread

[08FJR4ME]

There's been a bike sitting in Montreal for hours. Not sure what it up there. The question for me now is how much sleep I will get tonight.

Dave

 

[danalipps]

I didn't sleep last night and I am betting I don't sleep tonight either

 

[MizzouMike]

I am hoping that they publish the list when the rally is done. I can't wait to detour to yet more strange locations with a mini-van full of kids for a photo in front of giant yard art!

Street view.... looks like one big grasshopper....

grasshopper.JPG

 

[Peter Murray]

Well, I don't know that many places but I'm sure the big dogs know enough to provide an edge.

Here's a piece of color that illustrates your point:

In about 2008 or so I was talking to Jim Owen and he was asking where I was from and we literally got down to the level that I was describing the I-182 exit I lived near. He KNEW my exit number and nailed the details like, "The exit right after the Columbia River" and knew the exit number.

I live one mile from that exit and I don't know the number. Jim lives 2500 miles from me and knows my exit number! That's a different brain right there....

And yes IBR riders (particularly those that finish multiple ones) do build up course knowledge. I know, for example:

• highway mileage markers between Provo and Price, Utah are particularly inconsistent
• that the south edge of the north rim of the Grand Canyon is 211 miles from the north edge of the south rim of the Grand Canyon through completely missing a bonus in 2009
• the four state corners monument is not actually at the actual geographic surveyed location
• riding through Glacier National park at 2 a.m. is FAR faster than during the day but I have never actually seen any of the views after riding through three times during the dark
• the exit number on the east side of Nebraska I-80 is 454
• if you do ride across Nebraska that the radar source at the arch at Great Platte isn't actually a cop...and that arch is the ONLY reason you don't cut your wrists for traveling I-80 across Nebraska
• 56/412 from Dodge City, Kansas to Clayton, NM is a horrible road to ride in the afternoon and evening of summers as you're headed directly into the sun for 200 sunburning miles.
• If you find yourself cruising Chicago to Tulsa in the wee hours of the last night of a rally....it is REALLY confusing to go by Springfield twice. It makes you think you've taken a wrong turn.

Your are Correct, Owen is NOT Human.

 

[RJAMT]

I hope those Spot markers northeast of Toronto are old. They're just over 1,000 miles away with 12 1/2 hrs until penalties start plus the direct route runs through Toronto. It goes through Chicago and Madison also but they will be at night. Oh, and they have to cross the border back into this country!

Easy-peasy right?!

 

[Bounce]

Seems to be a lot of injuries this IBR. Broken bones, get-offs, etc.

Look up the story about Manny and his swap-for-a-Shadow story. Talk about tenacious. Since then. I'm unsure of any rider who's done worse than peel the crusted road-rash scabs open after they bonded to the hotel linen during a rest. A finish with a broken T/B will be up there.

 

[Bounce]

Well, I don't know that many places but I'm sure the big dogs know enough to provide an edge.

Here's a piece of color that illustrates your point:

In about 2008 or so I was talking to Jim Owen and he was asking where I was from and we literally got down to the level that I was describing the I-182 exit I lived near. He KNEW my exit number and nailed the details like, "The exit right after the Columbia River" and knew the exit number.

I live one mile from that exit and I don't know the number. Jim lives 2500 miles from me and knows my exit number! That's a different brain right there....

And yes IBR riders (particularly those that finish multiple ones) do build up course knowledge. I know, for example:

• highway mileage markers between Provo and Price, Utah are particularly inconsistent
• that the south edge of the north rim of the Grand Canyon is 211 miles from the north edge of the south rim of the Grand Canyon through completely missing a bonus in 2009
• the four state corners monument is not actually at the actual geographic surveyed location
• riding through Glacier National park at 2 a.m. is FAR faster than during the day but I have never actually seen any of the views after riding through three times during the dark
• the exit number on the east side of Nebraska I-80 is 454
• if you do ride across Nebraska that the radar source at the arch at Great Platte isn't actually a cop...and that arch is the ONLY reason you don't cut your wrists for traveling I-80 across Nebraska
• 56/412 from Dodge City, Kansas to Clayton, NM is a horrible road to ride in the afternoon and evening of summers as you're headed directly into the sun for 200 sunburning miles.
• If you find yourself cruising Chicago to Tulsa in the wee hours of the last night of a rally....it is REALLY confusing to go by Springfield twice. It makes you think you've taken a wrong turn.

And that heading e/w out of Flagstaff (on the westward downhill slope toward Kingman) will cause your radar detector to go ape shit for no apparent reason. Same with running along running n/s along NV95 near Hawthorne.

TX170 westbound out of Lajitas: Be careful about the road when you can't see it on the other side of a rise. There's a particularly whack-a-ble section that can send you ass over teakettle if you don't throw out the anchor. Right on the back side of one rise is a very hard, decreasing elevation left >90 degrees that will bite you.

Denver to Cheyenne is 120 miles.

There used to be a hot blonde cop in Rawlins, WY (signed my first leg of my SS2K). There was an internationally model-hot blonde running the clerk's desk at a small hotel in Casper @ ~2:30am. As tired as I was I had to go back down to the desk and ask something-or-other (maybe twice).

Ellensburg, WA and El Paso, TX are always crazy-windy.

Just odd things you pick up when riding around.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Not sure if this is posted here but Day 11 is up on the IBR sight.

 

[ChrisW]

But, the look on Brian Roberts face as the gush of riders rolled into the Zips and he realized even he was about to be late was priceless. Wandering out the front door with styrofoam cup of coffe in my teeth as I stuffed my receipt away, donned gloves, and boogied to 95 was joyous. And as we rode assertively through the bergs of Athol, Hayden, turned onto I-90 at C'Da for the last blast. Turning onto Division..that I'd done so many times in my life....and the excruciating eternity to wait for the left turn signal onto the hotel drive was exhilarating & frustrating.

I came into Zips from the west, and was unaware of the accident.

I walked into Zips to see Eddie J smiling. That was a pick me up. Got my .5 seconds of fame in Dean's movie. I think my line was "Hi".

I remember seeing Brian R realize what was what and then his plate spinning on the table as he made his exit. Jim O was airing up his front tire as I was getting on my bike. I think there was a little Ninja there too.

Followed Iggy for a bit on the highway, but followed the GPS instead for the last mile. Think I took 3 penalty minutes.

That last night was hard.

What a time!

 

[FJR Flyer]

Not sure if this is posted here but Day 11 is up on the IBR sight.

Was hoping for some info about the Newfie adventurers.

 

[Ignacio]

I think there was a little Ninja there too.

That's right! That was one of the rotary guys that rode three different cycles on all the legs....but he finished! 650 Ninja to my recollection...pulled up beside me behind the wreck. Made me smile when I figured out I'd seen him in Tennessee spewing oil.

 

[Niehart]

Matt, a bunch of us Pacific Northwet folks were there and still remember the scene between you and you dad. It was very cool.

 

[st4sal]

But, the look on Brian Roberts face as the gush of riders rolled into the Zips and he realized even he was about to be late was priceless. Wandering out the front door with styrofoam cup of coffe in my teeth as I stuffed my receipt away, donned gloves, and boogied to 95 was joyous. And as we rode assertively through the bergs of Athol, Hayden, turned onto I-90 at C'Da for the last blast. Turning onto Division..that I'd done so many times in my life....and the excruciating eternity to wait for the left turn signal onto the hotel drive was exhilarating & frustrating.

I came into Zips from the west, and was unaware of the accident.

I walked into Zips to see Eddie J smiling. That was a pick me up. Got my .5 seconds of fame in Dean's movie. I think my line was "Hi".

I remember seeing Brian R realize what was what and then his plate spinning on the table as he made his exit. Jim O was airing up his front tire as I was getting on my bike. I think there was a little Ninja there too.

Followed Iggy for a bit on the highway, but followed the GPS instead for the last mile. Think I took 3 penalty minutes.

That last night was hard.

What a time!

I remember thinking that IF one of us did something stupid MOST of us would pay for it. I was filled with all sorts of emotions.. But couldn't help laugh at seeing myself and several other riders in a back alley with the wrong location for Zipps. Thankfully it was only a few blocks away. Thankfully I was in the first group arriving and had no idea of the tragedy that was occurring.

 

[Warchild]

Less than 12 hours remain...

 

[Gus96]

From the day 11 report

"Ian McPhee reported that his BMW RT starter was not working this morning, but he was able to get it repaired and is on the road again. Ian is incredible and never gives up – we love that about him."

could have been from the deer the hit yesterday, lost 6 hrs getting going again.

 

[discochris]

I don't envy the rider up in Northern Ontario right now.

 

[NTXFJR]

I hope the spot track in West Yellowstone is lagging and not his true location.

 

[RayW]

Could we assume this is the location of the group pic in Lemmon?

Pretty sure the group photo was not in Lemmon, but a lot of riders spent the night there. I'm having trouble figuring out exactly where it was though. Two riders who both told me they were going there never intersected.... And one turned around and headed back toward Lemmon. I dunno! I don't ask too many detailed questions when we speak, mostly chat about how they're doing, etc. Rally gossip, etc.

I work nights and was following one spot tracker that was moving in the wee hours of the morning. Think it was Kit.... Saw them stop for this bonus and then head north to catch the slab going towards Minn. Kinda expected them to join the others at the motel just a block from the bonus but nope...

 

[Dan S]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="NTXFJR" data-cid="1371919" data-time="1499397918"><p>

I hope the spot track in West Yellowstone is lagging and not his true location.</p></blockquote>

Day 11 report says he missed the turn off I84 toward Spokane because his gps was in a pocket, not mounted on his new GS. Unfortunately he was in one of the few places in the US where a wrong turn will add 150 miles to your route. He hopes to make it in time for the banquet. The 2 riders that just crossed into Michigan at port Huron are a little outside the bubble. Hope they got shelter when that nasty t-storm rolled over them. Best of luck to them.

 

[Ignacio]

I thought I'd share a bit more memory of IBRs and what the last night might be like to riders. Of course it varies, but I think back to my most recent rally and those riders coming around the horn to Chicago are about the place I was the last night of '13 going to the finish in Pittsburgh. Thursday night is full of truck traffic on I-80 and you're tired. Not necessarily a sleep tired, but a tired that you feel like bits of your brain and body that produce important chemicals have been squeezed dry.

You've got a bike that has ridden 11 days that other than putting fuel in and maybe checking tire pressure a time or two...is just tired too. You're on your last granola bar, maybe you haven't bothered to fill up your water jug because you only have to run until 8 a.m. in the cool morning...you just don't bother fiddling with stuff because you're like a homing pigeon with a GPS. You keep looking at that mileage left indicator and your estimated arrival time shifts by a minute and it's dramatic.

Maybe you have a last bonus or two to get, but they're likely small potatoes in this particular rally. You known you have to gas up one more time and you'll grab that large cup of coffee.

Randomly you remember bits of the ride you've had. You remember the epic moments certainly, but weird obscure turns, sitting at stop lights, or your biggest goof (I vividly remember watching one of my helmet visors fluttering in the rear view memory on a two-laner in Indiana in 2013).

You might be texting a bit....on straight easy stretches. RenoJohn was always an entertaining contact for me. I imagine others contact signficant others.

You also judge yourself. What could you have differently and better. Where did you screw up. That part of the night is harsh because of your competitive spirit.

But you also give yourself a slug in the arm and say, "You did good."...and you did. Assuming you don't do something incredibly stupid or unlucky that last 5% of the rally...you're either joining a group of about 500 people to pull of the feat or reaffirming that three digit number and entering a smaller number of n-finisher status.

You think about who's going to be at the finish line and stressing the shit out of your scoring. It ain't done until you score and there are so many ways to screw up. You think about how you're going to organize your points.

You also have probably listened to music much of the ride and play song lyrics in your head. One I often would remember:


Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner's pies
And we walked off to look for America
Cathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
Michigan seems like a dream to me now
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've gone to look for America

Laughing on the bus, playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said, be careful, his bowtie is really a camera
Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat
We smoked the last one an hour ago
So I looked at the scenery
She read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

Cathy, I'm lost, I said though I knew she was sleeping
And I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America

Simon and Garfunkel - America

But, mostly you look left, you look right, you take a lung full of air and smile that you're riding a motorcycle like a grinning idiot.