The biggest thing I have found on completing a BBG is just keep the wheels turning. Resist the temptation to goof around at gas stops. Keep an eye on your overall average speed on your GPS. It will drop like a rock when stopped and takes forever to climb back up. Very satisfying to complete one. Keep moving.
You're absolutely correct. The stopped time is what kills a BBG. The serious riders have their gas routines down to not taking anything off.
When I first started doing LD riding and Rallies I would stop, take my gloves off, take my helmet off, get sorted, pull the wallet out and repeat all in reverse after fueling up.
Now I keep a gas and Amex card in an outside pocket accessible with gloves on, my key flap is removed and a short key on a knob lives in the gas cap, I wear a modular helmet and I take nothing off for a gas stop. I don't even get off the bike unless I need to use the facilities, then I only take one glove off for that. Receipt log lives in the map pocket of the tank bag and receipts go in a dedicated pouch, either in the tank bag on in a jacket pocket, depending on which riding jacket I'm wearing.
@Redwing56 - It might help if you think of it a little differently. There is no "program" for mile eater certs. You pick the start date and end date that covers the certs you are using to claim the Mile Eater Bronze or above cert. It's not about the number of certs, it's about the number of
rides.
http://www.ironbutt.com/mileeater/index.html
Mile Eater
Anyone who completes more than one certified ride. (Note it says "ride" If you got two certs for the same ride, (nesting), that doesn't count as two rides, only one.)
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Mile Eater BRONZE
Bronze status is earned by completing at least FIVE certified rides, of which 2 must be GOLD or INSANITY level or greater than 48 hours in duration without a time limitation (you can earn Bronze status over several years).
So no time limit on BRONZE. Pretty simple. If you do a nested ride, only one of those certs counts, so pick the one that works best for your list of five RIDES.
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Now things change and you have a 12 month period. YOU pick the 12 month period that contains the rides you wish to submit for this cert. It can start any date, but it will end 12 months from your start date.
Mile Eater SILVER
ALL rides must take place in 12 consecutive months from first ride to last ride for all rides(1 year start to finish)
Silver status is earned by completing at least FIVE certified rides, of which 2 must be GOLD or INSANITY level or greater than 48 hours in duration, in ONE YEAR
OR one certified ride per month during a one year period (12 rides in 12 months - one per month)
It really doesn't matter if your riding season starts in June, so you start your "year" then, and go until the following June. Or you kick it off with a New Years Day ride and plan your 5 rides during the calendar year. You just have to make two of them Gold or Insanity level, or greater than 48 hours like a SS3K or up ride or a BBG. BBG is a GOLD level ride, the SS3K is greater than 48 Hrs. If you did a SS3KGold, that would count as a GOLD ride too. An I-10E2E in 39 hours or less would also be a Gold level ride, per those rules.
The easiest way to get a Mile Eater Silver is to do two BBGs and three SS1Ks during the same 12 month period. Doing a SS1K every calendar month would also get you a Silver. Or any combo of 12 cert rides, one a month, over a consecutive 12 month period. No doing 2 one month, then skipping a month, that won't count.
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Mile Eater GOLD
GOLD status is earned by completing at least TWENTY certified rides, of which FIVE must be GOLD or INSANITY level or greater than 48 hours in duration without a time limitation (you can earn GOLD status over several years).
Back to no time limit for the period you do the rides in. But remember,
RIDES, not certs. 20 rides, of which 5 must be Gold or Insanity level or greater than 48 hours in duration. Same rules as the silver, but more rides and no set calendar time frame. YOU pick the rides, but only one cert ride from each nested ride you did counts.
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If you get to Platinum, you're not asking questions about this stuff any more.