IBAUK is made up of about 1,500 "active" members of the IBA. By active I mean has done something (certified ride, entered a rally, attended an RTE, commented on forum) in the last three years. Each year there are around seven events organised in addition to the various RTEs and ERTEs. Those events (BBR, Dambusters, RBLR, etc) don't organise themselves, they are like icebergs with most of the work being done unseen and largely unnoticed by the membership. Mark Fowler for example has spent many, many hours hunting out potential bonus locations, Martin Buck has spent many, many hours verifying rides and routes and these are just two examples of the effort needed to lay on IBAUK events. Each event involves a substantial team effort and the effort is required whether it's supported by one entrant or 200 entrants.
It is really easy to find reasons not to enter our rallies or participate in our group rides or even to not bother turning up for an RTE. Money and time are problems for most of us but there's also "can't be bothered", "hadn't thought about it", "don't like the rallymaster", "it'll probably be raining" and several other "excuses". We've all been guilty of such thinking at some point or another and I'm hoping that this post will encourage all of us to reconsider.
Iron Butt riding is and always will be a minority sport and unless the few of us who do it are prepared to put some effort into promoting and participating in our events, actively supporting those events, we'll all end up lonely old men and women occasionally going for an insane ride all by ourselves because no-one else can be bothered.
It's less than three weeks now until Brit Butt Light 2019 - Art of the Roadside takes place, I'd ask everyone who has not yet entered to reconsider. Lee Edwards has put the effort in to produce a stunning rally in its new home of Bingley, West Yorkshire, why not spend a day to find out how good a job he's done.
It is really easy to find reasons not to enter our rallies or participate in our group rides or even to not bother turning up for an RTE. Money and time are problems for most of us but there's also "can't be bothered", "hadn't thought about it", "don't like the rallymaster", "it'll probably be raining" and several other "excuses". We've all been guilty of such thinking at some point or another and I'm hoping that this post will encourage all of us to reconsider.
Iron Butt riding is and always will be a minority sport and unless the few of us who do it are prepared to put some effort into promoting and participating in our events, actively supporting those events, we'll all end up lonely old men and women occasionally going for an insane ride all by ourselves because no-one else can be bothered.
It's less than three weeks now until Brit Butt Light 2019 - Art of the Roadside takes place, I'd ask everyone who has not yet entered to reconsider. Lee Edwards has put the effort in to produce a stunning rally in its new home of Bingley, West Yorkshire, why not spend a day to find out how good a job he's done.
