Life after the IBR

rodneyw71

KLR'er
Premier Member
#1
What does a LD Rider do after they finish or win the IBR? I've dreamed about the rally since the late 90s and wonder what I would do if I ever got the time and money to enter, what would be next, do the riders still do ss1000's or bun burners, the basic rides, riding is my only hobby, always has been, is that the case with the top LD Riders, I'm on the outside of the rally looking in, so just always been curious.
 

Garry in AZ

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#2
Finishing my rookie IBR was a lifetime achievement for me, but it matters very little to anyone else. I will never win the IBR, simply because I already know I don't have what it takes to compete at that level.
Most competitors in the IBR simply love to ride and rally, so that's what we do, before and after the IBR. I still enjoy certificate rides, or just riding for fun. And I plan to keep trying my hand in as many rallies as I can, because I learn something new every time I ride one.
I have many other hobbies, probably too many, but I have been riding motorcycles since the mid '70's and right now I can't envision life without riding.

Garry #514
 

rodneyw71

KLR'er
Premier Member
#3
I have so many questions about the rally and other rides, I wish there was a class on things like strategy, how to map and use the mapping software, I'm old school, I have a gps but still use a paper map sometimes, being in the Ironbutt rally is my biggest dream, it'll happen, but I have a whole lot if work to do before I even try.
 

OX-34

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#4
Start entering smaller rallies Rodney. That's my advice. The IBA International meet is a place where classes on rallies and such things will be available.

By all means stay old-school with paper maps if you wish, but your rally experience will be so much better once you get a handle on the computer mapping techniques. Look back through some old issues of the Iron Butt mag for an article by Jim Owen for a nice overview of the process of getting from 'where is the next nearest waypoint' rallying all the way to IBR genius rallying.

Search Youtube for HardTxRider and get a peek into the mind of our own IBA spreadsheet guru Tim.

Watch 'Hard Miles' 1 and 2.

And get that aux tank sorted:p


As for what happens after the IBR. .... Well, for the first couple of weeks get used to waking up in the middle of the night and asking into the darkness which way to the next bonus, sitting up from the pillows and sorting imaginary fuel dockets and flicking though invisible rallybooks for that tantalising huge bonus you know was in there a minute ago... "The rally is over, go back to sleep" is what you hear your wife saying a few times per night.
 

rodneyw71

KLR'er
Premier Member
#7
They do have them available, I looked through some of the bonuses, I like the rest bonus, and watched some of hardtxriders videos, I'm beginning to understand the waypoint and how the bonuses work, thanks :)
 

HardTxRider

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#8
They do have them available, I looked through some of the bonuses, I like the rest bonus, and watched some of hardtxriders videos, I'm beginning to understand the waypoint and how the bonuses work, thanks :)
Here is a post I did on the 2015 IBR (Private) forum leading up to the IBR. Now that it's in the history books, this series of videos on getting the Rally Book information the GPS might be helpful. It gives an insight into the basics of using Ride Pace math to help plan a Rally Leg.

2015 IBR (Private Rider Forum) "Rally Book to GPS" -- Posted: 20 February 2015 at 8:10pm

I have prepared a series of short videos to show how I use Garmin BaseCamp to process the bonus listing information into a format that helps prepare a leg route. These are basic techniques. You might not discover the "winning" route using these basic techniques, but with a little practice, select a route that you can ride and meets your reasonable point goals.

The YouTube videos were done in HD and best viewed full screen. The companion videos below each overview video provide more detail or show using the Rally Leg Plan Tool to enhance the process of selecting a route that meets or exceeds one's goals and ride pace capabilities.

1. Ez-Pz Waypoint Enhancement - 11:50 An overview of the process to enhance the bonus listing information directly into BaseCamp.
- Ez-Pz 76 Waypoints - 23:23 The full 20 minute video for all 76 waypoints of the IBR13 Leg 2

2. Route Selection - 9:06 Selecting a route in BaseCamp using Ride Pace parameters to determine a leg time budget.
- RLPT Leg Profile - 10:50 Using the Rally Leg Plan Tool - Leg Profile to help determine time budget using the Ride Pace metrics

3. Route Timing & Transfer to GPS - 15:18 Using BaseCamp Arrival/Departure/Layover function to do basic route timing. Methods to transfer the enhanced waypoints/routes to the GPS
- RLPT Leg Timing - 11:18 Using the Rally Leg Plan Tool to integrate all leg time consumers to time out the route.

The companion files below are in my Dropbox public folder. Just click past the invitation to sign-in and the files will download.

Rally Book to GPS PowerPoint Slides

RPLT IBR13 Leg 2 The Rally Leg Plan Tool used in this video series.

IBR Ride Pace Analysis MS Excel file capturing basic overall average MPH of each IBR rider: 2009 - 2013

I have already prepared my IBR15 RPLT Leg Profile sheets to coincide with my IBR15 Goals. Now, bring on the Bonus Listings!

Let the record show I did not meet my 'quality' goals. I was one position out of the Gold Finisher category. Dang...if I just got one more 500+ point bonus...I would have...could have...SHOULD have!
 
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Jason Jonas

Premier Member
IBR Staff
#11
Succinctly... life goes on. I finished the 03 rally - about mid-pack. I wasn't satisfied with that so I signed up and paid for the 05 and 07 rallies and never ran them. After that I decided to not throw my name in the hat until I know I'll be able to ride.

I imagine there's a big difference between those who finish and are satisfied with their effort and those who, like me, know they can do better. Or at least could do better about 10 years ago. :)
 

ericedelman

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#13
I finished the 2015 IBR, rode 2000 miles home over the weekend, and rode a motorcycle to work on Monday.
What's next?
I have signed up for Butt Lite in 2016 and another LD group ride in the fall that I'll turn into a vacation.
When it's time to signup, I'd like to ride the 2017 IBR.
I'd do a certificate ride if someone I knew wanted a riding partner to tag along.
And when I retire, I'd like to joint the 100K club with a 4 corners tour, UCC, 48-10, 100CC and whatever else sounds fun to put 100k on a bike in a year.
 

Scott Miller

An American in Europe
Premier Member
#14
Tim, thank you also for the links. Watching some of your videos has answered several questions I have had about route planning and estimation.
Scott
 

Qikslvr

Active Member
#15
More rallying is my plan, but I wouldn't know seeing as how I haven't actually ever finished an IBR yet.

As for training, Paul Tong and I do a rally clinic in DFW in September. We go over stuff like strategy and transferring data to GPSs.
 

rodneyw71

KLR'er
Premier Member
#16
More rallying is my plan, but I wouldn't know seeing as how I haven't actually ever finished an IBR yet.

As for training, Paul Tong and I do a rally clinic in DFW in September. We go over stuff like strategy and transferring data to GPSs.
Is what happened on your profile picture the reason you didn't finish the rally?
 

Qikslvr

Active Member
#17
Is what happened on your profile picture the reason you didn't finish the rally?
Uh...partially. For about 2 months prior to the rally I had one emergency after another, culminating with a broken shifter pivot bolt that caused me to ride to the bike shop in first gear the day before I left for the start. The owner fixed it and had me back on the road in 3 hours after my failing for 3 days. The profile pic was day 1 about 200 miles into the rally on a BIA road in Arizona. I dropped it 2 more times before I got out of the ruts. Then I hit a deer in Wyoming that night. And I high sided coming back onto the road from a low shoulder in Nebraska. Then a mere 30 miles from the first checkpoint in Albuquerque, I looked down to change my audio system and when I looked up there was a SUV doing 10 miles under the speed limit, and I hit him. All things considered, I scored out for the first leg and told Lisa I was dropping out. It wasn't worth the next accident being the one I couldn't walk away from. So I walked away while I still could.
 

rodneyw71

KLR'er
Premier Member
#18
Wow, I was watching the spotwalla when you guys took off and I didn't think about the stuff like what happened to you, I just picture the riders riding park to park, wasn't aware that you had to go down roads like that.
 

Qikslvr

Active Member
#19
wasn't aware that you had to go down roads like that.
Actually we didn't. I went down that one because I'm an idiot. I turned around right there and went back to the pavement 5 miles back. If you're ever riding in Arizona, never ride down a BIA road.

There were a couple of bonuses that were down some pretty nasty dirt roads, or cattle tracks. The Niobara river bonus was awful, and Sand Creek Massacre site was decent dirt road, but lots of sand.
 

TheRoss

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#20
You're not an idiot Troy. I also ended up crashing on a sand road I shouldn't have been riding down. I was just lucky to be on the last day and only 500 miles from the finish. - Kept it out of the reports too :)

I finished the IBR15, my first rally. I bought my first GPS the January before, and Tim's videos were exactly what I needed at the time, to provide a basic strategy. I also had patient hands-on tutoring from a buddy (Bill Norris). If I could have made the Denver meet the August before I would have, and probably would have placed better. My suggestion... run some smaller rallies first. At least make some IBA gatherings where classes or seminars will be held. You don't want to spend a bunch of money to enter the big one and show up not knowing what to do. In other words... do as I say and not as I did. Accomplishing the routing on a rally is a much different animal than riding certificate rides, as you probably know.

What next for me? I only have one hobby, but it has different forms. I love my airheads (two R90/6 models), and I love multi-week motorcycle camping trips (I have summers off). But now I am hooked on rallying! I loved every second of the IBR, will be riding in Butt Lite 8, and can't wait to apply for IBR17! The Iron Butt Rally was the single coolest experience I have ever had!
 
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