You can see why trying to figure these things our can make one's head explode.
Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association
Head. Exploding. LOL!
I am not sure why rides in a series labeled as "Insanity", wouldn't be considered as "Insane", themselves. Though they are "merely" SS1Ks, they carry an additional requirement, as listed in the series description. I'm cool with it, just not sure the reasoning. In my case, I DEFINITELY need the two SS1Ks certified, because those go towards completing the series. I would also love to get the BBG and SS2K Gold certifications since I met those standards as well.
According to the requirements of the series, there are 13 rides on the Ides of 12 consecutive months. Two of those rides have to overlap on the Ides of that month. Assume that the Ides was on the 15th (which in this case, it was), and assume that the entirety of the ride stayed within the same time zone. Remember that each ride has to start and end in a city that begins with a particular letter. In this case, I was working on the letters "R" and "E".
I could start my ride on the 14th at 2am in city "R" and ride at least 1,000 miles and finish in the same city on the 15th at 1am. This would qualify the ride since I rode at least 1,000 miles in under 24 hours and since I finished that ride on the 15th, it meets the requirement that I ride on the Ides of the month. Now at this point I have a couple of options:
- Immediately travel to city "E" and begin the second required ride.
- Take a break until 11pm (almost a full day), then travel to city "E" and begin the second ride, making sure it begins on the 15th as well.
Now this is important because if I had chosen #2, I wouldn't have even qualified for either a BBG OR SS2K Gold, since the clock doesn't stop at the end of the first ride and I definitely wouldn't have been able to meet the mileage/time requirements for either, even though I would for the two SS1Ks for the series. The clock for the BBG and SS2K Gold started the moment I got my receipt at the start in city "R", but the clock and mileage for my second ride didn't start until I got to city "E". So if it took me 3 hours and 170 miles to get to city "E", neither would count for that second ride, but they would for a BBG and SS2K Gold.
So I guess what I am getting at is that this isn't the same as doing a 3,000-mile 50CC ride and trying to claim 3 SS1Ks as well. These were two, completely independent rides, and in completing them, I also managed to complete two other certifications.
I need a drink, LOL.