SS1000 and security milage?

Lanval

IBA Member
#1
Very simple question, but what percentage of added mileage would you add to a ride to make sure that you could get it certified? 4%?

SS1K would this require 1040 miles
BB1.5K would require 1060 miles
 

Ira

Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
IBR Staff
#2
Somewhere around 3-4% beyond the calculated minimum mileage should be sufficient.

Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association
 

Lanval

IBA Member
#4
Don't go by odometer. Use a mapping program and/or GPS mileage
Thanks for the reply. I believe the people who certify the ride use something like google maps, so I will follow your advice.

I do have another question, about starting your ride from the center of a town. I have an one hour ride before I get to the interstate, which is the shortest route to the interstate but with some intersections, can this pose a problem? The rest of my route is on interstate. Thanks.
 

DelB

Premier Member
#5
The SS1000 and BB1.5k are relatively easy rides, so for a seasoned LD rider it wouldn't matter. For the first timer, get as close to the interstate before you start your clock. Use a gas station as close to to an on ramp as you can.

The key to success for certificate rides are your stops, both fuel and personal. From start of off ramp to end of on ramp, should take less than 8 minutes. For most riders, this is nearly impossible. I rode with a rookie in 2013 to help her succeed. Her first fuel stop was 18 minutes. She thought it was fast. I asked her why she took off her helmet, why did she got off her bike, what was the purpose of unzipping her jacket. All these things waste time. True, you have the time when doing both of the rides you mention, but why waste that time when you have no idea what is waiting for you 5 miles down the road.

Ride hard the first 950 miles, then relax and take a piss.
 

cacomly

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#7
Thanks for the reply. I believe the people who certify the ride use something like google maps, so I will follow your advice.

I do have another question, about starting your ride from the center of a town. I have an one hour ride before I get to the interstate, which is the shortest route to the interstate but with some intersections, can this pose a problem? The rest of my route is on interstate. Thanks.
Do what you need to do in order to be comfortable during your ride. If you think riding that first hour from the center of town will bother you then start the clock closer to the Interstate. I would certainly plan to end the ride when you get off the Interstate and not wait until you get to the center of town.
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#8
I do have another question, about starting your ride from the center of a town. I have an one hour ride before I get to the interstate, which is the shortest route to the interstate but with some intersections, can this pose a problem? The rest of my route is on interstate. Thanks.
You *can* start from a center of a town, but is there a compelling reason why? Is there a good 24 hour fuel location right there? ATM? Jail? :eek:

:D

I mean, if there's an hour to get to an Interstate, and that road is predominately a 'highway', you're able to maintain a reasonable speed (45? 55? 65?), then why not use that hour of time to be on the clock?

Since we don't know your exact route, it's kinda hard to give really good guidance. What Chris wrote prior to my post is accurate, but if it's 50 miles of highway to the Interstate, and you're doing an 'out-and-back' to get your mileage...

See? That's the issue - you have the local knowledge to know if you can maintain the speed. Now, if you do the 50 miles, then get on the Interstate, that may become a 'corner', which should be marked with a dated business receipt (DBR). It might just be for a bottle of water and sustenance, but it does mark 'I was here', as every other DBR does.
 

Lanval

IBA Member
#9
I sure do appreciate the guidance you all have offered. I think with Google Maps, Satellite tracking, plus the knowledge of the first hour it should work. Sometimes having an engineering background makes it difficult to let things go and stop worring about the small things. :D
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#10
Some of us have lived in both the engineering part of things as well as the production part.

Now, time to put the plan into production (e.g. "Plan the Ride, then Ride the Plan!")
 

Lanval

IBA Member
#11
Some of us have lived in both the engineering part of things as well as the production part.

Now, time to put the plan into production (e.g. "Plan the Ride, then Ride the Plan!")
Absolutely. I did an apprenticeship and worked the shop floor before going into the white shirt side of things, but my boss would always chastise me for walking the floor rather than sitting in the office. Time to set a deadline and put the plan into action.

My LD comfort clothing arrives today, I have a MotoJug coming soon, when my Aerostich arrives I'm not sure, but don't need them yet. And my plan is to ride from Columbia, TN to Erick OK and back. Erick has a Loves, and from google maps is 806 miles one way.

Thanks for the help.
 

Scott Parish

Premier Member
#12
Ken's advice is sound. You could do both i.e. pull your first receipt near your home and begin the ride. If you feel it is taking longer than usual to get to the interstate you can always pull another receipt and restart the clock and mileage. Yes - a second stop so soon eats away some time; but not much. Besides; if this is your first timed ride; don't be surprised the adrenaline which has your heart beating faster doesn't require an earlier than normal stop to urinate. Happens to me with almost every new ride I attempt - the anticipation and adrenaline act like a diuretic. I would be the guy at the IBR that as soon a Warchild waves to start - only rides around the corner to stop and pee. :)
 

Lanval

IBA Member
#13
I would be the guy at the IBR that as soon a Warchild waves to start - only rides around the corner to stop and pee. :)
:D

Appreciate the ideas, and the laugh. I have a father-in-law who is just like that, we got four miles down the road and had to stop. When we stopped everyone got out, I was left sitting there. :D
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#14
Reading comprehension - for all of us:

Very simple question <....>,

BB1.5K would require 1060 miles
Um....

No, that'd be 1560 miles. ;) I did something similar not long ago myself.

So, I did look at your route...and now understand why you have a turn around point 806 miles from the start.

What Google Maps plotted took me to an exit that didn't have services, but just a quick scan of the area doesn't seem to infer there's a physically shorter way between those two points.

Scott's point above is valid...and you may just avail yourself of an opportunity to stop soon after getting on the Interstate.

...or not, which is one of the benefits to doing a ride along a highway like I-40.
 

Lanval

IBA Member
#15
Reading comprehension - for all of us:

Um....

No, that'd be 1560 miles. ;) I did something similar not long ago myself.
Good catch, thinking too far ahead. 1560 is the correct number.

From Columbia to I40 is along TN50 which is a 55mph route mostly (1 hour duration), get on I40 until the next exit, come off pick up a receipt, back on I40 and sit back and cruise to the Loves Gas Stop in Erick OK, turn around and come back. Planned date is August 23-25, 2019 for the ride

AeroStich AD1's are shipping today. Have a FJR1300 2016, so have a good fuel supply, and plan to stop for gas every 250 miles. Will have a route made up for the GPS on fuel stops.

Thanks for the help, and suggestions, and anything else you can offer.
 
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#16
Laval,

You can complete a SS1K riding primarily two lane roads. The Lake Superior Circle SS1K has less than 50 miles of limited access highway. When I did the run the average posted speed was 55mph/90kph. Riding time was 21 hours. As others have said, keep the stopped time short and the running speed at posted or with the flow of traffic. You should easily complete the first 1000 in less than 24,

Good luck,

Mark
 

Scott Parish

Premier Member
#17
AeroStich AD1's are shipping today.
Hopefully you ordered them long. I followed their directions and found the AD1 pants shorten up quite a bit once seated on the bike especially using the stock knee pads which are ridiculously thick without really offering better impact protection. I have to remove the knee pads to keep the pants from riding above my boots......plus they are more of a nut hugger than I would like since there really is not expansion material. However, nothing better for weather protection and they look better off the bike than most gear which is low on my list of cares. :)
 
#18
8 minutes per stop is ridiculous and TOTALLY UNNECESSARY!

I don't have an auxiliary fuel tank. I've done multiple SS1Ks, SS2K Golds, several BBGs, an SS3K Gold, and a BBG 3000 Gold. When route planning, I plan for 20 minutes per stop, starting when I turn the bike OFF and ending when I pull-out of the station. I take off my helmet, jacket, and gloves, walk into the restroom, use it, wash up, fuel up, document the stop, EAT food that I've brought (but not at every stop), get my shit together, and resume the ride. I have even casually eaten at restaurants multiple times on a single ride.

To tell a newbie to do every stop at breakneck speeds is irresponsible; no certificate or other record is going to record your ride as the "fastest" and the IBA states time and again that these aren't races.

The stops are not only to get gas, but to refresh the rider. Walk around. Wash up with cool water. Stay inside a bit if it's really hot or cold outside. HYDRATE! Call a friend. Grab some real food (believe it or not, getting a deli sandwich and some chips can really go a long way to make you feel better). STRETCH OUT!

The more rides I do, the more experience I get and I adjust what I do at these stops and during the ride; I'm always looking for ways to make my stops more efficient WITHOUT feeling like I'm rushed. I plan for 20 minutes but now normally take half that time because I have streamlined how I document the stop and some other things. Sometimes though, I take an additional 10 minutes or more. The point is, I take as much time as needed.

For my last BBG Fools Gold, I rode 1,673 miles in 23h 15m using this method. Had I had an auxiliary fuel tank, I could've shaved even more time off of that, and that tank would have come in really useful when I did the BBG 3,000 Gold as the saved time could've been used for more rest.

The bottom line here is that you should stop whenever you need or want one and take as long as you need. Do not tell yourself you can't stop until the next time you get gas! On the colder days, my bladder likes to remind me it's still working and I frequently have to stop every 100 miles or so for about 500-600 miles. It's annoying, but it beats having to hold it in, especially on bumpy roads.
 
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#19
no certificate or other record is going to record your ride as the "fastest"
Agree 100%. My trip Excel sheet adds 15 minutes for each stop by default. A SS is really a leisurely ride and my wife of all people was the one who brought it home to me when doing the Memorial SS two years ago - I was rushing her through a stop when she asked "why was I in such a hurry"? I said something about getting home at a decent time and she said "if you are already thinking about getting home - why bother leaving"? I thought about it for a second and realized my preoccupation with the clock was taking away limiting my enjoyment of the ride and stops. I have also completed BBG's with time to spare just going the speed limit and stopping to fix a flat. I think you are spot on in pointing out too often we are instructing novice LD riders to keep stops under 10 minutes which is not wise or sustainable. On my 48 Plus last year I removed all clock management protocols from my planning and focused only on miles per day. Of course I had planned stops for DBRs; but I also stopped when I felt the need; or extended a fuel stop to eat, rest; or just talk to others. As you indicated for yourself; efficiency will come over time with practice and repetition.
 

mike77

Premier Member
#20
saddle sore rides are fun because you don't have to rush, if you have inter-state hwys for a good share of the ride .the miles are relatively
easy. BBG's are tougher and fuel stops are more critical, my son-ilaws and I just completed a BBG in a little over 22 and 1/2 hours . we rode our normal speeds , we did 10 to 15 min stops . you just have to pay attention to time and pace your self ..these rides are not Races ,but Challenges!!!