2021 IBR Rally Report

[cacomly]

I finally finished my Rally report for the 2021 Iron Butt Rally. For anyone interested in reading it I broke it out into 5 parts, links to all of the installments are below. Enjoy!

Part 1 - Prologue

Part 2 - Leg 1

Part 3 - Leg 2

Part 4 - Leg 3

Part 5 - The Trip Home

 

[LeMaitre]

Chris,

Thanks for the report. Just finished reading all the installments, you are lucky to have a wife that understands your illness.

Did the sportster make it into the hopeless class?

-Mark

 

[Auburn]

Great ride report!

 

[cacomly]

Chris,

Thanks for the report. Just finished reading all the installments, you are lucky to have a wife that understands your illness.

Did the sportster make it into the hopeless class?

-Mark

Thanks Mark, I agree I am lucky that my wife not only understands me but supports me

No a Sportster is not considered to be Hopeless Class.

 

[cacomly]

Great ride report!

Thanks!

 

[RobG4]

Really enjoyed reading your ride report! And the fact that you did it on a Sportster with moon miles is just incredible. Congrats on making it back without having to load it onto a truck. That would have been a disappointing way to fish an otherwise fantastic 31 days. At least most of the 31 days sounded fantastic. Ha!
As a newby rally rider, I appreciate the insight as to your thoughts on resting vs pushing through it and possibly making bad/dangerous decisions.

 

[Sportsterpaul]

Way to go Chris, I caught the report on XL Forum, excellent, educational and entertaining, thank you my friend!

 

[cacomly]

Really enjoyed reading your ride report! And the fact that you did it on a Sportster with moon miles is just incredible. Congrats on making it back without having to load it onto a truck. That would have been a disappointing way to fish an otherwise fantastic 31 days. At least most of the 31 days sounded fantastic. Ha!
As a newby rally rider, I appreciate the insight as to your thoughts on resting vs pushing through it and possibly making bad/dangerous decisions.

The hardest decision to make is to abandon a cert ride or deciding to cut off part of your route during a rally. I usually build in an "out" where I will identify a bonus or group of bonuses to drop and the time savings should I need them. In 2019 I dropped two that combined were almost 20% of my total points and that was a very difficult decision, however had I not done so I likely would not have finished. That was due to a mistake I made 4 days earlier which cost me 4 hours.

If interested, check out the links to my other rides and rallies on my blog. This was my 4th IBR and the other three are written up as well. If you read the rally report for 2017 you will see why I knew better than to forgo adequate pre-rally inspection/maintenance

 

[cacomly]

Way to go Chris, I caught the report on XL Forum, excellent, educational and entertaining, thank you my friend!

Thanks Paul!

 

[RobG4]

The hardest decision to make is to abandon a cert ride or deciding to cut off part of your route during a rally. I usually build in an "out" where I will identify a bonus or group of bonuses to drop and the time savings should I need them. In 2019 I dropped two that combined were almost 20% of my total points and that was a very difficult decision, however had I not done so I likely would not have finished. That was due to a mistake I made 4 days earlier which cost me 4 hours.

If interested, check out the links to my other rides and rallies on my blog. This was my 4th IBR and the other three are written up as well. If you read the rally report for 2017 you will see why I knew better than to forgo adequate pre-rally inspection/maintenance

I like the idea of having an "out" just in case things go South. I built in one of those in my first rally so I knew at least I'd finish. I'll go check out your other write ups. Thanks!

 

[LeMaitre]

Thanks Mark, I agree I am lucky that my wife not only understands me but supports me

No a Sportster is not considered to be Hopeless Class.

Chris, given the age and mileage handicap of the Sportster, I thought it might qualify.

-Mark

 

[cacomly]

Chris, given the age and mileage handicap of the Sportster, I thought it might qualify.

-Mark

What mileage handicap? I get 40-50 mpg depending on speed. It's better than what I get on my GSA. Plus I have a 6 gallon aux fuel tank so I have a range of 375 - 450 miles with a comfortable reserve.

 

[LeMaitre]

What mileage handicap? I get 40-50 mpg depending on speed. It's better than what I get on my GSA. Plus I have a 6 gallon aux fuel tank so I have a range of 375 - 450 miles with a comfortable reserve.

My memory might be bad, but I thought I read the bike had 270,000 miles on it. In the long run it doesn't matter. You have proven that. Looking forward to you next adventure.

-Mark

 

[Uncle Zoom]

As usual, an excellent ride report. I sometimes think you put as much effort in your posts as you do the IBR. But please, stop teasing your wife about your anniversary. We all know in the 2023 IBR you will be trying to place in the teens and in 2025, place in the top ten. Congratulations on taking the 28th position.

Jack

 

[cacomly]

My memory might be bad, but I thought I read the bike had 270,000 miles on it. In the long run it doesn't matter. You have proven that. Looking forward to you next adventure.

-Mark

Mark, it has 306,000 miles on it

And if I thought the mileage was an issue I would have ridden my 2007 Sportster with 40,000 miles on it