To put it simply, what the heck is it?
I noticed that ride listed in the big ride list, and it intrigued me so I clicked on the link to read more about it. The description is simple: "Ride around the globe in seveal trips, returning home between trips" and "Ride around the globe in one continuous trip" for Gold. That got the wheels in my head turning. How can you possibly ride around the globe in one continuous trip? You can't go over the poles, even with the most robust ADV bike. You're also going to have one heck of a time making it over the Pacific with any land based vehicle. Clearly, that's not what it is. What could it be?
Then those pesky wheels started turning again. The circumference of the Earth is basically 40,000 KM. Ah, maybe it's 40,000 KM with some travel on each continent. Now that kinda makes sense. But if it was that, wording to that effect would be in the description page. Oh, dummy, look at the big list of certified rides and see what info is there. Ugh, why didn't I think of that sooner? So that's what I did. I searched for "Around the World" in the big cert list and found a few. Yep, there's a few. Lots of info given too. 14 to 35 countries visited, most around 15. Between 3 and 5 continents visited. Wait, I guess that means you don't have to hit each continent. KM counted is between 20,000 and 50,000. Wait, I guess that means it's not a 40,000 KM based ride. Oh, wait, I got it! Most of the world is water. The land portion of circumnavigating the Earth is probably around the 20,000 KM mark. I guess you could fly from continent to continent and rent a motorcycle for the land portion. Except that you probably can't rent a motorcycle then ride it through several other countries. I doubt a rental agency would ever allow that. Oh, the certs only list 1 bike for each rider. Must be a ferry of some kind over the water, then a ride across the land. Ah, now I gots it! I r smort!
At least, I briefly though I was smort! Alas, no, I are not smort. Something about that just doesn't seem right either. How could you possibly return home between each trip like that? Also, passage for yourself and a motorcycle across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans? That's gotta be expensive as hell! But a high financial gate on an IBA ride? That isn't what the IBA is about. Surely, that's not it either. Now I'm pretty much clueless as to what this ride is about. It's clearly not riding the distance of Earth's circumference, or even riding on each of the continents. So, what the heck is it?
I noticed that ride listed in the big ride list, and it intrigued me so I clicked on the link to read more about it. The description is simple: "Ride around the globe in seveal trips, returning home between trips" and "Ride around the globe in one continuous trip" for Gold. That got the wheels in my head turning. How can you possibly ride around the globe in one continuous trip? You can't go over the poles, even with the most robust ADV bike. You're also going to have one heck of a time making it over the Pacific with any land based vehicle. Clearly, that's not what it is. What could it be?
Then those pesky wheels started turning again. The circumference of the Earth is basically 40,000 KM. Ah, maybe it's 40,000 KM with some travel on each continent. Now that kinda makes sense. But if it was that, wording to that effect would be in the description page. Oh, dummy, look at the big list of certified rides and see what info is there. Ugh, why didn't I think of that sooner? So that's what I did. I searched for "Around the World" in the big cert list and found a few. Yep, there's a few. Lots of info given too. 14 to 35 countries visited, most around 15. Between 3 and 5 continents visited. Wait, I guess that means you don't have to hit each continent. KM counted is between 20,000 and 50,000. Wait, I guess that means it's not a 40,000 KM based ride. Oh, wait, I got it! Most of the world is water. The land portion of circumnavigating the Earth is probably around the 20,000 KM mark. I guess you could fly from continent to continent and rent a motorcycle for the land portion. Except that you probably can't rent a motorcycle then ride it through several other countries. I doubt a rental agency would ever allow that. Oh, the certs only list 1 bike for each rider. Must be a ferry of some kind over the water, then a ride across the land. Ah, now I gots it! I r smort!
At least, I briefly though I was smort! Alas, no, I are not smort. Something about that just doesn't seem right either. How could you possibly return home between each trip like that? Also, passage for yourself and a motorcycle across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans? That's gotta be expensive as hell! But a high financial gate on an IBA ride? That isn't what the IBA is about. Surely, that's not it either. Now I'm pretty much clueless as to what this ride is about. It's clearly not riding the distance of Earth's circumference, or even riding on each of the continents. So, what the heck is it?