IBA Australia 2026 Muster.

Thanks for your write-up Taffy. My mentoring ride was quite different. Lindsay has over 18,000km as a pillion with me, and over two years ago she decided to become a rider. She bought a friend's well-kept Yamaha R3 and I taught her to ride. Once she completed her two years on Ps she coveted my V-Strom and decided that one like it suited her. She found a good one and had it lowered to fit her better and has done a lot of solo rides. Among her pillion rides were a few FarRides and we did a couple with her riding. But she got really persistent wanting to do an SS1600. The Parkes Muster was a good fit because I could plan a loop ride up north arriving back home after getting the initial 600 kays done and allowing her to have a two hour break and the chance to bail out. We departed at 13:00 and were back around 20:30. 22:45 was set for the next leg.
When I arrived at our re-group servo she'd been there for nearly half an hour. Talk about keen! I annoyed her by saying I'd had a good half hour's sleep in bed. Having the spotties, I led off. There were long sections of the Ipswich Motorway in darkness because the locals have taken to stealing the copper wire. The techies are considering replacing it with aluminium wire that's not worth stealing.
The next notable event was the thousands of cars and campers at Willowbank raceway. I since found out it was the Country Music Rocks event attracting 25,000 people.
The Cunningham Gap didn't hinder our progress and we were cruising well until around Gore on the Cunningham Hwy we encountered scores of very small wallabies. The biggest would have been barely knee-high. They just kept grazing by the road, barely looking up. Any that moved headed away, and I attribute that to my pair of roo whistles. I haven't put the Fatman Roo-verser on this bike, but just might. The only time I had a roo incident was on the way home in broad daylight right in Spring Ridge when a metre-high skippy came bounding across in front of me. I thought it was a clean miss, but his tail or hind legs just clipped the mirror cover and flipped it off. It's designed to come away and slips back onto its mount easily.
There were a couple of times when the mis-match in fuel range between our bikes saw her low level warnings flashing, but I was carrying 5 litres in a pannier, so there was no need for stress.
In the years of lead-up to the ride I'd been coaching Linds about the discipline required, including nutrition and efficient refuelling stops. I carry roasted salted almonds and wash them down with a servo coffee milk. Recently I've moved to double roasted cashews. Linds is much more disciplined than me regarding hydration, and has recently bought a camelback. She teases me about my aversion to water. I'm fine with caffeinated water, leave me alone! My go-to for the main meal of the ride, breakfast, is Maccas and she played along with that, being the sport she is, but would prefer a bakery. We compromised this trip and visited the Coonabarabran bakery for a toasted croissant. Well actually it was too early for brekkie when we came past the Narrabri Maccas.
She was hyped up for a high-five in Parkes! Sheesh! You'd think it was a big deal!
It was lovely how everyone congratulated her, and of course, there were long "girls' talks". She sat patiently through the business meeting but slipped away for a nap and was missing when the photo was taken.
Linds is one tough girl. She has a naked 650cc bike with small panniers and a top box. While I could relax with the cruise control set, a big windscreen and fairing protecting me from the rain (and there was some), feet out on the highway pegs, ample power to overtake the triple trailers and no range anxiety, she struggled with all those factors. But as soon as I completed an overtaking manoeuvre, there were her headlights out there with her doing her best.
Makes me proud to have her in our community.
Now she's wanting to go out to Muckadilla for the SCDR FarRide on Saturday. She'll wear me out!!
 
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What a great write-up Biggles. It was good to meet Lindsay and your post above gives a terrific background to her LD riding journey.
With you being one of the more prolific riders I reckon Lindsay has a pretty good chance of being presented a Mile Eater award by Derrick soon enough.
 
Biggles said:
Thanks for your write-up Taffy. My mentoring ride was quite different. Lindsay has over 18,000km as a pillion with me, and over two years ago she decided to become a rider. She bought a friend's well-kept Yamaha R3 and I taught her to ride. Once she completed her two years on Ps she coveted my V-Strom and decided that one like it suited her. She found a good one and had it lowered to fit her better and has done a lot of solo rides. Among her pillion rides were a few FarRides and we did a couple with her riding. But she got really persistent wanting to do an SS1600. The Parkes Muster was a good fit because I could plan a loop ride up north arriving back home after getting the initial 600 kays done and allowing her to have a two hour break and the chance to bail out. We departed at 13:00 and were back around 20:30. 22:45 was set for the next leg.
When I arrived at our re-group servo she'd been there for nearly half an hour. Talk about keen! I annoyed her by saying I'd had a good half hour's sleep in bed. Having the spotties, I led off. There were long sections of the Ipswich Motorway in darkness because the locals have taken to stealing the copper wire. The techies are considering replacing it with aluminium wire that's not worth stealing.
The next notable event was the thousands of cars and campers at Willowbank raceway. I since found out it was the Country Music Rocks event attracting 25,000 people.
The Cunningham Gap didn't hinder our progress and we were cruising well until around Gore on the Cunningham Hwy we encountered scores of very small wallabies. The biggest would have been barely knee-high. They just kept grazing by the road, barely looking up. Any that moved headed away, and I attribute that to my pair of roo whistles. I haven't put the Fatman Roo-verser on this bike, but just might. The only time I had a roo incident was on the way home in broad daylight right in Spring Ridge when a metre-high skippy came bounding across in front of me. I thought it was a clean miss, but his tail or hind legs just clipped the mirror cover and flipped it off. It's designed to come away and slips back onto its mount easily.
There were a couple of times when the mis-match in fuel range between our bikes saw her low level warnings flashing, but I was carrying 5 litres in a pannier, so there was no need for stress.
In the years of lead-up to the ride I'd been coaching Linds about the discipline required, including nutrition and efficient refuelling stops. I carry roasted salted almonds and wash them down with a servo coffee milk. Recently I've moved to double roasted cashews. Linds is much more disciplined than me regarding hydration, and has recently bought a camelback. She teases me about my aversion to water. I'm fine with caffeinated water, leave me alone! My go-to for the main meal of the ride, breakfast, is Maccas and she played along with that, being the sport she is, but would prefer a bakery. We compromised this trip and visited the Coonabarabran bakery for a toasted croissant. Well actually it was too early for brekkie when we came past the Narrabri Maccas.
She was hyped up for a high-five in Parkes! Sheesh! You'd think it was a big deal!
It was lovely how everyone congratulated her, and of course, there were long "girls' talks". She sat patiently through the business meeting but slipped away for a nap and was missing when the photo was taken.
Linds is one tough girl. She has a naked 650cc bike with small panniers and a top box. While I could relax with the cruise control set, a big windscreen and fairing protecting me from the rain (and there was some), feet out on the highway pegs, ample power to overtake the triple trailers and no range anxiety, she struggled with all those factors. But as soon as I completed an overtaking manoeuvre, there were her headlights out there with her doing her best.
Makes me proud to have her in our community.
Now she's wanting to go out to Muckadilla for the SCDR FarRide on Saturday. She'll wear me out!!
Click to expand...
That is one great backstory write-up @Biggles. Really gives some insight to the Lindsay and her journey. Great to see her at the muster and I'd say anyone's first IBA certified ride is 'a big deal' - you are rightfully proud. Sounds to me like she has one hell of a mentor.
 
@Derrick - OMG how did I not get a piccie of the Lynne presentation....slapping myself now.

Taffey & Biggles, great write ups on your mentorees.

I was lucky to spend some time having "girl talks" with her. What an amazing woman and with Biggles guiding her, I see many more IBA rides and certificates adorning her walls.
 
I received my certificate last week, thanks to the certification team. I've been holding off posting until Lindsay received hers which came by mail (took just a week from Canberra to Brisbane- a bloke on a pushbike could have done it in half the time). Anyway, she has it now and is fully chuffed with the little extras IBA Oz bestowed on her as a first timer.
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Hi All,
Before we all sign off on 2026 muster there was some talk that Bec was going to take us through how the ride verification software / process worked. Did not get to it. Can we put that on for next year please? I would be keen to hear about that.
Thanks
Hop
 
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