Interviewees for the IBA

[Jacob Honnold]

Hey everyone,
I am a 19-year-old college student in KCMO currently doing a profile paper on the IBA (basically I need to do research and get documented responses from people in the actually association). Would anyone be willing to give some reviews about their personal experience in the IBA in all?
Examples- What's the community like? Best experience? Worst conditions driven through? (please feel free to answer any questions you think up as well)

Also, if you could leave one piece of advice to someone like myself about motorcycling in general, what would it be?
Thank you all so much! I someday I hope to be a member of your association.

Edit: I got connected with two members in the KC area and will be attempting my first SaddleSore this summer with them. Thank you to everyone here.

~Jacob Honnold

 

[selil]

Hi Jacob...

I'm a former professor of a major midwest research university. Well met.

I've been around the Iron Butt Association since 1992. I've been riding motorcycles since I was around 3 years old. In the mid 1980s I followed the antic of some individuals very closely including the original Iron Butt Rally. I had actually exchanged letters (imagine that!) with Michael Kneebone a few times until 1994 when he sent me a package of one of the original Iron Butt Rally routes, information on the Southern California Motorcycle Association (SCMA) 1K ride, and some other items.

It wasn't until 2001 that I actually did a few Saddle Sore 1K mile rides that were certified thereby gaining entrance into the IBA. That same year I was drawn for the Iron Butt Rally (IBR) but was unable to ride as apparently having twin 2 year old sons when you ride the IBR is not a good thing. Also I like to ride two-up with my wife and apparently being recently off bed rest and riding in the IBR are mutually exclusive. In 2013 I rode the IBR alone but successfully to a mid-pack finish. I had some excellent rides packed into 11 days of awesome fun. In the 2015 IBR two-up with my wife we had a lot of fun until our bike broke at the end of the first leg. Scrambling and spending money hand over fist we weren't able to get back on the road again. That left us in the unfinished business category.

The community is diverse and becoming more diverse every year. The ranks of superior female riders specifically is growing rapidly. In general you are dealing with people who are able to spend a lot of time alone and persevere when something breaks, doesn't work, or is uncomfortable. There are a horde of reasons to stop riding motorcycles and only a very few personal reasons to continue. That is likely why the ranks of riders are heavily populated by police officers, firefighters, military (former and current) and CEO/COO types. Adversity is seasoning to people who succeed at these types of jobs. The community is also over represented in international travel and ability to deal with the impacts of foreign cultures equably.

I've ridden through blizzards (hundreds of miles), hurricanes (Fran, and Hugo), blistering heat (over 120f), and through deafening lightning and thunder (Last day of the 2013 IBR).

Riding motorcycles is fun, but serious business. Driving my car across town is serious business. Most people don't know about risk and are surprised when something bad happens. When you ride a motorcycle you have to acknowledge the risk in a way car drivers ignore. When you ride long distances you by time and mileage accept more risk and learn to mitigate and manage risk. If I had to give advice to a young adult male looking at motorcycling in general and long distance riding in particular. Don't do it. Don't even get close to this activity. These are activities that few understand and those that look at it from outside often misattributed to risk or adrenalin activities.

When you go on a really long ride, compressing time and space to the viewer from outside, and you do it taking all of the risks into account. It is very much like planning on going to war. I used to teach at the US National War College so I get to say over the top things like that. It isn't going to war. The risk of nation state existential threat is not there. The planning, logistics, and personal assumption of ownership of the activity is there. The idea of logistics like food, drink, fuel, and preparation of the body are all there. My wife says it is like running an unsupported ultra-marathon, or swimming the English channel. Each has it's own physicality but all have the same mental challenges. Sitting there and twisting that (long distance rider mantra) is not physically challenging but it is extremely mentally challenging.

Riding motorcycles is not a socially conscious, politically correct, or even logical endeavor. If you are going to do it. If you are going to chase the horizon it must not be a competition, it must not be an adrenaline fueled activity, it must be a passion.

 

[Clive Brown]

An open letter I wrote to some family and friends that they subsequently told me was an entertaining and informative read... Their opinion may be biased lol...

(Hope this gives some insight as to the why).......

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do not expect any of you to understand my latest decent into my own private madness. I will however try to explain….


Monomaniacal: Somebody who has to focus entirely, nay, obsess, on one interest or venture until they have mastered it to the best of their ability. It may last a long time. Or not.

As an interesting side note my son in law Cory coined a phrase: "Browning down"….

Seems my children have it too lol….



“ But you don’t see anything if you just ride…..”

“ Endurance test instead of pleasure…. “

+many other comments……


My rebuttal:


So let me share just some of the things I managed to see/experience in the last 43 hrs

riding 2,074 miles (3,318klms) without exceeding the speed limit by more than 8mph

and riding at it, or below, most of the time.

As an aside, I abandoned my attempt at the Bun Burner Gold cert (1,500 miles in 24hrs) and settled for the Bun Burner ( 1,500 miles in 36 hrs or less ) and the SS2000 ( 2,000+ miles in under 48hrs). I might have been able to do it in time but would have had to really push it at the end. Safety trumps all so I backed off and live to ride another day with two more cert rides in the bag.…


In no particular order….


I visited British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico and

Texas. Yes, that’s seven States and Provinces.

I have experienced weather from just above freezing to 90+farenheit. I have been rained on in the desert. Which dropped the temp from 90 to 65 in about 3 minutes...I watched a storm forming over the desert, felt the winds pick up, rode through a dust storm and discovered that tumbleweeds basically vaporize when you hit them, then the heavens opened up. I loved it.


I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of a coyote on a rise with the moon behind it howling at the moon. National Geographic in real life. I howled with him.

Damn I love riding at night on a lonely road with a clear sky and a moon.


I have dragged my floorboards for the second time attempting to GO STRAIGHT down the highway. Reminded me of riding the northern peninsula in Newfoundland.

Had a New Mexico state trooper wave back at me when he passed while I was doing 80mph (128klm). ( Speed limit 75mph )

I saw the Rio Grande. I saw the Canadian Rockies, The Cascades, The Sierra Madres and a few mountain ranges I don’t know the names of. Piddly little rivers like the Colorado and the Columbia. Lake Havasu.

An irrigation system that is so vast it's hard to comprehend it’s size.

A MASSIVE man made lake ( Lake Shasta ).

I’ve seen just about you name it growing. Figs, grapes, olives, pistachios, almonds, more species of cactus than I could name. Oranges, garlic, lettuce, tomatoes etc etc etc..

I’ve ridden through temperate rain forest, alpine, Redwood’s, and desert.

I’ve seen a “B” train semi wandering all over the road. Upon passing it, I saw why. It had two drivers. Yes, two. It would appear that the driver let his wife? girlfriend? hitchhiker? sit on his lap and steer the big rig. She was so excited by the act of controlling his big rig she was jumping up and down! Ahemm….

Saw the continental divide. Who knew it was at an altitude of 4,380ft in New Mexico?

Saw Truth and Consequences. Again in New Mexico.

Spotted "20 Mule Team Rd". Added it to my collection.

I watched the birth of a road gator…. you know, when a big rigs tire lets go… Twice. Many hours apart.

Believe me, you will NEVER ride alongside or follow a big truck again without clamping down those cheeks after seeing that little show up close.

I watched a woman next to me , sorry girls, give a nice little bumper tap to the car ahead while we were doing 75mph on the new 8 lane in Phoenix, yes 8 lanes, because she was doing her makeup in the visor mirror.

I ran over a rattler. Course it was a rattler, it was doing the sidewinder boogie and was in the desert. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I watched a meteorite shower like I’ve never seen before. Grand finale was one big SOB that lasted, count to four doing the 1001,1002 method, and then blew up like a roman candle.

Now, this was very close to the US air force base.. Things that make ya go hmm….

I ate at a truck stop. I felt very thin and in shape.

I ate a burro burrito at a roadside stand. It was good…. I also ate at a famous Texas Bar-B-Q joint. Burro was better…

I saw plains that were so big I could literally see the curvature of the earth.

I saw a truck stop with more trucks parked in it than I will see on a trip from Victoria to Alberta. Really. Like maybe 300 trucks? Not stored, stopped.


I rode historic Route 66. I saw Buckeye AZ and Tombstone AZ.

I’ve seen the 30 to 40 huge billboards advertising “The Thing”. Culminating with the

“EXIT NOW !!!” one. I mean full sized maybe 42’x16’?? . Don’t know what it is, don’t care, didn’t stop. Loved the signs. I mean LOVED the absolute over the top craziness of it. They spent more on the signs and there was more wood used than for the building you were being directed to….

I smelt sweet sage? so strong I could taste it. Plus some other aromas that were maybe not as pleasant.

Saw some people just trying to make a better life for their family and getting arrested for being Mexican. Saw a fence that harkens back to a wall they rightfully pulled down a few years ago….

I saw the parade of motorhomes pulling a truck with a bike in the truck. Gus and Nancy Schmancy’s USA relatives I guess...

I watched a series of relatively small twisters form and perform a dance that any choreographer would weep tears of joy if he saw it.

And my favourite sign, in California of course, some kind of add for a eat local co-op thingy…



“ I want to grow my own food but I can’t find any bacon seeds?”



Oh yeah, and about a thousand other minor things. Not to mention the zen like therapy of thinking about life etc, that is until something like one of the above rudely interrupts.


That’s in 43 hrs…… Without “stopping”……..



Things I didn’t see: "The Thing" or any other cheesy attraction. The inside of a bar.


I like not stopping. I’d be scared of missing something really cool if I stopped all the time.


Next up: a small side trip to Mexico, re ride some roads in the Phoenix area, burrito at the Skull Valley Diner, Jerome for the viper, meet up with some fellow canucks from Vancouver I yack with on a forum, they are also riding down for bike week,,,,,,


Best thing is I gotta ride home too! Now that looks like fun. Snow. And lot’s of it. Looks like I’ll be coasting it…..



It’s all about the ride...

Clive Brown

[email protected]

IBA member#57135

 

[Neanderthaler]

That was a great write up, Clive. Sure makes me wanna go ride somewhere far away

 

[Clive Brown]

Amazing what a couple too many scotches will spawn eh

 

[BMWguy]

Hello Jacob
My experience with the IBA has been nothing but positive.
Questions are never deemed naive and are always answered with respect.
The IBA may be considered by some to be a loose fraternity, but when someone needs help - they can count on the other members to be there. If someone contacts me to be a witness for their ride, I'll be there.

I recall one of the rallies when someone had severe mechanical trouble with their motorcycle and another IBA member, not in the rally, loaned them their motorcycle to keep going, until their bike was repaired. I seriously doubt you'd find that kind of espirit de corps in many other places, save for the military. The start of the Iron Butt Rally is something every motorcyclist should attend,; cheering on the competitors who have no idea what lay before them down the road. The end of the Rally is also quite inspiring. I hope to be drawn for the event someday.

I think one of my worst experiences was coming down 8 mile hill outside of Tucumcari, NM. It was raining and the crosswind was something else. Two tractor trailers had overturned and I eventually decided to pull off at a more protected spot and wait it out. Not a pleasant experience riding in a slant trying to keep the bike upright.
I remember on another trip, going through West Texas at night when a friend hit a jack rabbit with his foot. He was riding with his arches on the pegs and his toes pointed down. The rabbit ran out, he hit it with his left foot and almost lost control of the motorcycle. He was in a lot of pain and we both thought he'd broken the foot.

My favorite road sign is outside of McClure, Illinois - "The Rest in Peace Campground"!
I didn't stop....

Snow - rain - wind - for the long distance rider, it's all part of the two wheel experience but is never an excuse to quit or abandon what they started out to do. Riders don't always finish in the time frame they want to - but they never quit. They do it again - and again until they achieve their goal and then start planning the next adventure. It's not a preference - it's a commitment.

I'd say riding a motorcycle is similar to being a fighter pilot in this way - It's as though your over enemy territory and everyone in the country is trying to shoot you down.

Mike

 

[Jacob Honnold]

Riding motorcycles is not a socially conscious, politically correct, or even logical endeavor. If you are going to do it. If you are going to chase the horizon it must not be a competition, it must not be an adrenaline fueled activity, it must be a passion.

If you don't mind, I would like to use this as a quote in my essay. This statement alone holds so much worth that all I would simply have to do is share it and be done. Thank you for taking the time and sharing with me, I really do appreciate it and hope to do the motorcycle world proud.

 

[BkerChuck]

Hi Jacob!

I'm pretty new here myself but willing to offer my perspective since you asked. I'd known about the IBA and the Iron Butt Rally for more years than I care to remember but it wasn't until 2012 when I lucked upon a FJR1300 and purchased it that I began to learn more about it in depth. My real introduction started at a RTE breakfast in Bedford, PA set up by some LD riders. Over about 2 or 3 hours I listened to stories about the IBR and some lesser known qualifying rallies like the Mason Dixon 20/20 and the Void rally. My face and ribs hurt from laughing at stories of bonus locations, bike troubles, and people helping total strangers with tools, lodging, sometimes even their own motorcycle in the name of helping someone finish a ride. I wnet home that morning and told my wife some of the stories and that this twisted idea of a good time sounded right up our alley. That winter was spent communicating with a more experienced rider who advised us on auxiliary lighting, windshields, communication systems, and tools. In May of 2013 we took part in our first real LD rally, the Mason Dixon 20/20.

We could not believe the warm welcome and friendliness of this crowd. Everyone from the rally masters to the most experienced 3 digit number riders offered help, advice, and encouragement. We finished well enough for first timers and the bug had bitten. Last year in August of 2015 I completed my first official Saddlesore ride. My wife was to be along but unfortunately less than 24 hours before the ride she was involved in a low speed accident that left her with a broken rib and a totaled Harley Davidson. With her approval and encouragement I went on the ride solo calling her or her calling me every couple of hours. I planned my ride and rode my plan. I found it easier than I anticipated and I attribute that to the advice of others before me and the time spent preparing for it. I saw parts of 7 states and covered over 1100 miles in 23 hours on the clock and even took a rest break. At no point was I bored or did I feel like I wasn't having fun. I did this as part of a 24 hour rally and stopped for pictures of Muffler Men and Whispering Giants. My wife is now healthy again and her bike has been replaced. She is anxious to get her own IBA number and cert to hang on the wall.

We're not racers when we ride. Safety is paramount to all of us I believe. I hope maybe some of this may be useful to you and if not at least you got what you paid for. Remember one thing:

Far away is only far away if you don't go

 

[Patrick Ford]

Hi Jacob,

You have seen a bunch of good information from previous posters. I don't think I can add anything to the others. My daughter Rebecca Martinez, 2 up with me, posted this after our DNF on day 10 of the 2013 IBR. We have ridden many rallies together but this was the first IBR. It was heartbreaking to have to quit but this post she wrote shortly after shows the attitude you need to participate in something like the IBR. We came back in 2015 and finished, #535 & #536.


Hi I'm Becky, Pat Fords daughter. Just wanted to say thank you to my
Dad for taking me on the greatest adventure I've ever experienced and to all
the riders of the IBR 2013 rally congratulations on your great rides, finish
or not! I truly hold much respect to all who attempt to finish this rally.
The IBR staff was so encouraging and I loved meeting every one of you. I
don't ride my own motorcycle but have been riding with my father since an
early age. Two and a half years ago he invited me to go with him on the IBR,
and I'm glad I accepted his invitation. My father is adventurous, tough as
nails, and at the age of 68 has proven to be much tougher than his 40 year
old daughter.
We DNF'd on day 10 because I suffered hyponatremia (low sodium and too
much H2O). Darn I should of added a little salt to my water. We were so
fired up to get to the finish and determined to make it if all had gone
well. My Dad says woulda, coulda, shoulda!!! Despite our DNF because of
me, this is the most fun I've ever had, one day were cruising over the 3rd
longest suspension bridge in the world (Mackinaw Bridge) and the next moment
were headed out across the very flat plains of Kansas , in the middle of
the night, staring at the "Red Light District" (the red lights on the big
fans as my Dad would say) and before I could blink were 14,110 ft. at the
summit of Pikes Peak as it begins to rain and hail!! Wow my dad has awesome
riding skills!!! Suddenly were in Rancho Cordova with all our comrades
trying to take in all we'd done so far. Before I could think we were on the
coast of Washington and headed for western Canada
(beautiful)! As we woke up in Coeur d'Alene Idaho, we experienced an
adrenaline rush to get back to the barn!! My Dad especially was riding with
his hair on fire!! We headed for our last two bonuses out of the beautiful
mountains of Oregon into some crazy hot desert, until we hit Snowville Utah
(where my body said more sodium and I drank three and a half big bottles of
gatorade to end up in the ER)!! O well, woulda, coulda, shoulda!! I cried,
okay we cried, and as I sit here typing this I tear up, but I just want to
thank my Dad for the best adventure I've had yet and the fact that he can
still make me feel like I'm living on the edge. Some say "Why would you
want to deprive yourself of sleep, going from place to place, only to set
your feet on the ground long enough to get gas and sleep for 11 days?".
My answer is I don't know but it was the most fun I've ever had and if I
can, I will do it again!!!

I'm sorry I don't know who said this but my Dad always says it,
"So few have traveled so far to see so little!!!"

 

[Harrison203]

Hi Jacob...

I'm a former professor of a major midwest research university.

<snip some really good stuff>

Riding motorcycles is not a socially conscious, politically correct, or even logical endeavor. If you are going to do it. If you are going to chase the horizon it must not be a competition, it must not be an adrenaline fueled activity, it must be a passion.

Well said Sam.

 

[TheRoss]

Pat, Thanks for posting the write up by Rebecca. It was really inspiring meeting you both last summer!

And really... where did that familiar saying come from? "So few have traveled so far to see so little." I've heard it for a while. Anyone know its origins?

 

[ravenranger]

So few have traveled so far to see so little.

It was used in 1965 by the New York Times in an editorial titled "A Hollow Ring" regarding the Cassius Clay/Sonny Liston boxing match (or should I say minute?) but I can't find a usage prior to that.

 

[TheRoss]

It was used in 1965 by the New York Times in an editorial titled "A Hollow Ring" regarding the Cassius Clay/Sonny Liston boxing match (or should I say minute?) but I can't find a usage prior to that.

Not what I was expecting. Thanks!

I am an English teacher, and get into histories and origins of words and phrases. Sorry to hijack this thread, but thanks ravenranger.

 

[ravenranger]

I taught English, too.

Ok, move along now...nothing to see here....

Back to our regularly scheduled thread.

 

[ravenranger]

Don't know if this helps the OP but here's a "snapshot of a day" from my Butt Lite 7 experience (in the quote bar below). It may shed light on the why of it (or not).

As for advice for a new rider — ride every day, it keeps you in practice. Also, never assume you know anything no matter how long you've been riding. It's those times when your brain assumes the norm that will catch you out every time. Always question what you see and how you're interpreting it.

Snapshot of a day....

Night before last I had serious doubts about my routing decisions for the final leg. No matter how I played with the numbers, the routing software kept coming up as too many miles to make the daylight bonus deadlines in time and too much time to make it back to the finish. I decided in the wee dark hours of the night to collect a handful of Chester, IL bonuses, head to St. Louis for a couple of bigger bonuses there and then play it safe and slog up the interstate to MN and call it done. After all, it's only my first multi-day rally and only my second rally ever. Finishing, in and of itself, is success.

So, I started yesterday in Chester, IL collecting photos of Popeye character sculptures and then headed out to the middle of nowhere, nearby on Kaskaskia Island, to get a picture of the "Liberty Bell of the West". Standing there looking out over the landscape, in a beautiful place I've never been, I realized that there were more beautiful places I've never been....

I started playing with my GPS. Apparently, when I was using the computer and getting "impossible to do it" numbers, there must have been an extraneous route point plugged into the routing software adding in about 250 extra miles. According to the GPS, under the shade of a big old tree, I actually could just barely make the daylight only bonus that I needed to make the northern route worth risking a late arrival. Further, by dropping a couple of indirect bonuses along the way, I'd get in later than I'd hoped but well within the arrival window and probably before the penalty window.

Hmmm....

Decision time - head for the barn and be happy to finish or go for it and know I'd brought everything I had even if I didn't make it back in time?

I swept north. There were beautiful places I hadn't seen yet that needed seeing.

The Capo ran great - we'd found our sweet spot.

I made it from Chester, IL to Ottawa, IL via St. Louis's beautiful Calvary Cemetery and a bread trail of bonus locations and gas stops. Ottowa was the bonus I needed to put together a valuable combo. I'd made it with time to spare - two hours before sunset and "only" 450-ish miles to go for the start of the 4 a.m. Finish Window. Breathing a sigh of relief, I took a moment to just sit by the river and appreciate a beautiful place I'd never been to, that I wouldn't have seen if I'd guaranteed my finish and headed for the barn from St. Louis. In fact, I'd have been on the outskirts of Minnetonka around that same time had I done so.

Instead, in that moment of quiet, somewhere across the river, an a cappella quartet starting singing old, old hymns. My heart was lifted and my spirit soared as their voices drifted across the river. Here was an unanticipated reward of far greater value than an arbitrary bonus. I was so entranced, I just sat a spell and let the magic wash over me. I was reluctant to move forward into the sunset, both of the ride and of the day, not because I was tired - in that moment I was not the least bit tired - but because I was content. I knew, in that moment, that there was no other place I needed or wanted to be. So, I sat for a bit and just enjoyed it, the peace, the grace.

Of course, I did move on, collected another bonus. But, I also took the time to take a picture of a couple of orange barn cats who were wondering what this silly motorcycle person was doing at their barn. I also took a picture of a scarlet sun sinking into an emerald field in yet another beautiful place I had not seen before as I finally turned toward my last bonus of the day. I spent yet another hour sitting around the train tracks in Rochelle, IL, waiting for a train, talking to the train spotters before journeying through the night towards dawn.

The surprisingly rally worthy non-rally bike, a 2006 Aprilia Caponord, ran steady and strong delivering me safely at 5:03 a.m.

It was a very, very long day but, what an amazing, amazing ride.

Thank you all for being a part of it, even virtually. You've no idea how valuable it is in the wee dark hours of self-doubt to know that friends, even ones you haven't met, yet, are out there, in the darkness, as part of a greater web that connects us all to an inner strength we didn't even know we had.

 

[kwthom]

Also, if you could leave one piece of advice to someone like myself about motorcycling in general, what would it be?

Start early - ride as much as you can as long as you can.

 

[Patrick Ford]

BTW, I did see that Sonny Liston Cassius fight. It was on big screen TV at the Bakersfield Civic Center, like a movie theater. I never could see that knock out punch until it was shown in slow motion. Long time ago. I bet with one of the guys I went with, a case of Coors on Clay, safe bet as the three of us would share no matter who won. The good old days. )

 

[cacomly]

Jacob,
I have been a member of the IBA since 2010. The first step is to join by completing your first certified ride, which I did with 3 friends from my HOG chapter in June 2010. It was a great experience completing my first ride which was a Bun Burner (1500 miles in 36 hours)

Tip #1: Know who you ride with and be sure your riding skills are compatible. I rode with riders that were far better than I was, however we had different needs for sleep and breaks. There is a reason most LD riders ride solo or with a very limited number of other riders.

In January 2012 I decided to go to the annual pizza party in Jacksonville FL. (It's actually a banquet with banquet food). There I met a bunch of other members and have remained good friends with many of them. I have found the group to be welcoming and willing to do whatever is needed to help someone out. I have received offers to stay in other members homes who I had just met for my next 100 CCC (coast to coast to coast in 100 hours), many will meet you at all hours of the night to be a witness for a ride, and know of multiple members who have offered up their bike because of a breakdown during the Iron Butt Rally.

My best experience: Actually completing the Iron Butt Rally in 2015. Words cannot express how I felt when I parked my bike and stopped the clock after riding 8700 miles in 11 days, especially after having a significant accident on the way out to the IBR. (Someone was looking out for me that day)

Worst conditions: Probably this past March when I did a saddle sore 5K on my way to Jacksonville. Winds on I-40 in Western California were so strong they blew the tank bag off my bike. Between Austin TX and Baton Rouge LA I had nasty gusty cross winds that literally beat me up for hours. I believe they were 30-50 mph

Tip #2: Riding a motorcycle brings along a certain amount of risk, I think most can agree with that. LD riding brings on more risks and the key is to manage that risk. Wear the proper protective gear and know your limits including when you should take a break, when you should take a nap and how long it should be, and when to stop.

Tip #3: Build up to LD riding. If you jump on your bike and try to do a SS1K when the longest ride you have done is 200 miles it is likely you will not enjoy the ride. You need to get used to sitting on your bike for hours and you need to have your bike set up for you.

Lastly, if you want to read my trio reports check out my blog in the link below. I have a trip report written for many of the longer rides I have done

 

[Rony6ble]

I'm not an IBR finisher but fairly new IBA member (2014) when My 15 years old daughter and I went on our first SaddleSore 1000. When we finished in 23:20 hrs she was 16, and that's how I started.
When I was young there was something special about paper maps. Every summer after coming back home from vacation in south of Chile (I grew up in Vina del Mar and Valparaiso) I always tried to locate every new friend and found a route in case I wanted to go back and visit.
Later in my teens at high-school, I was in charge of all the trips and schedules.
The IBA is exactly what I was always dreaming about, the perfect hobby and my childhood dream come through: maps, planing, schedules and "lot's" of riding (I'm not even close to some of the hard core riders here).

During my 2015 SS1K Tour of Honor in Arizona the first day and another SS1K ToH the next day in New Mexico I got all kinds of weather, very hot in AZ and the last leg in NM through Lincoln National Fores got a heavy heavy rain that I couln'd go more than 10 mph, 2 foot size rock slides on the road, found a place to cover and waited over an hour to be able to continue to my last ToH site in Silver City. GPS took me to the cemetery inside of Fort Bayard. The same big storm had the dirt roads very slippery and trying to make a U turn was not easy (Cemetery is not a good place for me to get stuck). Got out of the cemetery, stopped the bike to check Google Maps and what for me appeared to be a gigantic white owl took of just over my head. Turn around to the park and found some low blinking eyes. Just deers. The monument that I had to take a picture of with the bike and the flag was just not visible so I decided to get closer. Dirt, wet... put the side stand down, stepped back to snap the picture and the bike was leaning more and more, leaved the camera and grabbed the bike just in time. Took me 10 minutes to find the camera...

My advice: listen to the experts that posted above.

 

[JAVGuzzi]

Jacob :

Chances are , if you could do a DNA test on Riders that have an IBA number, then you would probably discover a certain gene in most of them ; a defective gene to be more specific.

There is no known cure for this condition. The treatment is do more IBA rides .