I will content myself with watching Spotwalla and the ride reports.
Please try to remember, the IBR is not a spectator sport. It's an event for the participants. Reading about it after the fact should be the expectation, not attempting to watch it in progress. Most riders limit who they give their Spot info to, and
NO ONE should pass on a rider's Spot info with out the rider's express permission. Do not attempt to guess and then discuss who's public Spot equates to what rider. There are many reasons the riders need to remain anonymous, please respect that and don't attempt to sort out who is who, or worse claim to know Spot XX belongs to Rider XXX. This will only create more problems and cause the IBR staff to re-mix the display numbers.
During the 2nd leg of the 2013 IBR a good friend, (
that I did not give my spot info to), called me at 0300 because he felt I was stopped too long in Cheyenne, WY. I was on pace and had intended to sleep until 0400, which would have been nice, had the phone not awakened me. He did not know my plan. He did not know when I was planning on getting up. He had no knowledge of my bonus list or plans and was not on the ride with me to assess my physical condition. He had no good reason to disturb me, but as a friend and IBR vet, he was concerned.
His call did not help me, only lost me an hour of sleep I really wanted and could have used later in the day.
After the rally I discovered that someone else had given him my Spot info. Someone I had trusted to keep it private and had been told not to share it with others. They mistakenly believed that it was ok to share with people they knew I was friends with. That was not true. Very few people should have a rider's Spot info. Only the rider knows what's going on and how they are doing. Only the rider can make the judgement call, for better or worse, on choosing their actions. This is an individual sport, not a group activity.
As a further note to riders and observers, riders are not required to put their Spot on the public page. Riders can give their spot link to family and friends, but not share it outside the event for public display/use.
In my opinion, no riders should put their Spot on the public page. It serves no positive purpose, only causes problems with people attempting to cross paths with riders during the event, which is seldom a good idea and often causes problems, and can cause riders to be delayed, even by spectators with the best of intentions. IBR staff members routinely shake their heads in wonder at riders that put their spot on the public page. It helps no one and certainly not the rider.
No bonus location should be posted or discussed until after it is no longer available for the riders.
This includes in daily reports by the IBA. Ideally, no one will know where riders are going or what they are doing beyond those people working at bonuses where it becomes obvious and Staff at checkpoints. After the riders have moved on, it doesn't matter. This time delay avoids a lot of hassle for riders and should be more closely followed.