This story, like so many others starts years before the actual ride. While the details of the thoughts and deeds of that time may be of interest to some, I will spare you, gentle reader, from the stresses of doubt and fears that delayed. For, it is easy to find a reason not to do a thing. The difficult task is to ignore those, sometimes sensible points, and begin. Still, this story deserves to be told and thus I warn that it is neither a quick read, or is it one of laser focus on the ride for which I earned my plate back. Thus, duly warned, I begin in the mid 1980's, a recent High School grad and earning my degree.
My background is in bicycling. From the time I was knee high to a Dachshund, I was on a bike. From trails in the woods behind my home to streets ranging far and wide. By the time I was in my 20's the thrill of a "century ride" was starting to wane. I began riding the local Brevit Series which are progressively longer and longer rides under strict time limits, culminating into a 750 mile 90 hour run from Boston to Montreal and back. Like most things in cycling, this is all based on French standards and many of the names and other features of these rides retained their French terms. For example, the long ride is referred to as “The American Randonnée.” The entire ride was to mimic a French ride from Paris to Brest and back. The ride was only run every 4 years.
Alas, I never did the long ride. The time commitment and all the typical fears and doubts took their toll. I would convince myself that I still needed to train and that I'd be better prepared next time. By this time I no longer bought bikes. I built them. I would lace up wheels using the exact components I wanted. I would agonize over groups and gear sets. By the time I'd married and purchased my first home, the stable of bicycles had reached 7.
In 2004, I tweaked my knee while riding. This event was nothing dramatic. I was simply changing gears and the change occurred in such a way as to cause my pedals to leap and then stop abruptly. Something went 'pop' and while no damage was found, to this day I have trouble with the knee. But bikes remained hanging on hooks all summer. I actually sold a couple I felt I wasn't going to ride again. Lean, high speed machines sporting the best Italian parts money could buy doing nothing.
I got my MC license in the fall of 2005. Convinced by several co-workers that this would allow me to continue to ride, but not stress my body. They had seen the dramatic change in my demeanor not riding had caused. I myself didn't think much of it, but when forced to face the facts, had to admit that a part of me was missing.
That first summer was amazing. I put many miles on the lightly used Honda Nighthawk I'd picked up. And then in October, my first child was born. Like good parents, we decided that a comprehensive life insurance package would be in order. We applied and I failed the medical. Diabetes.
For the next several years, I got some control over my Diabetes and began raising two boys. My riding was mostly just commuting. I loved the early morning ride. I had heated gear, so even the cold dark of winter wasn't a barrier, just ice and snow. I would seek out as many riding days as I could regardless of the calendar. I felt good again.
In 2014, I needed to make a decision. I had dropped the bike twice, both times were not feeling the side stand properly and I was having difficultly feeling the shifter. The bike did not have a Neutral light, so it had to be found by feel and more and more I was getting frustrated by this.
Here, again, I'll save you from the decision process as most of it was a self pity party. Was I to be forced off the bike again by my own body?
Ultimately, however, I bought a Honda NM4 with the dual-clutch. Essentially, this is the NC700 with a lower seat. The styling is a matter of opinion, but the bones is a solid and capable 700cc touring machine. One of the very first modifications I made was to install the rear brake lever from a Honda Silverwing to the left side of the bar and route the hydraulic to the ABS system. Since the ABS system was the same on the Silverwing and the NM4, I figured that it would work - and so it did. This put all my controls on the bars and the only thing my feet needed to do was hold the bike up at stops and operate the side stand. This is, of course, not the only modifications, but this is not a story of a motorcycle build, but of a journey.
Alas, I still dropped the bike once not having the side stand down all the way, but everything else was working wonderfully.
The kids were getting older and I had a bit more time to ride. I found groups in the area and did some day trips. And of course, I continued to commute.
It was around 2016 that I first heard of the Iron Butt Association. Recalling my long rides of the past, I could not stop thinking about it. At the time, there was an annual ride called the Minuteman 1000. I began to tell myself that I would do that one year. And then, after 2018, the event ended. The website is still alive and I've studied that route again and again over the years.
There was always excuses. No time. Projects at work. COVID! From time to time, I was experiencing numbness in my hands. I'd never last 1000 miles.
In June of 2022, I took a day off from work to ride up to Laconia, NH for a taste of Bike Week. I expected to ride up, spend a few hours at the Weirs and then come home. I was feeling good. I was on Rt 3 In Laconia - a right would take me to the Weirs - a left would send me around the lake and up to the mountains. I chose to go left. It was there, standing on the summit of Mt Washington, feeling no pain, no discomfort, and no reason to think I could not ride that I set myself a goal. I would plan out a route and complete a Saddle Sore for the 100th Laconia.
Now, gentle reader, you might think that I steeled my mind and focused on the goal and made it so. The whole mind over matter thing. Oh, how mistaken you would be.
In the fall of 2022, I began to not only feel numbness in my hands, but pain in my right arm. From August until January, my condition became worse and worse with the pain reaching levels that even narcotics barely had any effect. I didn't even think of riding. The bike sat. For much of the fall, I was in a ball of pain while doctors tried to figure out what was going on.
Come to find out, the disc in my neck between the C5 and C6 vertebrae was failing. The pressure on the nerves to my arms was causing all the pain, numbness and more.
In late January 2023, a neurosurgeon went in and screwed a titanium spacer in my neck to fuse the C5 and C6 and provide the space needed for the nerve bundles.
I'd love to say my recovery was quick and I was back on the bike in weeks. Alas, that was not the case. I did not get cleared to ride again until May. My case of PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome) was extreme at that point. Once cleared, I would ride to my Physical Therapy appointments. I would ride everywhere I could. No more pain. No more numbness.
The other thing I did in January, several days before my surgery, was to make a reservation for 3 days in Laconia. You see, even with the oncoming major surgery, I was still going to somehow make my Iron Butt happen.
All the time I spent recovering, I made plans. I had from Sunday to Wednesday to find 24 hours to ride 1000 miles. I lost track of the number of different routes I'd mapped out and discarded. I had routes that would start at nearly all hours of the day. They spanned states all over New England. I ultimately came up with 7 plans. They started at Mindnight on Sunday June 11 and the final attempt started at 3pm Tuesday June 13. Naturally, some of the routes were preferred more than others. In fact, the Sunday one was by far my most favorite. The whole idea of arriving in the Wiers as the end of my ride was exciting!
The time came closer. I watched the forecasts and the weather models. They don't call Bike Week "Rain-conia" for nothing. Sunday was looking good. Was going to be cold in Maine, but didn't look like a serious chance of rain. No matter, I'd wear my heated jacket and wear my fall gloves. I always have rain gear on the bike. As if my will alone was keeping the rains at bay, this was the plan I would use.
On Saturday I could hardly wait. I must have repacked the bike a dozen times making sure I had everything. I went to bed around 5pm. I can't say I slept well, but I did sleep. Around 11:00pm, my alarm sounded. My wife had a simple, but sustaining hearty soup ready and I was on the bike and off to my first fuel stop about 10 minutes before midnight.
The plan was to have as few dark hours as possible. I'd ride them first because I know that I tend to get tired as the sun goes down. Also, by heading East, sunrise would be earlier. In fact, in eastern Maine, sunrise was set for about 4:30am that day.
I arrived at my fuel stop, a fairly new 24 hour station with convenience store. And that is when I discovered that my 24 hour location was 24 hour except Sunday Morning. They had closed at 11:30 and would not open again until 5am. Not to be defeated before the very first mile, I quickly headed to my backup location and recorded my first receipt.
My first goal was to run about 400 miles up to Presque Isle Maine. Not only did this crunch some good miles, but I wanted to go see the scale model of the Solar System that is laid out along the 40 miles between the University of Maine in Presque Isle and Houlton. This leg was cold. Temps got down to the low 40's just before dawn, but I was quite comfortable in my heated jacket and heated grips. While the highway speed limit in northern Maine is 75mph, the trucks are pushing 90. To keep from being blown off the road, I too needed to up my speed. This had 2 effect. First, it made my arrivals at gas stops earlier than planned. But it also used more fuel. I had feared this, so I had installed a bottle holder and packed along a 32oz MSR bottle of gas - just in case. A quart of fuel? Really? The NC700 gets amazing mileage at reasonable speeds. The 3 gallon tank can easily reach 200 miles with a relaxed throttle. But at speeds over 75 (and I was more than just a few over) the mileage drops. I'd planned my stops to be around a maximum of 125 miles to be safe. I picked exits near larger cities or with major truck stops that were sure to be open. I had no issues with the stations being open. I did get one of them wrong. There was a Citgo on one side of the highway that was closed, but the truck stop (also a Citgo) on the other side was open - i'd just selected the wrong one when I set my GPS. That said, my last stretch reaching Houlton (and again on that stretch as I came back) I did run our of gas. Thankfully I was only 2 miles from the exit (6 miles on the return) so the quart was more than enough.
The model solar system is amazing and I burned all the time I'd banked stopping for photos. For example this is Jupiter:
That ball is about 18" in diameter. If you are up that way, it's worth taking the time to seek out the models. Some are not that easy to see. Mercury is only about 3" in diameter for example.
After enjoying the models and the sun coming up to warm the air a bit, I headed back down to the Agusta area where I left the superslab behind. At 660 miles, the rest of my ride will be not only more scenic, but far more fuel efficient. Roads will be 45-55mph limits for the most part. I took time here to have a bite to eat, shed layers, and get a good stretch. Seeking more interesting roads was the right choice for me. it cured the boredom of the highway.
The next leg was to cut across Maine to the Bethel area. Most of this is sparsely populated and the roads were in surprisingly good condition. Fueling up in Bethel, I cut down southwest to cross the White Mountains along scenic Rt 112, the Kancamagus Highway. This is an especially scenic drive and being Sunday was not too crowded. I had feared being in a slow moving line behind some RV, but the MC gods were with me.
In Lincoln, I set my front wheel north. Up Franconia Notch and into the north country to end in Colebrook, not far from the Canadian border. I then turned east and southeast down through Dixville Notch and the beautiful winding roads of the area. This is where I was most concerned about getting tired, but alas, the good roads, fun twisties, and interesting scenery kept me alert and feeling good.
On reaching Gorham, I turned south and passed Mt Washington. (Sadly, no time to summit this day - however, I did so on Monday) Negotiated North Conway which was not too busy being that it was late Sunday afternoon. Down to Wolfeborough and around Alton Bay where I logged my last gas receipt. At this point, I was probably just over my 1000 miles, but I didn't want to be so close that I goofed up. Thus, my final leg was the 21 miles from Alton to Weirs Beach. My final receipt wasn't fuel. It was to purchase my pin, patch, and commemorative coin for the 2023 100th Laconia Bike Week.
And there you have it. My Saddlesore 1000 ending on the boardwalk of Weirs Beach Laconia on the first weekend of the 100th Bike Week. After these photos, I rode the few miles to my lodging and checked in. Before heading to a well deserved sleep, I had a simple meal and some stiff drinks. Both of which brought on a very restful sleep.
I enjoyed the next several days, added more than 500 miles more to the bike before turning for home. Best of all, I had the ride out of the way, so I was able to just enjoy the sights, the roads, and the people I met.
I submitted my application later that week. I probably went way overboard on the data, but so be it. Just got my packet in the mail earlier this week. It's kind of a non-issue. I knew I did it, so the "official" bit just wasn't as important.
I hope that you enjoyed my story and that maybe someone is inspired by it to set a goal and just DO IT.
EDIT:
Forgot to include my SpotWalla Link:
Saddlesore Laconia 100th
My background is in bicycling. From the time I was knee high to a Dachshund, I was on a bike. From trails in the woods behind my home to streets ranging far and wide. By the time I was in my 20's the thrill of a "century ride" was starting to wane. I began riding the local Brevit Series which are progressively longer and longer rides under strict time limits, culminating into a 750 mile 90 hour run from Boston to Montreal and back. Like most things in cycling, this is all based on French standards and many of the names and other features of these rides retained their French terms. For example, the long ride is referred to as “The American Randonnée.” The entire ride was to mimic a French ride from Paris to Brest and back. The ride was only run every 4 years.
Alas, I never did the long ride. The time commitment and all the typical fears and doubts took their toll. I would convince myself that I still needed to train and that I'd be better prepared next time. By this time I no longer bought bikes. I built them. I would lace up wheels using the exact components I wanted. I would agonize over groups and gear sets. By the time I'd married and purchased my first home, the stable of bicycles had reached 7.
In 2004, I tweaked my knee while riding. This event was nothing dramatic. I was simply changing gears and the change occurred in such a way as to cause my pedals to leap and then stop abruptly. Something went 'pop' and while no damage was found, to this day I have trouble with the knee. But bikes remained hanging on hooks all summer. I actually sold a couple I felt I wasn't going to ride again. Lean, high speed machines sporting the best Italian parts money could buy doing nothing.
I got my MC license in the fall of 2005. Convinced by several co-workers that this would allow me to continue to ride, but not stress my body. They had seen the dramatic change in my demeanor not riding had caused. I myself didn't think much of it, but when forced to face the facts, had to admit that a part of me was missing.
That first summer was amazing. I put many miles on the lightly used Honda Nighthawk I'd picked up. And then in October, my first child was born. Like good parents, we decided that a comprehensive life insurance package would be in order. We applied and I failed the medical. Diabetes.
For the next several years, I got some control over my Diabetes and began raising two boys. My riding was mostly just commuting. I loved the early morning ride. I had heated gear, so even the cold dark of winter wasn't a barrier, just ice and snow. I would seek out as many riding days as I could regardless of the calendar. I felt good again.
In 2014, I needed to make a decision. I had dropped the bike twice, both times were not feeling the side stand properly and I was having difficultly feeling the shifter. The bike did not have a Neutral light, so it had to be found by feel and more and more I was getting frustrated by this.
Here, again, I'll save you from the decision process as most of it was a self pity party. Was I to be forced off the bike again by my own body?
Ultimately, however, I bought a Honda NM4 with the dual-clutch. Essentially, this is the NC700 with a lower seat. The styling is a matter of opinion, but the bones is a solid and capable 700cc touring machine. One of the very first modifications I made was to install the rear brake lever from a Honda Silverwing to the left side of the bar and route the hydraulic to the ABS system. Since the ABS system was the same on the Silverwing and the NM4, I figured that it would work - and so it did. This put all my controls on the bars and the only thing my feet needed to do was hold the bike up at stops and operate the side stand. This is, of course, not the only modifications, but this is not a story of a motorcycle build, but of a journey.
Alas, I still dropped the bike once not having the side stand down all the way, but everything else was working wonderfully.
The kids were getting older and I had a bit more time to ride. I found groups in the area and did some day trips. And of course, I continued to commute.
It was around 2016 that I first heard of the Iron Butt Association. Recalling my long rides of the past, I could not stop thinking about it. At the time, there was an annual ride called the Minuteman 1000. I began to tell myself that I would do that one year. And then, after 2018, the event ended. The website is still alive and I've studied that route again and again over the years.
There was always excuses. No time. Projects at work. COVID! From time to time, I was experiencing numbness in my hands. I'd never last 1000 miles.
In June of 2022, I took a day off from work to ride up to Laconia, NH for a taste of Bike Week. I expected to ride up, spend a few hours at the Weirs and then come home. I was feeling good. I was on Rt 3 In Laconia - a right would take me to the Weirs - a left would send me around the lake and up to the mountains. I chose to go left. It was there, standing on the summit of Mt Washington, feeling no pain, no discomfort, and no reason to think I could not ride that I set myself a goal. I would plan out a route and complete a Saddle Sore for the 100th Laconia.
Now, gentle reader, you might think that I steeled my mind and focused on the goal and made it so. The whole mind over matter thing. Oh, how mistaken you would be.
In the fall of 2022, I began to not only feel numbness in my hands, but pain in my right arm. From August until January, my condition became worse and worse with the pain reaching levels that even narcotics barely had any effect. I didn't even think of riding. The bike sat. For much of the fall, I was in a ball of pain while doctors tried to figure out what was going on.
Come to find out, the disc in my neck between the C5 and C6 vertebrae was failing. The pressure on the nerves to my arms was causing all the pain, numbness and more.
In late January 2023, a neurosurgeon went in and screwed a titanium spacer in my neck to fuse the C5 and C6 and provide the space needed for the nerve bundles.
I'd love to say my recovery was quick and I was back on the bike in weeks. Alas, that was not the case. I did not get cleared to ride again until May. My case of PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome) was extreme at that point. Once cleared, I would ride to my Physical Therapy appointments. I would ride everywhere I could. No more pain. No more numbness.
The other thing I did in January, several days before my surgery, was to make a reservation for 3 days in Laconia. You see, even with the oncoming major surgery, I was still going to somehow make my Iron Butt happen.
All the time I spent recovering, I made plans. I had from Sunday to Wednesday to find 24 hours to ride 1000 miles. I lost track of the number of different routes I'd mapped out and discarded. I had routes that would start at nearly all hours of the day. They spanned states all over New England. I ultimately came up with 7 plans. They started at Mindnight on Sunday June 11 and the final attempt started at 3pm Tuesday June 13. Naturally, some of the routes were preferred more than others. In fact, the Sunday one was by far my most favorite. The whole idea of arriving in the Wiers as the end of my ride was exciting!
The time came closer. I watched the forecasts and the weather models. They don't call Bike Week "Rain-conia" for nothing. Sunday was looking good. Was going to be cold in Maine, but didn't look like a serious chance of rain. No matter, I'd wear my heated jacket and wear my fall gloves. I always have rain gear on the bike. As if my will alone was keeping the rains at bay, this was the plan I would use.
On Saturday I could hardly wait. I must have repacked the bike a dozen times making sure I had everything. I went to bed around 5pm. I can't say I slept well, but I did sleep. Around 11:00pm, my alarm sounded. My wife had a simple, but sustaining hearty soup ready and I was on the bike and off to my first fuel stop about 10 minutes before midnight.
The plan was to have as few dark hours as possible. I'd ride them first because I know that I tend to get tired as the sun goes down. Also, by heading East, sunrise would be earlier. In fact, in eastern Maine, sunrise was set for about 4:30am that day.
I arrived at my fuel stop, a fairly new 24 hour station with convenience store. And that is when I discovered that my 24 hour location was 24 hour except Sunday Morning. They had closed at 11:30 and would not open again until 5am. Not to be defeated before the very first mile, I quickly headed to my backup location and recorded my first receipt.
My first goal was to run about 400 miles up to Presque Isle Maine. Not only did this crunch some good miles, but I wanted to go see the scale model of the Solar System that is laid out along the 40 miles between the University of Maine in Presque Isle and Houlton. This leg was cold. Temps got down to the low 40's just before dawn, but I was quite comfortable in my heated jacket and heated grips. While the highway speed limit in northern Maine is 75mph, the trucks are pushing 90. To keep from being blown off the road, I too needed to up my speed. This had 2 effect. First, it made my arrivals at gas stops earlier than planned. But it also used more fuel. I had feared this, so I had installed a bottle holder and packed along a 32oz MSR bottle of gas - just in case. A quart of fuel? Really? The NC700 gets amazing mileage at reasonable speeds. The 3 gallon tank can easily reach 200 miles with a relaxed throttle. But at speeds over 75 (and I was more than just a few over) the mileage drops. I'd planned my stops to be around a maximum of 125 miles to be safe. I picked exits near larger cities or with major truck stops that were sure to be open. I had no issues with the stations being open. I did get one of them wrong. There was a Citgo on one side of the highway that was closed, but the truck stop (also a Citgo) on the other side was open - i'd just selected the wrong one when I set my GPS. That said, my last stretch reaching Houlton (and again on that stretch as I came back) I did run our of gas. Thankfully I was only 2 miles from the exit (6 miles on the return) so the quart was more than enough.
The model solar system is amazing and I burned all the time I'd banked stopping for photos. For example this is Jupiter:
That ball is about 18" in diameter. If you are up that way, it's worth taking the time to seek out the models. Some are not that easy to see. Mercury is only about 3" in diameter for example.
After enjoying the models and the sun coming up to warm the air a bit, I headed back down to the Agusta area where I left the superslab behind. At 660 miles, the rest of my ride will be not only more scenic, but far more fuel efficient. Roads will be 45-55mph limits for the most part. I took time here to have a bite to eat, shed layers, and get a good stretch. Seeking more interesting roads was the right choice for me. it cured the boredom of the highway.
The next leg was to cut across Maine to the Bethel area. Most of this is sparsely populated and the roads were in surprisingly good condition. Fueling up in Bethel, I cut down southwest to cross the White Mountains along scenic Rt 112, the Kancamagus Highway. This is an especially scenic drive and being Sunday was not too crowded. I had feared being in a slow moving line behind some RV, but the MC gods were with me.
In Lincoln, I set my front wheel north. Up Franconia Notch and into the north country to end in Colebrook, not far from the Canadian border. I then turned east and southeast down through Dixville Notch and the beautiful winding roads of the area. This is where I was most concerned about getting tired, but alas, the good roads, fun twisties, and interesting scenery kept me alert and feeling good.
On reaching Gorham, I turned south and passed Mt Washington. (Sadly, no time to summit this day - however, I did so on Monday) Negotiated North Conway which was not too busy being that it was late Sunday afternoon. Down to Wolfeborough and around Alton Bay where I logged my last gas receipt. At this point, I was probably just over my 1000 miles, but I didn't want to be so close that I goofed up. Thus, my final leg was the 21 miles from Alton to Weirs Beach. My final receipt wasn't fuel. It was to purchase my pin, patch, and commemorative coin for the 2023 100th Laconia Bike Week.
And there you have it. My Saddlesore 1000 ending on the boardwalk of Weirs Beach Laconia on the first weekend of the 100th Bike Week. After these photos, I rode the few miles to my lodging and checked in. Before heading to a well deserved sleep, I had a simple meal and some stiff drinks. Both of which brought on a very restful sleep.
I enjoyed the next several days, added more than 500 miles more to the bike before turning for home. Best of all, I had the ride out of the way, so I was able to just enjoy the sights, the roads, and the people I met.
I submitted my application later that week. I probably went way overboard on the data, but so be it. Just got my packet in the mail earlier this week. It's kind of a non-issue. I knew I did it, so the "official" bit just wasn't as important.
I hope that you enjoyed my story and that maybe someone is inspired by it to set a goal and just DO IT.
EDIT:
Forgot to include my SpotWalla Link:
Saddlesore Laconia 100th
Last edited:
