Aug 2, 2009

It's Getting Closer

It's August 2nd. In just a little over two weeks, I will be heading to Spartanburg, South Carolina to join 99 other crazy individuals participating in the Iron Butt Rally. It is getting more real and more menacing in my mind. I have ridden this rally twice before and yet that is not enough to quell the nervousness.

A tremendous personal challenge. Not just of one's riding skills. Riding it is almost the easy part. No, the real challenge is in choosing where to ride. From the massive list of "bonuses" or destinations, one must decide which ones to ride to. Of course some are worth more than others, and some are "sucker" bonuses, designed to trick the rider into making a bad decision.

Go for the big ones. Sounds easy, but sometimes, a string of medium ones add up to the same. Tricky. Very tricky. I'd like to think I am good at it, but in 2005, 24 other people were better at it than me.

Am I ready? Well I will likely do some mapping work beforehand to prepare. Alas, the latest version of Garmin maps is backordered at dealers and unavailable. The bike is pretty much ready. A few little things need to be done, but it is in good condition. No nagging problems with the machine to distract or worry.

I am the holdup. Not having done many long rides this year, I am concerned I will be able to keep up. Log in here and and at ironbuttrally.com to follow along.

1 comment:

  1. Good luck Thane. We met at the RTE in Leamington last fall. I will be pulling for you. Ride safe and have fun. Bob Arpan

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