Get Your Rally On! First Article In A Series

Anxiety and Anticipation 
  My friend Connie is a little preoccupied these days.  She’s prepping for a major ride next week and this one is a first for her.  She’ll be attempting to ride 5000 miles in 5 days as she tackles the Iron Butt Rally 2010.  She’s been working out, checking her gear, making lists for packing.  Randy, the love of her life and master mechanic, is busy as well.  He’s got her bike on the lift in his garage: putting new tires on, making sure the extra fuel cell he designed and installed is working to his expectations.  He’ll go over the bike, part by part, to make sure it’s running safely.  Then he’ll prep his own bike to make sure he’s ready to go, even though he's not actually participating.  Randy will provide maintenance support for Connie prior to the start, afer the first leg of the rally and then meet up with her at the finish line.  I can say with total confidence that no other rider will be in better hands.  Connie is always quick to say that she could never do these kind of rides without Randy's support.  She's speaking of their partnership as a couple, not just his crazy-good mechanical skills.  
 
  The Iron Butt Rally, sponsored by the Iron Butt Association, is considered to be the ultimate competitive motorcycle endurance ride.  It is one of the last amateur competitive motorcycling events.  The rally consists of checkpoints located around the United States.  Riders will start in Denver, Colorado on Monday, August 16 and finish up in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Saturday, August 21.  

  Here’s how the rally works: Points are accumulated by arriving at checkpoints (pre-determined destinations) within the allotted time and by visiting optional bonus locations between the checkpoints.  In order to be considered a finisher of the event, riders must be present at each of these checkpoints within a two hour window.  It is not a race, but rather a test of planning, preparation, strategy and tactics, riding skill, and endurance.  This is what really appeals to Connie’s competitive side while also giving her a sense of freedom and release.  Driving her on (pun intended) is the possibility of picking up the optional bonus destination points which can boost her final standing.  The ride takes place regardless of weather conditions – rain, sleet, snow, desert temperatures, thunderstorms and the occasional hurricane.  At the end of this adventure the successful riders are rewarded with… a handsome trophy and the admiration of their fellow riders.  That’s right, no cash prizes or brand new cars await the victors.  Remember, this is an amateur competition.  A trophy or a wooden plaque and a sense of accomplishment – that’s what motivates these riders. 

  Connie rides out on Wednesday this week to meet up with fellow Iron Butt riders in Denver.  She'll have lots to do prior to start of the rally next Monday.  Randy will leave on Friday to meet Connie in Denver for the pre-rally bike inspection.  He'll be allowed to respond to any concerns about her bike and it's modificatons, like the fuel cell and line to the main gas tank.  Then he steps aside as Connie receives her checkpoint list.  She'll be on her own as she plans the route she'll take and programs her GPS.  Her rally begins when she rolls out just a couple of hours later. 

  I'll be up at 2:30 a.m. tomorrow in order to see Connie off for Denver.  I'll post pictures of the bonvoyage ceremony after I go back to bed and then get up a few hours later.  

Here's team Gabrick in action - Randy let Connie take his bike last summer when her own bike went down for the count just days before she was due to ride in The Great Lakes Gold run.  How's that for True Love?!