EricV
Riding, farkling, riding...
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@Cycledude - Why are you surprised about the extra fuel?
@CW - Yep Bob, working Tech on the front end and likely some scoring stuff on the back end. Heading home now, but will be back for the finish.
@CatBehemoth - Maybe I can put it in perspective. FYI - I rode/finished the rally in '13 and have been around and involved in LD riding and the IBA since about 2004. I've ridden in a lot of endurance rallies, from 8 hours to 11 days. The 5 day and 10 day rallies I did were harder than the IBR in some ways, easier in others. And yes, I have a bunch of certs, which are public record if you want to go look on the IBA site, but not as many as you might think. Lots of undocumented rides too, like a lot of people here, every forum you know and in the IBA. it's not the only game in town and quite honestly, some just like to challenge themselves and don't feel the need to get a cert for it.
Ok, a certificate ride is a personal challenge. Pick any of the cert challenges you like, plan it, go ride it. Send in the paperwork or not. A lot of riders do this to sort out the bike for just normal riding. A little thing that bothers you on a day ride, will really bother you on a 1k ride. So as you ride farther, you sort those little things out until there are no little things that bother you. The ergonomics improve and every ride is better. Feel like cranking out a 1k day, no big deal, you've already sorted the bike and it's just up to you to want to do the ride and listen to your body while doing it.
Endurance rallies are a different animal. Yes, you still have to ride the miles. But trust me, all the riders that show up at the IBR can ride the miles. It's the routing and planing, the logistics of multiple legs and bonus lists that increase the challenge difficulty 10 fold.
For the IBR, you don't get the bonus locations before hand. You get them the night before the start. You have to balance planning your route with getting some sleep. You need a minimum number of points to be a finisher, but you only have a vague target number to aim for, not a hard and fast solid number. No one knows what the actual finisher requirement will be until all the riders are scored at the end.
So you get this bonus list. It tells you all the bonus locations for the first leg. You know you have to be in Kennewick, WA in 3.5 days and there is a 2 hour penalty window where if you're late, you will be docked 3 points per minute for every minute you are late. Early is no problem. Come in past the 2 hour penalty window and you are DNF. Did Not Finish and out of the rally.
The bonus list is like a restaurant menu. If you try and eat it all, you'll die. So you have to plan a ride to the bonuses you think will give you enough points, AND that has a mileage number you think you can realistically ride in the time you have. Easier said than done. The more local, first hand knowledge of the roads involved that you have, the better shot you have of making your plan work w/o having to re-work it when it goes in the shitter.
Ok, so you planned your ride. You have great confidence that you will get enough points to be solid for finisher status. The start goes off, you manage not to drop your bike in the parking lot and you're OFF. Riding your plan. The focus that comes with riding a plan on this level is something unique. Nothing else enters your mind. For the next 11 days, your job is to get up and ride all day. Your plan may be to ride 850 mile days. Your plan may be to ride 1200 mile days. Every rider is different. Some just want to be a finisher. Some want to WIN. You are always focused on the next bonus, the time you need to get there by, how long it's taking you, what your fuel usage is, when you need to eat and how to minimize every stop you can. Because you really will need that minute you shaved off that gas stop in 3.5 days when you're stuck in a traffic jam 3 miles from the checkpoint and forest fires have closed roads on the way in to Kennewick.
When you leave the start, you have zero idea what you're really going to run into during this leg. You know where you want to go, what roads you want to take. The un-knowns are huge. From accidents to road construction to events you don't even have a clue about. (Oh great, it's founder days in [insert tiny town you need to get thru], today and that just happens to be the day you ride there. Then there are holidays some years. In 2013 I had both Canada day and Independence day to deal with. Talk about RV hell at some points. Mostly it was fine, but you never know.
So great, you have a plan. Your plan is rocking it... then it's gone to shit. Doesn't matter why, it happens frequently. Now you need to re-plan. Good rally riders with experience plan for this too. You plan low point bonuses that you can drop in order to make the higher point bonuses you really want/need to get. You plan what bonuses to add if you are up on time. Some riders are still learning this stuff, even when they get to the start of the IBR. They end up cutting that big point bonus when they realize they won't make it to the checkpoint on time if then go for it, but already wasted time getting the little bonuses so can't cut those when the realize the plan is screwed.
Being able to benchmark your ride so that you realize as soon as possible when you need to cut or add bonus locations is a learned skill. Being able to salvage a good leg when things go horribly wrong is another skill.
In reality, what separates the good rally riders from the just so-so rally riders is how they deal with the problems that come up. One rider in a past IBR changed bikes 5 times. The first time you change bikes, it's a 50% loss of points. In other words, you get scored for that leg, and lose half of the points you got. And for every leg after that too. Change bikes again, they take pity on you and you still lose half your points, but not any more, even though you are now riding a 1974 Suzuki 2 stroke that you found close by the break down point of the previous bike when checking out Craigs List. Oh, and it doesn't matter where you found the next bike, you still have to return to the point you broke down at to re-start your IBR rally. No leave your bike at the dealer and go sleep in a hotel either. If your bike is there, YOU'RE there. Sleep on the floor of the showroom. (no slam on the guy that actually IS riding a 1974 Suzuki water cooled 2-stroke 750 in this year's rally. He finished on the same bike in 2017 and did well, with no issues. He knows that bike inside, outside, upside down.)
It's about the competition, the focus, the fun places you will go and things you will see during the rally. 15 minutes after the banquet is over, people forget who won. This year we have the only rider to ever win twice, riding again. And another past winner. If the past winner wins again, there will be TWO riders that have ever won the rally twice in it's history. If the fellow that has won twice wins again, he will be the only person to ever win three times. A record likely to not be broken any time soon.
@CW - Yep Bob, working Tech on the front end and likely some scoring stuff on the back end. Heading home now, but will be back for the finish.
@CatBehemoth - Maybe I can put it in perspective. FYI - I rode/finished the rally in '13 and have been around and involved in LD riding and the IBA since about 2004. I've ridden in a lot of endurance rallies, from 8 hours to 11 days. The 5 day and 10 day rallies I did were harder than the IBR in some ways, easier in others. And yes, I have a bunch of certs, which are public record if you want to go look on the IBA site, but not as many as you might think. Lots of undocumented rides too, like a lot of people here, every forum you know and in the IBA. it's not the only game in town and quite honestly, some just like to challenge themselves and don't feel the need to get a cert for it.
Ok, a certificate ride is a personal challenge. Pick any of the cert challenges you like, plan it, go ride it. Send in the paperwork or not. A lot of riders do this to sort out the bike for just normal riding. A little thing that bothers you on a day ride, will really bother you on a 1k ride. So as you ride farther, you sort those little things out until there are no little things that bother you. The ergonomics improve and every ride is better. Feel like cranking out a 1k day, no big deal, you've already sorted the bike and it's just up to you to want to do the ride and listen to your body while doing it.
Endurance rallies are a different animal. Yes, you still have to ride the miles. But trust me, all the riders that show up at the IBR can ride the miles. It's the routing and planing, the logistics of multiple legs and bonus lists that increase the challenge difficulty 10 fold.
For the IBR, you don't get the bonus locations before hand. You get them the night before the start. You have to balance planning your route with getting some sleep. You need a minimum number of points to be a finisher, but you only have a vague target number to aim for, not a hard and fast solid number. No one knows what the actual finisher requirement will be until all the riders are scored at the end.
So you get this bonus list. It tells you all the bonus locations for the first leg. You know you have to be in Kennewick, WA in 3.5 days and there is a 2 hour penalty window where if you're late, you will be docked 3 points per minute for every minute you are late. Early is no problem. Come in past the 2 hour penalty window and you are DNF. Did Not Finish and out of the rally.
The bonus list is like a restaurant menu. If you try and eat it all, you'll die. So you have to plan a ride to the bonuses you think will give you enough points, AND that has a mileage number you think you can realistically ride in the time you have. Easier said than done. The more local, first hand knowledge of the roads involved that you have, the better shot you have of making your plan work w/o having to re-work it when it goes in the shitter.
Ok, so you planned your ride. You have great confidence that you will get enough points to be solid for finisher status. The start goes off, you manage not to drop your bike in the parking lot and you're OFF. Riding your plan. The focus that comes with riding a plan on this level is something unique. Nothing else enters your mind. For the next 11 days, your job is to get up and ride all day. Your plan may be to ride 850 mile days. Your plan may be to ride 1200 mile days. Every rider is different. Some just want to be a finisher. Some want to WIN. You are always focused on the next bonus, the time you need to get there by, how long it's taking you, what your fuel usage is, when you need to eat and how to minimize every stop you can. Because you really will need that minute you shaved off that gas stop in 3.5 days when you're stuck in a traffic jam 3 miles from the checkpoint and forest fires have closed roads on the way in to Kennewick.
When you leave the start, you have zero idea what you're really going to run into during this leg. You know where you want to go, what roads you want to take. The un-knowns are huge. From accidents to road construction to events you don't even have a clue about. (Oh great, it's founder days in [insert tiny town you need to get thru], today and that just happens to be the day you ride there. Then there are holidays some years. In 2013 I had both Canada day and Independence day to deal with. Talk about RV hell at some points. Mostly it was fine, but you never know.
So great, you have a plan. Your plan is rocking it... then it's gone to shit. Doesn't matter why, it happens frequently. Now you need to re-plan. Good rally riders with experience plan for this too. You plan low point bonuses that you can drop in order to make the higher point bonuses you really want/need to get. You plan what bonuses to add if you are up on time. Some riders are still learning this stuff, even when they get to the start of the IBR. They end up cutting that big point bonus when they realize they won't make it to the checkpoint on time if then go for it, but already wasted time getting the little bonuses so can't cut those when the realize the plan is screwed.
Being able to benchmark your ride so that you realize as soon as possible when you need to cut or add bonus locations is a learned skill. Being able to salvage a good leg when things go horribly wrong is another skill.
In reality, what separates the good rally riders from the just so-so rally riders is how they deal with the problems that come up. One rider in a past IBR changed bikes 5 times. The first time you change bikes, it's a 50% loss of points. In other words, you get scored for that leg, and lose half of the points you got. And for every leg after that too. Change bikes again, they take pity on you and you still lose half your points, but not any more, even though you are now riding a 1974 Suzuki 2 stroke that you found close by the break down point of the previous bike when checking out Craigs List. Oh, and it doesn't matter where you found the next bike, you still have to return to the point you broke down at to re-start your IBR rally. No leave your bike at the dealer and go sleep in a hotel either. If your bike is there, YOU'RE there. Sleep on the floor of the showroom. (no slam on the guy that actually IS riding a 1974 Suzuki water cooled 2-stroke 750 in this year's rally. He finished on the same bike in 2017 and did well, with no issues. He knows that bike inside, outside, upside down.)
It's about the competition, the focus, the fun places you will go and things you will see during the rally. 15 minutes after the banquet is over, people forget who won. This year we have the only rider to ever win twice, riding again. And another past winner. If the past winner wins again, there will be TWO riders that have ever won the rally twice in it's history. If the fellow that has won twice wins again, he will be the only person to ever win three times. A record likely to not be broken any time soon.