Trying to understand

[chazs_peanut]

Ok, I realize I will probably get flamed heavily for this, and I'm willing to accept it.

I'm really trying to understand why traveling 1000 miles in 24 hrs is a good thing. My husband is doing his first attempt starting at 1:00 tomorrow morning. Now this is after having worked all day and not getting the opportunity for sleep (to avoid Atlanta traffic). And you might say well that's his decision. True. But I hear others talk about leaving at 4 am, 5 am, 20 hr days, etc. Assuming you could AVERAGE 60 miles per hour which is an incredible amount when you take in breaks, etc, it would take over 16 hrs to complete. How good is your attention span then? What danger do you pose to yourself or to others? Is the 24 hr thing and the 50 cc thing (cross country in 50 hrs) actually encouraging dangerous riding behavior? I love to ride but I want to have full faculties when I do, and I want to make sure I do my best to return home to my two kids.

(end :soapbox )

Alright, thanks for letting me vent. I'll accept the feedback. ;)

[uncal]

My wife is trying to understand as well.

I can't speak for others - only myself.

Reason #1 - To see if I can do it. A "Because its there" kind of thing.
Reason #2 - An opportunity to leave the ordinary world behind (if only for a day) and rise above it.
Reason #3 - A feeling of complete self-reliance, i.e. "if I can do this, I can do anything".

Of course, I've only done 2 SSs (OK, 1.995 SSs :mad: ). This is a good question, and I hope you get responses from different experience levels.

[Raven]

In some ways doing an IB is kind of a meditation.

Yes, there can be risk involved. Yes, one gets tired. Yes, it really doesn't make a lot of rational sense. Yes, in the end, it really doesn't even matter. But, it's an interesting challenge.

I personally like the combination of aspects that go into an IB ride. The planning phase of figuring out the "best" approach to whatever riding goal you're attempting. The anticipation of the approaching ride date. The control of checking through the various supplies and equipment. The exhiliration of heading out to somewhere you've not been before. The precision of documentation. The attention to the combination of yourself and the machine. The wondering if the weather will hold. The trusting that the machine will perform. The testing of one's physical abilities. The feeling of accomplishment.

I suppose the real draw for me is the sublime tension - it's being in that space between moments like when the last note of a symphony is sounded but before the applause starts or the instant between knowing there's a kiss and the actual kiss - doing a long distance ride is spending a day in that space between.

I don't think I would ever run a marathon or sky-dive or do yoga or have a child but I understand the intensity of the moment and the connection with being alive that all of those things tap into. For me, that's what an IB ride does.

I don't know if that explains it for you or your husband but that's why I do it.

[Austin city limits]

Me??? Why have I done over 1,000 miles in a day now 10 times but only 1 time have I been IBA certified???

16 hrs to eat all the Pepperoni sticks,,, Diet Dr Peppers,,, and Little Debbie's you care to have all in the name of,,, "Riding"... :D

Honestly,,, it isn't that hard at all... It is like riding a bicycle 100 miles in a day... You don't have to be in perfect shape,,, you just have to be willing to set in the seat enough all day...

[JReviere]

I've got a total of 15 days of 1000mi or more in the past.

NONE of them were done to prove anything to myself or anyone else. None of them were done "just to see if I can do it" or "just because it's there." They were all done with a DESTINATION in mind and a legitimate need to make a schedule.

Was it stupid to maneuver myself into such a demanding position? Of course it was stupid. Worse it was stupid to do it more times than one. Maybe I was a slow learner.

Will I do any more? Most likely not. What's the point? I've got the best job in the world now... I'm FULL TIME RETIRED....

JR

[Austin city limits]

I agree with JR...

When I had 20 day trips over 10,000 miles planned I would still squeeze a 1,000 miler in... Didn't really need to but I had somewhere I wanted to be,,, and between where I started,,, and where I ended was road I had seen many times before...

Now???

Now that "The Lovely Cindy" is renegotitating my 20 day rides down to like 6 day rides and in reality,,, will force me to ride more 1,000 mile days...

[nm6r]

Far be it for any of us to judge another rider's decisions. I have done the 1000 miles in less than 24 hours and actually enjoyed it. I would not attempt it after working all day and not getting adequate sleep but that's just me. I know I couldn't function toward the end of such a long ride without being fully rested at the beginning.

I would really like to do the 1500 miles in less than 24 hours. Now that's a challenge.

Ray
http://www.frontiernet.net/~st1300rider/smile04Bikerwheelie.gif

[Northern Rob]

Ok, I realize I will probably get flamed heavily for this, and I'm willing to accept it.

I'm really trying to understand why traveling 1000 miles in 24 hrs is a good thing.

What danger do you pose to yourself or to others? Is the 24 hr thing and the 50 cc thing (cross country in 50 hrs) actually encouraging dangerous riding behavior? I love to ride but I want to have full faculties when I do, and I want to make sure I do my best to return home to my two kids.


I think you're a smart gal and your comments are completely valid.

So why would a guy with a great wife and kids do this? My wife asked me the same question for something that I wanted to do and that was stupid (not Iron Butt, but hmmn that's a good idea!).

I think many of us guys have a psycological need for a bit of adventure, to conquor, take chances, push our limits and (hopefully) win thanks to our skill or dumb luck. Its baked in the DNA. A bit of risk taking behaviour makes us feel more competent, more powerful, and that we're living at least a bit of the exciting life that we promised ourselves when we were kids. I think a guy sometimes gets it worse if the rest of his life is filled with kinda boring work just to pay the bills and having endless lists of chores at home.

Or, I could have that all wrong.:D

But in other words - sometimes us guys do dumb things because its fun!

....ummm, hope that helps. Don't really know how to fix it. And hope you don't get flamed, cause you're right!
:weights1::sbs1: :F1Car1: :bannana :headbang: :crackup

[sherob]

I did it to get to the other side :eek:

[hojo in sc]

He could (easily) start at 6:00 A.M., which is not too far out of most of our normal sleep patterns, and be home by 11:00 P.M., which is still not too far out of our normal sleep patterns.

So, doing the 1,000 in 24 hours is not that difficult, and as Ray mentioned, the 1500 miles in 24 hours does demand more driving and less sleep. Every one has their reasons, or not, to do one, only the said individual can say what thier reasons are for.

As for me, I've done a LOT of driving where I put a LOT of TIME in the saddle, but the speed was slower, thus, at the time, in my mind, I felt I qualified for an IB award, as I put the same amount of time on my moto. I would get up at 3:00 A.M., drive 4 hours to a town, drive another 8 hours at a bike race, then drive another 4 hours back home, I would spend 16 hours in the saddle, and only travel 650 miles.

The IBA side of the certification, is not only the miles per time, but also making sure that one can navigate and manage time along the way. I always felt I was good at that, as when traveling with the family, I like to give the kids 2 mintues at the rest stops :D

Doing the SS-1000 isn't much of a problem with gas stops if you take the normal driving hours, most gas stations are open. But when you go to the all night driving, out in the middle of no-where, you had better do a little more planning before you head out.

Why don't you go with him!

[chazs_peanut]

Thanks to all the replies and not beating on me. :D He knows how I feel about this and I did manage to talk him into sleeping. He left shortly after 6 this morning. (Well, actually, I don't know that it was my influence or the fact that it was raining heavily all through the night and he's riding a VFR. But, I can at least give myself the illusion that it was me. ;) )

I understand challenge and a need to push yourself. That's actually one of the major reasons I ride instead of being a passenger. And why I do tae kwon do even though many people think I'm crazy since I have bruises all the time. I try to keep my challenging activities with very very low possibilties of serious harm or death. (I struggled with motorcycle riding for a while when I learned to ride since I had read the Hurt report.:eek: )

And I suppose he could be skydiving or worse. But it won't stop me from worrying about him.

[sherob]

Good luck to him! It's one of those "It's there and I gotta do it" things ;) If it was such an easy thing to do, you would see alot more people doing it. :) I'm sure he will talk your ear off about his travel when he gets back :D DAMHIKT :p:

[jeffmiller]

Riding the SS1000 is cathartic....clears the minds, opens it to think about things you may not have thought about in a while, gives you a chance to see at least 1000 miles of the world, and its the same motivation as guys who run marathons or climb Everest.

I would also have to state it would be BAD to try any distance ride without at least getting sleep. I got five hours after going to bed VERY early, otherwise I would not have attempted it.

[ChipSTer]

...But it won't stop me from worrying about him.

We worry too... :) (Just let him call for help if you don't believe...) We worry not because he's not capable of doing it, but because there are a lot of variables out there, over which, we have no control... We wish him a swift and safe journey... He will be better for it... :D
:cool:

[Bones]

I suppose the real draw for me is the sublime tension - it's being in that space between moments like when the last note of a symphony is sounded but before the applause starts or the instant between knowing there's a kiss and the actual kiss - doing a long distance ride is spending a day in that space between.

That's some beautiful writing, Raven. :mcrider:


Edited to add:
I've not done 1000 miles in a day, but I've done 2000 miles in a week. It's not the same thing, I know, but I see some parallels in the reasoning of IB riders and my desire to just go. Wanderlust, exploring, self-reliance all figure in, plus there's nothing quite like the feeling of getting into that "zone" when you're on a beautiful stretch of road on a fine-running machine.

[samal]

I never did the 1000 miles day, my longest were like around 500. To tell the truth, I don't see any merit in doing 1000 milers either. I will take back roads over interstates any time, and I always schedule my rides with plenty spare time to stop and regroup.

I enjoy riding twisties and scenic two lane backroads for hours, but not riding on highways for hours even in order to reach the destination faster drives me crazy and gets borring very quickly - destination usually doesn't matter to me, since most of my rides start and end at the same place few days appart. (My work and family don't allow me to take week/weeks long rides at the present time).

May be when I am older and have more time to ride, I will find it appealing, but for now - I will take the 500 miles round trip day of involved and technical riding on fun roads (about 12-15 hours a day with stops) over droning on highway for the same time covering distance from A to B or just trying to prove that my butt can take the beating.

[Mark]

Done long days above 900miles a bunch of times, and have done two 1000+ mile days with, as JR mentioned, a destination in mind.

But is it dangerous? If you plan it is no more dangerous than a long day driving a car...
The last time was just last Monday: we left Eureka Springs at 6:30am and got into ALQ in 18hrs, we stayed off the slabs as much as possible and took breaks as needed.
Then we sat down and had a beer with dinner slept and did another 700 miles to get home.

Hope he does fine,
Mark

[clmixon]

I look at it as a personal challenge, can you plan a ride and then ride the plan?

Once you manage the SS1K, windows to other endevours open, BBG's at 1500 miles in 24, rallies and many other riding oppertunities.

It transforms distance from an abstract to a reality, 1000 miles will take you from my house to Denver or Washington DC or even north almost to the border.

Once done, you understand what you are asking your body to do, over that time period and strangely enough, it becomes easier to go 750-850 miles in a day because that is now the "easy" ride.

Last but not least, a SS1K will quickly let you know what modifications to the bike or your body you will have to do in order to cover real miles, day after day as you take in as much off the highway scenery as you can in this life.

Thats on an ST, on a VFR a ss1k is just masochisim :cool: :rolleyes:


Chris :06biker:

[CruisingDog]

I'm going to state the obvious:

It's a testosterone thing. We guys just like challenges whether it be climbing mount everest or running across Death Valley in scorching heat. Most of us have a 'fire' inside to prove to the world we are worthy of something. That's definitely true for me. That's why I will do it one day.

Yep dangerous, stupid and non-sensical ....but I'm alive! It's proof that I can still feel and taste the world!!

[beatlejuice]

i for one am glad he got some sleep before he left a wise decision in my book.
as for why some people do it and others dont. for me its because the iba is part of road riding, it has history. just like the los angeles to barstow to las vegas ride has history and i rode that also. i guess in some very small way i want to be part of history after all not every who trys will make it, some will get too tired some will have mechanical failures some just dont see the value in it.. now its been 24 hours ANY NEWS?? :04biker:

[Gonzo]

I think we all have some desire to do something which tests our limits in some way. I did marathons, duathlons, triathlons.
I did the Los Angeles Marathon 12 years in a row and each time thought I probably won't do it again, but I did.
I would probably still be doing them except a UPS driver did his best to try to kill me and almost succeeded. Result, I can't run 26.2 miles any more. Oh, well.
gonzo

[Raven]

A really sore butt and another 1000 miles needlessly wasted in boredom. I would much rather be spending my time thinning out the chicken strips on my tires on some fun, twisty mountain roads. It’s definitely not for everyone.

A long distance ride doesn't have to be a boring ride lacking in twisties or backroads. While it's true, an interstate ride is one way to do a fairly straight forward SS, it certainly isn't the only way. Part of the challenge is the intellectual one of planning a ride that will interest you enough to bother doing it. There's also the built-in assumption in the above quote that all interstates are boring strips of straightness - I know that Colorado's double-decker expressway that follows the path of the Colorado River is by no means boring (sorry can't remember the number right off). Same holds true for the West Virginia Turnpike (who knew something called a turnpike could be beautiful?). A lot of the enjoyment of doing a LD ride is figuring out an interesting place to go and a good way to get there.:rolleyes:

[sherob]

I-70 thru Vail and such along the river was real sweet! ;)

[chazs_peanut]

Well, Charles left a little after 6 Thursday morning and he arrived in Shreveport, LA around 12:45am this morning. He left his wallet at a gas stop in Tennessee, somewhere east of Memphis, had to backtrack about 20 miles, it was already gone and had to file a police report. :( Luckily he had the debit card on him. (Whew!) So he has no ID, or medical card but he does still have his emergency contact list, and I spent last night cancelling credit cards. :eek:

But he's ok and for that I'm very happy. :D

[Pred8tor]

But he's ok and for that I'm very happy. :D

Wow! Thanks for the update, Mary! Sorry to hear about the lost wallet... but overall things seems to have worked out fairly well.

[samal]

.... Just a personal thing for me...I hate riding on the freeway. If I aint draggin a peg, I aint happy. :D

Agree. I am the same way.

[uncal]

Mary, thanks for the update! I'm sorry to hear about his wallet. On my rides, I try to get into a routine similar to what RocketCowboy describes in his threads, e.g. pull out wallet, swipe card, put card in wallet, put wallet back in pocket, check receipt, etc.

Re: other comments in this thread, I don't see it as a either/or choice (as between peg-dragging and IBA-slabbing). I do both. One of the things I like most about the ST is its versatility! :D

[George]

I also agree with JR. I've done a few 1000s, 1 1000 in 15, and a 1500 in 24, all as part of "making schedule." None were documented.

Now days, I'll do 750 on back roads (or fewer as the twisties dictate) but will go out of my way to avoid interstates.

Never understood the need to do it just to do it, always have a destination. Also never felt the need to document. No arguments or flames against those who do, tho.

I LIKE long hours in the saddle.

George
NOT in Kingman, Arizona

[ChipSTer]

That's too bad about his wallet...:22yikes:
That's the second lost wallet I've read about in as many months... Makes me keep better track of mine.... I still advocate keeping your wallet separate from your 'working' items (i.e. debit card).... That way, only the debit card comes out and gets used and put back... Glad he was able to continue... The other guy had to get his wife to 'Western Union' him some money so he could come home... Major Bummer!!!! Let us know when he gets back (or needs anything...) :D
:cool:

[huxtablejones]

whoa, I'm famous! :D

thanks for the thoughts guys. I am working on a ride report and hope to get it online tonight. Short version:

4 days, ~2600 miles, Winston-Salem, Nashville, Little Rock, Texarkana, Shreveport, Mena, Ozarks. Rinse, repeat. VFR. Tingly Butt. Wallet stolen, but only after I drove off with it sitting on the back of a bike like a dumbass :o4:

You won't believe what bits go numb at 850 mile mark. :eek:

I'll post more in depth tonight - thanks again for the concerns and encouragement.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/uploads/1158602598/med_gallery_8877_2151_13393.jpg

[Pred8tor]

I'll post more in depth tonight - thanks again for the concerns and encouragement.


Good to have you back, Charles!!!