Don, You have received quite a few good responses, but I'd like to try and answer your questions more directly. When I plan a route for a specific ride, much of that work completely depends on the specific ride I'm doing. Obviously a coast to coast or border to border ride will need specific routing, but a Saddlesore can be routed with a lot of leeway. My first Saddlesore 1000 was simply a big loop. I chose a route through some country I had not seen before, and used good highways and interstates. As it turned out, the entire ride took about 18 hours.
As the rides difficulty increases, planning your route on faster roads with few slow areas becomes more important. For example, for my first Bun Burner Gold, (1500+ miles in 24 hours) I chose an all interstate route that was 760 miles out, and 760 back. That ride took 23.2 hours. I had a lot of rain and slow traffic to contend with as well.
To plan a successful route, the IBA simply want's you to be able to "prove your ride". If you do a loop, they ask that you document the "corners" so you have proof of not shortcutting the loop. For example, on my first loop, I started in Phoenix, and got receipts from Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Tuscon, and back home. Obviously there were other stops in between as well, but those were the "corners". If you do an "out and back" ride, documenting your turn-around point is critical.
The IBA has "In-State" Saddlesore rides for every state. To get the In-State Saddlesore cert, you simply have to do your entire ride within the borders of the state. Nebraska should be pretty doable. Let me know if you need help with a route.
As to my qualifications to give this advice, I have been an IBA member since 1999, and have done about 45 certified rides, and finished the Iron Butt Rally.
Garry
514
To those who say they don't like IBA style rides because they don't get to see anything, I offer the following bit of wisdom from my buddy Clive:
“ But you don’t see anything if you just ride…..” “ Endurance test instead of pleasure…. “ +many other comments……
Clive's rebuttal:
So let me share just some of the things I managed to see/experience in the last 43 hrs.
Riding 2,074 miles (3,318klms) without exceeding the speed limit by more than 8mph and riding at it, or below, most of the time.
As an aside, I abandoned my attempt at the Bun Burner Gold cert (1,500 miles in 24hrs) and settled for the Bun Burner ( 1,500 miles in 36 hrs or less ) and the SS2000 ( 2,000+ miles in under 48hrs). I might have been able to do it in time but would have had to really push it at the end. Safety trumps all so I backed off and live to ride another day with two more cert rides in the bag.…
In no particular order….
I visited British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Yes, that’s seven States and Provinces.
I have experienced weather from just above freezing to 90+ Fahrenheit. I have been rained on in the desert. Which dropped the temp from 90 to 65 in about 3 minutes...I watched a storm forming over the desert, felt the winds pick up, rode through a dust storm and discovered that tumbleweeds basically vaporize when you hit them, then the heavens opened up. I loved it.
I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of a coyote on a rise with the moon behind it howling at the moon. National Geographic in real life. I howled with him. Damn I love riding at night on a lonely road with a clear sky and a moon.
I have dragged my floorboards for the second time attempting to GO STRAIGHT down the highway. Reminded me of riding the northern peninsula in Newfoundland.
Had a New Mexico state trooper wave back at me when he passed while I was doing 80mph (128klm). ( Speed limit 75mph )
I saw the Rio Grande. I saw the Canadian Rockies, The Cascades, The Sierra Madres and a few mountain ranges I don’t know the names of. Piddly little rivers like the Colorado and the Columbia. Lake Havasu.
An irrigation system that is so vast it's hard to comprehend it’s size.
A MASSIVE man made lake ( Lake Shasta ).
I’ve seen just about you name it growing. Figs, grapes, olives, pistachios, almonds, more species of cactus than I could name. Oranges, garlic, lettuce, tomatoes etc etc etc..
I’ve ridden through temperate rain forest, alpine, Redwood’s, and desert.
I’ve seen a “B” train semi wandering all over the road. Upon passing it, I saw why. It had two drivers. Yes, two. It would appear that the driver let his wife? girlfriend? hitchhiker? sit on his lap and steer the big rig. She was so excited by the act of controlling his big rig she was jumping up and down! Ahemm….
Saw the continental divide. Who knew it was at an altitude of 4,380ft in New Mexico?
Saw Truth and Consequences. Again in New Mexico.
Spotted "20 Mule Team Rd". Added it to my collection.
I watched the birth of a road gator…. you know, when a big rigs tire lets go… Twice. Many hours apart. Believe me, you will NEVER ride alongside or follow a big truck again without clamping down those cheeks after seeing that little show up close.
I watched a woman next to me , sorry girls, give a nice little bumper tap to the car ahead while we were doing 75mph on the new 8 lane in Phoenix, yes 8 lanes, because she was doing her makeup in the visor mirror.
I ran over a rattler. Course it was a rattler, it was doing the sidewinder boogie and was in the desert. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
I watched a meteorite shower like I’ve never seen before. Grand finale was one big SOB that lasted, count to four doing the 1001,1002 method, and then blew up like a roman candle.
Now, this was very close to the US air force base.. Things that make ya go hmm….
I ate at a truck stop. I felt very thin and in shape.
I ate a burro burrito at a roadside stand. It was good…. I also ate at a famous Texas Bar-B-Q joint. Burro was better…
I saw plains that were so big I could literally see the curvature of the earth.
I saw a truck stop with more trucks parked in it than I will see on a trip from Victoria to Alberta. Really. Like maybe 300 trucks? Not stored, stopped.
I rode historic Route 66. I saw Buckeye AZ and Tombstone AZ.
I’ve seen the 30 to 40 huge billboards advertising “The Thing”. Culminating with the
“EXIT NOW !!!” one. I mean full sized maybe 42’x16’?? . Don’t know what it is, don’t care, didn’t stop. Loved the signs. I mean LOVED the absolute over the top craziness of it. They spent more on the signs and there was more wood used than for the building you were being directed to….
I smelt sweet sage? so strong I could taste it. Plus some other aromas that were maybe not as pleasant.
Saw some people just trying to make a better life for their family and getting arrested for being Mexican. Saw a fence that harkens back to a wall they rightfully pulled down a few years ago….
I saw the parade of motorhomes pulling a truck with a bike in the truck. Gus and Nancy Schmancy’s USA relatives I guess...
I watched a series of relatively small twisters form and perform a dance that any choreographer would weep tears of joy if he saw it.
And my favourite sign, in California of course, some kind of add for a eat local co-op thingy…
“ I want to grow my own food but I can’t find any bacon seeds?”
Oh yeah, and about a thousand other minor things. Not to mention the zen like therapy of thinking about life etc, that is until something like one of the above rudely interrupts.
That’s in 43 hrs…… Without “stopping to see things”……..
