2017 IBR. The BIG one

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OhioDeere

OhioDeere

Been There, Done That, Got the Shirt.
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Earlier in this thread someone remarked that the IBR is a glass ceiling that they'll never reach - it's easy to think that but, in the end, we tend to only truly regret the things we didn't do.

I believe this applies to everything in life!
 

Shuey

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Whilst efficiency isn't a grading criteria in the IBR, it can certainly be the difference between finishing and not. In this case, it served me well. Going in, I had no illusions of being even remotely competitive - those days passed with the Avon tire crash that totaled my beloved ST. I basically had three goals, 1) don't crash myself or the bike and make it back to Minneapolis in one piece, 2) have fun, 3) finish. I managed to do all three and am pretty darn happy with that.

Turns out I piloted the only Aprilia to ever be in an IBR, let alone finish (after having done so, it's really no surprise that Aprilia isn't a big LD marquee but she did run good and I'm pleased with that). I've also managed to finish the IBR with the lowest recorded miles ever. I had a fantastic rally and an incredible ride. So, while I didn't ride the huge miles I might once have done, in the end, those 11 days are really only the very small tip of a very large riding life.

Earlier in this thread someone remarked that the IBR is a glass ceiling that they'll never reach - it's easy to think that but, in the end, we tend to only truly regret the things we didn't do.
GREAT ride Raven! Truly, and I think you're three goals for the ride were spot on. "lowest recorded miles ever" WOW! I really enjoyed your ride report and look forward to when next we meet to hear more about your ride.

Shuey
#423
 

Raven

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GREAT ride Raven! Truly, and I think you're three goals for the ride were spot on. "lowest recorded miles ever" WOW! I really enjoyed your ride report and look forward to when next we meet to hear more about your ride.

Shuey
#423
It's funny, if I'd stuck with my original plan to do the group photo, I'd have finished with 64692 in 5568 miles and an efficiency of 11.62.

Even though I threw my efficiency out the window, I'm really glad I went to Winnipeg instead. It was so much fun to see my friend and get to ride in Canada. It definitely made the last three days quite enjoyable and I still managed to record the lowest miles with an 11.23 efficiency.

(Yes, I'm still writing that part but it's almost done.)

I really couldn't have asked for a rally more suited to what my riding style is now than this one. While the combos freaked a lot of people out, they really gave a wider array of riders the opportunity to ride their own rides. There was an incredible amount of freedom in the distribution of the locations and, with only 995 miles between the check-points, even on the shorter 1st leg there was a good deal of leeway in deciding where to go and how many miles to pack in. I think the east/west (or west/east) IBR's might actually be harder because, by default, the check points tend to be farther apart which forces riders to maintain an upped pace just to make it from check-point to check-point, let alone collecting bonuses. So, I count myself as being very lucky that this was the one I happened to be drawn in.


Thanks for the kind words regarding the story. I'm glad folks like it. I hadn't really intended it to turn into a novel but it seems to be telling itself at it's own pace so I'll let it spin itself out as it will. :rolleyes:
 
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I really couldn't have asked for a rally more suited to what my riding style is now than this one. While the combos freaked a lot of people out, they really gave a wider array of riders the opportunity to ride their own rides. There was an incredible amount of freedom in the distribution of the locations and, with only 995 miles between the check-points, even on the shorter 1st leg there was a good deal of leeway in deciding where to go and how many miles to pack in. I think the east/west (or west/east) IBR's might actually be harder because, by default, the check points tend to be farther apart which forces riders to maintain an upped pace just to make it from check-point to check-point, let alone collecting bonuses. So, I count myself as being very lucky that this was the one I happened to be drawn in.
That is a pretty interesting observation - the north south checkpoints allowed riders to pick their own poison when it came to mileage by increasing their lateral movement as much or as little as they felt they could handle...hadn't thought of it that way yet.

Congrats on your ride!
 

Raven

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The final installment just got posted up on the Aprilia forum. Thanks for reading.
 

ST_Jim

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The final installment just got posted up on the Aprilia forum. Thanks for reading.
I think you did a great job riding your own ride.

:bow1:

Perhaps next IB they will have an inverse of mileage multiplier, to make efficiency a criteria in scoring. It would remove those heroic ride stories we've all enjoyed hearing, but lessen the incentive to push into the dangerous fatigue miles.

I've always wondered whether Ron Major would have had his fatal heart attack under more normal circumstances. Probably, but we'll never know.
 
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