The IBR

[texanrt]

Lots of bonus points available in the South -- I guess that will put some bonus riders searching for points in Texas.

Here's a link the Day 4 report:
IBR Day 4 report

 

[BUBBAZANETTI]

it seems to me this years rally is more about strategy and less about killer miles. wonder what is prompting the change?

 

[testinglogin]

it seems to me this years rally is more about strategy and less about killer miles. wonder what is prompting the change?

I'm actually enjoying the change. It's clear I'm not a fan of high-mileage events where people risk themselves and/or others to knock out more mileage. With this format, I'd consider doing it if only I had the time off of work. Strategy is a lot more interesting to "watch", as well.

Oh, and Go Joel!

 

[Bill Burke]

it seems to me this years rally is more about strategy and less about killer miles. wonder what is prompting the change?

The concerns about public perceptions seem to be pretty evident this year. For example, the media "blackout" and prohibition against public SPOT access seem to be exercises in prior restraint on public dissemination of info about the event. What sorts of issues or concerns are driving this clampdown have not been publicly shared to my knowledge. With respect to the organization of this years' rally, it does seem clear that it's an East to West geographic design set up in mostly discreet "zones".....East, Midwest, West....and the number of "nutty" or "crazy" or "impossible" bonii are very very limited. There was only one in the first leg (the British Columbia bonus) and the staff emphasized that it was considered "impossible" and basically just stupid to even consider going for it.

Edit: On the other hand, I suspect that we'll see the usual 11000 mile mark reached by the top finishers meaning that they'll still end up accumulating a lot of miles despite the narrower confines of the rally design, but we may not see the 13000 mile numbers that were racked up in 2005.

 

[texanrt]

FROM FJR FORUM WARCHILD: Well, it's All Quiet on the Western Front so far this morning.... we'll see how long this lasts. I am marginally surprise how (relatively) well all the bikes are doing mechanically... based upon what I saw in the parking lot of the Start Line, I expected a few more problems with the machines that what has been reported thus far. OTOH, we are only starting Day 5, so... lots of time left.


http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=121167&st=380

No news of any further mechanical issues. The FJR forum has been relatively quiet this morning -- some discussion over the change from an all-out mileage based rally format to the strategy-based format for this year.

 

[texanrt]

Maybe they'll start posted regular snapshots -- this was the first one listed at the IBA rally site...

 

[naddy100]

The concerns about public perceptions seem to be pretty evident this year. For example, the media "blackout" and prohibition against public SPOT access seem to be exercises in prior restraint on public dissemination of info about the event. What sorts of issues or concerns are driving this clampdown have not been publicly shared to my knowledge. Snippage

Public perception-- maybe, but also concern about outside help with routing as well as Bob Higdon's well recorded concern for speed and fatigue that produced this version of the rally.

Noel

 

[Bill Burke]

Public perception-- maybe, but also concern about outside help with routing as well as Bob Higdon's well recorded concern for speed and fatigue that produced this version of the rally.

Noel

The "outside help with routing" issue is an interesting one. When the IBA decided long ago not to ban GPS and laptops, and is for the first time this year providing thumbdrives with preprogrammed bonii information, the rally is, to some extent, morphing into a contest of the most clever software to complement the most exotic hardware. This question will continue to haunt the integrity of the rally. To what extent will it remain a question of human endurance and rational thinking under conditions of fatigue and pressure, and to what extent will it continue on the path toward having a hundred humans placed in pods programmed to wake them up in 11 days.

Maybe someday there'll be an Old Timer's Sore Ass Rally featuring nothing but a bunch of old guys on old bikes with a TriptiK in their tankbag.

 

[testinglogin]

The "outside help with routing" issue is an interesting one. When the IBA decided long ago not to ban GPS and laptops, and is for the first time this year providing thumbdrives with preprogrammed bonii information, the rally is, to some extent, morphing into a contest of the most clever software to complement the most exotic hardware. This question will continue to haunt the integrity of the rally. To what extent will it remain a question of human endurance and rational thinking under conditions of fatigue and pressure, and to what extent will it continue on the path toward having a hundred humans placed in pods programmed to wake them up in 11 days.

Maybe someday there'll be an Old Timer's Sore Ass Rally featuring nothing but a bunch of old guys on old bikes with a TriptiK in their tankbag.

I was thinking about the fact that a piece of software could be created to figure the best route for the highest points. Just put in all the locations and their point values as well as timing requirements and let the software decide. It would take the fun out of things. I still think this is better than the "try to get as many miles as possible" sleep deprivation event.

I don't see banning GPS devices happening. Sadly, these people may still be getting outside help - email off the waypoints to a friend after picking a general direction to head. By the time you're partway there, someone may have emailed you a map with more detail as to what you should stop at on the rest of your journey.

 

[naddy100]

I was thinking about the fact that a piece of software could be created to figure the best route for the highest points. Just put in all the locations and their point values as well as timing requirements and let the software decide. Snip

Which rally was it where the rally master sealed the laptops?

Maybe someday there'll be an Old Timer's Sore Ass Rally featuring nothing but a bunch of old guys on old bikes with a TriptiK in their tankbag.

The OTSAR run alternate years with the IBR.

Noel

 

[Voni]

Riders got their second packet at 4 AM yesterday. I got up at 7:15 to see who was still here . . .

All but one bike wasgone at 12:30 PM

http://s320.photobucket.com/albums/nn335/Glaves/2009 IBR StCh 2/?albumview=slideshow

Voni
sMiling

 

[womanridge]

Thank you once again Voni.

 

[Bill Burke]

This is the best explanation I've read so far of the rationale for the restrictions on information flow in this year's IBR. It was posted last night to the FJR forum by Tom Melchild. Melchild has huge street cred in the LD community as a past top-tier finisher in the IBR and as the main man running the CAL 24 Rally.

Melchild wrote:

"Here is what happened, I have this from a very reliable source who is riding the rally this year:

First, there have been problems in the past with people who have an agenda to hurt, or discredit the Iron Butt Rally and LD riding in general. It started first in a rally a few years ago when a reporter from the LA times sneaked into the riders parking area and started accessing riders GPS data without their permission. Then they interviewed a few riders and asked them leading questions to make it all sound much more dangerous than it is. After all that, they wrote a scathing article and put it in the paper that made all the riders seem like a bunch of maniacs out riding around the country without ever sleeping, speeding and endangering the lives of every law abiding citizen in the country. After that, the organizers have been very careful to make sure riders don't fall into the same trap.

This year, some person, or person's put out some blogs that were not well thought out. It really upset the people who organize the rally. Their solution was to stop all public communication from the riders, and public access to the satellite tracking pages until after the rally.

People may not agree with it, but they are not the ones who stick their necks out to put on an event like this. It is the way it is, and it is not going to change."

 

[texanrt]

First, there have been problems in the past with people who have an agenda to hurt, or discredit the Iron Butt Rally and LD riding in general. It started first in a rally a few years ago when a reporter from the LA times sneaked into the riders parking area and started accessing riders GPS data without their permission. Then they interviewed a few riders and asked them leading questions to make it all sound much more dangerous than it is. After all that, they wrote a scathing article and put it in the paper that made all the riders seem like a bunch of maniacs out riding around the country without ever sleeping, speeding and endangering the lives of every law abiding citizen in the country. After that, the organizers have been very careful to make sure riders don't fall into the same trap.

This year, some person, or person's put out some blogs that were not well thought out. It really upset the people who organize the rally. Their solution was to stop all public communication from the riders, and public access to the satellite tracking pages until after the rally.

I certainly understand the need to keep any biased agenda-driven media types away from the event. And like somebody on the FJR forum commented, the blogging and twittering among the riders is probably best left for after the rally.

That said -- it's my nature to want to know everything as it's happening.

 

[texanrt]

IBR Day 5 report

http://www.sierraresearch.com/mc/2009IBRDay5.pdf

 

[PAULBACH]

Riders got their second packet at 4 AM yesterday. I got up at 7:15 to see who was still here . . .

All but one bike wasgone at 12:30 PM

http://s320.photobucket.com/albums/nn335/Glaves/2009 IBR StCh 2/?albumview=slideshow

Voni
sMiling

Voni,

#54 of 77 ... what is Paul doing?

 

[tessler]

Melchild wrote:

"Here is what happened, I have this from a very reliable source who is riding the rally this year:

First, there have been problems in the past with people who have an agenda to hurt, or discredit the Iron Butt Rally and LD riding in general. It started first in a rally a few years ago when a reporter from the LA times sneaked into the riders parking area and started accessing riders GPS data without their permission. Then they interviewed a few riders and asked them leading questions to make it all sound much more dangerous than it is. After all that, they wrote a scathing article and put it in the paper that made all the riders seem like a bunch of maniacs out riding around the country without ever sleeping, speeding and endangering the lives of every law abiding citizen in the country. After that, the organizers have been very careful to make sure riders don't fall into the same trap.

This sounds spurious and a tad paranoid. I'm not questioning Mr. Melchid's cred, but where is this scathing LA Times article? I've just searched their online database and there's nary a mention of IBA or IBA events going back to 2007 and 2005.

 

[texanrt]

More starting day photos... FYI -- these are photos linked on the FJR IBR thread I've been monitoring.

 

[texanrt]

Check out the top case on this RT -- from the starting day photos linked at the FJR forum -- does anybody know who this is?

 

[R80RTJohnny]

More starting day photos...

Nice pics and thanks for sharing your link.

The one HD sure looked like it was going down.