Day 1: Innovations and Inventions

If you are new to rally watching – strap in.  The launch of the 2021 Iron Butt Rally was yesterday (June 21) at noon Eastern, 10 a.m. local in Provo, UT.  IBR veteran Hammy Tan streamed it on FaceBook live for those of us in remote viewing locations– thanks again Hammy!  And within an hour the public SPOT on the IBR page showed the starburst of riders heading out to ride the rides they planned Sunday night for this first leg. 

The heat spreading across the country is certainly influencing some riders’ choices, but the Tetris game of routing and riding makes for complex planning with the hope it all falls into place.  Riders are mentally moving the blocks of bonus locations, daylight only bonuses, planned stops and rest bonuses, while the clock ticks away the hours until they must arrive at Checkpoint 1 on Thursday evening in Carmel, Indiana.

This year’s theme Miles of Progress – will take riders to “bonuses with historical significance in innovation and progress for the human condition.”  I anticipate lots of “oh! I didn’t know that!” moments, which is part of the fun.  The official Iron Butt Rally site is your home source for all things IBR including the official blog and photos taken from the checkpoints.  

Day 1 is always a push-pull situation.  Riders are READY to go, then they question their route, then there's the wait to launch, then remembering to turn right or left out of the parking lot….  For those family and friends watching, it’s a mix of happiness, excitement and emotion.  It’s a big ride.  The biggest.  The excitement about what the riders will experience is there, as well as a prayer for smart safe rides.  Mostly, I watched this launch and thought of all the friends out on the road for the next 11 days.  And one friend who isn’t, but his bike is.  Tom Loftus, 10 time IBR veteran (with 7 finishes), great guy and friend, is in the hearts of many today.  Tom’s ST1100 was ridden first out of the lot this morning by Danny Dossman to much cheering and a few tears.  I’m so happy Tom’s bike is in this rally, and I’m glad Danny is riding it. 

Kirsten is Rider #8 in this, her 4^th Iron Butt Rally.  The full list of riders and their trusty steads can be found on the IBR page.  Going down this list just makes me smile.  The SKILL of these riders is fantastic.  The IBR is not something to approach lightly and these folks, and the rookies too, come to the gate with their full selves ready for action. 

Behind the scenes, riders have shared their route plans and SPOT tracker links with family (aka rally home crew).  For the safety of the riders, we can not share specific locations, plans, direction, or any other routing information publicly while they are riding.  But I can say that Kirsten is riding her plan and managing the heat.  Hydration system!  Electrolytes!  Wetting the LD gear down 3 times for motorcycle air conditioning!  (wet wicking shirt + open vents in jacket + ride = evaporative cooling)  And she’s picking up bonuses along the path of innovators that have come before, already making miles of progress.