Leg One is Done

The comms system onboard for Team Talken McGaffin (Rider 9) is working well. Uncharacteristically, I have received every call she has made, and we can hear each other in those short few minute conversations that rally spouses are used to. Unlike the hilarious transcriptions of the call in bonuses, the audio is audible this year. And bonus for me, I can hear both Chris and Kirsten as needed. What wasn’t working on Leg 1 however was Chris’ Garmin XT, so routing from the pillion seat was not going as planned. I put out a call for assistance and Paul Partin responded that he was going to be at the Tulsa checkpoint, and he would bring a box o’ cables to see what could be done. Soldering was involved. And now the Garmin is not giving Chris fits as they ride into Leg 2. Huge thanks and a hug are coming for you Paul in Pittsburgh!

Not long after my last post, Lisa Rufo appeared on social media to relay the story of the deer strike (scary) and say they are out of the rally. I’m so glad Lisa and Molly are ok and heading safely home, but the bike no longer has a front end. Steve Rufo made the hard decision to continue the rally solo on his ride to becoming an IBR finisher. He, Kirsten/ Chris and several other riders were at a bonus location together at the end of Leg 1 before riding into the Tulsa checkpoint. Here’s to smooth sailing for Steve. 

Two-up team Lisa Rufo and Molly Hecker at the Start in Pittsburgh

The standings from Leg 1 are available on the IBR site - and you can tell the theme this year is food! At one point I looked at the Spot and saw that Kirsten / Chris were riding over water. I thought, they’re good, but really? Zoom in and they were headed to Cedar Key, FL to nab “Cedar Key Clams” worth 4,548 points - the largest points grab on their leg. We are set up so that my photos and Kirsten’s photos from cell phones automatically load to a shared site. However, new IBR rules this year prohibit sharing ANYTHING produced by a rider during their ride. Long-standing rally rules also prohibit sharing any real-time tracking for riders or bonus locations - this is all to keep riders safe while they need to be focusing on their routing, rest, and rolling. Happily, the new IBR site links directly to the scorecards of each rider after the Leg is complete! 

Rider 9 Talken/ McGaffin kept all of the 21,194 points at the scoring table that they had collected. They are currently in 19th position, and 3rd of the two-up teams for Leg 1. Riders were told at the Start to aim for 12,000 points for this leg to be on pace to become a finisher. Kirsten/ Chris rode over 3,000 miles from Monday morning to Wednesday evening - a heck of a leg by any standard, but especially since they are still working out the details of riding two-up. Plans for Leg 2 include decent rest and hopefully a rear tire change at Checkpoint 2. Two-up riding and big miles = a lot of wear on the rear rubber. And now that the Garmin is working again, Chris was able to chime into a recent check-in call to say that the GPS was doing a comedy routine. It wanted them to go back 50 miles that they just came. So, things are pretty much rally normal. 

All appears to be going well with Team Talken McGaffin at Checkpoint 1

Go For the Glory!

When Chris and Kirsten had a phone call to discuss the pros and cons of riding two-up last year, there were lists on both sides. At the end of the conversation, Chris, in his lovely Irish, said, “Let’s go for the glory!” That sealed it. Everything else would be worked out. 

Rally prep in Virginia

Working everything else out long distance meant Chris fabricated some of his own pillion gear and brought it over. Which meant the final bike set up was two days before heading to Pittsburgh. The pillion pegs wouldn’t budge (hence the need for George’s hacksaw and grinder), but once removed, the lowered passenger pegs were installed. A new hydration system with “his” and “hers” “no blowback!” water tubes with quick disconnect rests on the right saddlebag. And Chris fabricated a nifty “thigh pod” mount for his phone and GPS to route from the pillion seat. They rode together for the first time on Wednesday. The longest two-up ride they did together was to the rally start.

Custom phone & GPS "thigh pod," being inspected by rally dog Jana.

Some things they have already discovered - with the highway pegs extended, they can both shift legs forward for a stretch underway- Kirsten on the highway pegs and Chris on the pilot’s pegs. Chris can plug in the charging cable (from the new pillion USB) to Kirsten’s Sena to charge the comms. He can also tap her Sena to turn her com back on so they can talk… I can already see what this will be like on Day 8 when Kirsten is “saving the battery” and Chris is not done talking. tap tap tap.

We learned at the Start Banquet that there are 10 (10!) two-up teams in this IBR. You can find the full list of riders on the 2023 IBR Riders page. Kirsten and Chris will be the first two-up team with a female pilot and male pillion. Sadly, the other two-up team attempting the same piece of history was Raven and JD, but they were sidelined due to a nasty faceplant. She is healing, and JD is riding solo. This rally also has the first mother-daughter two-up team of IBR veteran Lisa Rufo and her daughter Molly Hecker. I asked Molly how she was feeling yesterday morning before launch and she was excited and good to go. In reading the rally reports today, we learned that a deer jumped onto this two-up team early this morning, totaling the bike. Lisa and Molly are “ok,” and we’re all staying tuned. There is a father-daughter two-up team of Jon Kerr and Kaleigh Kerr. I remember Jon showing up to an IBR finish with one leg in a cast. When I asked him how he rode like that, he said, “the last 1,000 miles were very hard.” Yesterday, he and Kaleigh showed off their purple toenails that will be bringing them luck in their boots. 

There is a lot of experience in this group of riders. It is always amazing to watch the roll-out at the start - completed this year in 6 minutes. Proficient motorcyclists, focused and ready to go. This is Kirsten’s 5th Iron Butt Rally and Chris’ 4th IBR. Every rally is different, so that’s 7 IBRs worth of experience riding on the R1200RT. Chris started riding in 1992 and Kirsten in 1996 - 58 years of motorcycling experience combined. They had a plan, and they are riding their plan here as Day 2 turns to night. East, west? North, south? On that road to glory, sometimes you just have to decide and then hang on!

Convergence

“...then George had to take a hacksaw to the bolt, and that wasn’t working, so he got a grinder and the sparks were flying!” This is the message I got from Kirsten as she was in her final day of bike prep from the shop. I mean there was still 24 hours before take off to rally HQ - plenty of time. 

The RT getting fresh rubber for the road

Sometimes a hacksaw is needed

This year’s start of the Iron Butt Rally 2023 is in Pittsburgh, PA.  A rally start only 5-6 hours from home for a change. But don’t let that fool you - being closer to home means stretching out the “turn off” time of work and other obligations until it’s really just time. to. go.

As of yesterday afternoon about 3:00 p.m. local time, the convergence was complete. Riders of the 2023 IBR completed the check-in and registration process. If you are new to rally watching, you can read direct reports all rally-long on the shiny new IBR website!   

A wonderful return to this year’s rally are the international riders as COVID travel restrictions that held them back in 2021 are lifted. Chris McGaffin arrived from Ireland earlier this week with his full kit. Joe Fisher shipped his bike from Ireland to New York and was calmly sitting with us at lunch yesterday prepared to ride. Rather than ship from Australia, Olaf Moon has bikes he has bought and stored with rally friends here in the U.S. Wolfe Bonham literally finished assembling his bike days ago, riding it for the first time the few hundred miles from his home in Canada to rally HQ-PIT. After breakfast this morning, he did mention he could smell the clutch a little.

Chris and his kit at the airport - we approve of his choice of luggage!

Kirsten’s prep involved a new jacket that was actually waterproof, some new electronics and USB ports for the bike and a good once over from George Mangicaro of Gridlock Motors, who has taken care of every rally bike Kirsten has ever ridden. Jeff Jones sent Kirsten an In Reach cradle mount for free when she put out a call on the IBDone board - he said he wasn’t using it and wants to build up his good karma bank. (You are - thanks Jeff!) Gear, a new Sena motorcycle communication system and some spare parts for the road came from Morton’s BMW.  So much appreciation goes to Jeff, Pat and Seth who got the systems hooked up so that Kirsten and Chris could easily communicate over the next 11 days.

…oh wait… haven’t you heard?

"Pairing Ready" 

Kirsten and Chris will be riding IBR 2023 two-up! They will be riding Kirsten’s 2015 BMW R1200RT, a rally-finishing bike from the 2021 IBR. Kirsten is pilot, and Chris is navigator-pillion. And just like that, I have sooooo much more material for this year’s blog!

For now, I’ll say that the Rally HQ parking lot is awfully quiet with all the riders in the mandatory rider meeting. The Start Banquet is this evening where the rally packs for Leg 1 will be distributed. And then the real fun begins. 

Two-up Team Talken McGaffin in VA before heading to Pittsburgh