Dirt for Breakfast & Ride Alongs

Kirsten's cockpit 

The truth is, no IBR rider really rides alone. Every rider rides with thoughts of friends or family or other riders who have influenced them. Kirsten rides with the memorial cards of Curt Gran, Peter Behm, Tom Loftus, and Karol Patzer in her pocket. IBR memories are inextricable with these fine people. Big dogs with big hearts.

Many riders also bring along a little creature that supports them on the way. Rubber duckie from Kirsten’s first rally, the legendary Mason Dixon 20-20, has pride of place on the dash. Mr. Happy has been in her cockpit for thousands of miles and in 2021, Zoomie arrived (because the rally pack couldn’t travel to Provo for in-paw support).

Chris has a IBR veteran teddy bear named Lucky. Lucky was a prize from a fair for his son Conner when he was a wee baby. Lucky came with Chris to America for his first IBR, and has been on every IBR since (the stand-up fur tells the tale). There is a twin bear that stays at home while Chris and Lucky are riding. It is bad luck to leave Lucky at home, and he is riding along on IBR 2023.

IBR veteran Lucky

There are some days when all of that luck, well wishes, and karma from rally veterans rooting from above come into play. For Rider 9, it was heading to a bonus up 150 miles of switchbacks on a US Forest Service road, with the last 25 miles being gravel. At night. Two-up on a fully loaded rally bike with street tires. Team Talken McGaffin came upon a tree across the road almost immediately. If it had been any bigger, Chris wouldn’t have been able to move it the few inches it took to get around it. There was an elk. And deer. And a cat that kept running alongside the road (I’m choosing to believe it was a real cat and not a fatigue-induced animal come to spook the riders). There was fog. And hail. On the return, two more downed trees were negotiated. When they came out around 4 a.m. a few other riders were heading up and Kirsten thought, “have fun boys.” Personally, I was happy to see the karma circle back. In and out, safe and sound as it was about this time on another rally after another long night tracking her spot on another Forest Service dirt road. Business finished. On to breakfast.

And for those watching the rally page, a new feature has appeared. There is now a count-down clock to the finish. Now we can all hear the ticking clock and ride along as they point their noses towards Pittsburgh.

Rally ride alongs from the parking lot at the Start in Pittsburgh