Job Done

The complete SPOT track for Team Talken McGaffin, IBR 2023

On the morning of the last full day of the rally, there were a goodly number of riders that weren’t even in the country. Team Talken McGaffin was one, having ridden north around Lake Superior, plugged the front tire, worried over an oil light, and raced for the Mackinac Island ferry. Around 6:00 a.m. on Day 11 I got a call, “I don’t know if we’re going to make it.” The 1.5 hour cushion they planned for the finish was rapidly disappearing. Kirsten and Chris and about 8 other riders were stuck on I-76 east of Pittsburgh behind an accident with two overturned semi trailers, which were carrying crates of bananas. So. There were bananas all over the road, if you can believe it. They paddle walked up to the front of the line (which stretched for about 5 miles), but there was no way through until the cab of one of the semis was dragged out of the way. Then they drove expeditiously to pull into rally HQ and stop the clock with 15 minutes to spare before penalty points. Other riders, now being rerouted by their GPS around the accident, found themselves on slow roads and tight on time (at 60 points a minute, it’s hard to see the clock steal hard-earned points on the last day). But all riders were either in, or called in, before the DNF (did not finish) cut-off at 10:00 a.m. Friday.

Stopped for bananas and overturned trucks on the way to the finish

Sign made by my nieces and mom at the finish
Some people will ride 11,000 miles
for peanuts!

The rally finish always brings out friends and fans to cheer riders as they pull in on the morning of Day 11. Rick Miller was there before 5:30 a.m. A seasoned rallymaster, when he heard about the bananas on the road he calmly said, “well, if they have an engine cooled bike, they can have bananas foster!” Mark Crane retired on Wednesday, hopped a flight from California on Thursday and was at the finish bright and early Friday morning. 

Rally spouses, who have spent 11 days watching the SPOT and trying to go about daily business, clutched their phones and had hugs ready when the SPOT dissolved into a real-life rider pulling up to the entrance. IBR rookie finisher Steve Rufo became festooned with silly string and balloons by his family as he rode in. Lisa and Molly, the other half of their team who were taken out by a deer strike on the 2nd day were well and ready to celebrate at the finish.

Team Talken McGaffin stopping the clock at the finish

Once in, it’s time for riders to sort through the final leg of materials and prep for scoring. Connie Gabrick handed Kirsten and Chris a cold beer. Then, food, showers, and naps before the finish banquet.

It's not an IBR finish photo without Mark Crane!  

Bob Lilley's phone died on Leg 1 so his family spent the entire rally SPOT watching between quick satellite phone calls. He ran lean and mean with no extra gear or panniers. At the bar Friday afternoon I asked if he missed anything by Day 7. Not a thing. He thinks he can run even lighter, it felt so good. It worked for him as he finished in 6th place.

At the banquet, I congratulated father-daughter two-up team Caleigh and Jon Kerr on their ride. Without missing a beat, Caleigh did a fist pump and said, “hard fun!" She’s got it. 

At dinner, Steve Gallant (4th place finisher!) mentioned that he saw the public spot tracker at one point and thought “Now who do you think is going on that road to Yellow Pine, Idaho in the middle of the night? That's crazy.” Chris and Kirsten paused and said, “ahh yeah, that was us.” Some of the riders showed them pictures of the great scenery they missed in the dark. 

Prepping for scoring

After scoring.  Thanks Rick Martin for the awesome shirts!

This year, rally master Jeff Earls prepared a final treat in the form of a slide for each rider’s finishing points, mileage, motorcycle, and their bingo bonus card! It was a perfect way to move through the final standings and to visualize the accomplishments. Top ten showed the basic routes - there was no clear path to this finish. Every point mattered on every leg. There were slim margins between finishers, the difference of a food bonus, or penalty points for tardiness caused by overturned banana trucks. 

Team Talken McGaffin finished with 117,562 points and 11,530 miles in 11 days. They rode a Gold medal ride, finishing in 19th place out of 94 finishers, and the Top Two-Up Team. The very difficult but amazing Leg 3 vaulted them back up 9 places in the end, and just 38 points above the next two-up team in 20th place. Most of the top 10 riders also completed bonus combos for a big finish. And James Owen finished in the top spot with an incredible third IBR win. Read all about it on the IBR site. 

Top Two-Up Team Kirsten and Chris with IBR 2023 winner Jim Owen

Rally master Jeff Earls with Team Talken McGaffin

But there’s no rest for the (very) weary. Saturday morning saw a parking lot of bikes being re-loaded or loaded into trucks and trailers for Leg 4 (the ride home). Chris rode Leg 4 from Pittsburgh to our home in Virginia from the comfort of the passenger seat, rally dogs snuggled in the back. As we hit a major thunderstorm just 10 miles outside of town, he looked at me and said, “well, this is the quite sensible way to ride through the rain.” Indeed. Kirsten had already arrived and parked the rally strong RT, so we skipped unpacking and went straight to dinner. Our friend Jannec at the Alpine Chef prepared a feast for these tired riders and Chris finally got the steak with peppercorn sauce that he had been dreaming of. They looked at each other over pints of Guinness. Right. Job Done.