Iron Butt Association
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The Iron Butt Association (IBA) is a US-based organization dedicated to safe, long-distance, endurance motorcycle riding with over 20,000 members world-wide. One of its more popular slogans is, "The World Is Our Playground."
The IBA does not have membership in a traditional sense. There are no yearly dues, formal meetings, or monthly newsletter. The IBA is a loose knit organization with only one way to earn membership, ride 1000 miles in twenty four hours. Entry into the Iron Butt rally is by lottery only and every lottery entry must be an Iron Butt Member first. Rally workers and supporters may be granted an extra entry in the rally lottery.
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[edit] History
The Iron Butt Rally is held in the United States every two years. Other countries have been considered, but only Australia offers the wide-open spaces without international borders suitable for such a marathon.
The Iron Butt first ran in 1984. In 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987 the rally started from Montgomeryville Cycle Center near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Iron Butt was not held again until 1991 when it came under the management of the Iron Butt Association. While the basic format of the original rally remained, two important things have changed; to insure the quality of the event, the rally is run every other year and the starting and ending points are rotated to different locations within the United States.
Beginning in 1993, shorter rides were arranged that lasted in duration from one to many days, and while the Iron Butt Rally is a large, organized event with a plotted course, the other rides are left up to the competitor to accomplish at their own accord. Some riders prefer to complete a ride solo, while some clubs have arranged rides in groups of up to 30 riders. But while the Rally is a monitored event, the riders of other events must monitor themselves, Like the SS1000, BB1500, and BBG1500, thorough documentation of the ride must be made, by collecting time-stamped gas and business receipts along the way, and by keeping a trip log recording mileage and location. These documents are then submitted by mail with a fee to the IBA, where it is then processed and an award given if the requirements are met.
[edit] IBA Sanctioned Events
The IBA suggests several rides to challenge riders. It is perhaps best known for the Iron Butt Rally, an organized event that is invitation only, through a raffle system. Additionally, the Iron Butt Association hosts the Saddle Sore 1000, the Bun Burner 1500, the Bun Burner Gold, the 50 cc Quest, the National Parks Tour Master Traveler Award, the coveted 10/10ths Challenge and the very exclusive 100K Club, none of which are organized events, but individual endeavors planned and executed by individual riders on routes and at times they choose.
[edit] Iron Butt Rally
The Iron Butt is a fairly simple concept. It lasts for 11 days and the total ground covered is roughly 11,000 miles (17,710 km). Much more, or somewhat less mileage may be covered by riders, depending on the boni they choose to go after during the rally. The rally consists of 3 or more checkpoints, which may be located anywhere the United States and a list of bonuses with locations, times of availability, (if limited), and varying point values. Each leg has its own list of boni, and only the boni for the leg being ridden are known to riders during the event. In order to be considered a finisher of the event, riders must be present at each of these checkpoints within a two hour window and earn a minimum number of bonus points during each leg of the rally. One of the best sources for information is the Iron Butt Association's web site, www.ironbutt.com. For a competitor's viewpoint, Ron Ayres's book Against the Wind is an excellent read. Though changes have taken place since that was written, it will present a valid picture of the event.
[edit] Basic Rides (SS1000, BB1500, BBG1500)
Prior to 1993, the IBA did not administer a 1000-in-1 ride but rather referred riders to other organizations, which at times turned out to be a mistake due to various reasons.
When the CMTA stopped holding and certifying 1000-in-24 and 1500-in-36 rides, the IBA agreed to sponsor its own version of the 1,000-in-1 (the Saddlesore 1000), as well as the Bun-Burner (1,500 miles in 36 hours) and add the more extreme Bun-Burner Gold (1,500 miles in 24 hours).
The Saddlesore and Bun-Burner were both started in California by the California Motorcycle Touring Association (CMTA). Both the original Saddlesore and Bun-Burners were a fixed-course, group ride. Pressure soon came from many riders who could not make the annual trek to California, so Les Martin, the driving force behind the CMTA, offered a ride that could be completed near the competitor's home. In 1993 Les retired and donated the Saddlesore 1000 and Bun-Burner events to the Iron Butt Association.
[edit] 50 cc Quest
Conceived by rider Dave McQueeney, the 50 cc Quest has a straightforward goal to ride across the United States from coast-to-coast in less than 50 hours. The ride is tough such that in the first ten years of the ride, only ten riders were able to complete it.
Although the ride was initially designed for the New York to San Francisco crowd, the most popular route is the 700 mile shorter ride from Jacksonville, Florida to San Diego, California.
[edit] 100CCC
Two 50cc Quests done back to back (coast to coast to coast) in 100 hours or less. This is considered an Extreme Ride.
[edit] National Parks Tour Master Traveler
The object of the IBA's National Parks Tour is to take some time to visit the hundreds of National Parks, National Historic Sites, National Recreation Areas, and National Monuments located in the United States and Canada.
The riders must purchase a Passport to Your National Parks book, then proceed to visit at least 50 of these sites or parks listed in the Passport book in at least 25 states and provinces within the period of one year. Start and finish times are up to the rider, as long as the timeframe does not exceed the one year alottment.
[edit] 10/10ths Challenge
Only a handful of even the toughest riders in the world have the stamina to earn a 10/10ths award. While riding a 1,000 miles in a day is somewhat commonplace, the thought of performing the feat ten times consecutively is looked upon with reverence among seasoned riders.
[edit] The 100K Club
The Iron Butt Association's 100K Club is a close-knit group of riders that have ridden more than 100,000 miles in one year. Few riders have thoroughly documented their rides enough to enter this elite group. Admittance requires adhering to stringent documentation requirements, with approximately a 60% application rejection rate due to questionable proof. If done by the rules, there is no doubt of the extreme accomplishment.
