Iron Butt Association

The Iron Butt Association (IBA) is a US-based organization dedicated to safe, long-distance, endurance motorcycle riding with over 30,000 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 formal meetings and no monthly newsletter. There are no mandatory yearly dues, although members can voluntarily pay an annual fee to become a Premiere member. Premiere members receive occasional news and information from the IBA staff, early notice of some events, additional chances to enter some events, discounted entry fees for some events, and access to special areas of the web-based discussion board.

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 (and Premiere members, as mentioned above) may be granted an extra entry in the rally lottery.

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.

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.

Iron Butt Rally

The Iron Butt Rally is a competitive motorcycle road rally held in the United States. It takes place in odd numbered years, usually in August. The rally lasts 11 days, and riders often travel nearly 11,000 miles in that time. During the rally, entrants earn points by riding their motorcycles to various "bonus" locations in the U.S. and Canada. A bonus is a task or destination with a point value. In order to earn the points for a bonus, a rider must provide evidence by photographing an object or scene, purchasing a particular item, or by various other means specified by the organizers.

The rally consists of one or more checkpoints, which may be located anywhere the United States, and one or more lists of bonuses with locations, times of availability (if limited), and varying point values. Each leg of the rally has its own bonus list, and only the bonuses for the leg currently being ridden are known to riders and can be earned. A bonus list typically contains far more bonuses than can be earned in the time allotted during a leg. This introduces a significant strategic element to the rally, since each rider must determine for him/herself which bonuses to attempt, and what route to use to reach them, while still reaching the next checkpoint before it closes.

In order to be considered a finisher of the event, a rider must be present at each of the checkpoints within a specific time window, and must earn a minimum number of bonus points during each leg of the rally.

One of the best sources for information about the Iron Butt Rally is the [http://www.ironbutt.com Iron Butt Association's web site] . For a competitor's viewpoint, see Ron Ayres' book "Against the Wind". Though the rally has undergone some changes since this book was written, it still presents a valid picture of the event.

Common Rides (SS1000, BB1500, BBG1500)

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 anywhere. In 1993 Les retired and donated the Saddlesore 1000 and Bun-Burner events to the Iron Butt Association.

Prior to 1993, the IBA did not administer a 1000-in-24 ride. However 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 Saddlesore 1000 (1,000 miles in 24 hours) and the Bun-Burner (1,500 miles in 36 hours), and added the more extreme Bun-Burner Gold (1,500 miles in 24 hours).

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. In the first ten years after the ride was first recognized, 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.

100CCC

Two 50cc Quests done back to back (coast to coast to coast) in 100 hours or less. This is considered an Extreme Ride.

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 allottment.

10/10ths Challenge

10,000 miles in 10 days.

The 100K Club

The Iron Butt Association's 100K Club consists of riders who have ridden more than 100,000 miles in one year. Admittance requires adhering to stringent documentation requirements, with questionable proof resulting in application rejection.

External links

* [http://www.ironbutt.com/ Iron Butt Association] official website
* [http://www.ironbuttrally.com/ Iron Butt Rally] official website