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The Iron Butt Rally -- the “big show” of long distance motorcycle riding

© Brian Salisbury

Every sport has its Big Show. Baseball has the World Series, and football the Super Bowl. Golf has the Masters, and tennis has Wimbledon. Tucked between such monster events, you will find a multitude of competitions that attract the "big dogs" of pastimes and pursuits as diverse as archery to zither playing.

Such an event is the 11-day-long Iron Butt Rally -- the Big Show of long distance motorcycle riding. And this year's show is nearing its finish on September 2.

Every two years, the Iron Butt Association stages the Iron Butt Rally. Let me say up front, while the rally is highly competitive, it is not a race. Actually, it is an extremely solitary event. Approximately 100 riders -- men and women -- take off individually from a single starting point. In the course of 11 days, they may not see each another again except at specific checkpoints. During the course of this marathon rally, each rider will travel anywhere from 8,000 to more than 11,000 miles.

For me, it was a major accomplishment to travel 1,000 miles by motorcycle in less than 24 hours. These folks grind out 1,000-mile days, every day for 11 days. Not all who start can maintain this pace. And some drop out because of mechanical problems.

Throughout the event, riders receive no consideration for bad weather or bad luck. They expect and prepare to deal with rain, sleet, snow and thunderstorms -- even the occasional hurricane or tornado. Temperatures can reach 125 degrees or more when crossing the desert, then plunge close to freezing when heading over high mountain passes.

In previous years, the rally has consisted of five checkpoints spread around the country. Riders sought to reach each checkpoint within a two-hour window. Along the way, they could move up in the standings by wisely choosing then visiting optional bonus destinations all over the United States and Canada.

Bonuses can be as diverse as purchasing a $5.00 poker chip at the Wynn hotel's casino in Las Vegas, visiting Grant's Tomb in Manhattan, copying down information from a statue in Bangor, or finding a specific redwood tree in one of California's national parks. Savvy riders know how to select individual bonuses and bonus groups that deliver the greatest amount of points while consuming the least amount of miles, time and mental energy. They also know how to filter out the sucker bonuses that may look good but are actually a waste of time.

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