Iron Butt, etc

[-Ralph-]

I'm looking to do a long distance/endurance event this year to raise money for my niece

http://adventurebikerider.com/forum/9-t ... lking.html

I've seen the BritButt Rally 2015 on the 23rd/24th March.

http://www.britbuttrally.info/2015-rally/4536408237

It says it's 36 hours but doesn't say much about minimum distance, etc

Anyone do these kind of things and can offer some advice?

Any other events I should be considering?

[Flintlock]

They do several endurance type rides, for example there is the 1000 mile in 24 hours, also a circut of Ireland in 24 hours.

Not Iron Butt, but there is the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, 1500 miles hugging the west of Ireland coastline from Cork to Donegal, would be pretty epic to do in one hit.

[TomBoyNI]

They do several endurance type rides, for example there is the 1000 mile in 24 hours, also a circut of Ireland in 24 hours.

Not Iron Butt, but there is the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, 1500 miles hugging the west of Ireland coastline from Cork to Donegal, would be pretty epic to do in one hit.

Do you think it would be doable in one hit? The circuit of Ireland is 840 miles or something like that. 1500 would be damn hard I reckon. Although I do plan on doing the complete circuit this year and also the WAW but was thinking I'd need the guts of a week for it :unsure:

[Flintlock]

Would probably take a minimum of two days for an Iron Butt type. I think there is a 1500 mile in 36 hours challenge the Iron Butt do. Insane milage and not for the faint hearted. Needless to say I have not attempted that sort of milage in that timeframe.

[-Ralph-]

I did 1000 miles in 36 hours twice last year and that included 10 hours in a hotel (8 of that asleep) and 2-3 hours stopped due to a Eurotunnel delay. I don't think 1500 in 36 would worry me as part of an endurance event if I used more motorways to give myself more sleep time, but I'm riding with my brother in law and he's not quite as bike fit, and that's maintaining a 40 mph average over 36 hours, so round an Irish coastal road you'd have minimal break time and no time to sleep. Sleep would be a problem for me so I'd need motorways to be able to so it.

[rodyorkabr]

I did an Iron Butt 1000mile in 24hrs in aid of the RBL(Poppy Appeal) a while back, along with my wife and a few friends. Great time.
http://www.rblr1000.co.uk/

...just reading it though, it suggests this years 2015 has been cancelled.

[Redmurty]

STEEL SPHINCTER OR NOT QUITE AN IRON BUTT
It’s 10 am its Thursday 2nd of June I’m at the foot hill of the Pyrenees for a four day bike festival, a 1000 miles from home and its bloody cold, I’m a short distance from the Med and I am shivering, how’s that work then?
The forecast was for continued high winds and low level snow on the mountain, not quite what I was hoping for on my first visit to the area, I had dreamed of four days of mountains, hairpins and history.
So after one day I have decided to head out. My plan was to head north and out of the bad weather and find some decent roads and some warmth; the longest distance I had ridden in a day to date was 500 miles so was comfortable with the thought of doing that distance to find the sun.
I had left Perpignan behind and headed for Narbonne keeping the Med to my right; because of the cold weather I did not fancy dipping my toes in. Beziers came and went and in heavy rain. I climbed on and up to the Des Grand’s Causses, this road was truly amazing for the view up the gorge and the amount of water running down it, I could not see the white lines it was that deep.
Further north the Millau Bridge which on first view seems to hover over the Gorge Du Tarn was jaw droppingly stunning as the white superstructure seemed to leap towards the heavens whilst contrasting sharply against the leaden skies above; the Gorge and its population of Vultures meandered below whose beauty is yet unchallenged with anything else I have seen.
As I climbed onto the Massif Central (which rose to 1100 metres plus) several bikers blasted past, (doing exactly what I would normally do,) at my next stop which I had decided would be every 200 miles; I saw said bikes parked up. Comfort break over, bike and myself refuelled I headed out only to be over taken by the same bikes within 30 minutes, they were there again at the next fuel stop it seemed as if they were spending more time at each break only to have to make it up on the road again.
I would usually cruise in the region of 85 when trying to cover distance but I had been told to try and cruise at 65 to 70 by a mate who had done several “Ironbutt”rides, so I did just that but at first I was itching to wind the throttle on a little more. At 70 I found I was able to soak up the scenery and had time to mull things over.
From the Massif Central onto Nevers and through Orleans I’m now into the early evening and the outskirts of Paris. I am feeling surprisingly fresh, and the weather had not improved as I hoped it would, but I am having fun darting in and out of the traffic as I rode on into the sunset.
I continued north as complete darkness fell, although my lights were good I had decided they needed to be better. At fuel and tea stops I had now started to eat Kendal mint cake to keep my concentration and blood sugar and levels up.
As my journey into the unknown continued and the mileage grew I found myself turning inwards, whether this was just the darkness or the fatigue or a combination of both I did not know, I started to disassociate with what I was doing although, somehow I was fully aware of the bike the road and the ride.
The channel came and went and I had been travelling for some 15 hours now and the mental dissociation was growing deeper and I seemed to be floating alongside myself watching myself ride my machine. This meditative or was it a vegetative state was very intriguing and I was fully absorbed with the process. I was aware of a part of my brain being rationale and trying to work it all out. I was longing for the sun to rise as I wanted it to fill my soul and warm my skin. I could see the eastern horizon slowly lightening.
I stopped at Oxford services (this is where I should have rested for longer) to get some food unfortunately none was available so a mug of tea later I decided that I would continue north and not refuel here but at the next services as that would force me to have another break and hopefully some food. But my fuel light came on just as I joined the M42, I looked around for the services only to miss the exit, (this is where my fatigued state was giving my decision making a good kicking), I nearly rode up the “on ramp” in panic even though I knew there would be services further on, I could not even do the math to work out how far I could go on reserve.
This is where I really became aware of my tiredness and pulled off at the next exit only to find a service station within half a mile unfortunately or fortunately it was closed, I parked the bike up and sat down to wait the arrival of the staff, I woke up in full sunlight not realising I had fallen asleep. I stopped a guy who was cycling past and asked him where the next service station was; I refuelled and finished the last 30 minute ride home,
Some 19 hours and 955 miles later, I had learnt the following;-
I can do distance, it’s a mental as well as a physical thing.
A short weekend in Scotland will now be a possibility
Across a continent is now feasible
I need to hydrate and eat regularly
I need to go slower to go further
Going a 1000 miles south does not guarantee you better weather than north Wales
And possibly the most important thing, rest sooner and more before it is too late.


Cheers Spud

[Simon_100]

I met some guys from the States who organise Iron Butt over the Pond and got asked to create one for Spain. I might do it this year but it would have to work on a serve-yourself basis, i.e. you buy a rail ticket when you arrive and leave Spain (date and time confirmed) and then send me verified images of the POI's on the list.

I think there's a regular UK to Portugal/Southern Spain that is organised in a group, more on the IB site. But I think the toughest similar Spanish rally is Ruta de los Peninentes, which is about 800/850 kms over the Pyrenees that is held over the 1st weekend in May, when there's still plenty of snow.



I keep getting invited to come along but, somehow, there awlays seems to be something else i my diary that day . . . :whistle:

But one day . . . (thumbs)

Regs

Simon

[Bernard Smith]

https://www.nationalroadrally.co.uk/2015/index.php

[Tim Cullis]

Steve Attwood is a living legend in Iron Butt circles. I didn't know him at the time, but he won the 1993 event covering 11,458 miles in 11 days.

http://www.ironbutt.com/IBR/IBR/pre1995.cfm?DocID=11