Tough girl

[the Ferret]

https://www.rideapart.com/articles/35804...tt-winner/

[SportsterDoc]

Certainly well qualified.

[LongRanger_imp]

I met Wendy about 15 years ago at the IBR Start in Denver, when she first started LD riding on FJR's. She's a fierce competitor but a supremely pleasant and approachable person. Also met Ardys Kellerman, who has since passed away. She was probably 78 years old when she started (and finished) that year's IBR. Good folks.

[pdedse]

It is an impressive feat of endurance and fortitude to ride 11k miles in 11 days...not taking anything away from those who want to reach certain milestones in life. I guess it's just an extended race...I mean a really, really long one.

But it would never be a draw to me. I'd rather ride 11 days taking my time to see this and that, eat here and there, swim if I find a good hole, hike if I find an interesting trail, or explore that road I just passed by.

But, wow, 1000 miles per day 11 days in a row---that IS and impressvie feat!

[GoldOxide_imp]

It is an impressive feat of endurance and fortitude to ride 11k miles in 11 days...not taking anything away from those who want to reach certain milestones in life. I guess it's just an extended race...I mean a really, really long one.

But it would never be a draw to me. I'd rather ride 11 days taking my time to see this and that, eat here and there, swim if I find a good hole, hike if I find an interesting trail, or explore that road I just passed by.

But, wow, 1000 miles per day 11 days in a row---that IS and impressvie feat!

(+1) I am more of a smell-da-roses rider soaking in the passing road side slideshow, stopping when things get more than interesting. Animals and humanity (for better and for worse) is entertaining. They also remind me how short our visit is here and how we choose to toil our time. Fortunately, my vehicle of choice is a hot lump between the knees.

[the Ferret]

In 2014 I did sort of a half an Iron Butt lol .... 5500 miles in 11 days or 500 miles a day for 11 days in a row. That was plenty for me. Had it made really, since I was able to get 8 hours a sleep each night in a fairly decent hotel. Had the luxury of stopping for sights, eating at restaurants for lunch and dinner.

500 miles is a good day. 750 miles is a long day, 1000 miles in a day is a pretty excruciating day. To do 11 thousand mile days in a row ...I can't even fathom


By the way she was 1 mile short of turning 13,000 miles in those 11 days.

That's a year of riding for most pretty dedicated riders. Imagine doing that in a week and a half. Crazy.

[pdedse]

In 2014 I did sort of a half an Iron Butt lol .... 5500 miles in 11 days or 500 miles a day for 11 days in a row. That was plenty for me. Had it made really, since I was able to get 8 hours a sleep each night in a fairly decent hotel. Had the luxury of stopping for sights, eating at restaurants for lunch and dinner.

500 miles is a good day. 750 miles is a long day, 1000 miles in a day is a pretty excruciating day. To do 11 thousand mile days in a row ...I can't even fathom


By the way she was 1 mile short of turning 13,000 miles in those 11 days.

That's a year of riding for most pretty dedicated riders. Imagine doing that in a week and a half. Crazy.

That's plenty o' riding! I've done two 700 mile days back-to-back on my KLR650, the last two days of a month long trip and I was just ready to get home. I remember starting about 6:30am and finishing at 9pm on the first of those. There's no way I could have gone another 300 miles! Granted, not the ideal bike for long days on the hiway, but it did get me all the way down to Guatemala and back. Man I love that mule of a bike! Still have it at 44k miles.

In 2014 I did sort of a half an Iron Butt lol .... 5500 miles in 11 days or 500 miles a day for 11 days in a row. That was plenty for me. Had it made really, since I was able to get 8 hours a sleep each night in a fairly decent hotel. Had the luxury of stopping for sights, eating at restaurants for lunch and dinner.

500 miles is a good day. 750 miles is a long day, 1000 miles in a day is a pretty excruciating day. To do 11 thousand mile days in a row ...I can't even fathom


By the way she was 1 mile short of turning 13,000 miles in those 11 days.

That's a year of riding for most pretty dedicated riders. Imagine doing that in a week and a half. Crazy.

What, she got to 12,999 and decided she couldn't possibly ride one more mile?!?! What a wimp!...


...kidding of course

[LongRanger_imp]

Keep in mind the Iron Butt isn't a race -- it's scored using points based on bonus locations each participant selects to visit within the allotted time. The rider who accumulates the most points is deemed the winner. Riders who ride the most miles don't necessarily place ahead of those who ride a more point-efficient route.

[Rocky_imp]

I'm with GO; enjoy the ride and the passing scenery. Stop and go as you feel like it.
My helmet is tipped to the Iron Butt types and others who take on these tough rides.

[emptysea]

The IBR is an amazing event. I doubt that I could complete it, but I may try sometime once I have 2 weeks free from work and "smell the roses" rides with my wife and friends.

There have been many discussions on this forum regarding whether a riders prefer a pre-planned route to a spontaneous ride. While my short rides are often of the spontaneous variety, almost all of my rides of over 150 miles are planned. Why? Well, it's not because I'm not impulsive or that I'm afraid of getting lost or that I lack wanderlust. It's mostly because I enjoy the planning. I like looking at a map and trying to plot a ride that we entertain me and anyone who might be riding behind me. One of the most enjoyable parts of my Saddle Sore 1000 was plotting a route around Lake Michigan that totaled the requisite 1000 miles, put us in view of both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior along the way, and that identified our rest, fuel, and food stops. I plotted that route and estimated that my brother-in-law and I would complete the trip in 20 hours. We did it in 21 as my estimate did not factor in the loveliness of Harbor Springs, MI and the quirkiness of Legs Inn in Cross Village which prolonged our rest stop at each. For me, the satisfaction of successfully executing the plan is an enhancement to rather than a distraction from the riding.

I admire the Iron Butt Rally riders not only for their endurance, but maybe more so for their ability to plan and to work the puzzles on the fly. It does not surprise me in the least that a woman has won this event -- I see no gender-based advantage in riding long distances on a motorbike. I am mildly surprised that it has taken this long for it to happen, but I suppose that can be attributed to the boy/girl ratio being skewed toward boys in this event. Maybe Wendy's accomplishment will change that rolling forward. Congratulations to her for solving her puzzle.