Chris' 2005 Iron Butt Rally

Chapter 3

Go West Young Man 

August quickly rolled around and I felt ready to head out to Denver, where the Iron Butt Rally was to start.  I finished packing the bike and went out with several friends the night before leaving.  The next morning, Nancy came over to see me off.  As she looked the bike over, she pointed to a puddle forming on the garage floor.  “Should it be leaking there?”  Fuel was dripping from some unknown area on the bike onto the floor.   

Cursing, I began pulling the bike apart looking for the source of the leak.  Eventually I found a loose clamp on a fuel line.  I tightened the clamp and checked for leaks.  The system seemed to be tight once again.  I repacked the bike, placing a few extra clamps in my tool bag.  Nancy took my picture next to a clean bike and I mounted up, ready to head out.  Unfortunately I would do this three times before finally heading out after two more false starts.  Once I had to adjust a connection with the Autocom and the other to adjust the volume on the radar detector.   

Both times I had to unpack the bike to remove the seat to get to those connections.   After fixing both of those items, I noticed a leak coming from the Camelback.  Water was running all over the luggage on the passenger seat.  Closer examination revealed this to be nothing more that a condensation problem.  Still, it was all very frustrating. Finally, after nearly an hour of last minute fixes, I was ready to go.  I turned to Nancy and said, “I don’t know how I am supposed to go around the world, when I can’t even get out of the garage.”  

I left from Maryland, wanting to make the 1600 mile trip west over the next three days.  I planned on riding 800 miles, 500 miles and 300 miles respectively over the next 3 days.  I would then have 3 days of rest in Denver and hopefully be fit and ready for the start of the rally.  As I rode west on I-70, I had no idea that I would be traveling this road a half dozen times over the next two weeks.  For the time being, I was happy and stupid.  I was about to find out what the Iron Butt Rally was all about.

            I pulled into Denver on Thursday morning, the 18^th of August.  I had made arrangements with BMW of Denver to have a new rear tire put on that afternoon.  I had replaced the front tire before leaving Maryland and planned on running the entire Rally on one set of tires.  I used Metzler Tourance tires for the rally and based upon prior experience, I did not think there would be any problem riding the rally on one set of Tourances. 

            After replacing the rear tire, I headed south out of Denver.  I wanted to take a ride up Pike’s Peak before the end of the day.  I wanted to go up the mountain for a couple of reasons.  It seemed that given the location of the Rally start and finish, Pike’s Peak might be a likely bonus location.  And of course, the other reason to go up any mountain is because it’s there.   

            The ride up and down Pike’s Peak was fairly uneventful, if slightly unnerving due to the lack of any guardrails at some pretty extreme altitude.  The dirt sections were in good shape, though I did note that the ride up would take on a completely different character in bad weather.  I don’t know about other riders, but I would have to give some serious thought before I headed up the mountain in bad conditions.  After Pike’s Peak, I settled into a hotel room in Colorado Springs, only about an hour or so away from rally central. 

            Friday morning, I rode up to Denver and checked into the Double Tree Inn, the host hotel for the Rally.  It was also the location of the first checkpoint and the finish.  The riders would be spending a lot of time at the hotel over the next couple of weeks.  Only a couple dozen bikes were in the lot as I arrived, but as the day progressed, the lot began filling with bikes of all sizes and shapes.  To see some of the gadgetry and “farkles” on these machines was truly stunning.  For me, some of the bikes were just too much.  I would be overwhelmed just trying to keep track of everything.  However, I am sure that every rider was completely at ease on their own mount.  If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be here. 

             The weekend was filled with tasks that could best be described as necessary.  The riders completed odometer checks, technical inspections, press seminars, videotaped liability waivers and other less thrilling jobs.  Waiting in line became the theme for the weekend.  I can’t speak for anyone one else, but by the time I was done with all of it, I was more than ready to ride. 

            Rumors ran through the riders about possible routes and bonus locations.  Rally T-Shirts were handed out.  We all examined them for possible clues as to where we would be going.  Nothing seemed obvious to me, but other Rally veterans seem to see important clues in the Rally logo.  I did notice a lighthouse, but the last time I checked, there were a lot of lighthouses all over North America.  Though it didn’t seem helpful to me, I did find myself staring at my shirt, trying to divine some hidden wisdom that would reveal the secret winning route. 

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