Chris' 2005 Iron Butt Rally

 Chapter 4

Team Robo

             Many of the riders formed teams or alliances to help better compete during the Rally.  Information shared among the riders can be a valuable resource for any rider.  As I would learn, information is a valuable commodity during the Rally. 

Team Robo had been formed some time before the rally and was so named after Paul Taylor’s nickname, Robobiker.  Paul was the founder and head of the team.  Though he was not riding in the Rally this year, even I was smart enough to take the advice of the reigning champ.   Team Robo was comprised of some very serious riders.  I was lucky and a little overwhelmed to be included in such a group.  Paul had spent considerable time and effort trying to help team members do well in the Rally. 

            Shane Smith was perhaps the most experienced rider on the team.  He had nearly won the Iron Butt in 2001, finishing second.  In the months leading up to Rally, Paul had told me that Shane would be one of the toughest competitors.  To say that I was impressed with Shane’s accomplishments would be a tremendous understatement.  Though he probably needed less help than any of us, any advice Shane could share with the team would be worth heeding.

            John Ryan had never ridden in a rally before, so that might put him at a disadvantage.  However he was also the only person on the planet that had completed a Bun Burner Gold 4500 (Back to Back to Back 1500 mile days).  That put John in a unique class of 1.  Paul thought John had a legitimate chance to win the rally.  I concurred.  John also had one of the best quotes of the rally.  Before the start, we were talking about the considerable costs incurred in competing in the Iron Butt Rally.  All finishers are awarded a license plate placard that proclaims them a competitor in the Iron Butt Rally with the words “11,000 miles in 11 Days.”  John stated that if he could finish the rally, he was going to change his placard to read “$11,000 in 11 Days”.  Though it didn’t cost that quite that much to compete, it certainly was not a cheap endeavor.

             Bill Shaw was an avid rider who was writing an article for Motorcycle Consumer News about the Rally and his experience with it.  Bill had started the 2003 Iron Butt Rally with the same job.  Unfortunately a mishap early in the Rally prevented him from being a finisher two years prior.  I really wished the best for him this time.  Riding in the Rally was going to be tough enough without the additional pressure having a work related task to accomplish.  I was pretty nervous, but looking at the pressure facing Bill even made me feel a little better.  Bill was welcome rider for Team Robo. 

            Ed Phelps was a veteran of the Iron Butt Rally and a formidable rider.  He also happened to have just won the 2005 Mason Dixon 20-20 Rally a couple of months earlier.  This was the same rally, I could not even start, let alone finish.  In 2001, Ed had started the Iron Butt Rally and was riding high in 4^th place after two legs.  Unfortunately, bad luck struck on the 3^rd leg forcing him to DNF.

             Sean Gallagher had started and finished the Iron Butt Rally in 2001 and 2003, putting him in rarified air having completed multiple Iron Butt Rallies.  This year, Sean was riding the Rally on Paul Taylor’s winning bike from 2003.  Though no rider had ever won the Rally twice, Sean was attempting to at least see if the bike could repeat as champion. 

            And then there was me.  I had not ridden in the Iron Butt Rally before.  But there might be something I could contribute to Team Robo.  The concept was simple.  We were competitors against each other, but we could also share information and help each other.  Paul could also give strong ground support to everyone.  As we met in one of the hotel rooms over the weekend, Paul went over everything he could think of that might help us.  We discussed possible routes, ferry schedules, time zones, border crossings and a dozen other things.   

            And we discussed the competition, formidable as it was.  The rider list read like a who’s who of endurance riding.  Former champions Rick Morrison and George Barnes.   Peter Hoogeveen with 6 top 10 finishes.  Eric Jewell, Eddie James, Morris Kruemcke, Jack Savage, Jeff Earls… all with tons of experience and top 10 finishes to go along with that experience.  And then there was the “Wrecking Crew” from Minnesota, Mark Kiecker and Marty Leir, who finished 2^nd and 3^rd in 2003.  Throw in a George Zelenz, Jim Owen, Vickie Johnston and Rob Nye and about 80 other hard core riders and things get down right intimidating.  Oh, and if your route happens to take you down a dirt road, you can count on competing against one of the best dirt riders in the world in Dick Fish.  After a while, I really didn’t want to know who the competition was.  It was just too intimidating.   

About the only good thing you could say about the competition that made things easier, was that Paul had retired and at least we wouldn’t have to compete against him.  And Paul had some simple advice for us when we all first got together.  He didn’t care who won the rally, as long as it was a person in the room.  

I don’t know about the other riders in the Rally, but I know it would have been very difficult for me to ride in the rally without a lot of support from friends and family members during the Rally.  In addition to the help from Paul Taylor and other members of Team Robo, I also was able to reach out to Leonard Roy for advice.  Leonard is a seasoned IBR veteran and always in the hunt.  In 2003, Leonard held the lead going into the final leg and finished a terrific rally.  Between him and Paul, I felt confident I could get the best advice possible on just about any question.  Leonard had planned on riding in the 2005 Rally, but personal circumstances had forced him to withdraw. 

Roger Sinclair was on call 24/7 with any mechanical issues.  He was even willing to fly anywhere on a moments notice to get the bike running again.  Support like that is hard to get. 

Nancy fielded questions from other friends and family and kept everyone posted with frequent updates on where I was and how I was doing.  She and a few select others were able to track me real time over the Internet.  After the first few days, other people in her office got involved and followed my progress.  Aileen, a friend and coworker with Nancy, kept tabs on me and became quite involved.  Aileen became an unofficial member of the ground support team, helping Nancy whenever she could.  We were both grateful for her help. 

Nancy grew attached to her laptop, carrying it with her everywhere.  She never knew when I was going to call her and ask her to tell me how long it takes to get from Lackawanna, NY to Lovelock, NV.  Her cell phone constantly rang with calls from everyone.  Even near the end of the rally when things got very hectic, she handled everything in a calm and efficient manner.  Even when I wasn’t so calm.           

            In addition to keeping our website updated, fielding phone calls and monitoring the LD Rider List, Nancy also watched the Star-Traxx website to see what other riders were doing.  She was shipping central with any number of items ready to be over-nighted anywhere, including a set of tires that was boxed and ready to go.  She booked ferries, checked schedules, followed Hurricane Katrina, looked for road closures and even brought me supplies during one fuel stop close to home.  Most importantly, she kept me sane when I wanted to quit.  Any success I had during the Rally was directly related to her efforts.  I hope every rider had a “Nancy” at home to help them.  I know I would have been lost without mine.

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