[sachiwilson]

So, move your dam ned controls so the good wrist does the work. If Mick Doohan can race and win with a crap body, you can ride too.

 

[sachiwilson]

Uh, no. I was speeding yesterday. I did *72*!


I'm so ashamed.

 

[sachiwilson]

Oh, I admit it: You make me ill.

 

[sachiwilson]

Oh, yes I would have.

 

[sachiwilson]

Well, the truth makes lots of people ill.

Oh, think that's it? Well, dear, I'll leave you to your soma.

 

[sachiwilson]

Pah. Unlike you, I've done these rides using the time management skills that you pooh-pooh.

Longride, give it a shot. Go over to the Iron Butt Association website, and read what the site has to say about long distance riding. Read the forum for advice and hints. (Heck, email me if you want advice.) And then, try a long ride -- 500, 600 miles -- with an effort to keep your stops as short as possible. You just might be astonished at how quickly you will finish the ride, without undue speeding (ie, less than 10 over).

If I had not done this myself I wouldn't be so insistent. I probably would have the same skepticism you (and others) have about IBA-style riding. But I've done it, it works, and I am no longer a skeptic. Try it sometime.

 

[sachiwilson]

Longride, "everyone knows" is not a very good argument. In fact, it's not an "argument" at all - it's an appeal to bias. "Look! Everyone agrees with me so you must be wrong!"

I've demonstrated to you that it is possible to make good mileage without speeding or sleep deprivation, from my own example. You have (finally) grudgingly admitted that it can be done. But you still want to think that IBR riders must be sleep deprived and speeding.

I can't persuade you otherwise, obviously. I'll just leave you with the comment that (as I've said before) you don't *know* anything. And unless you have the gumption to go out and try these rides, you never will.

 

[sachiwilson]

Lets take the Bun Burner Gold. 1500 miles in 24 hours. That averages out to 62.5 mph for the entire 24 hours. So tell me again how there is no speeding and no sleep deprivation. The funny part is some of the Iron Butt guys do this more than one day in a row. Like my old Chief used to say, I might be dumb, but I'm not stupid.

Well, I've explained how I can do it without speeding. Short stops. I'd still need to stay in the saddle for 23 plus hours. Is that sleep deprivation? You might think so, but I'm not in bad shape when a 24 hour ride is done. The key to these things is to set your body up to stay awake - it's partly training in LD riding, and partly setting yourself up physically. I wean myself off coffee (and caffeine in general) a few weeks before a ride. If I didn't cut out caffeine, I'd tend to get less focused in the afternoon, and I'd start to fall asleep at 10-11 PM. Guys who do multi-day rides try to avoid any caffeine at all, but because I do only the one-day rides, I'll treat myself to a coke around 11. Peps me right up, and I'm generally fine for the rest of the ride. Also, experience (which is training) helps. I'm definitely better at this now than I was when I started!

The other things I do involve the foods I eat (very little, and usually dried fruits or cereal bars) and what I drink -- lots of gatorade! I also have my bike set up for maximum comfort, aided by Aleve every twelve hours. Because I'm comfortable, I don't get tired or strained. I can also see very well because of all the lights (three HID bulbs, three halogens). I don't get cold because I have electrics.

So, when I do one of these rides, I am confident that I can stay awake and alert for more than 24 hours. I'm confident that because of the way I have set up my bike, I can stay focused on riding. I don't call that "sleep deprivation."

Now I've said this before, but I would not sign up for a multi-day rally (except perhaps a 50 CC, which I have no doubt I could do.) I know my own limitations -- I can't catnap, which is a necessity for multi-day rides. I have no doubt that others can do multi-day rides safely, even though they don't sleep in a bed for 8 hours every night.

 

[sachiwilson]

For this kind of ride, eating light is eating right. Eating too much, or the wrong things, puts you right to sleep! This is something every rider has to work out for herself or himself -- it's definitely an individual thing, and what works for me may not work very well for anyone else.

 

[sachiwilson]

*shrug*

Your concern all along has been that the riders who do IBA events -- whether the Rally or anything else -- are unsafe. They ride at unsafe speeds; they are sleep deprived. There's a difference between riding at Cannonball speeds (which we disapprove of) and riding at 7-10 over on a freeway, when the latter is pretty much the prevailing speed. The former speed is going to be a lot less safe than the latter speed.

Same with "sleep deprivation." Where's the danger if you're alert? You don't need eight hours of sleep at your regular time to stay awake and alert, particularly on a 24 hour ride. The key is understanding your body's needs and knowing what to do to stay alert, or (on longer rides) how to work in enough effective sleep.

 

[sachiwilson]

"Same with "sleep deprivation." Where's the danger if you're alert? You don't need eight hours of sleep at your regular time to stay awake and alert, particularly on a 24 hour ride."

I fugured you would say that. Taken from Wiki:

. . .

Your words, my truth.

I don't deny that sleep deprivation exists or that it has effects. It can, however, be forestalled if you know what you're doing.

 

[sachiwilson]

If you want to think you've won the argument, be my guest.

 

[sachiwilson]

I honestly think the judge would share your concerns, but that she would also understand that IB riders take care to ride safely, and have developed techniques to do so.

 

[sachiwilson]

But, you don't really want to mention the sacks of cocaine in front of a judge, do you??

No, that will be *our* little secret.

 

[sachiwilson]

I'll share some of my bag of cocaine with him. He won't care much after that.

 

[sachiwilson]

 

[sachiwilson]

All right guys -- enough is enough.

I'm taken anyways.

AJ -- glad to meet you, and I apologize for making assumptions!

 

[sachiwilson]

Well, I'm sure he's more of a man than about 51% of the population.

 

[sachiwilson]

Oh come on. I did it right that time!