Made my first visit ever to the famous Ace Cafe on the North Circular in London yesterday. And for the first time ever attended a bike meet in a car, but still unable to walk without the crutches so riding is out of the question for a while yet. Occasion was IBA UK's January R2E (Ride 2 Eat) and meeting coincided with visit to the UK of Bill Watt, a Canadian rider who has travelled extensively in North America and participated in the 11-day Iron Butt Rally. It was great listening to Bill talking about some of his rides and some of the wildlife you come across on Canadian roads - and I thought the deer in Scotland were a danger!
Have been reading a lot of the reports from past Iron Butt Rallies (downloaded from http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/default.cfm) and watched a copy of 'Hard Rides', a film made about the 2007 IBR. There are some incredible stories which demonstrate the lure of this epic event (the winning rider has typically ridden around 13000 miles in the 11 days) and the lengths to which riders will go to complete what is for many the ride of their lifetime. There is also tragedy, several riders have died while taking part in the rally. It is still my hope that one day I will be able to take part in the rally which takes place every two years - maybe 2011 if I am lucky (and have saved enough money!).
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