Greg Rice - Travel_Man

My Iron Butt Association Rides

I started riding long distance back in the 1970's on a Kawasaki KZ 650 that I had added some accessories to make it a better long distance riding motorcycle. I rode a lot of LD rides back then long before I knew about the Iron Butt Association. I can remember many rides that where over well over a 1000 miles in a day.

KZ650 at the Grand Caynon During the late 1970's I was in the Navy and stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago, IL. I bought a Kawasaki KZ 650 in 1977 and fitted it with a National Cycle windscreen, Sissy bar to bungee cord by duffel bag to and a tank bag with CB radio installed. From there I made trips out to the Grand Canyon, Miami, FL, and Bike Week in Daytona Beach over the years. The rides to Bike Week were in early March and it was still very cold outside in northern Illinois. I would have to use canned sterno under the oil pan to loosen up the oil so the motorcycle would start.

I learned about the Iron Butt Association in 2002 from a couple friends, Jack Dodds and Bill Boklan, as they were getting ready to ride the Motorcycle Tourer's Forum ( MTF ) 50CC / 100CCC ride in April of 2003. I wanted to do the ride also but I needed to complete an certified IBA ride first to be eligible. I always plan big so my first ride was a SaddleSore 2000 in June 2002. Man was that a hard ride as it rained like hell on the northern part of the route and the Interstates were flooded in some areas. I pushed on and finished the ride in 40 hours.

Scroll to the bottom of the webpage to see a list of most of my IBA rides.

I previously was the Associate Director of the MTF Long Distance Committee and helped plan and organize all of the LD rides from 2008 to 2012. In 2012 we have 2 big rides planned, a 48 plus and the UCC. The 48 plus is a ride that you must get a receipt in all 48 lower states and Alaska in 10 days or less. The UCC ( Ultimate Coast to Coast ) is a ride that starts in Key West, FL and finishes in Deadhorse, AK. Deadhorse is on the north slopes in the oil fields.

At the start of the Florida Keys 1000 in 2012 I have completed 30 IBA rides and have plans for 5 more in the next year. I have also completed over 18 BBG's since my first BBG in 2004. I have been fortunate that I have always been successful when attempting a certified IBA ride. I think one of the reasons is that I do a lot of up front planning and approach each of the rides with the same level of effort. I try and learn everything I can about my planned route including the possible weather and traffic conditions along the route. I review all of the states DOT highway websites for large scale construction and I plot those in my GPS with an audible alert that starts about 2 miles out so I know why if traffic slows down.

IBA Certificates

Below are some certificates from some of my harder IBA certified rides. I have over 35 Iron Butt Association ride certificates with most of them being the extreme type rides.

75th Bun Burner Gold

65th Bun Burner Gold

I completed my 65th BBG ( Bun Burner Gold ) ride on August 22, 2020. I rode 1,553 miles! With this BBG I went over 100,000 miles riding just BBG's.

60th Bun Burner Gold

I received my IBA certificate for my 60th BBG ( Bun Burner Gold ) ride I did on New Years Eve, December 31, 2019, to the Voodoo Museum in the French Quarter in New Orleans. It was a tough ride as the crowds in the Bourbon Street area were crazy!

Mexico SS1000

I rode a SS1000 in Mexico December 28, 2018 with my friend Dan Thaler. This was a hell of a ride and took 21 hours to complete. I did the ride on my 2018 Honda Gold Wing.

IBA Titanium Mile Eater

IBA Platinum Mile Eater

I received a Iron Butt Association Platinum Mile Eater certificate at the 2018 annual IBA party at Jacksonville. I have ridden over 130,000 miles of IBA certified rides.

50th BBG - IBA Record

Completed 50th BBG Saturday, July 28, 2018. 50 BBG's Is A IBA Record!

My 50th BBG was a great ride and it was fun to ride with Dan Thaler who was riding his 20th BBG. It had all the things you want and don't want in a long distance ride. It was hot ( 97 degrees ), it rained for 200 miles and the traffic was crazy in western Florida panhandle and Alabama. There was a long line to get into the USS Alabama Battleship park. Many of the gas stations we stopped at had lines to buy gas. That's the stuff you don't want. The good stuff is watching the miles go by and the freedom of the road. Being able to ride a motorcycle for 1500+ miles in a day is really cool to me.

Here are some photos Dan took during the ride.

42 & 43 Bun Burner Gold's ( BBG )

I completed a BBG3000 to Mexico and back August 4, 2017 and this was my 42 & 43 BBG's. This turned out to be my hardest IBA ride I have ever done do to all of the things that happened during the ride. Here is a link t the ride report.

BBG 3000 To Mexico And Back

40th Bun Burner Gold ( BBG )

I completed my 40th Bun Burner Gold ( BBG ) on February 25, 2017. This was a hard ride as I added in 6 "picture bonus" stops to help me practice for the up coming 2017 Iron Butt Rally. With completing my 40th BBG I have ridden over 60,000 miles in just BBG rides.

I am the first person in the IBA to ride more than 35 BBG's so completing my 40th BBG was a big event.

Below are some of the photos form the ride.

Click For Larger Version

30th Bun Burner Gold ( BBG )

This is my IBA certificate for my 30th BBG which I rode while attending the IBA's yearly party in Jacksonville, FL in March of 2015. This was one of my hardest BBG's as we had to make 7 "bonus" stops around the state of Florida. These stops included 4 county court houses, University of Florida basket ball coliseum and the Miami Heat stadium in downtown Miami. This was also an instate BBG as all of the route was within Florida's borders. I did the ride with Rob Wilensky.

IBA BBG Trifecta In October 2011 I completed my second Iron Butt Association BBG Trifecta. A BBG Trifecta is three BBG's ( a BBG is 1500+ miles in less than 24 hours ) back to back to back. I rode 4559 miles in a little over 70 hours. I started the ride in Jacksonville, FL and I rode all the way to Ocotillo, CA were I turned around and rode back to Jacksonville, FL. It was a hell of a ride with many obstacles along the way including accidents, heavy traffic, heat, cold, wind and heavy rain. The temperatures ranged from 98 to 26 degrees. The wind and rain on the final BBG across Texas was relentless. I had an 18 wheeler go into the medium right in front of me and it threw a lot of mud on the road way which caused the wing to slide sideways for a few feet. It took me a few minutes to catch my breath and keep going.

In June of 2014 I attempted and completed a new IBA ride called BBG Quattro Gold. A BBG Quattro Gold is four BBG's back to back to back to back. A BBG is 1500+ miles in a 24 hour period. This was a damn hard ride and required a lot of up front planning, preparation and determination. I started this ride near my house and completed in Ely, NV. I rode 6200 miles in less than 96 hours ( 4 days ). I rode through all types of weather and temperatures ranging form 38 degrees to 107 degrees. This is my certificate from the Iron Butt Association for my Bun Burner Gold Quattro ride. I received this certificate on my birthday. It was a nice present to receive.

Here is a photo of many of my IBA certificates. I have a few more but can not find the certificates.

I try and document my rides so that it leaves no doubt that I did the ride and to make it easier on the IBA when they are verifying my ride. Here is a image of my ride log I turn in with my documentation package.

You can view my documentation that I submitted to the IBA to certify the BBG Gold Quattro ride by clicking here.

This is an example of my ride log that I submit along with my other documentation for a Iron Butt Association certified ride.

Check out some of my ride reports below and it will give you an idea how I approach a long distance endurance ride and why I am successful t completing the rides. If you have any questions send me an email.

I have a long pre-ride check list that I go over for all of my rides. This helps me be sure I do not forget anything. Having the items from the checklist on the motorcycle or I remembered to take care of tasks that needed to be done before the ride helps keep the stress level down. Lower stress levels reduce fatigue which helps when you are on a long ride. Here is a link to the check list.

Here is a list of most of the IBA certified rides I have completed. Click on the Ride Report links.

Ride	When	Miles	Ride Report
SaddleSore 2000 ( First IBA ride )	06/26/2002	2,094
50CC Quest	04/19/2004	JAX>SDO
BBG ( Frist BBG )	12/16/2004	1,505	Ride Report
100CCC ( MTF )	04/2005	JAX>SDO>JAX
100CCC ( MTF )	03/2006	JAX>SDO>JAX
BBG 3000 ( IBA JAX Party )	03/07/2007	3,012	Ride Report
50CC Quest GOLD THW ( MTF )	09/13/2007	NYC>SFO	Ride Report
BBG	11/23/2007	1,519	Ride Report
100CCC ( IBA Ride In To IBA JAX )	03/2008	JAX>SDO>JAX
BBG ( FL-BBG )	05/16/2008	1,520	Ride Report
BBG ( To IBA National )	08/13/2008	1,521
BBG ( From IBA National )	08/17/2008	1,520
BBG ( To MTF B2B )	08/28/2008	1,520
Border to Border Gold ( BBG )	08/29/2008	1,650	Ride Report
BBG ( Practice For Trifecta )	1/24/2009	1,525
BBG Trifecta ( 3 BBG's )	03/05/2009	4,559	Ride Report
10 / 10th ( 2009 IBR )	08/2009	10,079
BBG ( Ride To Rob's House )	06/16/2010	1,531
SaddleSore 5000 ( IB 5000 Rally )	08/2010	5,327
BBG ( FL-BBG )	1/29/2011	1,530	Ride Report
BBG ( Cape Fear Rally )	4/16/2011	1,535
BBG	5/28/2011	1,520	Ride Report
BBG Trifecta ( 3 BBG's )	10/07/2011	4,558	Coming Soon
SS 1000 ( Florida Keys 1000 )	1/27/2012	1,058	Certificate
SS 1000 ( MLR SS1000 )	4/12/2012	1,050
BBG	9/20/2012	1,532
BBG ( 2013 IBR )	7/6/2013	1,525
10 / 10th ( 2013 IBR )	7/12/2013	10,600
BBG Gold Quattro ( 4 BBG's )	June 14, 2014	6,093	Ride Report
BBG ( Denver Gold Rush )	August 17, 2014	1,534
BBG ( Denver to Charlotte )	August 22, 2014	1,545
BBG ( Boy Hood Home )	October 5, 2014	1,523
BBG	February 8, 2015	1,521
Full Court 1500 ( BBG )	March 11, 2015	1,581
10 / 10th ( 2015 IBR )	July 6, 2015	12,278
National Parks Tour ( NPT ) ( IBR )	July 9, 2015	69 Parks
BBG ( Van Horn To Ocala )	November 24, 2015	1,532
BBG ( USS Alabama )	April 16, 2016	1,520
BBG 3000	September 12, 2016	3,081
BBG	January 15, 2017	1,530
BBG ( 40th )	February 25, 2017	1,521
BBG 41 ( To Start Of IBR )	June 22, 2017	1,525
BBG 3000 - 42 & 43	August 4, 2017	3,040	Ride Report
BBG 44 ( Weird BBG )	October 4, 2017	1,571	Ride Report
Lake Okeechobee 1000	November 18, 2017	1,047	Ride Report
BBG 45 ( Honda Texas )	January 26, 2018	1,510	Ride Report
BBG 46 ( New Gold Wing )	March 3, 2018	1,521
BBG 47 ( New Gold Wing )	June 3, 2018	1,509
BBG 48 ( New Gold Wing )	June 6, 2018	1,514
BBG 49 ( New Gold Wing )	July 11, 2018	1,550
BBG 50 ( New Gold Wing )	July 28, 2018	1,540	Ride Report
BBG 51 ( BBG 1800 )	September 21, 2018	1,830
BBG 52 ( BBG 1800 )	September 29, 2018	1,825	Ride Report
BBG 53	November 10, 2018	1,509	Certificate
BBG 54	December 25, 2018	1,531	Certificate
Mexico SS1000 ( All In Mexico! )	December 28, 2018	1,100	Certificate
BBG 55	February 21, 2019	1,535	Certificate
BBG 56	February 23, 2019	1,532	Certificate
BBG 57	May 12, 2019	1,510
BBG 58	May 16, 2019	1,535
10 / 10th ( 2019 IBR )	June 28, 2019	10,500
BBG 59 ( New FJR )	November 29, 2019	1,545
BBG 60 ( New FJR )	December 31, 2019	1,512	Ride Report
I-20 E2E	June 6, 2020	I-20 E2E	Certificate
BBG 61	June 6, 2020	1,545	Certificate
BBG 62	June 7, 2020	1,520	Certificate
BBG 63	July 31, 2020	1,655	Certificate
BBG 64	August 1, 2020	1,535	Certificate
BBG 65	August 23, 2020	1,553	Certificate
BBG 66	November 19, 2020	1,648	Certificate
BBG 67	June 4 2021	1,511	Certificate
BBG 68	August 3, 2021	1,631	Certificate
BBG 69	August 5, 2021	1,576	Certificate
48 State Ride	August 6, 2021	7,466	Certificate
BB Silver	December 4, 2021	1,545	Certificate
BBG 70	December 27, 2021	1,521	Certificate
Mexico B2B	April 14, 2022	1,320
Panama Express	April 14, 2022	2,595	Certificate
BBG 71	July 15, 2022	1,652	Certificate
BBG 72	July 25, 2022	1,595	Certificate
BBG 73	November 27, 2022	1,519	Certificate
BBG 74	January 28, 2023	1,566	Certificate
BBG 75	March 6, 2023	1528	Certificate
* Click the "Ride Report" or "Certificate" link for a ride report or the certificate.