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.
My IBA rides list is at the bottom of this webpage. I try and keep it current but...
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.
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.
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.
Mexico SS1000 ( SS1600 )
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.
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.
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.
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 |
1 | SaddleSore 2000 ( First IBA ride ) | 06/26/2002 | 2,094 | Certificate |
2 | 50CC Quest | 04/19/2004 | JAX>SDO | |
3 | BBG ( Frist BBG ) | 12/16/2004 | 1,505 | Ride Report |
4 | 100CCC ( MTF ) | 04/2005 | JAX>SDO>JAX | |
5 | 100CCC ( MTF ) | 03/2006 | JAX>SDO>JAX | |
6 | BBG 3000 ( IBA JAX Party ) | 03/07/2007 | 3,012 | Ride Report |
7 | 50CC Quest GOLD THW ( MTF ) | 09/13/2007 | NYC>SFO | Ride Report |
8 | BBG | 11/23/2007 | 1,519 | Ride Report |
9 | 100CCC ( IBA Ride In To IBA JAX ) | 03/2008 | JAX>SDO>JAX | Certificate |
10 | BBG ( FL-BBG ) | 05/16/2008 | 1,520 | Ride Report |
11 | BBG ( To IBA National ) | 08/13/2008 | 1,521 | |
12 | BBG ( From IBA National ) | 08/17/2008 | 1,520 | |
13 | BBG ( To MTF B2B ) | 08/28/2008 | 1,520 | |
14 | Border to Border Gold ( BBG ) | 08/29/2008 | 1,650 | Ride Report |
15 | BBG ( Practice For Trifecta ) | 1/24/2009 | 1,525 | |
16 | BBG Trifecta ( 3 BBG's ) | 03/05/2009 | 4,559 | Ride Report |
17 | 10 / 10th ( 2009 IBR ) | 08/2009 | 10,079 | |
18 | 2009 Iron Butt Rally | 8/24/2009 | 10,568 | |
19 | BBG ( Ride To Rob's House ) | 06/16/2010 | 1,531 | |
20 | SaddleSore 5000 ( IB 5000 Rally ) | 08/2010 | 5,327 | |
21 | BBG ( FL-BBG ) | 1/29/2011 | 1,530 | Ride Report |
22 | BBG ( Cape Fear Rally ) | 4/16/2011 | 1,535 | |
23 | BBG | 5/28/2011 | 1,520 | Ride Report |
24 | BBG Trifecta ( 3 BBG's ) | 10/07/2011 | 4,558 | Coming Soon |
25 | SS 1000 ( Florida Keys 1000 ) | 1/27/2012 | 1,058 | Certificate |
26 | SS 1000 ( MLR SS1000 ) | 4/12/2012 | 1,050 | |
27 | BBG | 9/20/2012 | 1,532 | |
28 | BBG ( 2013 IBR ) | 7/6/2013 | 1,525 | |
29 | 10 / 10th ( 2013 IBR ) | 7/12/2013 | 10,600 | |
30 | 2013 Iron Butt Rally | 71/2013 | 11,400 | |
31 | BBG Gold Quattro ( 4 BBG's ) | June 14, 2014 | 6,093 | Ride Report |
32 | BBG ( Denver Gold Rush ) | August 17, 2014 | 1,534 | |
33 | BBG ( Denver to Charlotte ) | August 22, 2014 | 1,545 | |
34 | BBG ( Boy Hood Home ) | October 5, 2014 | 1,523 | |
35 | BBG | February 8, 2015 | 1,521 | |
36 | Full Court 1500 ( BBG ) | March 11, 2015 | 1,581 | |
37 | 10 / 10th ( 2015 IBR ) | July 6, 2015 | 12,278 | |
38 | 2015 Iron Butt Rally | June 29, 2015 | 12,260 | |
39 | National Parks Tour ( NPT ) ( IBR ) | July 9, 2015 | 69 Parks | |
40 | BBG ( Van Horn To Ocala ) | November 24, 2015 | 1,532 | |
41 | BBG ( USS Alabama ) | April 16, 2016 | 1,520 | |
42 | BBG 3000 | September 12, 2016 | 3,081 | |
43 | BBG | January 15, 2017 | 1,530 | |
44 | BBG ( 40th ) | February 25, 2017 | 1,521 | |
45 | BBG 41 ( To Start Of IBR ) | June 22, 2017 | 1,525 | |
46 | BBG 3000 - 42 & 43 | August 4, 2017 | 3,040 | Ride Report |
47 | 2017 Iron Butt Rally | July 3, 2017 | 3,800 | |
48 | BBG 44 ( Weird BBG ) | October 4, 2017 | 1,571 | Ride Report |
49 | Lake Okeechobee 1000 | November 18, 2017 | 1,047 | Ride Report |
50 | BBG 45 ( Honda Texas ) | January 26, 2018 | 1,510 | Ride Report |
51 | BBG 46 ( New Gold Wing ) | March 3, 2018 | 1,521 | |
52 | BBG 47 ( New Gold Wing ) | June 3, 2018 | 1,509 | |
53 | BBG 48 ( New Gold Wing ) | June 6, 2018 | 1,514 | |
54 | BBG 49 ( New Gold Wing ) | July 11, 2018 | 1,550 | |
55 | BBG 50 ( New Gold Wing ) | July 28, 2018 | 1,540 | Ride Report |
56 | BBG 51 ( BBG 1800 ) | September 21, 2018 | 1,830 | |
57 | BBG 52 ( BBG 1800 ) | September 29, 2018 | 1,825 | Ride Report |
58 | BBG 53 | November 10, 2018 | 1,509 | Certificate |
59 | BBG 54 | December 25, 2018 | 1,531 | Certificate |
60 | Mexico SS1000 ( All In Mexico! ) | December 28, 2018 | 1,100 | Certificate |
61 | BBG 55 | February 21, 2019 | 1,535 | Certificate |
62 | BBG 56 | February 23, 2019 | 1,532 | Certificate |
63 | BBG 57 | May 12, 2019 | 1,510 | |
64 | BBG 58 | May 16, 2019 | 1,535 | |
65 | 10 / 10th ( 2019 IBR ) | June 28, 2019 | 10,500 | |
66 | 2019 Iron Butt Rally | June 29, 2019 | 11,800 | |
67 | BBG 59 ( New FJR ) | November 29, 2019 | 1,545 | |
68 | BBG 60 ( New FJR ) | December 31, 2019 | 1,512 | Ride Report |
69 | I-20 E2E | June 6, 2020 | I-20 E2E | Certificate |
70 | BBG 61 | June 6, 2020 | 1,545 | Certificate |
71 | BBG 62 | June 7, 2020 | 1,520 | Certificate |
72 | BBG 63 | July 31, 2020 | 1,655 | Certificate |
73 | BBG 64 | August 1, 2020 | 1,535 | Certificate |
74 | BBG 65 | August 23, 2020 | 1,553 | Certificate |
75 | BBG 66 | November 19, 2020 | 1,648 | Certificate |
76 | BBG 67 | June 4 2021 | 1,511 | Certificate |
77 | BBG 68 | August 3, 2021 | 1,631 | Certificate |
78 | BBG 69 | August 5, 2021 | 1,576 | Certificate |
79 | 48 State Ride | August 6, 2021 | 7,466 | Certificate |
80 | BB Silver | December 4, 2021 | 1,545 | Certificate |
81 | BBG 70 | December 27, 2021 | 1,521 | Certificate |
82 | Mexico B2B | April 14, 2022 | 1,320 | |
83 | Panama Express Gold | April 14, 2022 | 2,595 | Certificate |
84 | BBG 71 | July 15, 2022 | 1,652 | Certificate |
85 | BBG 72 | July 25, 2022 | 1,595 | Certificate |
86 | BBG 73 | November 27, 2022 | 1,519 | Certificate |
87 | BBG 74 | January 28, 2023 | 1,566 | Certificate |
88 | BBG 75 | March 6, 2023 | 1,528 | Certificate |
89 | SS1000 | April 16, 2023 | 1,170 | |
90 | BBG 76 | May 20, 2023 | 1,540 | Certificate |
91 | BBG 77 | September 8, 2023 | 1,505 | Certificate |
92 | SS1000 | September 16, 2023 | 1,153 | Certificate |
93 | SS1000 | September 17, 2023 | 1,388 | Certificate |
94 | SS1000 - Turkey Trot | November 23, 2023 | 1,030 | Certificate |
95 | SS1000 | November 25, 2023 | 1,150 | Certificate |
96 | BBG 78 | December 27, 2023 | 1,544 | Certificate |
97 | Florida Key Lime 1000 | January 5, 2024 | 1,022 | Certificate |
98 | Lake Okeechobee 1000 | January 27, 2024 | 1,044 | Certificate |
99 | BBG 79 | February 15, 2024 | 1,520 | Certificate |
100 | SS1000 | February 18, 2024 | 1,347 | Certificate |
101 | SS1000 - Trade BMW RT | April 19, 2024 | 1,236 | |
102 | SS1000 - First Ride 2024 GSA | April 20, 2024 | 1,208 | |
103 | BBG - Pickup Russell Seat | May 11, 2024 | 1,517 | |
104 | SS1000 - Ride Around Georgia | June 29, 2024 | 1,045 | Certificate |
105 | In State Florida - Train Depot | July 14, 2024 | 1,050 | Certificate |
106 | Battleship BBG | August 2, 2024 | 1,510 | Certificate |
107 | BBG To Laredo | August 29, 2024 | 1,45 | |
108 | Mexico SS1000 ( SS1600 ) | September 1, 2024 | 1,030 | Certificate |
* Click the "Ride Report" or "Certificate" link for a ride report or the certificate. |
Last updated February 2024
As Of: 10/11/2024
1500+ Miles In 24 Hours
Iron Butt Rally
Just Completed
Just Completed
Coast to Coast 29 Hours 23 minutes
I completed my 40th BBG on February 25, 2017.
I just finished the 2015 Iron Butt Rally, my third IBR. Click her for the daily reports and the final standings.
Rob and I won the 2015 Cape Fear Rally starting in Florida
I attended the IBA National Meet in August in Denver and had a great time
I completed a BBG Quattro Gold on June 17, 2014. You can find out more info about the ride on Tim Masterson's blog, click here
I finished 9th in the 2013 Iron Butt Rally in July. Read my IBR ride report, click here
I rode in the 2013 Cape Fear Rally in April and finished 5th place
I just returned from a ride to Alaska. I rode from Key West, FL to Fairbanks, AK and back. See my photos on my photos webpage
I competed in the 2012 Cape Fear 1000 Rally and took first place for the Arcadia starters