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Well, it's official. I'm going to be competing in this years running of the Alberta 2000 Rally. The rally challenges the entrants to complete a ride of a minimum of 2000km in 24 hours while stopping at required checkpoints along the way, as well as collecting bonus points for visiting optional locations along the route. It will test the rider's ability to plot a route that will enable them to collect as many points as possible and still return to the finish within the allowed time.

I'm just hoping to finish

For anyone interested in wishing me luck at the start, or congratulating me on my return, the dates of the Rally are as follows:

Depart: 7pm, June 17th from the Airways Inn in Nisku, Alberta
Finish: Opens at 6pm June 18th at the Airways Inn.

Owen

Here's the link to the info page about the 2004 edition. click me

Well, Dude, Good Luck. Ride safe and have fun..... but you do know your freakin' nutz, don't you? Doing ANYTHING for 24 hrs straight takes all the fun out of it.

Ride at 100 MPH for 12 hours nonstop and sleep the other 12.....

Try to have fun doing it and ride safe you crazy coconut!

Mike.

Sounds like fun to me! Best of luck mate, let us all know how it goes!

lets hope you have some good weather for the ride, couse im for sure sick of it raining.
was gonna go for a ride today, but first I fell asleep on the sofa, and now I wake up and its bloody raining, its like being back in the UK

britishjoe wrote:lets hope you have some good weather for the ride, couse im for sure sick of it raining.
was gonna go for a ride today, but first I fell asleep on the sofa, and now I wake up and its bloody raining, its like being back in the UK

Yesterday was a great day for a ride. So much so that I rode down to cowtown in the morning, spent most of my day riding around in a futile effort to get anything done, spent the evening with a friend and then rode home at darn near midnight, with reasonable weather the whole time. only rode through a couple light sprinkles and that was it.

but yeah, I hope I have decent weather for the rally too. overcast and mid to high teens would be perfect. pizzing rain or scorching heat would really suck

Good luck Owen! Not my idea of fun, but whatever turns yer crank I suppose..... Watch out for all of the gopher guts that Buzz scattered across the province last week

If anyone is in the area and wants to come out to wish me well, the start of the rally is at 19:00hrs, Friday June 17 at Argyll Motorsports (9055 Argyll rd) in Edmonton.

The finish is at the Airways Inn in Nisku Saturday, June 18th. I believe the finish checkpoint opens at 18:00hrs, but if you are there to congratulate me on finishing the rally (and help me off the bike ), don't expect me there that early. I'll be lucky if I make it in before 19:00hrs on Saturday.

Owen

You should do fine on the AB2k. You need to get your minset into the ride. THe ride to Hyder was 1650 Kms from Edmonton and you were doing that trip in steady time. The Ab2k is just two tanks of gas longer. You need to think of the trip in terms of smal bits that you can chew and it becomes easier.

Mental prep is the key. You might go the INBMW site or the Iron BUtt site to see how those guys set up there heads for distance.

My tips. Stay in the saddle for every tank of gas. Stop only to gas, pee and eat light meals of salads vegies or fruit and drink juices and water only - no caffine. Consider taking along some power drinks availabel at Safeway. I prefer the drinks over the bars as they don't give me heartburn. I've used ensure plus also wiht great sucess. They have 355 cals each and every nutrient neede to live. (I know this as I was eating nothing but ensure for four months wiht my cancer)

THe bike needs to be ready too make sure that you have a small 2.5L tank of gas as the gas stations in the contry might be closed. THe route is usually chosen to find 24 hour gas stations but you never know. Other than that travel as light as possible. Take on the essentials. Think of what you too to Hyder and leave anything that you didn't use while on the road. I pack a tooth brush and paste to freshen up my mouth. I take some of those paper wet towels that you get in casinos or rib houses to "wet towel" early in the morning. TIP: They also fresshen the butt to prevent "tater bum."

I also suggest that you take your electric vest. Even if the days are 25-30C the nights will be at 15C or less. The before dawn time bing the coolest and with your fatague levels you will find that you will ride the "second day" with a vest on for most of the day. The days get lost for most riders beacuse they don't sleep for the 24 hours but in reality you are riding over two days.

Don't work on Friday. Sleep in to at least noon! Force yourself to sleep long. Have breakfast in bed. Lay of the caffine on Friday to get used to it. Eat heavy on Thursday night. Load up on Pasta and eat high carbs and protine. FOr Friday I suggest that you start to ease of on carbs by noon and focus on portine for lunch. THis is the time for a lean steak or sushi in excess - don't do anything deep fried that's the kiss of death. Take a nap Friday afternoon. Prepare all your stuff on Thursday night. Sleep on the preparations that you have done to let your minds eye focus on what you are about to do. Dream the ride on Wednesady and sleep Thursday. Relax your head in preparation for the Friday night and all day Saturday riding. Your 24 hours starts on 6pm Friday and ends on 6PM Saturday. You need to reset your internal clock to think of Friday 6PM to be 6AM. If you were working night shift you can see what I mean You get up have breakfast then do your 24 hours of work.

You might ask who am I to give such advice? WEll I've been on this ride as a check stop moniter for the last tren years of the event. I ride the thing wihtout ever entering it!!! I'm the guy who is there at the start for two hours and at one or two sheck stops during the day in remote places and at the finish until the last rider gets in. I ride the distances and sometimes more over the two days because I need to cross country the ride. One year I rode to fox creek and down to Radium then to Bassano and back to Edmonton. I've videoed the trip for the club and planned the route on more than one occassion. I just hang out and have alot of fun.

I'll see you at the start. Good Luck. Ride Safely. Jim

Thanks for the advice Jim (Ayres I'm assuming - matches the handle on the BGB site)

I'm already taking Friday off so that I have plenty of time to get up to Edmonton to do the odometer check route, then grab a nap before the riders meeting. I'll also be packing a 5L jerrycan securely fastened to the back of the bike (won't come off unless I want it too), as well as a single change of clothes (to put on on Sunday).

I have darn near memorized Ron Ayres' book on long distance riding tips, I've read it so many times.

As for staying in the saddle to fuel up, I might try that if I can snag a pump that will take debit/credit cards.

See you Friday afternoon.

Owen