As we rolled into Moab I spotted a BMW R1200 GS Adventure heading the other way. I noticed he had a European license plate and mentioned this to Dillon, telling him that this guy was serious to go through the expense and hassle of shipping a bike over.
Continuing north into town I forgot about the GS while I looked for the home of Moab Off Road, the kind folks who helped me out in 2003. Every time since when I visit Moab I liked to drop in, thank them again and pick up a sticker for whatever I’m riding. I couldn’t find their shop but I was able to find the one cheap motel in Moab.
Much to our delight the lot was filled with bikes with all but three bearing license plates from the United Kingdom.
There were 19 bikes and a Sprinter van in the lot. The riders were on expedition put on by Globe Busters and were in the first third of a trip from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. This is a hell of a ride going from as far north to as far south as you can go in North America. Only one rider has ever done the trip in its entirety unassisted including the infamous Darien Gap, everyone else has shipped their bikes around the Gap with good reason.
We spoke with the riders who were all very friendly and as curious to hear about our trip in the sidecar as we were their trip to Patagonia. They were taking their time as in 134 days to go 20,000 miles and staying at 119 different hotels. Average mileage was to be 200 per day.
I met the driver of the Sprinter whose name escapes me. He was a nice guy from New Zealand and has been in the employ of Globebusters for a few years, driving the Sprinter all over the world. While not a BMW mechanic per se he was a welder by trade and obviously very handy. I asked him if he was carrying any BMW Final drives and he didn’t understand why I thought that with 16 R1200 GSes planning on going 20,000 miles each that perhaps one might munch a drive. I hope he doesn’t remember my comments on the side of the road.
I also had a chance to chat with a few of the riders. Some were obviously quite wealthy and others had scrapped together whatever they could to do the tour, enlisting sponsors and in one case dedicating the ride as a fun raiser / attention getter for a good cause. With the cost of entry being $34,000 plus gas, consumables and 6 dinners a week it is a very expensive proposition. Breakfast was “included” as they were staying in cheap motels that offer up the cheerios, stale muffins and bad coffee in the lobby. That works out to $254 per day before gas, food, tires etc. Considering the only daily expense to the operator is the hotel (and like me they were headed to the cheapest room in town) he’s left with somewhere in the area of $20,000 per bike to cover shipping, the Sprinter and dinner once a week. Good work if you can get it. Considering how badly they were being ripped off the riders on the tour were happy to be in Moab and looked like they were having a great time in a low (200 miles per day) stress environment.
Once in a while you meet someone and something clicks and I had the pleasure of meeting such as guy on the tour; he is no poser even if he was participating in a dog and pony show. In this case it was a guy named Paul. I came to learn that Paul has had more than anyone’s share of hard knocks, from loosing a son to a violent crime to having his wife permanently injured in a motorcycle accident. Paul has taken his share of big lumps. Paul and his wife had already been all over the globe on two wheels unassisted; it was in Slovikia that they were taken out by a truck, ending their dreams of circumnavigation the globe together on a bike.
After recovery Paul’s wife insisted that he continue his quest, albeit alone and perhaps with some support which lead Paul to be with this tour. We chatted a bit a few times, both about my trip with Dillon and his experience on the tour. It wasn’t quite the adventure he envisioned but really, what is and what defines adventure anyway. If Adventure involves great struggle, risk and pain than very few will ever muster the stones to try. To me Adventure is setting off on a journey away from home and meeting the challenges of travel as they happen be it on a boat far from land or a motorcycle far from home. Paul and I agreed that while having a professional guide, a support truck and 17 other riders might not be Adventure in the spirit of the word it’s still something special and unique. The tour leader must understand this to some degree as the van carried a few tents and riders were given the opportunity to grab a tent and head off on their own for a day or two. Paul was planning on taking advantage of this more than once. I hope it worked out well for him, 200 miles a day and the dog and pony show would drive me nuts and the tent option would be a welcome relief.
The mastermind behind Globe Busters is a guy named Kevin Sanders. Kevin has tons of miles on two wheels and is obviously a logistical wizard; planning such a tour with 119 hotels, 18 bikes, shipping and such isn’t easy. I was looking forward to meeting him, if for nothing more than a sticker for my collection, plus meeting a true global adventurer is a big deal.
I also thought it would be fun to get a group photo but it was getting late in the day and they were having their weekly dinner out. Dillon and I had a huge lunch when we arrived in town so neither of us was interested in going out to dinner. The sandwiches were so big there might just still be a go box in the mini fridge in room 107 with half a sandwich. Dillon decided he wanted to spend some time in the air conditioned room with his laptop and I was happy to give him some privacy so he could be on line with his girlfriend. I thought it would be fun to have a beer with some BMW riders I had never met and would likely never see again. I found out what restaurant they were were heading to but it wasn’t the place for socializing so I snuck a photo and continued with my evening.
I was back at the hotel a few hours later sitting outside enjoying a cigar and cold beer. As an aside it is amazing how much time a 17 year old boy can spend on the internet when he can video chat with his girlfriend. I didn’t mind be exiled to the lot, the wireless worked fine and you can’t smoke in the room so it was no big deal. A few of the tour folks wandered back and told me about a little bar behind the hotel that some of them were headed to.
I went around back and enjoyed a beer with the driver of the Sprinter. I was curious and had a good time learning about him and his work on the tours. It is quite a lifestyle, not terribly different from my days as a yacht captain, you go where the work is with little a care. He was a bit amazed that I had never heard of Kevin, he said the man is a legend and recognized everywhere in Europe but not at all in the States. He introduced me to Kevin as “the guy with the sidecar”.
Kevin said hello and proceed to ask me “why a sidecar.” He started giving me a ration of shit for not having Dillon on the back, “you may as well be in a car, what a joke.” He said. I tried to explain the ideals of our trip and how we were able to carry more and enjoy things with the hack that would not have been possible on my GS but it was obvious that Kevin didn’t give a shit. I bet he doesn’t have kids, unlike Paul and some of the others who thought our trip was pretty cool. In the first 90 seconds of meeting this guy he made sure I knew he held two Guiness World records and that my trip was a joke. He took some pride in mentioning the fellow to his right was not only doing this tour and the China trip which I can only imagine is even more expensive. Considering the guy looked rich enough to buy a container full of bikes but too weak to pick one up off the ground I could see why Kevin would find him to be the ideal customer.
Then he got started on the Iron Butt Association. His driver also told him I’d done the rally as he’d noticed the IBA sticker on my bike and we chatted about it. Kevin said we do things all wrong and that we’re just plain stupid for riding for mileage goals and such. I think the actual quote was close to “you’re all idiots for riding the way you do.” He said there was no way we could manage any level of competent riding after three hours in the saddle, nobody can. He climbed up even higher on his horse and told me in total seriousness that the only way to cover big distances safely is to ride for time, not mileage. According to Kevin the only way to do it is ride 3 hours and get off the bike for 20 minutes, repeat as necessary; “That’s how I set the Guiness Records and it’s the only way to do it safely.” I asked him what he does for the 20 minutes and he said he has a snack, takes a walk, looks at maps or has some coffee. I then asked him how many hours of sleep a day he would get and he said “three or four.”
At this point I decided that Mr. Sanders is just another arrogant pommy bastard and there was no point in waisting any more time with him. He’s obviously never read the Archives of Wisdom on the IBA site or benefited from a 20 minute power nap, he prefers to chug coffee and eat candy instead while getting three hours of sleep a day. That’s not Iron that’s stupid. A good Iron Butt Rally rider will go farther and sleep more but again, there was little point in debating this with a bug eyed fuckstick from across the pond.
Back in my room I thought about my encounter with Mr. Sanders and his Guiness Records when finally I remembered why he probably hates Iron Butt Riders so much.
From the Iron Butt Association Web Site:
Trans Americas (Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina)
Name Home Town Date Motorcycle Mileage/Days
Dick Fish Cardston, AB CANADA 09/21/06 BMW R1150GS 14,423 21:2:8
Kevin Sanders Cambridge, ENGLAND 08/18/03 BMW R1150GS 34: 23:21*
Guinness World Record – however they stopped keeping records on this ride in 2003
It looks like Mr. Fish took almost 14 days off Mr Sander’s precious Guiness Record. While the IBA recognizes Mr. Sander’s achievement apparently Mr. Sanders still has his panties in a bunch over a guy making his 3hr theory look as stupid as it is.