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1600 klms under 24 hours IBA SaddleSore 1600k

My name is David Jones, I am a real estate principal at E-Noosa Realty in Cooroy Qld Australia. My life with motor cycles started when I turned 17 and looks like it will continue my whole life. I spent much of my early years on dirt bikes or enduros to be more specific, riding with mates and racing when I could. I also owned a number of road bikes but my passion at the time was dirt bikes, much of our early married life was out in the never never, camped under a tree while I rode in the great Australian bush.

Move forward to age 32, this is when I thought my life was going down hill fast. Owing to a prolapsed disk in my lower back I had to give up riding and find something else to keep me occupied when not working.

The next fourteen years pass quickly, I would watch eagerly at any bike I saw on the road and wished that one day I could be that person.

In early 2003 at age 47 I decided to give it one more go so after much looking I decided on my new wheels, two in fact. I purchased a Kawasaki GTR1000 Sports Touring bike. It was love at first sight and I have grown to love it more each ride and two years ago I set up and now run the Australian GTR1000 Group located at www.gtr-aus.com

A mate of mine for some years living in New Zealand had decided to ride what he told me was an Iron Butt ride. He had to ride 1000 miles or 1600klms in under 24hrs. He completed that and I was amazed, so I checked out the Iron Butt web site where I eventually read every word, tip and word of advice written by the many who had also achieved this and greater. I began to hatch a plan.

With many months planning, reading weather predictions and past history I decided on my route and date of departure. I would ride 1600klms north to Cairns, do a ride with the local Ulysses Club of which I am a member (over 24,000 members in fact) and then take two leisurely days to return, well leisurely for me. In the past two years I had ridden a number of 800klm plus days.

Bike was prepared with all my servicing being done locally by Aaron, owner of Hyperformance at Eumundi and has never let me down. I was prepared and did a warm up ride one Sunday of 1015klm 10 days prior to leaving and felt good, well as good a 49yr old desk jockey can feel. Date for leaving was set as Friday 13th of May 2005 at 4pm.

Storms had raged through the area for two weeks, but on the Thursday it started to clear so all looked good. Friday loomed bright and sunny but at 3pm the clouds rolled in and lightning could be seen in the distance. I decided to head out early and got my start fuel docket at 3.38pm and headed north after saying goodbye to my wife and younger kids. A start and end witness are needed plus start and end time/date fuel dockets being critical for certification. Logs must be kept with all stops and distances written down.

It rained for about an hour and a half, from light drizzle to bucketing rain but by Maryborough it had cleared and by Childers I removed my wet weather gear and settled in for a good ride. Fuel at Miriam Vale was my first planned stop, 350klms down and . well a bit to go. Up to Rockhampton for a longer stop as my schedule said and stayed for 50mins while I checked the bike, cleaned the screen and ate a snack. Keeping your fluids up is very important on long distance runs and I find I eat very little keeping it to prepared ham sandwiches or similar, nothing that can go off or sit in your stomach. Miles rolled into each other as the towns went by and Mackay came quickly at 1.09 am on Saturday and now past half way.

I had been told to beware of the Marlborough stretch because of wildlife and especially kangaroos but with the modifications to my bike including the imported wiring harness and globe to give me better power to my headlight plus the addition of two Narva 55 watt driving lights I took it all in my stride. I had excellent lighting and felt comfortable running through the darkest night I had seen in some time.

5.40am and Townsville comes into focus, well the city lights did as its still dark but the sun should be popping its head up very soon. I called my wife as I had done at every stop along the way and she was amazed at my location as I was a bit ahead of schedule of which she had a copy. I had planned for the worst and set times allowing for delays either mechanical or physical and I had none of these. Having the support of my wife at the end of the phone certainly made it easier on my mind, its a mind game really. I knew I could do it and she never doubted it.

8.55 am and I fueled up at Innisfail just before Cairns so I didnt have to look for fuel in the big city and it is. Then I rode into Cairns to meet up with some Ulysses members as planned and have one of them do the last leg to Mossman and be my end witness.

I found the motor cycle shop where they congregate for Saturday coffee and within a few minutes had located Charlie, who headed home to get his gear and bike to take me the last leg. I was earlier than planned, not through speed but by consistency. This will amaze some but not my family, I have always traveled at a steady and constant pace and this was no different.

The ride from Cairns to Mossman was one of the best parts, its bike heaven in the Cairns area as I was about to find out and the road to Mossman was a taste.

1707 klms and just before noon on Saturday the 14th of May 2005 I ended my first documented Iron Butt SaddleSore 1600k. Its been an adventure, but as you will read later it was just a start.

As an aside Charlie apparently told me he was taking me on a scenic route back to Cairns but I dont recall. Remember I had just ridden over 1700 klms in under 24hrs but my wife will tell you I dont always listen, well I guess thats true of many guys.

So Charlie took me on a ride into the hills, we had a spirited ride up along the ranges and back to Cairns for a total unofficial distance of 1876klms in under 24hrs.

Rest, dinner and a beer or two at Charlie and Judys and an early night, I was formulating a plan for the return trip so bed at 7.30pm as I had a 400klm club ride tomorrow the 16th May to Ravenshoe. Now thats a whole other story, talk about roads suited to bikes.


Points I like to add;

1. How do you ride 4388 klms in 4 days? One kilometer at a time.
2. Do not let others project their ideas and concerns over you, its your life.
3. Be mentally strong, its what makes the difference in your life. Directions change when you least expect it so be ready.
4. Work on setting goals and work towards them, plan and accomplish.


I head for home, its just a road

2000 klms under 24hrs IBA SaddleSore 2000k

Monday morning the 16th of May 2005 and I am awake before 6am, normal day but not the normal place. I am at the home of another Ulysses member at Mission Beach FNQ. The camaraderie of the Ulysses Club members is one of the reasons I joined this aging group who share a fondness of riding motor cycles. You have to be over 40 years old just to join and over 50 yrs to become a full member, so its one club where age is a virtue and older members are revered not ignored. Age is a state of mind, some people are old at 30 while some never will and I plan to be in that group.

Kim and wife Sally have made everything they own available to me so I can plan my return journey; I start up the computer and get connected to the internet. RACQ site is found and the road trip planner does its job. Next the BP web site where I see if there is available fuel at the times I will be riding through these towns. Phone calls are made to make sure and one very helpful lady at Charters Towers BP tells me they shut at 10pm but the Shell is open and also aids me with information on the next stop at Clermont.

Its all go, the plan is doable and I feel good apart from a dull soreness in my hands. I plan to leave at 3pm so I lay about for the remainder of the day. This is the 24 hours I do not get on my bike at all, from 4pm the previous day. I try to get some sleep but it doesnt come, I did read once that even laying down resting is good for you so I persevere. I make notes into my tape recorder and think about the next evening.

I chose to ride at night for a number of reasons the main one being that to do this many kilometers in 24hrs one must ride at night. It makes sense to me that its better to ride the night when you are fresh rather than ride all day and be tired going into the evening. So thats what I do.

Sally returned just before 3pm as I am getting ready and is there to wave me off with daughter Marni. At 3pm Monday the 16th of May I get my start docket at Mission Beach and head for the highway. I will be running backwards by going to Tully before heading for Cairns first and returning back to Tully for the extra klms. The lady at the BP at Tully is like most I have found along the way and is curious as to what and why, I hand her a printed sheet I have prepared for this to explain my trip and tell her I will be back in about 4 hours.

Busy time at Cairns as workers head home but I slip through the traffic and head for Tully where I pull in at 6.37pm. I gear up for the cold nights ride and head off.

From here its onto Townsville and then west to Charters Towers reaching there at just after 10pm. The lady at the Shell servo was interesting, she said youre not going to ride the Clermont road in the dark on a bike are you, even the locals dont do that because of the kangaroos Thats just what I wanted to hear. I gingerly headed off south.

The run to Clermont would be the hardest stretch of road I traveled. Its 370klms of nothing, well in the dark it is. Over its length it goes from good two way sealed road to single width gravel and in between long sections of single width sealed roadways. Now add the ever constant worry of Kangaroos plus an occasional three trailer road train and you get the picture. Its a short cut for many road haulage companies so a regular sighting of trucks either on the road or off to the side while their drivers caught up with sleep was common.

2.05 am and into Clermont. As I paid for my fuel a conversation arose about why I was on the road in such a desolate place on a bike at that hour and a road train pulled in. I returned to my bike to get geared up for the ride into Emerald and the truck driver comes out and says I think youre pulling my leg mate, its not possible to do 2000klms in under 24hrs. I been driving these rigs for 30-35 years and it cant be done

I am in no frame of mind to argue with a stranger as to if it can be done as I know it can so I reply in my nicest voice (at 2.20am its not easy) well my friend I was talking to the lady so I am not trying to pull your leg, I have a date with home, see you mate and rode off.

3.26 am and into Emerald, quick fuel up and I hand a flyer to the couple there to explain. I am trying to keep a flow going and not be delayed.

The leg to the coast from Emerald through Springsure, Moura and onto Biolela was COLD. On the way up north I had been keeping myself amused by deciding how cold I was on a scale of 1 10 with 1 being cool. I had decided then I was only a 6 so stop thinking you are cold. I have been very cold on a motor cycle when we lived in the Southern Highlands near Bowral and that was a 10. Now I think I was a very close 9, hands were shaking and I was shivering as I got fuel in Biolela. Phoned my wife as I had done at every stop even at 2am in the morning and told her. How do you feel though she asked, overall I feel good apart from that and the suns up so I will be ok

Its about 7.20am when I leave Biolela and head for the coast, sun in my eyes and hoping to warm up soon.

Calliope on the main Bruce Highway gets me another fuel docket to prove I had been there and I head south for home, its only 450 klms to go and I know this road well.

This section was uneventful apart from one annoying thing, I came upon two cattle trucks heading my way and I needed to get past them. Now I dont know if you are familiar with these trucks but they are double level and full of cattle on their way to a better place, well thats what they tell the cattle I am sure. Now cattle like any animal need to well lets say that I have never seen a cow go to the bathroom so it has to go somewhere and running down the back of the truck onto the road it goes. Literally runs out the back of the truck and sprays anything behind. My bike becomes covered in cattle do do. Not nice!!

Gympie and almost home, I call my wife and tell her I am going to run past Cooroy and go to Yandina to pick up a buffer of extra kilometers in case the IBA come up short when they certify my ride. I am not going to ride 2000 klms to be a few short and not achieve my goal. She says she will see me in Cooroy in an hour.

Cooroy, home and its 1.12pm on Tuesday 17th May 2005 I have done it!! 2067 klms in under 24hrs. Short but regular stops and careful planning has done the job.

Hugs and kisses and off to the office to let the team know I made it back.

What did I learn.

I had always been able to set goals and push myself to achieve more than many think they are capable of. At an age when many thought it unwise to attempt a 1600klm trip in under 24hrs I not only did that but a return 2000klms in under 24hrs. We are capable of far greater things than we think; we were created for far more than sitting watching television and wasting our lives. Its a big wide world out there, go get your piece.

Full trip divided into 24 hr segments;

1st 24hrs = 1876 klms
2nd 24hrs = 405 klms
3rd 24 hrs = no riding
4th 24hrs = 2067 klms

Four days and 4388 klms.


IBA Certified as:
Certified at 1689klms in 20hrs 20mins
Certifed at 2064klms in 22hrs 11mins