Kansas City - St. Louis - Chicago - Des Moines - Kansas City
This year's first ride is "something completely different".
The final day of each of my last two rides was about 750 miles. On the Sturgis trip, the 750-mile
day came after 1,700 miles in five days. On the Canyonlands trip, the 750-mile last day
followed 2,700 miles in 8 days. Although I was certainly tired, it occurred to me that
I could possibly ride as much as 1,000 miles in a single day, under the right circumstances
--that is, not at the end of long ride. I soon discovered that there was an organization
dedicated to certifying such long rides. Originally, I scoffed at the idea of needing
"certification" for such a ride. Over time, though, I warmed up to the idea.
After checking out the Iron Butt Association on the web,
I decided that a 1,000-mile day would be worthy of "certification".
Route Overview
I planned to ride from Kansas City, to St.Louis on I-70, up to Chicago on I-55, down I-88 to
the Quad Cities, over to Des Moines on I-80, then down I-35 back to Kansas City. Although riding
the route in this direction would potentially cause the sun to be in my eyes for a good portion
of the time, it would allow me to ride the very familiar stretch from the Quad Cities to KC while
being the most tired. I planned an early departure time, so I could ride in the dark primarily
at the beginning, while being most alert.
Since 1,000 miles in 24 hours only requires an average speed of just over 40 mph, I knew that
I didn't have to rush to complete the ride--I even planned a one-hour rest stop and meal after
getting on I-88. But, I also knew that things have a way of happening on the road, so I would
leave myself a margin of error by maintaining a good pace.
If I'd Known You Were Coming, I'd've Thrown a Parade
