The Big Bang

July, 1998

 

On arriving in Ely, Nevada, for the Big Bang, a high-miles endurance ride sponsored by the folks at Reno BMW, I was pleased to see most of the veterans of endurance riding already gathered.  Events like these are special, if for no other reason than their ability to bring together a select group of people from around the country, all with varied lifestyles,  for the purpose of doing a little riding and a lot of BS'ing.  The pre-ride banquet was a feast high in carbohydrates and high powered advice from some of the most experienced long distance riders in the world.

 

As I  pulled out of the parking lot of the Hotel Nevada the next morning, my goal for the next 24 hours was to achieve a personal best 24 hour mileage.  Simply put, I would need to ride a minimum of 1,600 miles in the allotted time.  I had a looped route laid out that covered 750 miles.  I was going to ride it twice, then decide how to get the remaining needed mileage based on the time I had left.

 

At the 12 hour mark I had ridden 1, 048 miles, convincing me that a 2,000 mile day was definitely possible.  My route had me traveling over 630 miles of two-lane Nevada back roads, with the remainder of the miles on I-80.   My original plan of riding the route in daylight , noting any hazards or problems, worked well.  Police activity was low on the first lap and, except for a few cows on the road, conditions were perfect.

 

Everything was going according to plan as I pulled into Ely at the end of the second lap.  I had 1,500 miles under my belt and 6 hours to go before I was due back in.  A quick check of the bike reveled that my rear tire had not handled the previous 19 hours of high speed riding too well.  I figured I had about 200 miles left on the tire at the speeds I had been riding.  I switched from the 2,000 mile goal to a more modest 1,800. 

 

I rode East from Ely to Delta, Utah, just over 150 miles.  I was now "cruising" at speeds around 75 to 80, conserving what was left of my tire.  The 300 mile round trip brought me back to Ely with over an hour to spare and enough tire tread left to get me home to Colorado the next day.

 

The concluding banquet featured great food and many pleasing stories.  Sometimes the camaraderie of this group actually outshines the riding.  Well, almost.

 

George Barnes