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 © 2016, Iron Butt
Association, Sheridan, Wyoming
Please respect our intellectual property rights. Do not distribute this document, or portions therein, without the written permission of the Iron Butt Association. The 50cc Quest is a trademark of the Iron Butt Association. Every time I read these rules, they seem overly complex. However they were developed by one of our members involved in record keeping for various sporting events. Basically, the IBA wants to see a documented ride. If you cannot follow the rules exactly, feel free to drop us a line with a proposal. We will be happy to review your plans and possibly accept changes to this format. The 50cc ride is the brainchild of Iron Butt Association member Dave McQueeney. It was designed for those riders not wanting to make the New York to San Francisco run yet looking for a challenge for crossing the country from coast to coast. You may choose any two coast cities (obviously, one on the Atlantic Ocean and the other on the Pacific Ocean) you wish (Jacksonville, Florida to San Diego, California is the most popular) and use the rules that follow to document your ride. While the Iron Butt Association rules give the rider some leeway with documentation requirements in start and end cities, we do ask you to consider this viewpoint of a multi-time 50cc finisher as related by Iron Butt Association Web Master Dale Wilson: I recall several years ago, when Ron Major had just finished installing his aux cell in my brand new '95 ST1100 at his house, we got to talking about some of his IBA rides and accomplishments over the years. He mentioned that the 50CC was an intriguing ride if one did it as a "pure coast-to-coast" ride, and went on explain what he meant. That was the first time I ever heard him describe the act of touching the water on both oceans as being a critical and spiritual part of The Ride. He led me inside his den and showed me an entire wall jam packed with trophies and finisher plaques. One bookshelf had little 10-milliliter red-stoppered chemistry vials that contained equal parts of sand and water. Each one was marked with a date/time and either the word "Atlantic" or "Pacific" written on it. Obtaining a sand & water sample at the start/end of a CC ride was also a part of Ron's ritual for this ride. I remember counting 18 vials on his shelf. The shelf below it also had a little cardboard box that was chock full of additional vials, all filled with sand and water, and similarly marked with a date, time and ocean. Dale Wilson Dale does bring up an important point here, the 50cc is a coast-to-coast ride and to really do the ride justice, you should make it a point, even though the rules do not technically call for it as verifcation would be nearly impossible, to visit the ocean at both ends of your ride. The memory of a lifetime! Ben Askew at the Atlantic Ocean collecting sand and salt water...
And less than two days later at the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California!
Other notes... Several riders have also opted to combine both the SaddleSore 1000 and/or Bun Burner 1500 with this attempt. If you decide to include the SaddleSore or Bun Burner as part of your ride, you do NOT have to get witnesses at the end of the 24 hour period. Last Revision: September 1, 2015 - always check that these are the current rules before starting your ride! Note: The Iron Butt Association web site always has the current rules. WHAT'S REQUIRED: Your ride needs to be completely documented (steps outlined below) and cross the United States from coast to coast in 50 hours or less. It is possible to complete both the SaddleSore 1000 and Bun-Burner 1500 during the 50cc Quest. Should you complete both the 50cc Quest, SaddleSore 1000 and/or Bun-Burner 1500 rides and want certificates for them, there is a short description of what you must do to claim those awards as well near the end of this document. WARNING: If your motorcycle is equipped with a large fuel-tank, please note that you must stop at least once every 350 miles for gas (this is purely for documentation for your ride as well as a forced rest stop). Although we know it is possible to ride greater distances non-stop, we will not accept a claim of this type. NOTE: These rules serve as a guideline. When you are on the road, concentrate on finishing the ride without an accident. If you lose one receipt, we can generally reconstruct your claim without a problem. For example, do not backtrack just to obtain a missing gas receipt! PREPARATION FOR THE START: Find at least one police officer, firefighter, judge, notary public or authorized Iron Butt Association member willing to sign your witness form (sample attached). You may fill out the witness section with the Police Station/Fire House address. Ask the officer to supply his badge number and note it on the witness form. Should you be unable to find a willing police officer (please note that to date, this has never been a problem for any ride - it is easier than it sounds) or you wish to start your ride from a motorcycle dealership, the Iron Butt Association will gladly accept the signature of any two dealership employees. If that is not possible, you will have to find at least three (3) independent eye-witnesses. * * as close to the coast as is reasonably possible! * * * * THE COMPUTER TIME STAMP WILL BE YOUR OFFICIAL STARTING TIME * * The following log entries and completed witness forms are mandatory: 1. Log entries must be made at each gas stop. A log entry includes the following information; DATE, TIME, TIME ZONE, LOCATION (i.e. Yuma, AZ) and ODOMETER reading. A receipt must accompany each log book entry. All gas receipts must be readable and it is vital that we can read the date, city, state and number of gallons purchased. If the city is not pre-printed, ask the clerk to include a mailing address or contact phone number. 2. Log entries must be made at each stop longer than 10 minutes (for example a rest stop). Each entry must include the start time and ending time. Meals are considered rest stops - don't forget to obtain a restaurant receipt. 3. If your route includes any toll roads or bridges, you must obtain a dated receipt and make a log entry. When you reach the ending coast city (please live within the spirit of the rules and do not use a gas station right at the city limits - try and get fairly close to the coast), obtain a computer-printed gas receipt with a legible date and time stamp. Also, obtain the business phone number (usually just asking for a business card of the gas station will take care of this requirement). * * THE COMPUTER TIME STAMP BE YOUR OFFICIAL ENDING TIME * * After you get the gas receipt, find at least one police officer, firefighter, judge, notary public or authorized Iron Butt Association member willing to sign your witness form (sample attached). You may fill out the witness section with the Police Station/Fire House address. Ask the officer to supply his badge number and note it on the witness form. Should you be unable to find a willing police officer (please note that to date, this has rarely been a problem for any rider - it is easier than it sounds), you may use two motorcycle shop employees or find at least three (3) independent eye-witnesses. Before sending for your 50cc award, take a map and circle the cities you stopped in (don't forget the start and ending points) for gas/food/etc (a Xerox of a map is acceptable). We use this map to assist the person verifying the routes (several riders turned in winding, twisting routes that sometimes took hours to find the small towns they stopped in). To obtain your award, (a paper certificate, an Iron Butt Association pin and plastic license plate frame), forward a set of copies of your 50cc attempt documentation and a check (U.S. currency) to: Iron Butt Association 50cc Quest P.O. Box 9450 Naperville, IL 60567-9450 * * Retain your original documentation - only send copies! * * Please make your check payable to the "Iron Butt Association". Please note that we do not make any money on this ride, this is our approximate cost of administrating the 50cc program. Before we can issue your 50cc award, you may be asked to clarify certain aspects of your ride and/or documentation. Additionally, certain aspects of your ride are subject to audit which may delay the final determination of your claim for the award. Provided your documentation is in order, your time will be computed as follows: Local time at finish - local starting time +/- time zone changes as required. (Please provide your time claim so that if we do not match your numbers, we can contact you). We strongly caution that these rules are guidelines. Out on the road it may not be possible to follow these rules to the letter. If that happens, please explain any problem you encountered and we will do our best to work out a solution. For example, 49 hours and 44 minutes into this ride, one person could not find a gas station with a computer generated receipt (obviously, our favorite type), so she got six locals to witness the time she arrived. Her other documents clearly supported her claim of riding from Jacksonville, Florida to San Diego, California in the time-frame she claimed so we did not hesitate to process her award. If you have any questions about this ride, you may write to the Iron Butt Association at [email protected] There is also a Coast to Coast 50cc Gas Stop planner put beautifully crafted by Martin Frankford: http://roadtrip.apehangers.org/maps/50cc.php If you start and/or end your ride during normal business hours, a signature from any (only one is needed) San Diego BMW Motorcycles employee is acceptable for both your witness and start or end time: San Diego BMW Motorcycles Obtaining Suitable Eyewitnesses for Iron Butt Association rides: In order to complete an Iron Butt Association ride, we require that you obtain "independent corroboration" in the form of signed authentication by independent, impartial adult witnesses. Attached is a sample witness form that is designed to comply with Iron Butt Association requirements (although our sample is typed, you don't need anything that fancy). Additionally, you will need to maintain a log book in chronological order. Each entry in this log must contain the following information: Date and time of stop, location (city and state) and odometer reading (sample attached). Generally speaking, you will need to find one police officer at both the start and end of your ride to witness the date, time and location. According to riders that have attempted these rides, you can easily (usually) find police officers to sign your log book. However, there may be times when you need to ask several officers to find one that will be willing to be your witness. Getting an officer to sign your book may take a bit of salesmanship on your part. Persistence pays off - just keep asking officers until successful. Before attempting this ride, it is highly recommended that you print up some sample forms and practice at a local police department. ==> If you wish to start your ride from a motorcycle
dealership, the Iron Butt Association will <== Should you not be able to obtain Police Eyewitnesses or start in a motorcycle shop, you may substitute three independent people (however, they may not be fellow riders that are also trying the ride with you!). Make sure that you inform potential witnesses that the Iron Butt Association may be auditing certain aspects of your ride and may be sending them a letter with a copy of the page they signed asking them to verify the information provided. Remember, a witness who doesn't bother to respond to an audit letter is as good as having no witness at all! To this extent, it is highly recommended that you send a thank you note to all of your witnesses after you complete your ride. Besides, many of them will be waiting to hear how you did. Try to remember that you must act as a salesperson each time you approach someone to sign your log. If someone doesn't want to provide their home address - suggest they give a business address. According to experienced riders, taking a few minutes to explain your ride to potential witnesses will get them involved. Most people will actually feel honored to sign your witness form. However, attitude plays a key role, if someone refuses to sign your book, don't argue, move on to the next person. MerchandiseE. A. "Skip" Kazmarek 50cc route and display |
Please respect our intellectual property rights. Do not distribute any of these documents, or portions therein, without the written permission of the Iron Butt Association!