Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84Winter 2014 | IRON BUTT MAGAZINE  ently opposite or contrary forces that are actually serendipitous.They can be exhil- arating and beautiful, and at other times, physically challenging and demanding. Second, long-distance riding is men- tally all consuming. The need to con- tinually pay attention (consciously or unconsciously) to our surroundings and focus on the task at handlets us click off  mile days on a motorcycle, whereas we find it much more difficult to do the same in an automobile, where our minds tend to wander. For me, this requirement to concentrate forces other issues out of my mind and causes me to be far more relaxed than any other activity I partici- pate in. In that sense LD riding is sort of my non-prescription Xanex. Chris McGaffin My interest in long-distance riding can best be explained by comparing it to a Newton’s Cradle. After all, isn’t Iron Butt riding all about the conservation of momentum and energy? To get things moving we need to release the first ball. Release Ball #1 My earliest motorcycle memories are of the North West  — a famous road race held in Ireland each May.It was  and I was  years old. Since my father was an accountant for one of the main sponsors of the event from  to , it meant I could hang out in the sponsor’s area and drink as much free CocaCola as I wanted. Each year I would spend prac- tice and race days swilling Cokes until I was sick and using a free paddock pass to walk around the restricted areas in the pits, marvelling at the exotic machinery and breathing in the sweet smell of two- stroke exhaust.These men were different; I wanted to be different, too. My first adventure riding a bike was three years later in  on a Honda Cub  around my best friend’s back garden (the bike belonged to his father). The fact that his father was at work and knew nothing of our activities meant he was spared the distress of seeing his beloved Cub , with me on board, dis- appearing into the hedge as I struggled to master the concept of throttle control. My bike handling skills soon progressed and we would take laps around the local Soccer stadium until we ran out of fuel, the police arrived,it started to rain,or his father was due home. Ball #1 Transfers Energy To Ball #2 At  I bought a Yamaha YZ motocross bike that I kept hidden from my mother at a friend’s house, until I finally plucked up the courage to tell her. She had calmed down by the time I was  when I bought my first road bike, a silver  Honda CB SuperDream. In , you could ride a bike up to cc without passing a motorcycle test, as long as you displayed learner plates. The test wasn’t much in those days. You basically rode a couple of times around the block whilst the examiner stood on the sidewalk watching. If you managed to do an emergency stop after he jumped out in front of you without running him over, you passed. I didn’t run him over. In  I took my first long-distance road trip to Scotland on the Superdream with my friend Barry, who owned a CBR.We rode , miles over four days. My next trip was in  to France, Spain and Gibraltar on a Yamaha  Diversion and was my first ride on the “wrong” side of the road. In  I pur- chased a Suzuki RF and spent two weeks in France, Italy and Switzerland. On each of these trips,Barry and I would ride around , miles over a two-week period. I discovered how much I loved travelling. I was never interested in motorcycle clubs. I just wanted to ride my bike. I found the act of travelling more reward- ing than actually arriving. As soon as I stopped at a destination, I found myself wanting to just get back on the bike and ride some more. This was a perfect way to ensure NO ONE wanted to ride with me. Even today, whether I am in a car, bus, train, plane or boat, I like the simple act of moving forward. However, none of these compares to riding a motorcycle for hours on end. Ball #2 Transfers Energy To Ball #3 In  I discovered Ron Ayres’ book Against the Wind on the Internet and was completely hooked on the idea of riding in an Iron Butt Rally. Everything about it appealed to me and I began reading everything I could about the Iron Butt Association and the Iron Butt Rally. I applied for the  IBR and was accepted.The fact that the farthest I had ridden in a day was around  miles,and I had NEVER ridden in any sort of rally before, did not discourage me. Unfortu- nately, due to my rally inexperience, and lack of basic knowledge of USA geog- raphy and topography, I failed to gain enough points to qualify as a finisher. But I was hooked and I wanted more! As far as I was concerned, the USA was motorcycling Nirvana — a place with almost limitless riding opportunities and a group full of like-minded riders who rode like me. I was NOT crazy or odd. I had found my tribe. I finally belonged. Soonafter,MikeKneeboneofferedme the chance to become president of IBA Ireland. I gladly accepted and that gave me the perfect opportunity to indulge myself even more in IBA activities. Cre- ating IBA certificate rides in my role as IBA Ireland president has also become a passion. I devised the Circuit of Ireland, the  County Challenge, the Compass Gold, the Government SS and The FHB . I enjoy planning rides and events almost as much as actually riding them, so I also came up with special events such as the TT and The Iceland SS. I also turned my attention to hosting rallies and hosted the -hour BritButt Rally, -hour Bally Rally and the five-day Wolfhound Rally. During the  IBR, I had met Illinois rider Rick Martin. We kept in touch