Iron Butt Association - Big As Texas Party and Ride
Date last revised: February 7, 2018
IBA BIG-AS-TEXAS PARTY
Allen, Texas 2018
The Iron Butt
Association will once again be holding its annual event and rides
centered around the Memorial 1000 season held each Fall. The rides and
party will be held on October 17-October 21, which is also the final
weekend available for completing a Memorial Ride in 2018.
THIS YEAR'S EVENT WILL BE A VAST IMPROVEMENT OVER PREVIOUS YEARS!!
We will be holding a series of seminars and
information sessions on Thursday, October 18, given by riders with
particular expetise in thier subjects. Areas of discussion
include
Rally Management
Rally Routing for new rally riders
Rally Routing for experienced rally riders
European Touring
Basecamp (there will be three sessions on this)
Spotwalla, Bubbler, Spot and other satellite tracking systems
How to fix a flat
Which aux lites are best
And others!
Attendance at these seminars is optional--if
you have the time to attend, you will certainly enjoy yourself and leave
with more knowledge in the subject.
THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR THESE SEMINARS!!
Festivities will include a good old fashioned BIG-AS-TEXAS Style
Dinner which will be served Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. and will
include some fine Texas food. A cash bar will also be available for
those who enjoy an ice cold beverage with your meal. We will have a
short presentation after dinner, however the goal of the two day party
is to get a chance to meet fellow long-distance riders, share stories
of your Memorial Rides, and do some tire kicking as well!
We have a
limited number of rooms blocked at the hotel for those attending the
party, at $89 per night single/$99 per night double including
breakfast. The hotel does NOT charge for parking or Internet usage.
Once your registration is complete, we will forward you the link to
obtain the negotiated room rate available only to attendees. To recieve
the reduced rate, you must make your reservation through the provided
link – NOT through the corporate number or website – so please wait to
receive the link if you want to be sure to get a reserved room.
The BIG-AS-TEXAS PARTY will continue the tradition of hosting
a unique SaddleSore ride for attendees wishing to complete a themed
1,000 mile day, as well as a more challenging 1,500 miles ride (BBG).
We will also have an opportunity for riders to hone thier rallying
skills by bonus hunting during these rides. If you have never
entered a rally, here’s your chance to taste what everybody is excited
about! Ridemaster Danny Dossman has created these two intense
challenges around Texas.
For those coming to ‘kick tires’ with fellow IBAers, there
will be ample time on Friday to do just that. While the SaddleSore
and Bun Burner Gold riders are out on Friday evening, there
will be a no-host dinner (that means you pay your own way) at a medium
price/nice restaurant near the hotel. In prior years, we went to a
fantastic barbeque place and to a very good Italian restaurant. Once we
know how many of us will be at dinner, our all-knowing Dallas residents
will set up a nice place for a group dinner.
Festivities include an award ceremony on Saturday at 4 PM
where IBA President Michael Kneebone will present certificates to those
riders who completed any of the rides detailed below, and to those
riders doing certificate rides into Dallas for the event. Following
this ceremony, at 6 PM we will have a good old fashioned BIG-AS-TEXAS
Style Dinner. A cash bar will also be available for those who enjoy an
ice cold beverage with your meal. We will have a short
presentation--you won't want to miss this--after dinner, however the
goal of the two day party is to get a chance to meet fellow
long-distance riders, share stories of your Memorial Rides, and do some
tire kicking as well!
NOTE: IN ORDER TO PARTIPATE IN EITHER RIDE YOU MUST ALSO BE SIGNED UP
FOR THE BIG AS TEXAS PARTY. HOWEVER, YOU MAY SIGN UP FOR THE PARTY ONLY
WITHOUT SIGNING UP FOR EITHER RIDE. SEE REGISTRATION DETAILS BELOW.
*****
The Big As Texas Party is always a fun event with its opportunity for a
unique themed ride. This year’s BAT Party will feature a most unique
opportunity and a hard riding adventure. Sign up today for the Big As
Texas Rally featuring all the Texas bonus locations of the epic 2017
Iron Butt Rally. Yes, that’s right, 2017 IBR Routing Master Jeff Earls
has granted the Big As Texas event exclusive use of the 2017 IBR Rally
Book, edited down to the 24 Texas bonuses. There are two versions of
the BAT Rides:
BAT SaddleSore 1,000
A preplanned route, of slightly over
1,000 miles, taking you to several notable oil wells throughout the
state. Just take a [icture of the well with your rally flag
in the
photo and email it to BAT Rally Central. IBR picture standards will be
in effect. Of course, you’ll have to be back at the Allen, Texas check
point within the allotted 24 hours.
To document your ride, commemorative Big As Texas Rally Flags are
issued at sign in. If you have never used a Rally flag, please visit:
Rally Flag 101
The
route will be provided in multiple popular formats as well as written
GPS co-ordinates and street addresses (where available) no later than
72 hours prior to the 6am Friday October 6th start of the ride so you
will have time to set-up your GPS. While the route is fairly simple,
using a GPS will simplify following the route and finding the required
check in locations. The riders meeting on the morning of the ride
should be brief.
If this will be your first Iron Butt event, just think of the bragging
rights you’ll have completing the iconic SaddleSore 1000 by visiting
historic Texas bonus locations to earn your BAT Rally SS1K Finisher status.
Successful finishers will receive their personalized certificate from
IBA President Michael Kneebone at 4pm Saturday at a special
presentation preceding the dinner. Registration for the BAT Rally
Saddlesore 1000 is $60.18 and is completed when you register for the
event at
To be announced
Successful finishers will receive
their personalized certificate from IBA President Michael Kneebone at
4pm Saturday at a special presentation preceding the dinner.
Registration for the BAT Rally is $60.17 and is completed when you
register for the event at
To be announced
*****
Note: These rides are open to IBA BIG-AS-TEXAS PARTY participants only.
In addition to being a fun option for current IBA members, it's a great
opportunity for potential IBA members to earn their first certificate,
personally presented to you by IBA President Michael Kneebone at a
special presentation at 4:00 pm Saturday and then join us for the
festivities at our annual dinner. In addition, there will be awards
presented at the dinner for Memorial Ride participants who have reached
the 5,000 and 10,000 mile participation levels, as well as recognition
of the rider currently holding the most Memorial Ride miles. Trust me,
you do NOT want to miss out on this great event!
IBA staff will start arriving at the hotel Wednesday, October 17th.
Last year's event was a sellout, and this year, the Saturday night
BIG-AS-TEXAS PARTY and the BAT Rally and BAT Rally Saddlesore 1000
space is limited and will likely sell out. We pay for the use of the
facilities, so even if you do not want to eat, everyone must pay to
enter. Everyone who wishes to attend must register BEFORE Octoner 1,
2018. We expect a large turnout, so to avoid disappointment, we suggest
you register as soon as possible. Only Iron Butt Association (IBA)
members, their guests or those registering to do a certified ride-in
may attend the party. Space is limited and once we are out of room,
well, we are out of room....
To reserve your entry to the party you will have to register on-line
and pay via PayPal, $59.18 US per person. Please do NOT send cash or
checks to the IBA as your registration will not be able to be
confirmed. Please drop us a note if the account name for PayPal is
different from the name you use to register.
The registration web page can be found at To be announced
IMPORTANT!
If you have problems or questions when registering please
contact HEntmanmd@gmail.com. Your confirmation letter, along with exact
directions, the hotel room reservation link and contact information,
will be emailed to you after you register. These are not computer
generated and it may take a few days to receive this email; we
appreciate your patience. No worries though - as long as you follow the
registration link in a reasonable time after you get the letter, there
will be a hotel room available for you if you've registered and paid
for the event. Your dinner ticket(s) will be available for pick up at
the door - nothing will be snail mailed to you.
A personal word from the President himself:
“I look forward to seeing each of you at the BIG-AS-TEXAS PARTY in Dallas!”
Michael Kneebone
President, Iron Butt Association
REFUND DEADLINE:
Because the IBA party and rides require a certain level of
administrative and hotel support, the refund deadline is September 15,
2018 - our deadline for turning in space and meal commitments to the
hotel as well as ordering ride supplies. After that there will not be
any refunds. However, if weather is not cooperative on the day of the
ride, or you can not otherwise make the start line, you may complete
these rides up to two years later (including later BIG-AS-TEXAS PARTY
events) and apply via snail mail.
Please respect our intellectual property rights. Do not distribute this
document, or portions therein, without the written permission of the
Iron Butt Association.