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Against the Wind: A Rider’s Account of the Incredible Iron Butt Rally

Against the Wind: A Rider's Account of the Incredible Iron Butt Rally

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By: Ron Ayres
Paperback: 237 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.75 x 9.00 x 6.25
Publisher: Whitehorse Press; 1st edition (June 1, 1997)
ISBN: 1884313094

Ron Ayres is a best-selling author on this subject — he also wrote “Going the Extra Mile – A Handbook for Long-Distance Motorcycling and Endurance Rallies” (wBW Info Page), which provides tons of information on preparing for endurance riding.

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This book is a classic story of motorcycle endurance riding.  “Ten consecutive thousand-mile days on two wheels in a mental race against imponderable odds and a ceaselessly ticking clock–welcome to the legendary Iron Butt Rally.  Against the Wind is a riveting new book, written by sixth-place 1995 finisher Ron Ayres, telling the story of what many call the most grueling test of human endurance in all of motorcycling.  With guts and shear willpower, riders must overcome (or succumb to) fatigue and danger, calling upon human reserves buried deep within.

Ayres reveals the innermost thoughts of a successful contestant and lets us share the anticipation, the thrill, the fatigue, the heartbreak, the euphoria, and ultimately the controversy of completing this merciless trial.  More than the mere mechanics of making it through the eleven-day ordeal, Ayres describes the elegant strategy necessary to be a contender.  You’ll discover what motivates the riders, how the rally is scored, what takes place each day, how the routes are planned, and what it’s like to ride to the very limit of endurance–and then ride some more.”

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