2021 IBR – Day 3 Flash Report

Sadness and Sogginess

Todd Lipps’ 2018 Harley Davidson Road King Police is done, and so is his rally. The bike was blowing oil for a few hours and getting more and more noisy before he finally pulled in the clutch and coasted to a stop. He is in a small hotel in southern Wisconsin, waiting for his comfort-food order of pizza and beer. At this time, like so many riders faced with this choice, Todd is sad and we are too. He talked it over with his family, knowing that riders would offer their bikes so that he could at least finish the IBR, but decided this is not an option he wanted to take. As the clouds gather in the Midwestern sky it is indeed a gloomy night for Todd. He had a good leg, but his Harley wasn’t up to the challenge.

Some 1,200 miles south of Todd are two riders headed in different directions. One is coming out of the Florida Keys and has a long ride to get back to the checkpoint. The other is just now heading into the keys. With 23½ hours to get back to the checkpoint he may need to rethink his time/distance calculations. In addition to time considerations, there’s also the weather. To quote the Eurythmics, “Here Comes the Rain Again”.