Rumors are floating around that the 2005 Iron Butt Rally may start and end in Denver this year!

The Iron Butt Rally is borderline insanity involving challenging some of the best long distance rally riders in the US to a grueling eleven day loop around the US. Now we here in Colorado will have a chance to watch excited riders and shiny bikes leave on August 22 and a subset of those people return as haggard, exhausted shells of their former selves aboard the smoking ruin of their motorcycles on September 2.

This event is managed by the Iron Butt Association but its mainly the product of the sick and twisted mind of Michael Kneebone and his cronies. Somehow, he always manages to concoct increasingly torturous special optional routes each year, so its worth watching the daily reports during the Rally to see what he’s got the poor wretches doing each day in a bid to win. Since it will be based in Denver this year, it may be possible to watch things develop from a central IBA command center which will be an added bonus.

After years of the event starting and ending on one coast or the other I’m psyched it will be “local” in 2005.

[image from Iron Butt Rally web site]