Hard as it may be to believe, riding 1000 miles a day for 10 days straight can actually be fun.

When friends ask me about my experience competing in MERA’s inaugural 10-n-10 Rally, I’ll admit that I tend to lead with the dramatic stuff:  hail, gale-force winds,and triple-digit temperatures.  Riding 18 hours a day while surviving on a diet that consisted mainly of Clif bars, salted peanuts and beef jerky.  That sort of thing.  And, when I sum it all up by saying that I honestly can’t remember when I’ve had more fun, I get to laugh as they back away slowly shaking their heads and mumbling something about me being off my medication again.

The fact is, however, that my first multi-day endurance rally was a heck of a good time.  There were some definite low points in my ride to be sure, including an ugly case of heat exhaustion, assorted aches and pains, and frustrating electronic gremlins.  But all I really remember four days after the finish line closed last Sunday morning are the series of unforgettable moments I experienced.

Like standing on the beach of North Carolina’s Outer Banks at sunrise and visiting the “official” Middle Of Nowhere.  Not to mention comparing scars and trading stories with other long-distance riders whose idea of a good time involves covering more ground in a day that many motorcyclists do in a month.

Now, however, it’s time for me to take on a challenge that makes this epic 10-day, 10,000-mile adventure look simple by comparison.  Namely, to try and explain to the rest of the world just what it is that makes endurance rallies, which are admittedly exercises in motorcycle masochism, so appealing.

In an upcoming issue of Cycle World, I’ll fill you in on what I’ve come to believe are the three main attractions that draw hundreds of rally veterans and long-distance newbies to enter these grueling events each year.  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this thought: For the 20 of us who rode a total of nearly 200,000 miles over the course of this 10-day event, the real question isn’t so much “Why would anyone want to do this?” as it is “Why doesn’t everybody want to do this?”

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