Welcome to The Void Rally 7

The Void RallyEvery year I see a message go out to one of the local motorcycle group mail lists that I’m on from Catfish – trying to get people to bite and join him at The Void Rally in October.

Catfish… is Catfish. He’s my friend, a motorcycle nut, rally rider and all around great guy. You can read the old posts about his time during the 2009 Iron Butt Rally  (yes, the BIG one.) When he tries to get people on board with whatever cockamamie thing he’s up to you know it’s going to be interesting.

What is The Void Rally?

From the Void website:

How It Works

The Void, much like every other rally (see ‘Other Rally Links’ page)  is part scavenger hunt, part trivia quiz, part poker run, part marathon, and all done on a motorcycle.  The goal is to have the most points at the end of the event.  Points are acquired by visiting Bonus Locations and properly satisfying their requirements.

rallythevoid.org 

The Cliff Notes version: Read the rally book, plan a route, ride a bunch and take pictures of stuff, don’t cock up. The end.

Kenny is No Help Whatsoever

I saw Catfish’s message come through this year and for the first time, a little seed began to germinate. For about a week, I thought about it. Could I do this? Is this type of riding for me? My first reaction was to shrink back from the fear of the unknown and say, “No way. I’m not an endurance rider. I couldn’t do that.”

But, as a few more days passed the little seed began to grow.

“Babe, I’m thinking about doing the Void Rally. Think I could do it?” I asked Kenny.

“Sure, why not? “

It sounded suspiciously like the type of response that really means, “Whatever you say. I’m playing video games.” So, I clarified.

“Really? I feel like I won’t be able to spend all of those hours riding.”

“Um… ? Am I missing something? This is what you do when you travel anyway. You ride around and find stuff,” he said.

Kenny: 1     Fuzzy: 0

I guess he was paying attention.

With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

Another day or two had passed and as I made my interest in the Void known, the usual suspects (like my dear friend Bill who likes to throw me to the wolves) kept egging me on to finally register.

They used many tactics from the tried and true faux-you’re just a girl, you cant do that type of stuff, to positive reinforcement, to again echoing Kenny’s original sentiment – isn’t this the type of stuff you do anyway? Apparently my friends and family believe in me for some dumb reason.

What pushed me over the edge though was getting a chance to sit down and talk with Catfish and his wife who rides pillion for rallies.

Sometimes the simplest things, the most obvious answers are right there in front of you but you can’t see the forest for the trees. Are you ready for the Earth shattering advice? Brace yourselves:

“If you aren’t having fun, you can just stop.”

Oh. Right.

Welcome to the Void

With little fanfare while sipping my morning coffee, I registered myself to participate as a 24 hour Rally rider. And then I shit my pants.

I’ll be heading out of the Allentown, PA starting location on October 5 and hopefully turning up in Lynchburg, VA 29 hours later with red eyes and a sore ass. (I know, that sounds weird.)

…………….

So, I’ve been registered for a few weeks and have been sitting on this post.

Now with summer winding down and the time flying by I’ve got to make an effort to mentally prepare myself. And add a couple dohickeys to my bike.

My case of the butterflies is in overdrive. Can I do this? I guess we’ll see…

 

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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8 Responses

  1. Trobairitz says:

    You’ll be able to do it. You have a whole fan base cheering you on even if it is only through the interweb.

    I think you got sound advice both from Kenny and his “this is what you do anyway” and Catfish & Mrs. Catfish with ‘you can always stop’.

    I for one am looking forward to hearing all the details.

  2. You can do it. I never thought I could either before my first endurance rally. The adrenaline kicks in, so does the competitive spirit (as long as it is not overblown, it is good).

    Remember the only thing that really matters at the end of the rally is that you are back safe.

    Just listen to your body for signs of fatigue and pull over at the first sign of fatigue and take a power nap.

    Some examples of fatigue are – missing exits, getting startled by someone passing you, forgetting to switch from hi beam to lo beam at night etc etc.

    PS – I think I might know this Catfish character. Didn’t he used to sell PHID’s?

    • Fuzzygalore says:

      He probably did sell ’em. He’s Catfish from Farklemasters, or you might know him from the FJR forum.

      Thanks for the pep talk and the encouragement. One of my personal failures is staying hydrated. Even though I KNOW i am not taking in enough fluids, I will keep moving without stopping. I will have my camelback on for sure during the event though.

      My goals:

      1: Make it there and back home safely.

      My wish lists beyond that ~ to not DNF and to not be dead last. ::crosses fingers::

  3. Kathy says:

    Of course you can! And if you do decide you aren’t having fun, you know someone really nice that lives about halfway, or two-thirds of the way, who can come to your rescue. 🙂

  4. Anthony says:

    I will be in Allentown as well as two of my friends. My girlfriend is riding the 10 hour portion.

    We both did the Minute Man 1000 in June. You got this.

  5. BJ_CT says:

    Prepare to become obsessed:
    – To have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic
    – having or showing excessive or compulsive concern
    – influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion

  6. ToadMama says:

    You are my hero. 🙂

  7. Andrew says:

    Sounds like my king of fun!

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