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Two-Bits - History
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History of the Two-Bits Rally
After riding two of my own 1000-in-24s and an Iron Butt Association SaddleSore 1000 I entered the Utah 1088 in 1998. I rode the base route,
saw a lot of beautiful Utah scenery, rode through the night into the dawn, and finished somewhere out of the top 10. For me, the midnight
to 5am stretch on a moonless night made for a tough introduction to that type of rallies. Nevertheless, I was hooked on the competition,
the time/distance planning, and the camaraderie. In 1989 through '92 I entered the Thin Air TT that was run around the state of
Colorado. Its format included 15 hours of riding on Saturday and 9 hours on Sunday, for a total of 24 hours, but no nighttime riding.
A very terrific event put on by the Thin Air Heads, six members of the Colorado FreeWheelers, a Denver-based motorcycle club. Riding in
the solo class, I was able to finish well enough to get a couple of nice plaques for the wall. But the best part was planning effective
routes, riding all around the Rocky Mountains, and enjoying the company of likeminded motorcyclists.
As I related details of those experiences to other motorcyclists I found that many riders are interested in those
types of rallies but haven't entered any for various reasons. They've lacked the time to compete in the events and to travel to and from
the distant locations. They haven't had or wanted to invest the dollars for registration fees, motels, and so forth. They haven't wanted
to ride through the night. Or maybe they've just been intimidated thinking about trying to compete with the "big dogs".
So the idea for the "Two-Bits Rally" was born. Two bits = a quarter. A 6-hour rally, a quarter of a "real" 24-hour rally. A length of
time long enough to be challenging but short enough not to be intimidating. No nighttime riding. A minimal entry fee. Run out of the
Denver area, convenient for the riders along the Front Range. A non-threatening environment in which the riders can get an idea
what the rallies are about and to see if their skills and aptitudes would make it a fun experience.
The first Two-Bits was held in 2004 with 18 riders and passengers. And the second was in 2005 with 27. Judging by the
smiling faces and chatter among the returning riders, both rallies were a success. In spite of unseasonably cold and wet
weather in 2006, 18 riders helped to make that Two-Bits a success also.
The 2008 Two-Bits Rally was held as part of the 2008 Concours Owners Group National Rally in Frisco, Colorado, with 33 rally entrants
coming both from the COG rally and from others that just wanted to give the rally a shot. Margaret Peart, from Australia, even
came down from Washington state for her first rally. (Since then she has ridden quite a few other endurance rallies, including
the 2009 Iron Butt Rally.)
After taking 2009 off to concentrate on riding in the Utah 1088 and LOE/1000, the Two-Bits was held again in 2010, with some changes. Instead
of a 6-hour rally, it was an 8-hour rally to allow for more riding around the Colorado Rockies. Instead of having the rally on
a specific day during July, it was more of an individual effort which riders could ride any day of the summer. Scoring was done by
mail instead of in person. Instead of a riders meeting, information was on this web site. And so we didn't miss out entirely on the
comaraderie at a rally site, two RTEs were planned so riders could get together to swap stories.
(Check the "2010 Rules" page for more details.)
The new format used in 2010 is also being used in 2011. It again will be an 8-hour rally so there will be plenty of time to ride
around the Colorado Rockies, and again will be an individual effort which riders can ride any day of the summer. (Or, it can be somewhat
of a group event with some friends, where you all start at the same time, ride your individual routes, and end up in BV later in
the day.) Scoring will be done by mail or e-mail instead of in person. Instead of a riders meeting, all the information you need is
on this web site. And so we didn't miss out entirely on the comaraderie at a rally site, an end-of-season RTE is planned so riders
can get together to swap stories.
(Check the "2011 Rules" page for more details.)
-- Randy Bishop
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© 2009-10 Randy Bishop
Last modified: November 6, 2010