Become a Member: Get Ad-Free Access to 3,000+ Reviews, Guides, & More

Against the Wind: A Rider’s Account of the Incredible Iron Butt Rally

Against the Wind: A Rider's Account of the Incredible Iron Butt Rally

Review Summary
Pros
Cons
Buy Now

By: Ron Ayres
Paperback: 237 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.75 x 9.00 x 6.25
Publisher: Whitehorse Press; 1st edition (June 1, 1997)
ISBN: 1884313094

Ron Ayres is a best-selling author on this subject — he also wrote “Going the Extra Mile – A Handbook for Long-Distance Motorcycling and Endurance Rallies” (wBW Info Page), which provides tons of information on preparing for endurance riding.

wBW Motorcycle Riding Skills Book Reviews:  Complete Idiot’s Guide to Motorcycles  |  Riding in the Zone  |  Motorcycle Track Days for Virgins  |  Stayin’ Safe: The Art and Science of Riding Really Well  |  Secret Skills of Motorcycle Riding  |  UK Road Signs, Road Laws and Licensing Books  | Streetbikes: Everything You Need To Know  |  Performance Riding Techniques  |  How To Ride a Motorcycle  |  MSF’s Motorcycling Excellence, 2nd Edition  |   Smooth Riding the Pridmore Way by Reg Pridmore  |  David Hough’s Proficient MotorcyclingMore Proficient Motorcycling and Street Strategies  |  Ride Hard, Ride Smart by Pat Hahn  |  Sportbiking: The Real World by Gary Jaehne  | Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch  |  Total Control by Lee Parks  |  Twist of the WristTwist of the Wrist II by Keith Code  | Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider’s Handbook  |  Pass Your Advanced Motorcycling Test (U.K.)  |  Pro Motocross and Off-Road Riding Techniques  |  Motorcycling Excellence by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation

More Book Reviews:  Listed on our Motorcycle Books Page

wBW Riding Skills Video Reviews:  Ride Like a Pro III  |  Ride Like a Pro for the Ladies

More wBW:  Motorcycle Safety Page  |  Riding Schools, Training and Track Days

Buy Now

This book is a classic story of motorcycle endurance riding.  “Ten consecutive thousand-mile days on two wheels in a mental race against imponderable odds and a ceaselessly ticking clock–welcome to the legendary Iron Butt Rally.  Against the Wind is a riveting new book, written by sixth-place 1995 finisher Ron Ayres, telling the story of what many call the most grueling test of human endurance in all of motorcycling.  With guts and shear willpower, riders must overcome (or succumb to) fatigue and danger, calling upon human reserves buried deep within.

Ayres reveals the innermost thoughts of a successful contestant and lets us share the anticipation, the thrill, the fatigue, the heartbreak, the euphoria, and ultimately the controversy of completing this merciless trial.  More than the mere mechanics of making it through the eleven-day ordeal, Ayres describes the elegant strategy necessary to be a contender.  You’ll discover what motivates the riders, how the rally is scored, what takes place each day, how the routes are planned, and what it’s like to ride to the very limit of endurance–and then ride some more.”

wBW Rating:  Not wBW Rated

The wBW “Flaming Helmet” Book Review Rating System  |  Book Reviews Home  |  All Reviewed Books Ranked by Rating