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By their eighth decade, some people have settled into an easy life of relaxed days and peaceful evenings reflecting on the glories of their lost youth. When Jan Daub turned 80, he had other plans, among them to become the oldest rider to complete the Iron Butt Association's Ultimate Coast-to-Coast ride, from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Key West, Florida, in no more than 30 days.
Daub had completed the UCC twice before, first on a two-wheeler, then on a Ural sidecar rig — a third attempt on a V-Strom rig ended prematurely with a broken crossmember under the sidecar — so this time he was taking no chances, choosing a Honda Gold Wing DCT with a sidecar for his latest attempt.
He left his home in Texas heading north, and to save wear and tear on himself and his rig he boarded a ferry in Bellingham, Washington, and took the Marine Highway to Haines, Alaska. He had originally planned to kill some time touring around Alaska while waiting for good weather on the Haul Road to Prudhoe Bay. But playing tourist would have to wait.
"When I got up there, the forecast predicted three days of dry weather," Daub says, long enough to make the run up to Prudhoe and back. "I couldn't wait, because it might have been another two or three weeks before I got another three days of dry weather. I had to go for it."
With the weather and the roads so unpredictable in the bleak and windswept north, why not start the ride in sunny Florida instead? "I wanted to hit the toughest part when I was freshest, and the bike was freshest, so if something went wrong, I'd have time to repair it. If I was going to break down, I'd rather do it in Georgia than on the Haul Road."
Daub modified his Gold Wing to make breakdowns less likely. He installed heavy-duty shocks front and rear, and put screens in front of the radiators to prevent mud and calcium chloride — used to control dust on the road between Prudhoe and Fairbanks — from clogging the cooling system. He installed a bash plate to protect the Wing's notoriously weak underside and the sidecar held an extra eight gallons of gas.
"In Canada, you never know if a fuel station is going to be open when you get there," he noted.
One thing Daub couldn't prevent as he began the long trip south was rain. "By the fourth day, all of my riding gear was soaked inside and out from riding in the constant rain. The wind shoved water into every crack and seam in my gear. It was pooling on the seat, and I was sitting in an inch of water," he said. It was time for a break.
"I was totally chilled to the bone and thought, OK, I just need to take a day off now and dry everything out so I can get back on the road in comfort again."
Once again underway, he took the Alaska Highway to the Canadian border where he checked the weather. "I was going to go to Edmonton and diagonally cross and then come down to the Midwest," he said. "But my friends were telling me there was a heat dome in the Midwest. It hit over 100 degrees every day out there. They said cross closer to the foothills of the Rockies and then go as far south as you can, and then along the coast."
Now, heat became the biggest obstacle. "Starting in Southern Colorado, I would get up at midnight and get on the road, and then get off it by 1 p.m. to stay out of the hottest part of the day." He hit Texas and the Gulf Coast and took a couple of days off at his home near Houston to repair a broken parking brake and get new brake pads. Then it was on to southern Florida, where he prepared for the final push on the Overseas Highway to Key West.
"I spent the night in Homestead, Florida," Daub said, "and got up early because there's only one road going down to Key West. Even then, I got caught behind all the commercial delivery trucks that deliver to the little stores and restaurants all down through that area. There was a traffic jam just going down there at six in the morning."
In Key West, as at the start in Prudhoe Bay, UCC rules require a witness to confirm arrival. "In the past I've used firemen as witnesses," Daub said, but when he arrived in Key West, "the police station was right next to the fire station. So I picked up the service phone outside and told them I just arrived from Alaska, I'm doing the Iron Butt ride, and I need a witness."
A moment later, the chief of police came out. "I've heard about you Iron Butt guys," he said, "but I've never met one so I wanted to come out and be your witness."
The ceremony didn't last long. "The chief said there was a rainstorm coming in," Daub said, "and all the Keys were going to get it for the next six days. So if I was thinking about leaving, I should just get out of town." Heavy rain showed up before Daub got back to the mainland. "I could just barely see where I was going. All I could do is watch the center line and hope nobody stopped in front of me."
Jan Daub's ride was later certified by the Iron Butt Association, making him the oldest rider ever to complete the UCC. It's a record that will probably stand for some time. But if it doesn't, Daub is ready. "If some other guy does it at 81, well, if I still have my health I'll do it again at 82."
