ADV Cannonball

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Press Release: https://www.advcannonball.com/news/press-release-2026-adv-rally
2026 Results and Photos: https://www.advcannonball.com/2026-adv-cannonball-rally
The awards banquet is where the ADV Cannonball Rally stops being a route file and turns into real people, real bikes, and real stories. We’re on stage handing out finisher awards and specialty trophies while the crowd relives the kind of moments only an endurance adventure motorcycle rally can create: unexpected passengers, sketchy timing decisions, and yes, the running joke about how many times riders got pulled over for speeding. 

We also give proper credit to the volunteers and organisers who keep a cross-country rally moving, then we dig into what the scoring means. Points are cumulative across events, which can change your future starting position, and we talk through what separates a clean points run from a chaotic one. On the trophy side, we break down the difference between the Checkpoint Crusher award for riders who dominate the paved checkpoints and the Rough Rider trophy for those who collect every off-road stage point, especially when the routes get harder and the mileage gets longer. 

Along the way we drop a little “inside information” tease about 2027, hand out a navigation app door prize for getting lost, and honour the Cannonball Baker spirit before crowning the overall winner. If you love adventure motorcycling, GPS checkpoint navigation, and the mental game of long-distance riding, you’ll feel right at home with this one. Subscribe, share this with a riding buddy, and leave a review, then tell us: which award would you chase next year?
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CREW SHOW
Press Release: https://www.advcannonball.com/news/press-release-2026-adv-rally
2026 Results and Photos: https://www.advcannonball.com/2026-adv-cannonball-rally
Sixty-four people make it to the Monterey awards banquet, but the real story lives in the gap between signing up and rolling across the finish. We sit down right after two wild weeks on the road to unpack the 2026 ADV Cannonball Rally from the inside, including what surprised us, what failed, and what riders did when things went sideways and quitting would have been the easy option. 

We start with a sharp detour into electric motorcycle reality, sparked by a LiveWire battery teardown that changes how we think about charging heat, battery cooling, and long-distance EV riding. From there we get personal: using AI tools to organize research and timelines for a new book project, and why “go ride while you can” lands differently when health news hits close to home. If you care about adventure riding, endurance motorcycling, or even just building better trip plans, there’s a lot here you can steal and apply. 

Then we get into the meat of the ADV Cannonball rally recap: the 108 registered riders, the 75 who start, the 64 who show up at the end, and the mechanical patterns that kept repeating. We talk chain failures, tire swaps, the Pueblo maintenance pit stop, and why basic motorcycle maintenance and self-rescue skills matter more than internet bravado. You’ll hear the best stories from the route too: riders taking desert naps to stay safe, a scooter finisher who uses a U-Haul and a mechanic to claw back into the rally, and trail-side fixes that keep bikes alive when they should be done. 

Stick around after our cruise-show chat because we also plan to add the full awards banquet recording to the end. If you enjoy the podcast, subscribe, share it with a riding buddy, and leave a review so more riders can find these ADV Cannonball lessons.
Support the show
Free Music from the show on SPOTIFY and on APPLE
Aaron's Ride Outs Map HERE
Support us directly on Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/Aaron-Pufal
Support us on Patreon HERE
Buy us a Coffee HERE
The Motorcycle Book and Film Clubs.
The Living List Document GOOGLE DOC
Contact the Podcast [email protected]
ADV Cannonball Rally Home
GPS Checkpoint Rally & Event App Home
ADV Cannonball Rally on Facebook Instagram TikTok
Mailing Address ...

Send us Fan Mail
Day five hits with a question every adventure rider has wrestled with: when the rally feels like it’s dialled past the limit, do you keep chasing every checkpoint, or do you make the adult call and ride straight to the hotel? Rolling out of Moab toward Las Vegas, we talk honestly about fatigue, food, hydration, and the quiet danger of stacking big days with small sleep. We also dig into why finishing is always an accomplishment, but why certain rally awards only mean something if they stay truly difficult.

Then we get deep into the real make-or-break skill of an endurance motorcycle rally: navigation. We break down how riders are using GPX tracks, POIs, and checkpoints, and why throwing out the recommended route can turn “efficient” into a mess of one-way mountain trails, broken assumptions, and apps that refuse to route down a trail. You’ll hear exactly how extreme checkpoints and algorithm-driven shortcuts can strand even strong riders on the wrong side of a river, and why our best advice stays simple: practise with your setup until you’re fluent, because better late than lost is still the best strategy.

We close with the stories that make ADV rallies unforgettable: the Captain Chaos mechanical saga, the reality that there’s no perfect adventure motorcycle, and how packing choices and trail conditions can change your entire day. If you ride with GPS, chase waypoints, or just want smarter risk management on big trips, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share this with your riding buddy, and leave a review telling us your go-to navigation setup.
Support the show
Free Music from the show on SPOTIFY and on APPLE
Aaron's Ride Outs Map HERE
Support us directly on Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/Aaron-Pufal
Support us on Patreon HERE
Buy us a Coffee HERE
The Motorcycle Book and Film Clubs.
The Living List Document GOOGLE DOC
Contact the Podcast [email protected]
ADV Cannonball Rally Home
GPS Checkpoint Rally & Event App Home
ADV Cannonball Rally on Facebook Instagram TikTok
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Day four on the ADV Cannonball is where the rally’s personality really shows: long highway miles, heavy heat, and the kind of messy, real-world problems you cannot simulate in a garage. We’re rolling west on Highway 70 watching riders stream past, swapping stories about surviving a 107 heat index, the weird calm of a “slab day,” and why traffic jams can be more dangerous than any dirt section when impatience takes over. One ugly run-in with a truck driver turns into a clear lesson on risk management and staying alive when the road gets tight. 

The competition side is just as sharp. We talk about the Stig’s outrageous multi-tank setup on a KTM 1290, the advantage of skipping fuel stops, and how fast that plan can unravel when a chain breaks and someone has to bring an angle grinder to get the bike moving again. Even with inspections, missed checkpoints, and all the day’s drama, the standings come down to a jaw-dropping one minute and thirty-six seconds. Add early morning parking lot tyre changes, riders carrying spares, and a few heartbreaking DNFs, and you get a snapshot of endurance riding where preparation matters more than bravado. 

We also dig into the practical tech: the GPS rally app runs flawlessly when riders follow the regulations, which leads to our blunt advice on dedicated devices, clear sky view, wireless charging, and why we keep leaning toward iPhone for reliability. Then we look ahead to Colorado and Utah, where extreme checkpoints actually become extreme, weather tracking becomes mandatory, and flash flood risk is real. We finish with a fuel-soaked lesson from the Kove 450 Rally and what it teaches about multi-tank bikes and calculating range on the fly. Subscribe, share this with a riding buddy, and leave a review, then tell us: would you chase the extreme checkpoints or play it safe?
Support the show
Free Music from the show on SPOTIFY and on APPLE
Aaron's Ride Outs Map HERE
Support us directly on Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/Aaron-Pufal
Support us on Patreon HERE
Buy us a Coffee HERE
The Motorcycle Book and Film Clubs.
The Living List Document GOOGLE DOC
Contact the Podcast [email protected]
ADV Cannonball Rally Home
GPS Checkpoint Rally & Event App Home
ADV Cannonball Rally on Facebook Instagram TikTok
Mailing Address ...

Send us Fan Mail
A coast-to-coast rally is won and lost long before the first checkpoint, and we are not shy about saying it. Taylor Lawson sits down with Aaron Pufal, fresh off setting a new electric motorcycle record from the Red Ball Garage in New York City to the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach in a little over 100 hours, to talk about what real preparation looks like for the 2026 ADV Cannonball Rally.

We get into the unglamorous stuff that keeps you riding: building a navigation plan a month out, practising GPX navigation until you can recover from app crashes and mid-route restarts, and making sure your setup works offline for remote off-road checkpoints. We also share the simplest save-your-day fallback: keep the hotel address handy so when your plan goes sideways you can still get to safety without a spiral.

From there we hit rules and strategy, including why the rally notice page matters, why start times change, and how Park Ferme can catch you if you do not read the regulations. We also talk bike setup like adults: fixing flats, choosing a tire plan that matches your goals and speed, packing layers for wild weather swings, and thinking through survival gear based on how far you are willing to push into the backcountry.

If you ride adventure motorcycles and you want a smarter, calmer, faster rally experience, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who is rally-curious, and leave a review so more riders can find the ADV Cannonball Podcast.
Support the show
Free Music from the show on SPOTIFY and on APPLE
Aaron's Ride Outs Map HERE
Support us directly on Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/Aaron-Pufal
Support us on Patreon HERE
Buy us a Coffee HERE
The Motorcycle Book and Film Clubs.
The Living List Document GOOGLE DOC
Contact the Podcast [email protected]
ADV Cannonball Rally Home
GPS Checkpoint Rally & Event App Home
ADV Cannonball Rally on Facebook Instagram TikTok
Mailing Address ...