My article, "Rewarding Long-Distance Riding in 1919", published in Iron Butt Magazine, Summer 2012.

Iron Butt Magazine, Summer 2012

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Text from newspaper article:

Medals for Motorcycle Tourists

New York, April 10 – Chairman Parsons of the M. & A. T. A. Education Committee announces the rules for applicants for long distance touring medals, and also sends a description of the three classes of medals to be awarded as follows:

Class 1 – Transcontinental Tourist Medal. This medal will be awarded to the motorcycle tourist who makes a tour across the country from ocean to ocean, in compliance with the rules. A special bar will be added to this medal if the tourist makes a round trip. A period of three months will be allowed for the completion of a trans-continental tour (one way) or six months for the round trip.

Class 2 – Two Thousand Mile Tourist Medal. This medal will be awarded to any motorcycle tourist who makes a tour of 2,000 miles or over but does not cross the continent. The mileage in this class will be figured for the round trip but the tour one way must not be less than 1,000 miles from starting point to the turning point for the return journey. A period of eight weeks will be allowed for the completion of a tour entered in this class.

Class 3 – One Thousand Mile Tourist Medal. This medal will be awarded to any motorcycle tourist who makes a tour of 1,000 miles or over but less than 2,000 miles. The mileage in this class will be figured for the round trip, but the tour one way must not be less than 500 miles from starting point to the turning point for the return journey. A period of four weeks will be allowed for the completion of a tour entered in this class.

The general design for the medals in all three classes will be the same, but for Class 1, the medal will be gold, for Class 2 of silver and Class 3 of bronze.

A tourist may enter for only one class at a time. That is to say, a tourist intending to make a transcontinental tour may not also enter for a 2,000-mile medal and a 1,000-mile medal and count his cross country mileage for these medals in addition to the transcontinental.

However, should a tourist enter for a Class 1 or Class 2 medal, fail to complete the tour called for by the class entered, but should cover enough mileage to entitle him to a medal is Class 2 or Class 3 he may, on presenting the proper evidence, qualify for the medal in the class specified by the mileage actually made.

A tourist may enter for as many long distance tours as time will permit. That is to say, a tourist may make as many 1,000 and 2,000 mile and transcontinental tours as he pleases and qualify for a medal in each tour provided that no two tours in either Class 2 or Class 3 are over the same course for more than 33 1/3% of the way. The object of this rule is to encourage diversified touring.

Transcontinental tours may be repeated over the same course for the return journey or as an original tour the next season, but no two transcontinental tours over the same course in the same calendar year will be recognized as qualifying for medals.

All tours in all classes must be actually made on motorcycles, provided, however, that on producing satisfactory evidence that road conditions made riding impossible, any tourist in any class may ship his machine for a distance not to exceed one-tenth of the total mileage for the tour. In case a machine is shipped, detailed information must be filed with the Chairman of the Educational Committee. The Educational Committee will be the final judge of the evidence in such cases.

Tourists in all classes must register before starting with the Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Motorcycle and Allied Trades Association stating the class entered, the starting point and the finishing point. Or if it is a round trip tour, the turning point.

A registration fee of 50 cents will be charged for each registration in each class.

Blanks will be furnished tourists upon which they are to obtain the signature of the postmaster or some other competent public official in at least one town or city in every 100 miles of the tour for Classes 2 and 3, and at least one signature in every state crossed for a distance of 50 miles or more in all classes, and at least every 200 miles in class one. These signatures are to constitute the evidence of the tour having been made and it shall be the duty of the Chairman of the Educational Committee to satisfy himself that the blank is properly filled out before a medal is awarded to any registrant.

No medals will be issued unless the blank is filed with the Chairman of the Educational Committee by the tourist on completion of his tour.

Chairman Parsons will issue application forms to all who desire them. Address W. H. Parsons, Chairman M. & A. T. A. Educational Committee, 450 Fourth Avenue, New York.

More Motorcycling and Lincoln Highway History

Lincoln Highway Association

Federal Highway Administrtion, Highway History, The Lincoln Highway

M&ATA, one of the predecessors of the AMA. Click here.

A.B. Coffman, First Secretary of the AMA, 1924. A key organizer of the M&ATA in 1918. Inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. Click here.

Gypsy Tour and Laconia History. A comprehensive and very cool collection of Gypsy Tour photos, programs, and medals. Click here.

Gypsy Tour Memorabilia. Click here.