What a July!!!

Finally broke a thousand miles in the month of July.  1202 to be exact.  Smashed the previous July record, 857, by 345 miles.  Owe this all to Mary for suggesting that we blow off The Ragbrai and head to Cedar Falls and the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.  4 day expedition on tandem that netted us with 350 miles.  Took two days off and cranked out another 50 before vacation ended.

May 2014 is the monthly record holder followed by July.  June did not see me break 1200 but its 1100+ is fine by me.  3  months in a row with 1000+ miles each.

August...I only want 800. 

Reamining Goal:  10,000 for the year.  have not done my maths yet but earlier in the week it looked like I would have 3500+ plus miles left for the year to make 10K.  Or 710 per month.  To achieve this I decided to  ride 30 miles per day Monday through Friday (commute).  Only tacking on 3 miles per day.  Plus a few weekend moderate rides to make the nut for the 710.  Probably need to hit it strong before the weather turns bad.

Cheers!!

3 in a Row, 1000 Mile Months

Victory beer and shot at Stevie C's Dive Bar, Grimes, Iowa

For a mere mortal like myself who does not race or train for racing a 100+ mile month had been a difficult landmark to reach.  For years I aimed for July to be the first month to hit that milestone but always missed the mark.

Strange, with Ragbrai being the centerpiece of the month and the cycling season it should be the month with the most miles.  It used to be.  But 857 miles became the record.  But sometimes I handicapped myself.  Fear of wrecking or ruining a bike before the big ride saw me slacking off riding two weeks before.  And by the time I became a good distance rider my Ragbrai became shorter and shorter.  Last year I had daily work commutes longer than a few days on the Brai.

June 2013 became my first month to see me ride 1000 miles.  This was made possible by RASDak (Ride Across South Dakota) which was responsible for over 400 miles and commuting to work which usually is over 1500 miles per week.

2014 may became the second month to reach and exceed 1000 miles.  1200+.  300 mile weeks helped.  Great weather.

Then I hit 1100+ in June.  2 months in a row.

July 2014 is still alive and recording.  Yesterday on my way to Johnston, Iowa, after work I hit 1000 miles for the month.  3 months in a row.

As for a fourth month this year I do not see it in the cards.  No tours or training for tours.  Lots of bike maintenance to perform.  Need to get two or three winter commuters up and running.  Hot and humid weather expected.  August usually is a low mileage month for me.

Who knows?

Safety Proposal

I can think of two dangerous sections of the Central Iowa trail system that need to be addressed.  One is the new underpass of the Grand Avenue bridge on the Walnut Creek Trail and the other is the tunnel under Beaver Avenue on the Trestle to Trestle Trail.  Both have BLIND spots that pose collision hazards.

The Grand Ave underpass has recently been reconstructed.  Riders make a swooping 90 degree turn around the bridge support.  There is no way to see what or who awaits on the otherside.  I have almost collided with pedestrians and bicyclists here.

The T2T tunnel has a 90 degree turn. In the tunnel it is impossible to see who or what is coming toward the tunnel.  Mary was hit by a roadie here.

Placing large television screens and cameras on the blind spots is probably too expensive but a sensor and warning light would not.  When someone enters the area of concern of the blind spot a the warning light would flash to alert the unsuspecting trail user that there is  a collision risk.

Back On the Saddle Again

Yeah, I knew they were closed.  Just stopped for a photo.

A few days off felt like an eternity.  Ride 350 miles in 4 days (87+ daily average) and get home in time for a heat wave.  Monday rode 7 miles to the store and back.  Tuesday's planned single track ride was aborted after 1 mile.  90s with high humidity.  Tuesday it was 82F at 4 am.  Or was that Monday?  Too damn hot and humid.  But the biggest issue is my state of mind.  With our Dakota and Iowa bike tours over I really have nothing to look forward to, nothing to keep in shape for.

So today being the last day of vacation is the last chance for a good size ride.  50 miles.  Good goal.  Makes up, almost, for 2 days of commuting to work.  Weather was good.  Not hot or windy.  Ride to St Marys taking the Great Western Trail.  Pack a snack, fill the bottles and grab the easy riding carbon road bike.  It'll feel like a Ferrari after being on the touring tandem and fat bikes.  Just got to get out of the house.  Easier said than done.

Thoughts of turning around hit before the first mile was completed.  Forward.  Just keep moving.  Keep moving.  At the 18 mile mark I stopped at a lean to, not that lean to, and ate a sandwich and took advantage of the water fountain.  So easy to turn back now.  But only 3.5 miles to go until Martensdale.  Keep moving.

I did not make it to St Marys.  Took a right at the paved road near the top of the first hill.  I had almost 25 miles completed.  Explore this road and hope it leads to something good.  No.  Just a non-incorporated residential neighborhood.  But it gave me the requisite miles and then some.  Stop at the gas station in Martensdale and purchase a tea and fudge round cookie treat.  Caffeine, ginseng, sugar and chocolate.  Eat at the park and head home.

Not my best speed but I never got passed.  Yes, there were other people on the trail, most south of Cumming.  I saw Dallas at the golf course.  Usually see him on the Bill Riley Trail on his hybrid with aerobars during my commute home.  He was trying to get 75 miles in but was "running out of time."

Miles for the sake of miles.  Exercise?  Yeah right.  Hitting a new annual mileage record?  Hell yes.  I think I can reach 10,000 miles this year.  Just keep moving.

Des Moines to Cedars Falls and Back

Marshalltown, Iowa.

Alternative Title: Instead of Ragbrai

When Joe and Donnie's mother took a turn for the worst and they decided to stay home instead of joining us for the ride to Ragbrai Mary and I felt like we should do something different and unique.  We wanted to ride somewhere new.  Time was a premium since Mary had to be back at work on Tuesday.  It was her idea to ride to Cedar Falls and then ride down the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.  We could stay at Dave's place.

Before agreeing to this I checked my map.  The same map that had our 2014 Ragbrai plans.  It looked very reasonable.  A two day journey.  Although graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, we had only scratched the surface of the CVNT.  Our very first bicycle camping trip was from Cedar Falls to McFarland Park outside of La Porte City over 20 years ago,  We have done the Fools Ride before but that was only 12 miles of this 54 mile long trail.  Skipping Ragbrai gave us an opportunity to explore the rest of the trail.  Also, there were several other trails we could visit which was a bonus since most of these trails we would normally never ride since they are out of our range and not destination trails.  Some texting and phone calls to Dave secured arrangements for Friday night, our target for the second day of riding.

The Bike

1991 Fisher Gemini MTB tandem.  Now in touring mode.  We met Gary and showed him a photo of our bike and his eyes lit up.  He too replaced the flat bars with drop bars.

Both of our touring bikes are out of commission at the moment.  One needing new wheels and the other much more.  The Gary Fisher Gemini tandem was ready to go.  Add panniers and load up!  It has served us well over the years, a veteran of many Ragbrai and self contained rides.

The People we Encountered

I have to say that this was the most refreshing ride in along time terms of the people we met.  It was good to be out of the metro.  The response to the tandem brought back memories and feelings from the 90s when the bike was new and new to us and tandems we not as common as they are now.  "Nice bike!  Kewl bike!ect.  Children turned around and some stuck their heads out car windows to get a better look.  People asked how it worked.  Other people asked about the trails.  An older man in Baxter, looked like a farmer who would give a rat's behind about bikes asked us about the trail and complained about the failure to the State to give promised matching funds for repairs needed between Mingo and Ira.  Said he went to the meeting about it.  Others asked us where we were going, where we started.  But the main questions was, "you do the Ragbrai?"  That ride still holds magic for people.  People were helpful, mostly, when we asked for directions or locations.  Some have no clue.  "Have not been to that town for 20 years.  It was 15 miles away.  No one honked, shouted, threw stuff or tried to kill us when we were on the road.

 Day One Des Moines to Beaman, Iowa 100.3 Miles

Altoona Library

We left on Thursday morning and headed to the Chichaqua Nature Trail.  Another first, riding to that trail from home by ourselves.  The trail head is almost 20 miles from our house.  To get there we rode on the Gay Lea Wilson Trail from Scott Ave to Altoona.  We stopped at Hy Vee for breakfast.  Simple way to get to the CNT--"Take 1st St to 1st St and a left at the cemetery.  Follow this road over the freeway and do not cross the highway to the Wooden Nickle.  When you reach double affinity (88th St) look to the left and the trailhead you should see."   Then 20 miles of paved trail to the end in Baxter.  We refueled at the Country Corner.

Outside Clark's Bar, Melbourne, Iowa.  the night before 81 bicycles were here.  notice the slack in the idler chain.  I forgot to bring the spanner to adjust.

Melbourne was the next town.  we took F17 out of Baxter then the first left, S62.  Stopped at Clark's Bar and used the restrooms and drank a beer.  Melbourne is the west end of the Iowa 330 Trail which starts in Marshalltown.  Every Wednesday riders from that town ride to his bar.  The previous night he counted 81 bikes!  To show his appreciation for their business he grilled for them.

The 330 Trail is not a destination trail.  It is a means to an end.  It is a safe path along highway 330 and highway 30.  Nearly 20 miles in distance it is marked every half mile for your knowledge and 911 help.  The trail goes up and down a lot which helps break up the monotony of riding parallel a four lane highway.  The trail is dressed with wild flowers and birds.  Red Winged Blackbirds are plentiful and possess the ability to hover over moving bicycles and talk to the riders.  Even the females were out.

Apparently, the loaded bike weighed more than 25Kg.  Got $70 miles out of the kickstand.  A little better than $1 per mile.

This trail merges with Marshalltown trails, namely the Linn Creek Trail system which brings riders into the heart of town and can lead them to the north end of town on highway 14.  We had to stray off trail to Wal Mart to purchase tent poles (I left them at home) and to La Porta Mexican Restaurant.  This added to our mileage.

Beaman Tap, Beaman, Iowa.  nice and clean bar.  Told they served great food.

Taking 14 for a mile north out of town we turned at the first right and headed to Green Mountain, Iowa, on T29.  Rolling past this town we settled into Beaman, Iowa.  The Beaman Tap offers food and beer but we were still full so we rolled west to Conrad, 2 miles, and hit the Casey's.  Ice, pizza and a 6 pack of Rolling Rock tall boys.  It was cheaper than Busch Light 12oz cans.  It was in Conrad that we visited the Comet Trail and rode it past Beaman to where the final down tree stopped us.

Conrad, Iowa

The trail was victim to a bad storm on a Monday and many trees fell down.  The crushed limestone surface was littered with branches and sticks.  That was a shame because it was a nice trail with many benches and monuments.  Unfortunately, millions of mosquitos.  we worked our way back to Beaman and circled the town twice to officially complete the century before setting up camp in the Discovery Garden's gazebo.  We slept on lawn furniture and thus saved ourselves from deploying the tent and packing it up the next day.  That night we stopped at the tap and order two Broad Street Brewing Co 175 beers for $5.75,  Local  craft beer from Reinbeck, Iowa,  cheap!  I think Beaman will be the stopping point for future rides.  Beaman would make a great meeting place for those riding from Cedar Falls.

The gazebo in Beaman's Discover Gardens.  we had electricity, padded patio furniture and a roof over our heads.  Water was available across the street.

The statute was broken before we arrived.

A century for the first day.  Rolling Rock tall boys became our "official" bike beer as it was cheaper than Busch Light.

Day Two Beaman to La Porte City  81.8 Miles

Trailhead in Grundy Center.

In the morning we headed north to Grundy Center.  Mary remembered the western Dressing bull that stood outside the dressing plant so we detoured that way for the photo opportunity.  Unfortunately for us, Richelieu Foods bought out western many years ago and the bull was not sold in the divorce.  On the plus side, as the Casey's General Store cashier promised, the trailhead for the Pioneer Trail was near the Richelieu plant so not a complete time waste.  The Pioneer Trail is a non-paved trail that runs from Holland, Iowa, to Reinbeck.  Grundy Center was in the middle.  Seeing only one way to go we took to the trail.  we encountered 3 pedestrians and saw several bike tracks.  The end of the trail placed us in perfect position to travel north and east to Dike, Iowa, the last town before Cedar Falls.

Dike, Iowa

Outside of Dike a horrible crack in the road before a bridge caused a bracket for a front pannier to come loose and require a repair.  It also required me to drink a Rolling Rock.  This stopped caused us to miss dave by 5 minutes.  In addition, we stopped to use a restroom and to take a photo of the creamery.  We headed north out of Dike on T55 and then right on 130th until we hit Union Rd.  Cedar Falls had really grown since the 20+ years I had left and I did not recognize it.  But we found Leslie at Dave's apartment and she greeted us with open arms.

Cedar Falls--The Vortex

Cedar Falls trails had plenty of map kiosks.  Just one trail closure almost ruined the day.

8 hour stay.  Shower, pizza and nap.  I drank a lot of water.  We could have spent the night but we got there about 11:45 am.  by 6 we were ready to roll.  Out the door at 7 pm with the remains of the pizza and a 6 pack of Blue Moon.  Thank you Dave and Leslie.  Time for what I was looking forward to.  A nice northern sweep of the CedarLoo trail system with an easy connection to the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. "the best laid plans.."   The growth of bicycle trails in the Cedar Falls has been phenomenal since we left in 1991.  We knew that the CVNT was connected to these trails.  At the start it went well.  We headed down town.  Reloaded on ice and hit ATMs.  Got to the trails with ease.  Then it fell apart.

Near a baseball park in Waterloo.  Only one animal.  Bummer.

Despite the many kiosks at the beginning of this portion of the ride and despite asking locals which was the best way to go, north or through downtown Waterloo, we lost a lot of time.  After George Wyth State Park the trails lead to the Cedar River.  Lots of stops, gates, dismounts, fishing people to avoid and then the TRAIL CLOSED sign.  the drunken man said we would not make it through on "that bike."  He was right.  Fencing from one end of the horizon to the other.  It was dark now anyway.  Signs warning us that we would be prosecuted for trespassing and that cameras were recording us.  We back tracked to the first road and took to the streets.  Then the streets were closed so we had to detour again.  Eventually we found Evansdale, Iowa, home of the beginning of the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.  I think it took us 3 hours to get here.

Gazebo #2, La porte City, Iowa, along the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.  We had electricity for our phones.  water and a restroom were available at the ballpark near by.

From the trailhead to La Porte City it was 10 miles.  10 miles of dodging sticks on the ground and low hanging branches.  The trailhead in Gilbertville was our only break on the trail.  Well deserved beer was consumed.  The off to la Porte City where we stopped at the gazebo, ate the last of the pizza and drank the last of the Blue Moon and pitched the tent.  We had electricity to charge the phones.  It was not until morning that we found the nearby restrooms and water source.

Day 3 La Porte City to Gladbrook, Iowa  81.4 Miles

The trails here have lots of memorials.

Between La Porte City and Brandon, Iowa, there is an old stone quarry.  Don't know if this was part of it.  Like to camp here sometime.

The plan was to take the trail all the way to Cedar Rapids and hang a right to work our way to Vinton and ride the Old Creamery Nature Trail to Dysart.  But after reaching Urbana and getting there too early for food it was decided to take highways to Vinton.  Not that the CVNT was bad, it was just slow going.  The tandem had tires meant for paved surfaces.  And we knew nothing about Center Point, the next town on the trail.  We covered over 30 miles of the trail, much of it new to us.  Save the rest for later.

A friendly couple on their way to the VA Hospital talked top us in Urbana, Iowa.  He was going to have a triple bypass.  I hope he does well.  He is an air force vet who served in Viet Nam.  She was kind enough to take our photo.

This was the start of it all, a trail filled with blood sport and pain., I remember it all.

my favorite part of the trail.  After this it got rough, real rough.  Our other tandem would not have made it.  Our single touring bikes would have failed.  Our $200-250 Mongoose fat bikes would have excelled here.  2 hours of hell.

The Old Creamery Nature Trail is a limestone surfaced trail.  14 miles in distance it goes through Garrison and ends in dysart.  Not having learned our lesson from the previous trails we took it anyway.  It must have taken us 2 hours.  Sometimes I think that the trail was not officially completed.  It appears as if massive amount of rain has nowhere to go and so it washes away the trail surface.  The county comes out to regrade it and dump rock and sand.  the bike struggled to get through it.  We never wrecked or wiped out but we had a helluva workout and were in full sweat.  Could never find a clean line.  Our cheap Mongoose fatbikes would have kicked ass here.  I tried telling Mary that we needed a fatbike tandem but she said wider tires would do the job.  The Fisher, after all, is a mountain bike and could hold 3" tires.  Somehow we made it and emerged worn out and exhausted in front of a Casey's.  Gatorade, ice for the cooler and restrooms.

Not shown are the cow, panther and bear.  Dysart, Iowa.

Highway 8 to Gladbrook was much faster.  We had to share a stretch of it with highway 63 but no one honked or yelled or tried to kill us.  No where to eat in Gladbrook so we settled for a large pepperoni pizza form, guess where, Casey's for $10.  Used the church across the street for our picnic.  Here someone ratted us out and we had a "visit" from the same lady we saw south of Beaman the day before when we stopped to consult the map.  Felt strange, like the same network of civilian watchers from the movie Hot Fuzz.  Could have been a coincidence.

The Lord provided this place for our dining pleasure.  Electricity available too! UMC, Gladbrook, Iowa.

Union Grove State Park is located 5 miles south of Gladbrook.  As usual, there is a steep hill before the turn to the campground.  We moaned and chugged up it.  81 miles today.  The $12 fee was worth it for a shower and access to water.  we were too tired to do anything else but to finish the pizza, drink a few beers, set up camp and shower.

On the way to Union Grove State Park.

Last campsite

Day 4 The Ride Home 85.4 Miles

Mary's new bike, Marshalltown, Iowa.

The park is located close to the same roads we took out of Marshalltown which made the 12 or so miles to town that much faster.  We needed food. Doo Dah's Diner on E Main St fit the bill.  I had the everything Omelet, coffee and a Mountain Dew and Mary had the Denver Omelet and a Pepsi.  $20.  Filling.  Kept us going for ours. Amen we did want another convenience store visit nor head south past the trails to the wal-Mart corporate business section of town for a big chain breakfast.   Finding the trail was easy, just head to the river and find the YMCA/YWCA.  Back on 330 trail again.

Breakfast at Doo Dah's Diner.  Open 6 to 12 on Sundays.  Best meal we had.

Now the south wind was hurting us.  17 to 20 mph.  And we were heading west and south.  But the crosswind did keep us cool.  We encountered about a dozen cyclists on our way to Melbourne.  There is a Phillips 66 station on the highway.  The easiest way to access it is to cut through the grass in front and cross the highway.  we were luck and did not have to wait in the middle at any time.

The sign said 12 miles and it felt like 50.  The hills seemed to have grown since Thursday and the wind never let up.  We had to pedal downhill.  Never could get any speed.  Crawled up the hills.  After 9 miles we were able to turn and the road leveled off and the cross breeze felt good.  the gas station in Baxter felt like home.  Quart of Gatorade, a hamburger and a liter of water for each water bottle.  Mary and I were drinking water like no others.  10 miles per bottle it seemed.  The tree coverage of the Chichaqua Trail was a relief from the wind.  To our dismay, the Greencastle Tavern in Mingo, formerly Ozzie's was closed.  it was Sunday afternoon.  we napped on the picnic tables and I actually dreamt.

Home trail.

That nap did us good.  Recharged we were able to reach the end of the trail in respectable time.  I am not sure which trail had more bikers, 330 or Chichaqua, but the latter had more pedestrians.  Always good to see people.  Our last major stop was in Altoona at a Kum & Go.  The front wheel was making a noise and was a bit out of true.  Oh, well, I have a new set at home waiting.

The Gay Lea Wilson Trail was our best trail of the day.  The best trail all ride IMHO.  We had speed.  We could relax as we were almost home.  just the industrial section of the SE Bottoms to deal with and all the street repair and detours.  Normally we'd take Scott Ave but Scott Ave is under major reconstruction is many places so we got on Maury and after crossing SE 14th and reaching Pete Crivaro Park we heard for the last time "NICE BIKE!!"  John Brooks, the butcher.  I grabbed my flask and told him to take the shot and shut the fuck up!  He was the first person we saw that we knew since Leslie on Friday.  And a friend too!  Home at last.  Hit the remains of the East River Trail and turn left to Little Italy.  85.4 miles.

Fritz was glad to see us!

348 miles in 4 days.  Pretty damn good.  1 century out of it.  Numerous trails that we visited for the first time.  Proving we could ride to Cedar Falls and back was an achievement we are proud of.  Next time faster!

The map.

Ragbrai Stats Personal

Many people were commenting that this year's edition of The Ragbrai was a bit short on daily mileage.  So in an effort to understand their complaints I looked back through my bicycle log to compare previous years that I participated in The Ragbrai.  Please remember that I have not "officially" ridden since perhaps 2000.  I have not officially been totally on route since perhaps 2005.  For me and many of my friends "The Ragbrai" is mainly riding self contained (bagging/touring) in Iowa for several days in a succession away from home and during the or near the last full week of July.

Unfortunately, I do not have mileage history for 1991 through 1995, 1997-1999 (possibly the last year I had a wrist band), 2001, 2003 through 2006.  Of those missing years I know that only in 1993 did I not do any of the ride.  1991 was my first.  1992 was Mary's first.  I have photos of many of the missing years.

YEAR MILES DAYS PER DAY AVE
1996 453.8 7 days 64.82
2000 386.1    6 days 64.35
2002 398.7 6 days 66.45
2007 325.7 5 days 65.14
2008 427.1 7 days 61.01
2009 did not ride
2010 444.5 7 days 63.5
2011 414.8 7 days 59.25
2012 301.6 5 days  60.32
2013 269.5 6 days 44.91
2014 348.9 4 days 87.22

Please note that in 2014 Mary and rode toward the northeast on our own and unsupported except for an 8 hour layover in Cedar Falls and totally avoided The Ragbrai.

An interesting comparison is with my ventures into South Dakota.  In 2012 we rode Tour de Kota.  However, TdK folded after that and veterans of the ride created RASDak, Ride Across South Dakota, for their pleasure.  TdK was a 6 day loop in 2012 not a border to border tour.

YEAR MILES DAYS PER DAY AVE
2012 439.2 6 days 73.2
2013 446.5 6 days 74.41
2014 515.1 7 days 73.58

Dropping lows and highs for The Ragbrai, I average 63.1 miles per day.

Cheap Bike Saturday

Taking a photo of a watermelon near the river.

Taking a break from serious riding I spent yesterday gathering photos for Bicycle Ride & Seek, a game we play on FaceBook.  July's Challenge seems a bit heavy on my fast bikes so I used my less expensive and more camera friendly bicycles for the remaining photos.  I rode over 12 miles on these fine machines.

The 1977 Raleigh Grand Prix Mixte

I found this at Wal-Mart.  Not inside.  On the bike rack literally rotting.  Tires where flat and shredded off.  It was there a few months.  I gave it time and then picked up with the Burley trailer and brought it home.  Originally, it was equipped with drop bars for a women's racing bike.  After a season or a few rides I decided to replace those bars for something more comfortable.  Then my son rode it off a curb and destroyed the rear wheel.  So another year in the shed before I replaced the 5-speed rear wheel with a 6-speed 27" wheel.  It has Raleigh derailleurs with shifters on the downtubes.  The front shifts the opposite way a "normal" or latest shifters move.  Wierd?  Quick release hubs.  I use it for casual riding, neighborhood trips.  I once rode it to Cumming with Mary.  I also used it on the NBB Cruiser Century in 2013.

At Iowa's Capital Building.  Photo of a water fountain.

Photo of an elevator.  red thing is a Dora the Explorer toy.

Photo of a POTUS name that is something other than a street sign.  Lincoln with his son on the Capital grounds.

Sears Women's Bike

This bike was a garage sale find.  $15 I think.  All I had to do was to air up the tires.  Long term project.  I once rode it to Tacopocalypse.  It has been sitting outside by my shed.  Yesterday was it's first voyage in 2014.

Rose Manor on Scott Ave.  Needed a photo of a green door.  Originally,, had photographed the raleigh in front of the Continental for 3 green doors but the photo was crap, too much flash.

The Watermelon Series.  Part of the July Challenge was to take a picture of a bike and watermelon by a lake or river.  I planned to slice the melon up but the river area is too icky right now.

Flood mud.

Mongoose Dolomite

To complete Cheap Bike Saturday I rode my most expensive cheap bike.  I paid $225 for this machine.  New and free shipping.  I took it out at night on a quest for food.  No photo of that ride exists so I used the Lorax shot.