Dennis' Blog

BAK 2010

2010-06-13T20:38:00.001-05:00

The last segment of this year's tour was yesterday and went from Eudora to Leavenworth. About half way, the clouds that had been following us caught us and opened up.

I couldn't stop worrying about what the rain would do to attendance at the celebration lunch.

On the way into Leavenworth, riders collected at the pumps at the pictured convenience store.

When we got to the park around 10, the rain was still coming down and people were hustling their bags off the trucks.

At 11am, the food lines opened and between 400 and 500 people enjoyed a smoked-chicken lunch catered by the Santa Fe Depot Diner in Leavenworth.

No worry!

After eating and loading, we drove back to Newton, unloaded the Penske trucks, drove a truck back to Wichita unloading at a couple of houses, gassing up one more time and returning the truck to Penske.

I was home by 10pm...

BAK 2010

2010-06-12T00:15:00.000-05:00

Well...another trip across the state is drawing to a close. Today's route went from Osage City to Eudora. The highlight of the trip was hitting 51.5 mph leaving Baldwin City, down that big hill to the north.

Went out tonight to mark some of the route for tomorrow.

I gotta go. I want to meet the caterers of the celebration dinner as soon as possible in the morning, so I'd better hit it.

BAK 2010

2010-06-10T23:02:00.000-05:00

Last night's food booths at the Herington High School became breakfast booths this morning. A real treat was the chocolate milk poured out of a glass milk bottle from a local dairy.

Today is our first day in the Flint Hills. Beautiful Flint Hills. My favorite part of the state. Use them in any argument started by, "Kansas is flat."

Seemed like there was some headwind and crosswind today.

Lunch was at the Saddlerock Cafe in Council Grove. French Toast from homemade cinnamon bread. Dinner was at El Mezcal in Osage City, across from the liquor store, which proved to be handy.

I spoke at the meeting tonight on "today's ride." I'm sure I stuttered some.

Cherries rock.

BAK 2010

2010-06-09T22:21:00.001-05:00

Left Minneapolis around 7:15 this morning to begin the 75 mile ride to Herington. Lunched at La Fiesta mexican restauarnt in Abilene, which has been a popular (well...with me anyway) place to go to on BAK.

Food vendors galore set up in the Herington high school parking lot. It was a carnival scene. Had some nice visits with local folk, too.

Tomorrow, we ride to Osage City.

BAK 2010

2010-06-08T23:02:00.000-05:00

Woke to a wet tent this morning. I had set up camp in what became a swamp after the thunderstorms.

Great ride today, stopping in Hunter for lunch. The townsfolk had barricaded their main street to set up a dining area for the cyclists.

13 miles after the fabulous meal in Hunter, we ran into the pie women from KC. The peanut butter pie was excellent.

Tonight, there's thunder, but no rain...yet.

BAK 2010

2010-06-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

This morning's ride started with rain before we got 100 yards from town. Rode about 15 miles in fairly heavy rain, but the scarier part was the lightning. Sought refuge in the museum at Nicodemus. The nice folks there made coffee and let us generally slop around their building. After the lightning and rain stopped, we headed on to Stockton, where lunch was offered. Took root in a diner there for an hour and a half. Finally made it to Osborne by 3:30 or 4. This evening, everyone is buzzing with their tales of hardships and triumphs.

75 mile day tommorrow.

BAK 2010

2010-06-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

Started the day with a Methodist pancake feed. Had some showers later in the morning on the way to the lunch buffet at Trish's Steakhouse in Hoxie. It felt like we were racing against the storm to the west and losing decidedly. After the rain stopped late in the morning, it got toasty. Dinner in Hill City was found at the park in the form of bierocks.

High 90's predicted for tomorrow.

BAK 2010

2010-06-05T22:26:00.003-05:00

After a most comfy motor-vehicle ride from Newton to Goodland, the rider regstration began @4, Friday. After that, a quick spin to the Colorado border and return to Goodland for food.

Saturday, the route followed hiway 24 from Goodland to Colby with a nice "brunch" stop in Brewster around the halfway point.

Got a great shady camping area on the campus of the community college here. Pleasant dreams.

WAMPO / Oz Rural Loop

2009-07-05T21:49:00.017-05:00

A few years ago, a 100-mile loop around the Wichita area was mapped by the Oz Bicycle Club. (You can read more about it here.) I've been wanting to ride this ever since. So, this past Friday, July 3, having the day off work, my friend Melanie and I boarded the tandem to tour this loop. Here's what we found:

The roads were mostly smooth and many had been recently re-paved, like this part of Greenwich road south of 101st. However, it became pretty clear pretty early that WAMPO's statement that "Future paved roadway shoulders...will be provided along this identified loop as roadway segments are improved.." didn't hold true.

There are also a few opportunities to catch some of Sedgwick County's bike paths. This one runs next to K-96 on the east side of town.

And, there were a couple of necessary detours, like this missing bridge over the turnpike at 143rd East.

In Derby, the WAMPO route intersects with the city's bike paths. This scene is in front of the Arby's on the east edge of town. Nice spot to hitch your horse and wander in for a jamoca shake.

West of Derby, we cross the Arkansas River.

With the exception of the northeast corner of the route, there were many places to stop for food and drinks. We enjoyed cherry limeades at Walt's in Clearwater and sandwiches at Nancy's A-Maize-N sandwiches in...uh...Maize.

While most of the roads were quiet enough, we had the feeling that several of the communities had expanded considerably since the time the route was proposed, meaning more traffic. For example, there really isn't much undeveloped area between Andover and Wichita.

All in all, a good ride on good roads with easy access to services and food.

BAK 2009

2009-06-13T14:58:00.001-05:00

At the end-of-the-ride, all 2009 BAK jersey owners posed for a group photo.

Until next time....

BAK 2009

2009-06-13T14:51:00.001-05:00

This morning's final breakfast was provided by Chris Cakes. The fast moving line of bikers circled the Paola High School commons.

BAK 2009

2009-06-12T18:09:00.001-05:00

For about 9 miles today, we rode on the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail from Iola to Colony. It was quiet and car-free.

BAK 2009

2009-06-11T21:16:00.001-05:00

Please discuss amongst yourselves.

BAK 2009

2009-06-11T12:55:00.001-05:00

I know this picture doesn't really speak a thousand words. It's hard to capture the vast prettiness. But here it is.

BAK 2009

2009-06-10T22:10:00.002-05:00

BAK staffers model lost and found apparel and camping gear.

BAK 2009

2009-06-10T15:17:00.001-05:00

Today, lunch was found at Suzie's Chili Parlor in El Dorado. Very good fresh strawberry pie.

BAK 2009

2009-06-10T15:14:00.001-05:00

Amber waves of grain lined the roads for much of this morning.

BAK 2009

2009-06-09T12:46:00.001-05:00

The world's best peanut butter cream pie is served at Carriage Crossing Restaurant in Yoder.

BAK 2009

2009-06-08T20:52:00.001-05:00

This is the bunkhouse at Fort Larned. Note: four men per bunk, toes-to-nose. They were a small people.

BAK 2009

2009-06-07T22:33:00.001-05:00

The Kansas Guidebook suggests Judy's Cafe in Jetmore. Me too, now. It's not very big, with some counter space and five tables, but the food rocks.

BAK 2009

2009-06-07T15:11:00.001-05:00

Mmmmmm......

BAK 2009

2009-06-07T14:29:00.001-05:00

This morning, we left Garden City around 6:45 and hustled to the "lunch" stop at Kalvesta to attend the United Methodist Church service there. In keeping with UMC tradition, food followed.

BAK 2009

2009-06-06T22:15:00.000-05:00

The zoo's lions were out: a male, two females and three cubs like this one.

BAK 2009

2009-06-06T22:12:00.001-05:00

Visited the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City this afternoon.

BAK 2009

2009-06-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

Last night, on the way back to town, I ran over, I don't know...seemed like a barrel hoop. Whatever it was, it sliced the sidewall of the rear tire. I put a boot in the tire and got into Garden City. While setting up the tent though, unprovoked, the tire blew. Time for new tire, tube, air...

BAK 2009

2009-06-05T21:56:00.001-05:00

Had a great enchilada dinner here after the ride to and from the border.

BAK 2009

2009-06-05T21:54:00.001-05:00

Made it out to the Colorado border this evening.

Ash Grove, or Let All Things Now Living

2008-11-23T17:18:00.005-06:00

I'm lucky enough to play guitar while Ellan Muyskens plays the piano at West Heights United Methodist Church. Click HERE for a link to today's recessional, a look-ma-no-music jam with Bob Sorenson drumming. Oh...and no, I didn't record this with my phone.

Bubba's Summer Vacation

2008-08-12T08:48:00.000-05:00

We woke to a beautiful day. The sky was clear and the temperature cool. We cooked an egg and hashbrown breakfast at the lodge. Despite yesterday's big hike, Bubba was pumped to go again today.

We decided to go back to the Brainard Lake Recreation Area and try a different trail. We picked the Long Lake / Lake Isabelle trail. Bubba led us all the way today, except for a rough spot over boulders inhabited by marmots, where he rode in Derek's backpack. The six-mile roundtrip took us from about 11,500 to 12,500 feet and back.

After the hike, we stopped back in Lyons to pick up provisions for the evening meal. After dinner, we made a quick trip to Boulder for Ben & Jerry's at the Pearl Street Mall.

It has been wonderful hanging out with Bubba this weekend. He's a real trooper.

Bubba's Summer Vacation

2008-08-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

This morning, we woke up and partook in the continental breakfast at the Super8. After, we drove down to the Brainard Lake Recreation Area where there were many trailheads to choose from. We headed toward Blue Lake via Mitchell Lake. Bubba led the way, stopping to check out the flora and fauna.

As we got closer to Blue Lake, about 2.5 miles in, we could see rain clouds approaching and started to feel drops of rain. We came to within one last incline of climbing up to the lake when the drizzle turned to rain. We turned around and tried to race the storm down the mountain. We ended up getting pretty wet. Bubba's leadership was inspirational during this leg of the hike.

We checked into the Stone Mountain Lodge after stopping in Estes Park for pizza. We were tickled to see a section of the menu entitled "belgian beers".

The lodge is great. It's like a hotel room plus a kitchen. After naps, we got some groceries, cooked dinner, and took superdog out for a short w-a-l-k.

Good night.

Bubba's Summer Vacation

2008-08-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

The boys (Derek, Eliot, Bubba) and I are in a room in Longmont, enjoying beer after taking Bubba to a park for a w-a-l-k.

We had dinner at the Pumphouse Brewery and I had a very good scottish ale called "Kiltlifter". Happily, I was wearing shorts.

The 10-hour drive from Manhattan was very pleasant and peaceful. Bubba is a world-class traveler with excellent conversation skills..

Tomorrow, we'll hike.

Tour de Wyoming - days 5 and 6

2008-07-18T19:20:00.002-05:00

Cody to Dead Indian Pass and back - Thusday morning, we headed out of Cody to the northeast. The 30 mile route to the NW Community College Field Station, our overnight accomodations, went uphill for about 10 miles, downhill for about 10 miles, then very uphill for the last 10 miles. Those last 10 were up a 7%, switchbacked grade and took, I think, maybe 2+ hours to ascend.

The top of the climb was Dead Indian Pass at about 8100 ft. Great photo ops. In a picture above, you can see the snaky road that descends the other side of the pass. After hanging out here for a while, we retraced the last couple of miles to the field station.

Turns out that our overnight accomodations turned out to be these bunkhouses - six bunks to a room, four rooms to a bunkhouse, maybe four bunkhouses total. Plus, a lodge, a showerhouse, horseshoe pits, and outside grills where dinner was cooked and served. The afternoon was spent drinking beer and either watching or pitching horseshoes. After five nights camping in schoolyards, this was a resort.

The evening was spent on the patio of the lodgehouse for the limerick contest and talent show.

After breakfast Friday morning, we packed up, loaded up, and zoomed down the hill we crawled up yesterday. The drum brake we installed on Wednesday made a huge difference in how much I had to squeeze the brake levers while descending - I like it.

This was a GREAT tour. Amber has now set the bar really high for every other bike ride.

Tour de Wyoming - day 4

2008-07-16T23:31:00.002-05:00

Red Lodge to Cody - Yes, we started the day by descending the same hill we climbed yesterday. And it was a little scary. A sign on the hill indicated a 7% grade. I was pretty nervous at the top of this and rode the brakes, trying to keep our speed in control. By the time we had coasted 2 miles, my hands were tired and crampy from squeezing the brake levers. We pulled over at a scenic overlook for a photo op (and rest), and I noticed that the wheel rims were hot to the touch. Too much braking.

(I also attached a video of some of the cyclists hammering down the hill. Not enough braking.)

After letting the rims cool down, we took off again, but stopped a short time later to cool the rims again. The road flattened out a bit after that, and I didn't feel the need to be so heavy-handed with the brakes again.

Near the end of today's ride, we visited the Heart Mountain Relocation Center Memorial, which was an interrment camp during WWII. Very sad.

We arrived back at Cody around noon and feasted on Mexican food.

SO...

This afternoon, I did what I should have done before leaving Wichita: I added a drum brake (which I had brought from Wichita) to the tandem's rear wheel. This should help keep our speed down on Friday's descent off the mountain without wearing out my hands by squeezing the brakes. Mucho gracias to Melanie for assisting with the installation.

Temps are cool again...good weather dominates...signing off...

Tour de Wyoming - day 3

2008-07-16T04:39:00.001-05:00

Lovell to Red Lodge, MT - We covered many more scenic miles this morning. Entering Montana for the second time in two days, we eventually hit a climb that would rise 2000 feet in about 20 miles. Melanie and I used the tandem's smallest gear (a lot!) to climb at about 4 mph. It was a long and tiring climb.

Arriving in Red Lodge, we quickly struck out on a mission for food and brew. Red Lodge is a touristy town whose Broadway street is lined with restaurants, bars, bakeries; finding food was like fishing in a barrel.

Tomorrow, we get to descend today's hill.

G'nite.

Tour de Wyoming - day 2

2008-07-15T15:02:00.002-05:00

Greybull to Lovell - Another scenery-packed day of riding. Just before we reached the overnight town of Lovell, we turned to the north toward Montana and the Big Horn Canyon Recreation area. There is a steep climb into the lookout area, where we were rewarded with two things: great views and a quick descent. The overlook area, at the rim of the canyon, offers great views of the Big Horn and Devil's canyons. The trip back down the hill took about one fifth the time of the grind up.

Once back to Lovell, we did the usual tent-pitching, showering, hanging out until dinner. After dinner, we stepped outside and watched as an acoustic trio started their set. Partway through their set, their bass player left for a baseball commitment (hey!...he is 13!!). The remaining guitarists solicited the audience for a bass player, so my friends volunteered me. It was great fun to accompany them.

The tandem has been shifting very well since replacing the drive chain before this trip. But, today, it was awfully sticky trying to shift the front derailleur to a smaller chainring. I doused the cable with oil, hope it helps.

Tomorrow, we return to Montana, where the temperatures are predicted to be quite a bit cooler.

G'nite....

Tour de Wyoming - day 1

2008-07-13T21:51:00.000-05:00

Cody to Greybull - Before leaving Cody, we did photo ops at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

The route today took us up for about 1000 feet and 20 miles before descending for the remainder of the ride, finishing about 1300 feet lower than where we started the day. The terrain was beautiful.

There is a lot of open range, here. Today was our first encounter with cattle on the road. It seemed as though we were interfering with their usual path to food. I took that picture as I tried to avoid that bovine.

After the spaghetti feed dinner, we went to the city park to see The Fireants play a variety of music, including Cajun, Brazilian, others... Their standard operating procedure is to teach Cajun line dances to the audience.

It has been a bit warmer today. The lows tonight are still expected to be in the 50's, but tomorrow's high may reach 90.

G'nite...

Tour de Wyoming - day 0

2008-07-13T19:55:00.003-05:00

The short story is this: back on March 1, which is registration day for this ride, our buddy Ed didn't get signed up via the online system before the ride was filled to capacity. He then turned on his charm, called Amber, the ride director, begged to join his four successfully registered friends, promised her wine and thanked her profusely when she said OK. A picture above records Ed making good on his promise.

Ed, Frank, Melanie, Terry and I had driven from central Kansas over the last two days. We arrived in Cody, WY for the start of the 2008 Tour de Wyoming ride around 4 pm today. After we set up camp, we visited the Cody branch of Sierra Trading Post. No damage.

Dinner was at a little bar and grill downtown. The weather here has been so mild; 75 degrees when we hit town. We sat at an outside table and enjoyed Teton Ale, Old Faithful Ale , sandwiches, salads, and a big hunk of peanut butter pie. We passed around the bowl like a hookah.

Looking forward to a cool night for sleeping...

BAK - day 8

2008-06-14T14:58:00.000-05:00

It's really hard for me to take a picture that describes accurately the huge beauty of a Kansas landscape. And, the last three days have been full of those kinds of scenes.

The dew settled in heavy overnight. We packed up wet everything and headed into the school for Chris Cakes. After that, we started riding through the hilly countryside towards Atchison. The river there was out of its banks, so we just went down to a convenient point where the flood waters lapped and posed for photos.

All in all, an excellent BAK. The weather held for us all week. The terrain was a little bit hilly, in a fun way. Good food and good accomodations all week. And, the fixed gear bike was smooth and trouble-free. Already looking forward to next year.

BAK - day 7

2008-06-13T19:58:00.000-05:00

Short ride today. Almost 50 miles, I think. The highlight of the day was our visit to the Davis memorial in Hiawatha.
http://www.kansastravel.org/davismemorial.htm

This memorial lies somewhere between interesting and disturbing.

The hills were fun today. The ups matched the downs and made the day a quick rollercoaster ride. More fun for the fixed gear.

We're camped at the athletic fields in Horton this evening. After spending a part of the afternoon in the Wagon Wheel bar, we returned to the fields to find many food vendors set up for our feeding enjoyment. We grazed.

Looking forward to the short ride to the finish tomorrow.

BAK - day 6

2008-06-13T10:12:00.000-05:00

Before meal time last evening, a neighbor girl was torturing a baby bird by chasing it like she was wanting to hug it. It finally settled under the flap of my tent, where it stayed until after we returned from dinner, out of the rain. I had to coax it away by prodding it with a flip-flop, explaining to it why I wanted it to go away.

No storms, just rain, last night. Campers were encouraged to move inside. A group of us stayed outside (more because we were at the bar when the announcement was made). No wind, just a steady rain.

Green everywhere for the last two days. It has just been beautiful for the last 150 miles. Rolling hills.

We found coal trains and the pony express statue in Marysville, both pictured above.

This evening, Sabetha did a great job of welcoming bikers. Their shuttle took us back and forth to the downtown area, where we found food (Buzz Cafe) and drink and dessert. The above video was snapped at the downtown flatbed stage. Great evening.

BAK - day 5

2008-06-12T08:51:00.000-05:00

Last night, storms were predicted for Beloit. A lot of wind, but not much rain. Several tents were flattened by the winds. This morning, we woke to dry tents, but lots more wind. Luckily, we had a northbound leg first thing that let us enjoy the southerly wind for the first 17 miles. Then, we took a right turn and had a crosswind for most of the rest of the route.

I rode alone for the first 60 miles, rolling up and down the hills; fun on the fixed gear.

Today's highlight was getting to eat two pieces of homemade pie, one piece of peanut butter cream pie upon getting to town, and a slice of coconut cream from the Methodists after dinner, and pictured above. Life's simple pleasures.

Tonight, more storms are predicted. The organizers are encouraging campers to move inside. More tomorrow...

BAK - day 4

2008-06-10T20:52:00.000-05:00

Another fine day. The highlight, certainly, was the Ball of Twine in Cawker City, where each rider was given an opportunity to wind yet more twine around the big ball. (It was just announced that BAK added about three miles of twine to the ball.)

Our initial leg into the south wind wasn't as bad as feared, and Terry, Melanie, Nikki and I made good time on the eastbound leg by drafting. Rolling into Cawker City, we first tended to the ball, then found an early lunch at the Corner Bar. After that, we worked on getting to Beloit, which we did around 1:30pm.

My afternoon fun, after setting up tents, was to get back on the bike and run a few errands in town: visiting the post office to mail home dirty laundry (hey! I'm done with this stuff!), and visiting the beverage store. It's nice to be able to feel like I can contribute to the cause.

Evening meal was at the local mexican restaurant. Yum.

Tomorrow is our longest day of the trip at 84 miles, so nite-nite.

BAK - day 3

2008-06-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

Great day. A bit of tailwind all day kept things moving. Got into Phillipsburg in time for an early lunch on the square: chicken salad in pita and cherry pie. That'll do. Got into Smith Center in plenty of time to make a short bike trip out to retrieve beverages. We fashioned some shade from Nikki's rain fly and did pretty much nothing for the afternoon. Dinner at the school was huge: quarter chicken, potato salad, baked beans, chips, tea, and a brownie sundae. Just great. Checked out the musical entertainment in the school's auditorium.

A slightly shorter day tomorrow...

BAK - days 1 and 2

2008-06-08T16:23:00.000-05:00

Not much internet access in Atwood. The ride from St. Francis was short, leaving the better part of a day to lounge about in Atwood. Food, of course was king. The Corner Pocket bar provided a nice dinner and cold beverage. And, it is the home of the Flowmaster bicycle, pictured above.

Sunday's ride to Norton was a little longer, but pretty quick due to a sometimes helpful tailing crosswind. Never hot. Stopped at the Frontier Diner in Oberlin for a late breakfast. Perfect. Folks seem to be gradually more accepting of washing their hands at sag stops. I'd bet that anyone who was here in 2006 does.

I rode with a gentleman named John, from NM, for a while. Good conversation and riding.

Took a side tour to a prairie dog farm, only about a mile off the route. Cute little buggers, though none got close enough to photograph.

Looking forward to a dinner somewhere tonight. I'm listening to some neighbors debating same, favoring the idea of ribs. Maybe I'll just follow them.

Biking Across Kansas - day 0

2008-06-06T23:42:00.000-05:00

The bus from Wichita arrived St. Francis around 5pm this evening. After we got our tents set up, our bikes arrrived via Penske truck. We made the dash out to the border and back and ate at this little diner. Cold showers made quick showers. Gotta get some sleep now...

Cottonwood 200 - day 3

2008-05-26T22:15:00.001-05:00

As we headed for our tents on Sunday night, a front headed towards Council Grove. The wind shifted from southerly to northerly, and the temperature dropped 10 degrees. Terry and I stayed up and watched the clouds roll in until we felt the raindrops falling. Once I was bedded down, I heard someone talking to others in authoritative tones about the weather. (Turned out it was a cop warning the campers that the tornado warning siren may sound.) Thunder clapped and lightning flashed, but all that drama gave way to a steady rain that put me to sleep.

Monday morning, the rain had stopped long enough for us to pack up, but started almost as soon as we hit the road, around 7am. For most of the day, if we were riding, it was raining. It let up while we visited a sag stop, stopped at the diner in Eskridge (WONDERFUL peanut butter pie!), and near the end as we rode into Topeka.

We got back to the starting point at Washburn University around 1pm. After retreiving bags and changing clothes, we headed to Blind Tiger for a bit to eat and drink.

It was nice to ride the "reverse" route this year. The wind cooperated most of the time, giving us a push into Council Grove on Saturday and back to Topeka on Sunday. And, it was great fun riding the tandem -- the first time for us on this tour.

As always, this was a well-run tour that will keep me coming back.

Cottonwood 200 - day 2

2008-05-25T16:16:00.001-05:00

We woke to a ferocious looking sky that soon moved off to the northeast without dropping a bit of rain. The skies cleared and we had the makings for another nice day of riding.

The southerly wind wasn't too bad - maybe 15mph. We had a nice paceline going for a while: the tandem, followed by Ed and a couple of other guys. We were motoring along at about 18mph when, a couple miles north of the Z-bar ranch, a woman in the passenger seat of a white SUV ( license plate from Riley county, KS, RFG451 ) yelled something out her window while the driver swooped in WAY too close. I yelled back, "What?!" The driver responded by veering right, into our path, and hitting the brakes. I slammed on the tandem's brakes, and yelled something untoward. The woman passenger said, "single file". I responded by holding up two fingers ( one too many ) and reminded her that it's OK for riders to ride two abreast. They sped off, leaving a shaken bunch of riders.

We made it to Cottonwood Falls without further incident. However, at lunch at the Emma Chase Cafe, we were told that the highway patrol had reports of riders "all over the road" and we were reminded to ride no more than two abreast. Whatever.

The return trip to Council Grove was quick. The southerly winds had picked up a little and we had a few 40mph+ downhill joyrides. We got into town around 1:30.

Cottonwood 200 - day 1

2008-05-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

Cloudy skies, temps in the 60's, wind from the SE - a nice day for cycling. The route went south out of Topeka, then heading west on 56 through Burlingame to Council Grove. Somewhere along this stretch,storms rolled in. While a bunch of people sought cover, Melanie and I thought we were through the worst of it, so we pushed the tandem on. It proved to be a good decision, because the rain let up in a few miles. We rolled into Council Grove around 1:30.

400k KC Brevet

2008-05-11T21:23:00.007-05:00

I've been in the habit of checking the weather forecasts before a brevet weekend, then deciding to go (or not) based on those forecasts. This weekend's forecasts called for something pleasant-sounding, like lows around 50, highs near 70, slight winds from the east and a chance of rain late. Cool! Let's go!

The start of the ride found eight riders ready to roll. Demographics: two from Colorado, one from Springfield, two from Columbia, one from St. Joe, me from Wichita and Bob, the local
brevet administrator. (And, I get to say, fully one-quarter of the riders were riding fixed gear bikes!) We headed out at 5am Saturday morning into that slight east wind, making decent time to the first stop in Holden, MO.

After Holden, five of us pretty much stuck together for quite a while: Spencer, Mark, Andy, Danny and me. We made good progress into the increasing easterly wind by trading pulls on our way through Warrensburg, around Whiteman Air Force Base, and into Sedalia just after noon. Danny's craving and chanting to be "supercharged" by a McDonald's meal was all the peer pressure we needed to land there for lunch. Really...their grilled chicken sandwich isn't half-bad.

After lunch, we hit the road again, heading south and west towards Windsor, the turn-around point. Along this leg, there were a few drizzles that grew into a full-fledged rain about the time we arrived at the Windsor checkpoint at Casey's, around 3pm.

The rain cleared quickly, and after another feeding frenzy, we gathered to head back north and east towards Sedalia. Just as we were about to leave, Ralph arrived, expecting food and a little rest. A couple of the guys suggested he join us for the ride back to Sedalia and eat there, instead. He said, "10 minutes". When we all headed off again, the four took off like they were late for a date, leaving Ralph and me hanging back. When the route headed east and into the wind again, Ralph dropped back and I didn't see him again.

Reaching Sedalia, I kept an eye out for the Fast Four, fully expecting them to be honoring Danny's McCravings again, but instead found them at the Sedalia Casey's checkpoint. We hung out there for a while, listening to one of the clerks talk about the storm and high winds that were expected very soon. He doubted that we could make it to Warrensburg, about 28 miles west, before the storms rolled through the area. Realizing we weren't getting anywhere by standing around, we took off.

For all of this next leg, we enjoyed a quartering tail wind. Even though I was enjoying speeds in the upper teens, I kept falling behind the boys in front. Upon reaching Warrensburg, I flatted. The other four were about a quarter mile ahead, and unaware that I was stopped. I pulled over onto a bike path and took up residence there while I replaced the tube in my rear tire. Just as I was finishing, thunder clapped and lightning flashed all around me. I hopped on my bike in search of cover. The rain poured down. I found this sturdy car wash, correctly figuring no one would be using it while I was.

After feeding some more, throwing away some trash, organizing my stuff and seeing the rain let up, I headed out again. However, the rain started again, even harder, so I pulled under a convenience store awning about two blocks away and waited again. It was OK, though; I returned a couple of phone calls to my sons who had each called earlier. When the rain finally quit around 8pm, I headed out, figuring I was on my own for the remaining 70 miles.

Happily, I ran into the other four riders at the very next convenience store. What a relief! We chatted briefly, wondered about Ralph and the other two riders, and got underway. We enjoyed tailwind for a little while longer, but around 9pm, we hit the headwinds that the clerk in Sedalia had warned us about. Wow. What a slap in the face. Literally.

We slowly and deliberately pressed on to the Holden checkpoint. Once there, we hung out at Casey's for about 45 minutes. We cleared out about the same time a guy walked through the door with blood spattered all over the left side of his head. He looked like someone had tried to remove his ear. He went quietly to the bathroom and we went quietly out the door.

At this point, 10:45pm, the temperature had dropped to about 53 degrees and it was drizzling steadily. We wondered about Ralph's whereabouts again. We kept on, slogging into the 25mph wind, which occasionally gusted to 35mph. Somewhere around here, I remember following Spencer's wheel closely when a huge gust came up and literally stopped him. I remember muttering, "This is ridiculous."

I think it was in Kingsville when Spencer led us off the road and into a car wash. It was grim. Spencer, looking as down as I've ever seen him, said, "This is just going to be a death march." I agreed. Danny, ever the optimist, encouraged us to pedal on, noting that we were getting nowhere sitting still. Mark was starting to realize that he was very cold and very wet and not able to warm up. We headed off again.

Through Strasburg and on into Lone Jack, we had a slight reprieve from the headwind when we turned north. In Lone Jack, about 30 miles from the end of the ride, Mark and Andy decided that they had had enough. They called Bob, the organizer of the ride, and asked if he'd come to pick them up. Bob agreed, so Danny, Spencer and I rode off just trying to get done.

On this leg into Lee's Summit, Spencer had been riding ahead of Danny and me. I guess he must've scared up some really-late-night partiers, because as Danny and I rode past, a Young Man and His Beer ran up alongside us, yelling, "See how fast I am!?" It reminded me of those times during the Tour de France when guys with flags and viking helmets chase the riders up the mountain. Except slower.

Pulling into the Lee's Summit QT for one more snack around 3am, I noticed I had yet-another-flat. Danny helped me get it fixed. I think I used all my remaining arm strength pumping 50 psi into the new tube. After coffee and a donut, we're on the road again.

At 4:40am, we pulled into the Zipz store in Grandview where we had started nearly 24 hours earlier. I gotta say: Danny and Spencer are The Best. Spencer's strength and determination with Danny's eternal optimism pulled me along and for that, I'm very thankful.

Oh...and I have to say...two-thirds of the finishers were on fixed-gear bikes.

p.s. -- An excellent story on the same ride: http://ralphsbike.blogspot.com/

Great Escape Ride

2008-05-04T20:40:00.001-05:00

Apparently, there were only two hills worthy of this explicit signage on today's ride originating at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. (Not true.)

This ride, which benefits the prison ministries program, took place on a beautiful May day: slight southerly breeze, lows in the 40's and highs in the 70's. Again, Melanie and I rode the tandem. We experimented with standing to get over some of the small bumps, and that turned out real well.

Certainly, the highlight of the ride was the free massages at the finish offered by Butler County Community College massage therapy majors. This really set the bar high for any other local club rides. I can be spoiled.

And, there really were more than a couple of hills. The route came close to Augusta before heading south on Haverhill road. After an eastward leg that looped through Atlanta, we headed north to Leon and a ride-provided ham sandwich lunch before the final ten miles back to the prison, home to Dennis Rader and the Carr brothers.

85 miles, averaging 15.7 on the "aircraft carrier".

300k KC Brevet

2008-04-26T22:36:00.002-05:00

The wind was irrelevant. A non-issue. Sure, there was a little breeze from the west during the morning and early afternoon, but nothing that caused any trouble during today's ride. And, the temperatures were excellent, ranging from 39 to about 60.

I got to spend the first 75 miles riding with Spencer (above, pictured with our one-speed bikes). Contrary to his usual fixed-gear config, he showed up with a freewheel. I don't know if the Guilt of Coasting finally caught up with him, or what, but after about 70 miles, he flipped the wheel back to the fixed cog, declaring in a religious tone, "I'm a fixed gear rider." I didn't see him much after that epiphany.

I spent the next 50 or so miles trying to recover from a pretty bad bonk. At one point, my stomach growled. Yikes. A sandwich and a bag of fritos at the turn-around point of Albany helped a little. Well, and the bag of peanut butter filled pretzels was good, too.

At the 137 mile mark of the Stewartsville control, I was able fuel up with yet-another-sandwich and a frappucino. Before I departed the c-store, Bob and Brian from Iowa rode up. I thought I'd hang with them to distract myself from the soreness in my legs. It worked. By the time we had ridden the 15 miles to Plattsburg, I was feeling more normal, again.

I finished the 180 mile ride in an hour less then I usually do, getting my brevet card signed at 8:50pm.

400k anyone?

Chisolm Trail Festival Ride

2008-04-20T18:35:00.000-05:00

Today was the day for the Chisholm Trail Festival ride out of Newton. A good turnout, including a bunch of old friends like Terry (the bearded one) who drove down from KC, and Charlie and Denise (facing the camera in the tandem picture). The wind kept coming out of the south, all day long. However, we formed up some nice pacelines to battle the wind, sometimes 8 bikes deep. And what a bunch of chatty cathys! I think that, for a lot of us, this was the first time we had seen each other since Octoginta, last fall. I guess we all had a lot of catching up to do.

Melanie and I rode the tandem again, and I'm glad we did. We had fun cruising the northbound stretches at 20-25 mph and sometimes made good windblock for others elsewhere. Good day, good friends, good time.

Halstead Happening

2008-04-14T22:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the Oz Bicycle Club's Halstead Happening happened. This ride, sponsored by Don Jackson, sent riders from Hap Dumont park in Park City to Halstead and back. Melanie and I decided to ride the tandem. Good thing -- the headwind during the first half of the ride clocked in at a consistent 20 mph, with gusts to 31.

Adding to the adventure, we were misguided by Jan as we waited for the light to change at Meridian and 81st. He suggested we continue north where "the good roads are." Following his advice, we were soon faced with a choice of gravel roads or turning around. We chose the former. Not bad on the tandem's 28mm tires and limo-like wheelbase.

After about six miles of dirt roads, we came out onto Ridge Road at 109th, where Don was parked to sag. He was surprised by the direction from which we came.

The next dozen miles were split between a westbound leg with a cross wind and a northbound stretch into a headwind. Again, we got off route, riding an extra mile before turning north. I really need to do a better job of map reading.

After the turnaround in Halstead, all was well as we enjoyed a nice tailwind back to Park City.

200k KC Brevet

2008-04-06T17:46:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the day for the KC 200k brevet starting out of Liberty, MO. The start-time temperature was about 38 degrees, though the bank sign across the parking lot advertised 27. I'll go with the former. The wind, while not too stiff early in the day, would pick up to around 20 out of the south as the day wore on.

A good crowd, maybe two dozen cyclists, gathered to listen to Bob Burns give instructions just before 7am. As usual, a bunch took off fast, running the first red light. I guess they all had dates that evening. I putzed along at my usual tortoise-like speed, hoping to conserve enough energy to finish the ride.

I leap-frogged with a group of other cyclists for most of the morning. Later, I learned that one of them had broken a vertebrae in her neck eight weeks prior when a dog ran in front of her and her bike. Yes, she completed the ride. Awesome.

Some interesting bikes today: a long-wheelbase recumbent, several Rivendells incuding a Homer Hilsen, and a recumbent tandem. The picture above shows a few of them parked at the halfway point, Casey's in Platte City.

As the ride ground on, I started to dread the eventual turn south on highway C out of Plattesburg. The last 25 miles would be into a stiff wind. I teamed with the above-mentioned woman and her husband to take turns pulling back to Liberty. That worked out nicely.

We pulled into the finish around 5:40. A lovely, but long, day.

Getting started

2008-02-29T21:11:00.003-06:00

In 1999, I first took part in Biking Across Kansas, our state's annual crossing. I thought it'd be neat to report back to civilization via a crude "blog" web page. I packed a laptop and its accessories, a huge 1 MP Kodak digital camera, a printer, and frequently found myself begging to connect to a phone line for dial-up access to the internet. Every evening, I'd transfer pictures from my camera to the laptop, edit a few HTML files, FTP them to a web server, then send an e-mail to everyone I knew saying, "lookie, lookie!"

Mobile blogging from a phone should be much easier.