Friday News And Views

A bike, a work stand, a pump = clinic

Community Service:

Yesterday I was asked to do a clinic on "trail side repairs" for some Cedar Valley Cyclist Bike Patrol folks.

So..."trail side" in this instance means "paved/crushed gravel bicycle trail type trails. The CVC Bike Patrol is a volunteer group that scours the trails for anyone in need of assistance. It was my good pleasure to give these folks some helpful hints on what to do when other cyclists they come across are in need of mechanical assistance.

This was an outdoor meeting, which is usually okay, except the "real feel" temperature at the time was 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Yeah......and the flies were biting my ankles the entire time. Never the less, I soldiered on and gave them an hour long tip fest in the sweltering heat.

Hopefully it will come to good someday and help save someone's bacon on a trail out there somewhere!

3GR:

 The 3GR will happen again Saturday morning at 8:30 am from Gateway Park. Should be a hot one, so be prepared! (Unless it is raining, then it'll be cancelled.)

Next week 3GR will be in Grinnell, Iowa as I will be putting on my annual Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational which will encompass Grinnell and be about 120 miles long.

So....let's say you are not quite up to that many miles of gravelly goodness. Well then, you can bail out at about a metric century when the ride pulls back into Grinnell for some lunch fodder.

3GR will then again pick up in Cedar Falls on July 21st, just in case you are not going to make that other ride.

4th of July single speed nation!

Dead Deer/ Live Deer Update:
 So, a follow up from the news a week ago concerning the young buck deer that I found dead on my commute route: The authorities scooped him up and removed him sometime last Friday morning. No evidence of him now but a dead patch of grass.

But not to worry- as they say- there are plenty more where that came from! On my 4th of July ride, ( a sweat fest if there ever was one), I came across a buck that I startled out of some tall grass.

He was a "big-un" too! I reckon he went at least 10 points and that velvety rack was something to behold as he bounded off to the cover of the woods. However; unlike does who will play the stare down game with you for upwards of an hour, this buck would have none of it. After he noticed me sitting there motionless, he bolted off, never to be seen again, after about 15 seconds. Hrrumpf! Spoiled sport!

Okay, that's it for today. Have a great weekend and stay cool, ya'all!