Dirty Kanza 200 Chronicles V2: Getting My Sea Legs

Crisp, cool air, blue skies, fresh gravel.

Saturday was the day of the Endurance Clinic at Ingawanis Woodlands. I decided to ride on up. The start of the clinic was to be at 11:00am, so I figured I could get there by the start if I left at 9:30am or before. Well, of course, I didn't leave until 9:30am.

I also was just over a week removed from being so sick I felt nigh unto my death bed. I hadn't been on a bicycle ride of any significance for ten days. So, whatever possessed me to think that I could motor on up there in an hour and a half, well, I don't know what it was. I didn't quite grasp my folly until I got about two and a half miles out into the country. That's when I knew I was really out of shape. 

I ended up deciding that I should stop to try to get my self collected and to take a few images of some bits I needed to update on for RidingGravel.com. At this point, I was still under the false illusion that I was way ahead of schedule and didn't have that far to go. I should have known better, because I've ridden this route a lot, but at the time, I wasn't aware of exactly where I was on the route. After I got rolling, I figured out where I was, and then things got a bit clearer. I needed to get a move on.

On the way home I felt good. Roads in Bremer County were clean.

I decided that I needed to amend my route plans and go more directly to the clinic site. So, I took a road I hadn't been on before to the West and it was pretty interesting. There was a big, black Labrador that wasn't too fond of my passing, but that didn't result in anything serious beyond barking and an escort past his turf.

I was pretty stoked until I realized the road dead ended into Highway 63. Meh! It was a half a mile to the North and then another turn Westward toward my goal. The Denver Hills loomed to my right and I found another "T" intersection on Wagner Road. Bummer! I headed North and found the Westward turn on a gravel road I was familiar with. This was the road that went right by the Ingawanis Woodlands' Lodge. Good, but also bad. This road is anything but flat. Big hills, speedy downhills, and short on time meant I was gassed by the time I got there, only five minutes late! After two hours, the clinic was over and I headed back home into the wind. Oh yeah, and also into tons of fresh gravel in Black Hawk County.

That ride went well, and I got home feeling okay, but more fatigued than I should have. That I expected, but feeling good on the ride? Not so much. The result is that I think I will end up bouncing back a bit quicker than I thought. Hopefully..... Now with warmer weather coming on, and more daylight, I hope to start getting out more often. The next two weekends are planned out as for rides with the Renegade Gent's Race and the Geezer Ride #2. In between, I need to start getting mileage.