Friday News And Views

new Riding Gravel kit for 2017

Something A Bit Different For 2017:

Cycling jerseys are something I wear a lot of, and well, it makes sense that I would. I have always liked them, and I would have a ton more than I do if I had less restraint. I just don't need that many more.

So, back in the Twenty Nine Inches days, I was asked a couple of times about merchandise and of course, t-shirts and jerseys were asked about when I started with TNI. I wasn't at all interested or concerned about any of that back then. It seemed pretentious, too much work, and unnecessary to me at that time to make clothing promoting the site, or 29"ers, for that matter. Although,the creator of the site had some Twenty Nine Inches 29"er frames made. I wonder if anyone still has one of those?

Times changed and now I wanted to be representing what I believe in. That's why for several years I wore Pirate Cycling League jerseys and I still do and will continue to do so into the future. I believe in what those guys stand for. I believe in what they do and I want to support that. The same goes for RidingGravel.com.

So, yeah......they are not wool! Oh well. That would have taken a gargantuan effort and way more dollars. Still, that isn't out of the question. Anyway, on really hot days, I may still be seen in my Giro wool jersey which I used a lot last season. We'll see how this goes though. I like the way these new RidingGravel.com jerseys came out and I will be proud to wear mine. Oh, yeah........I have the matching bibs too. I just didn't post a pic of those.

Final Recon Tomorrow:

 The annual checking of the course is happening again tomorrow. My good friends, Wally & George, will once again be doing the honors when it comes to trying to make sense of this mish-mash of gravel roads, signs, and my cue sheets to guide riders by. They have the power of veto over anything I have in there. If there is anything they think I should have in there, but don't, they will tell me that I should, and then I will put that in.

One small detail that I should mention is that I changed up the very end of the course. Approximately the last 12 miles has been rerouted because I didn't like the way it was ending. Too much busy pavement, weird intersections, and potential conflicts with cars in Grinnell.The new changes added approximately five miles to the course. The new totals for the last segment and overall mileage are 138.8 and 331.6 miles respectively. The course will also end at a different venue than previously stated. Miller Park will now be the place where T.I.v13 will end. It is located off of East Street on Nyanza Drive in the Southeastern part of Grinnell.

. Geezer Ride News For 2017:

Speaking of changing routes, I am also considering switching up the Geezer Ride for Spring 2017. The Geezer Ride will happen on Mother's Day weekend, Saturday, May 13th, 2017.

I still can do the Four County Tour, but I was also thinking we could make the route go to Reinbeck. If we go West, then we can stop at the Broad Street Brewery, have a libation or two, then turn around and ride back to Hudson and stop at a place there for food and drink to end the day. Either way is good with me. However; if you want to, or care to put in your say, please do so in the comments. I will work on ideas for both routes in the meantime.

I may also want to recap last Spring's Geezer Ride as a fun ride for the heck of it at some point during the Summer as well. If anyone is interested, I will be doing the exact same route beginning and ending in North English with a plan to eat at the North English Malt Shoppe afterward. If that idea suits you, chime in and let me know. That might be a good June ride, I think. Here are the recaps for that ride: Part 1, and Part 2. It is in Amish country, so it is a pretty interesting area.

Okay, that's a wrap on this edition of Friday News And Views. have an excellent weekend and get some riding in!