The Single Speed Century Report: Part 1

Started in the dark.

Note: The report for the Single Speed Century ride will take three days to cover. The final post will include the gear talk, so please wait until that posts before you ask me "What gear combo did you run?" or anything of that nature. I'll likely have answered in that post upcoming. Thanks! 

 Check another 2020 goal off the list. This one has been a long time coming! I had been mentioning a Single Speed Century here for several years. Well, Saturday I pulled it off. This is my report on the ride.

The idea was facilitated by my friend, and former Trans Iowa finisher/super-volunteer Jeremy Fry. He had contacted me saying he had a route planned that would be "historically significant" to me and he was going to spring this on me via a very Trans Iowa-like set of cue cards he had printed. In fact, he used the exact template I used! So, in a way, it also was Jeremy's way of turning the tables on me. Instead of 'event directing', I would become the 'directee', so to speak. It was fun to be on the other end of the stick.

I'm just waitin' on a friend.

 I decided that since Jeremy wanted this to have the feel of a Trans Iowa type event, I should have us start in the dark. So, I suggested we start at 5:00am. Jeremy picked the start line, which was along the Sergeant Road Trail right next to the church I attend, ironically. Anyway, I got up at 4:00am, ate a little something, and headed down on my bike to meet Jeremy, lights a blazing, down the trail to the meet-up point.

The Single Speed Century was an 'event' on my bucket list for 2020, since most things have been cancelled or postponed. I wanted to knock it out in May, because putting it off would affect the rest of my planned events for this year. Originally this was supposed to have happened over the Memorial Day weekend, last Saturday. However; the weather was not going to be conducive for safe riding due to forecast thunderstorms all Saturday morning, which did pan out, by the way. On Friday evening Jeremy and I agreed to put this off one week. Boy! Did we ever hit the 'weather home run' there! It was about as nice as you could ask for, save for the last 30 miles or so. I'll get to that in Part 2 of this report.

Finally on our way, the Sun crests the horizon over the Iowa countryside. Jeremy was riding geared. (Cheater!)

Jeremy was late! Five minutes late, but we got going and headed South. The plan was to get me into Tama County, a criminally under-used county for gravel riding, and take in some highlights of past Trans Iowa events and Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational events. The route plan was pretty much straight South out of Waterloo then, as we aimed for our first rest stop in Traer, Iowa at around Mile 22-ish. The roads were really good, and there was zero wind, as far as I could tell. It was cool, probably upper 40's/lower 50's. There was a quiet, peaceful air about the morning as the Sun mounted up and began to put the area in that golden glow.

A couple of horses watch us roll by just North of Traer, Iowa.

The rolling hills of Southern Black Hawk County gave way to ever steepening ones in Tama County as we approached Traer. I was feeling good though, and this was such a beautiful day. But then again, my situation isn't what a lot of people's is at this time. I get it. I'm not unaware of what is happening in the world and in our country. I thought about it a lot on this ride and Jeremy and I talked it over too. My heart has been full of a lot of emotions and I was feeling it on this morning.

Traer had a weird vibe around it, in my opinion. I hadn't really been anywhere since the pandemic started, so I really didn't know what to expect. The convenience store we stopped at, used for years as a stop on various Trans Iowa events and GTDRI's, was run down looking, and with only one, not very friendly employee there, it felt really odd. We got some grub, I filled my water bottle out of the bathroom sink, and we bugged outta there. Next up was a section of Level B roads that I had put in a GTDRI a few years back.

Amazingly, the dirt road was about perfect for riding, despite recent heavy rains.

Denied! Jeremy had a reroute planned, so no big deal, but we missed the best part of the Level B's.

I knew ahead of time that Jeremy was not going to see these Level B roads on that day because I had already seen the sign, on a ride late in 2019, I think, blocking off what I assume is going to become a Level C road now. We headed a mile West, then turned South for many miles to get to the N Avenue climb. Let me tell you, that climb is a beast. It also snakes its way upward, so it is a unique road in the area.

This is what the N Avenue climb looks like to start out with.....

...and this is what it looks like about 3/4's of the way up.

Well, I had my way with the N Avenue climb. It pitched up pretty steeply near the end, so I had to stand and climb, measuring out power to the rear wheel so as not to spin out and lose all my momentum. Jeremy said his Garmin showed above 10% for much of the second half of the climb. I can believe it too.

With that out of the way, it was on to some pavement sections to connect to a road I used many years ago on a GTDRI where we saw zebras on a farm. That was what Jeremy hoped we'd see again, so off we went, climbing slowly and zooming down quickly as we made our way West of Highway 63 eventually.

Pavement?!! What the heck, Jeremy! (Only kidding....a little)

Jeremy is disappointed here. No zebras were out on this day. (Note- a separate "Barns For Jason- The Single Speed Century Edition", will be forthcoming.

With the disappointing find that we could not see any zebras, we headed up more, mounting up on what seemed like a ridge. Jeremy took us off at this point on a road I have never been on before, nor had he. I cannot believe I've never been on this particular road before, because it was awesome! It twisted back and forth through heavy tree cover, opening up here and there to spectacular valley views, and it was very interesting to me.

So after this, Jeremy had planned to show me a historical marker at a point where land once owned by Abraham Lincoln was located along H Avenue. Back on "The Grid" of Iowa roads at this point, and the hills were kicking in.

The Lincoln Land Grant marker on the left, looking back South the way we came.

The plaque at the site. Kinda hard to photograph into a blazing Sun!

From that point it was a straight Westward march on rolling steeps to get us to another Level B Road, a road which played heavily into a couple of Trans Iowa events and in a GTDRI or two. That being the 270th Street Level B. If you know.....you know. It's one of the gnarliest, steepest, most rutted out, and difficult to ride Level B Roads around. That is, if you can ride it, and if it is even rideable. Often times it is too rutted and wet to attempt. We walked the entire mile.

Lots of rollers on the way to the 270th Street Level B. They weren't easy ones either!

Jeremy picking his way up the 270th Street Level B road in Western Tama County.

This got us beyond half way into the century ride, so at this point, I will break off and pick the story back up tomorrow. I start with the finish to this Level B and take you through to the brutal ending of the Single Speed Century.

As mentioned, there will be a final post on Wednesday detailing the gear choices, including all the stuff about how my bike was set up. There will also be a bonus "Barns For Jason" post this week as well. Stay tuned........... Part Two is scheduled for tomorrow.