Memorial Day

 It was first called "Decoration Day". My old relatives when I was younger all called it that. The day you went to observe the deaths of, remember, and adorn the gravesides of those relatives who had died in the family. 

I had no idea that it had anything to do with marking the sacrifices of those who had given their lives in service to this country, and more specifically, those who died in battle in the Civil War, until I was much older. Funny how that worked back then. 

Anyway, no bicycle related stuff for you today as I take this day off the blog to honor those who make doing such nonsense, as in writing blogs, possible today. Those who gave up their lives doing what they were sent to do. 

For all the rest of us.......

Thank You.

See you again tomorrow.......

Memorial Day

 It was first called "Decoration Day". My old relatives when I was younger all called it that. The day you went to observe the deaths of, remember, and adorn the gravesides of those relatives who had died in the family. 

I had no idea that it had anything to do with marking the sacrifices of those who had given their lives in service to this country, and more specifically, those who died in battle in the Civil War, until I was much older. Funny how that worked back then. 

Anyway, no bicycle related stuff for you today as I take this day off the blog to honor those who make doing such nonsense, as in writing blogs, possible today. Those who gave up their lives doing what they were sent to do. 

For all the rest of us.......

Thank You.

See you again tomorrow.......

Trans Iowa Stories: The Table Is Set

The digitized header art I did for T.I.v12.

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject  by clicking on the "Trans Iowa Stories" link under the blog header. Thanks and enjoy! 

One thing I always was mulling over and over in my mind when planning a Trans Iowa was how difficult the course was, or was not, and if I had the balance right. Of course, I thought waaaaay too much about it, because in the end, many things out of my control were factors in making whatever it was I did hard, harder, or impossible, depending upon the year. For example, I could have had a dead flat course to start out T.I.v11 with, had no dirt roads, and yet the event still probably wouldn't have gone through to its conclusion, such were the effects of the weather that day. 

Then take the road conditions, as another example, which if they were all fresh graveled, that alone was going to put a big dent in the amount of finishers. Of course, many riders joked around that I had close connections with the various county maintenance departments, but that was merely hyperbole and fantasy. Fresh gravel was either a big part of the event, or it wasn't, and was another huge factor beyond my control. So, why I fretted as much as I did...... Yeah, big waste of energy, but I cared. So, sue me. 

Somewhere on the T.I.v12 route

In the instance of Trans Iowa v12 I thought I had perhaps made a big mistake by driving the course up near Waterloo just to get Petrie Road in the course. There weren't any of those big rollers going North, and Level B roads were rarer up the way we had to go. And that 'way' was pretty much a straight line North, as I much as I could go in a straight line . No veering to take in good dirt because the overall distance was already pushing the limits. 

Then there were thoughts about how the direction of the course overall would be affected by the winds. Typically in Iowa we get Northwestern or Southwestern winds. Especially in Spring. However; for T.I.v8, v10, and v11 we had beastly East winds. I was baffled. But with a mostly North/South loop, I figured that, if the winds were from one of the two traditional directions, we'd get a big headwind for about half the course. I mean, it couldn't blow hard from the East again, could it? 

Ah! So much tossing and turning over all of that was most of what occupied my mind at times. However; there was more than that to think about, of course. I had sponsors to get lined up and get donated prizes from. T.I.v12 would also serve as my clearing house for past Trans Iowa stuff I needed to get out of my hair. Things like leftover tires from v11, (six sets), leftover prizing from the T.I.v10 prizing table, leftover T.I.v10 t-shirts, leftover T.I.v11 volunteer t-shirts, and more of the like. There was so much stuff leftover that before I received more prizing I had enough items so that every rider would receive something. 

Speaking of WTB tires, this stretch of Trans Iowa was marked by a few really remarkable things concerning WTB, Will Ritchie, who worked for them, and the event. We had already received WTB Nano 40's for T.I.v11. Cases of them, and I had these in my basement for probably a couple months ahead of Trans Iowa that year. Well, word got around that I had all these new to the market tires and dealers were scrambling to get their hands on this hot, new model. The distributors were quickly stripped of the initial shipment and so I started getting requests from dealers to sell them the Nano 40's! 

Talk about awkward. Those phone calls were never any fun, and I heard from more than one source that I was being slagged for having tires that dealers could be selling. I just never thought about being put into that spot until it happened. Had I known better I would have kept my big mouth shut, but I was supposed to promote my sponsors, right? Anyway.....

So for T.I.v12, I knew ahead of time that once again- we were getting cases of tires, but I asked that WTB kind of make sure that dealers knew this wasn't me hoarding tires. Now I don't know if the situation was different for v12, but at least I didn't have to field calls and emails for tires anymore. 

The next big deal I was made aware of was that two sets of the brand new, no-one-knows-about (at that time) Riddler tires were going to be debuted at Trans Iowa. Now, that was unprecedented. Tires debuted at things like Interbike, or at a big press camp, or maybe at a huge event like Sea Otter, not at some po-dunk gravel race called Trans Iowa. But yes- WTB was going to do this, and they flew the tires out special just for us! I guess I maybe am the only one that ever saw the gravity of these actions that WTB made on behalf of Trans Iowa. But trust me- that was unreal. Tell me where else that sort of thing has happened since? 

Yeah...... I'm here waiting. 

So, the whole enchilada was wrapping up again toward the point. The critical point of actually putting the event on and conducting what little I could of it. I had responsibilities and I had some logistical puzzles, but in the end, once we honked the horn and moved off from in front of Bikes To You at 4:00am, it was all in the hands of a rag-tag group of intrepid cyclists. I set the table, but how the event unfolded? Yeah, I was just along for that ride. All I could do from that point was hope that it would be another good one. 

Next: A Wrench In The Works 

Trans Iowa Stories: The Table Is Set

The digitized header art I did for T.I.v12.

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject  by clicking on the "Trans Iowa Stories" link under the blog header. Thanks and enjoy! 

One thing I always was mulling over and over in my mind when planning a Trans Iowa was how difficult the course was, or was not, and if I had the balance right. Of course, I thought waaaaay too much about it, because in the end, many things out of my control were factors in making whatever it was I did hard, harder, or impossible, depending upon the year. For example, I could have had a dead flat course to start out T.I.v11 with, had no dirt roads, and yet the event still probably wouldn't have gone through to its conclusion, such were the effects of the weather that day. 

Then take the road conditions, as another example, which if they were all fresh graveled, that alone was going to put a big dent in the amount of finishers. Of course, many riders joked around that I had close connections with the various county maintenance departments, but that was merely hyperbole and fantasy. Fresh gravel was either a big part of the event, or it wasn't, and was another huge factor beyond my control. So, why I fretted as much as I did...... Yeah, big waste of energy, but I cared. So, sue me. 

Somewhere on the T.I.v12 route

In the instance of Trans Iowa v12 I thought I had perhaps made a big mistake by driving the course up near Waterloo just to get Petrie Road in the course. There weren't any of those big rollers going North, and Level B roads were rarer up the way we had to go. And that 'way' was pretty much a straight line North, as I much as I could go in a straight line . No veering to take in good dirt because the overall distance was already pushing the limits. 

Then there were thoughts about how the direction of the course overall would be affected by the winds. Typically in Iowa we get Northwestern or Southwestern winds. Especially in Spring. However; for T.I.v8, v10, and v11 we had beastly East winds. I was baffled. But with a mostly North/South loop, I figured that, if the winds were from one of the two traditional directions, we'd get a big headwind for about half the course. I mean, it couldn't blow hard from the East again, could it? 

Ah! So much tossing and turning over all of that was most of what occupied my mind at times. However; there was more than that to think about, of course. I had sponsors to get lined up and get donated prizes from. T.I.v12 would also serve as my clearing house for past Trans Iowa stuff I needed to get out of my hair. Things like leftover tires from v11, (six sets), leftover prizing from the T.I.v10 prizing table, leftover T.I.v10 t-shirts, leftover T.I.v11 volunteer t-shirts, and more of the like. There was so much stuff leftover that before I received more prizing I had enough items so that every rider would receive something. 

Speaking of WTB tires, this stretch of Trans Iowa was marked by a few really remarkable things concerning WTB, Will Ritchie, who worked for them, and the event. We had already received WTB Nano 40's for T.I.v11. Cases of them, and I had these in my basement for probably a couple months ahead of Trans Iowa that year. Well, word got around that I had all these new to the market tires and dealers were scrambling to get their hands on this hot, new model. The distributors were quickly stripped of the initial shipment and so I started getting requests from dealers to sell them the Nano 40's! 

Talk about awkward. Those phone calls were never any fun, and I heard from more than one source that I was being slagged for having tires that dealers could be selling. I just never thought about being put into that spot until it happened. Had I known better I would have kept my big mouth shut, but I was supposed to promote my sponsors, right? Anyway.....

So for T.I.v12, I knew ahead of time that once again- we were getting cases of tires, but I asked that WTB kind of make sure that dealers knew this wasn't me hoarding tires. Now I don't know if the situation was different for v12, but at least I didn't have to field calls and emails for tires anymore. 

The next big deal I was made aware of was that two sets of the brand new, no-one-knows-about (at that time) Riddler tires were going to be debuted at Trans Iowa. Now, that was unprecedented. Tires debuted at things like Interbike, or at a big press camp, or maybe at a huge event like Sea Otter, not at some po-dunk gravel race called Trans Iowa. But yes- WTB was going to do this, and they flew the tires out special just for us! I guess I maybe am the only one that ever saw the gravity of these actions that WTB made on behalf of Trans Iowa. But trust me- that was unreal. Tell me where else that sort of thing has happened since? 

Yeah...... I'm here waiting. 

So, the whole enchilada was wrapping up again toward the point. The critical point of actually putting the event on and conducting what little I could of it. I had responsibilities and I had some logistical puzzles, but in the end, once we honked the horn and moved off from in front of Bikes To You at 4:00am, it was all in the hands of a rag-tag group of intrepid cyclists. I set the table, but how the event unfolded? Yeah, I was just along for that ride. All I could do from that point was hope that it would be another good one. 

Next: A Wrench In The Works 

Technical Difficulties

The old, traditional header size has been borked by Blogger.

 Recently you may have noted that there has been a change to the formatting of this blog. It has to do with the 'template' I use provided by Blogger, the entity that this blog is hosted by, which, by the way, is a Google company now these days. Didn't used to be when I started out here. Anyway....

I received a comment Thursday, and I thought there may be a few of you out there who are wondering the same thing. So, this post will explain it the best that I am able to. The comment first:

"GT, Howdy;
I've noticed that over the past week perhaps 2 or longer the Banner Photo has been reduced
in size. What's with that? Just curious."

Well, the answer is a bit complex. From time to time, our digital overlords decide to 'update' our tools, platforms, and devices that they live in. We don't get to choose what happens, many times, and so functionality, user experience, and creative interface gets screwed up- if you think the 'update' is goofy- and you end up having to adapt. 

If there is one thing I've learned in 15+ years of blogging is that you'd better be able to accept changes and adapt. Changes are coming whether or not you want them, like them, or understand why they came. Like when Google brought Blogger under its control. Whoo-Boy! That was a sea change in user experience! They took away a bunch of control and tried to pre-package the formatting so that everything ended up being what 'they thought' was cool- not what the users thought was cool. 

And these little nuances, these little changes reflect that big change when Google took over. One day everything looks like it always did and then- poof! You open up your content editor and some dinky little thing has been tweaked by someone you'll never know so that now you have to do things a completely different way. Oh, and you get no warning. No tutelage on how to navigate the new change, or how it 'benefits' you. Yeah................thanks guys! 

So, that is what happened. I have yet to figure out how to adjust the header so it is like it used to be. Once I do- if I ever do- we'll get back to the way things once were here. Or not.........

Maybe we'll have to adapt and change with the times. You can read into that whatever you'd like.

Technical Difficulties

The old, traditional header size has been borked by Blogger.

 Recently you may have noted that there has been a change to the formatting of this blog. It has to do with the 'template' I use provided by Blogger, the entity that this blog is hosted by, which, by the way, is a Google company now these days. Didn't used to be when I started out here. Anyway....

I received a comment Thursday, and I thought there may be a few of you out there who are wondering the same thing. So, this post will explain it the best that I am able to. The comment first:

"GT, Howdy;
I've noticed that over the past week perhaps 2 or longer the Banner Photo has been reduced
in size. What's with that? Just curious."

Well, the answer is a bit complex. From time to time, our digital overlords decide to 'update' our tools, platforms, and devices that they live in. We don't get to choose what happens, many times, and so functionality, user experience, and creative interface gets screwed up- if you think the 'update' is goofy- and you end up having to adapt. 

If there is one thing I've learned in 15+ years of blogging is that you'd better be able to accept changes and adapt. Changes are coming whether or not you want them, like them, or understand why they came. Like when Google brought Blogger under its control. Whoo-Boy! That was a sea change in user experience! They took away a bunch of control and tried to pre-package the formatting so that everything ended up being what 'they thought' was cool- not what the users thought was cool. 

And these little nuances, these little changes reflect that big change when Google took over. One day everything looks like it always did and then- poof! You open up your content editor and some dinky little thing has been tweaked by someone you'll never know so that now you have to do things a completely different way. Oh, and you get no warning. No tutelage on how to navigate the new change, or how it 'benefits' you. Yeah................thanks guys! 

So, that is what happened. I have yet to figure out how to adjust the header so it is like it used to be. Once I do- if I ever do- we'll get back to the way things once were here. Or not.........

Maybe we'll have to adapt and change with the times. You can read into that whatever you'd like.

Friday News And Views

 Nathan's Miles: Vinton's Glow-In-The-Dark Trail (From Baker Ent. Facebook page)

 The U.S.A's Longest Glow-In-The-Dark Trail:

A bicycle trail that glows in the dark? Yes, and it is located just South of where I live about 38 miles away. The trail, claimed to be the longest of its type in the U.S., has aggregate embedded in it which glows in the dark when exposed to sunlight.

Apparently it only needs 15 minutes of direct sunlight to glow for 15 hours!  This trail should get a lot of attention here in Iowa over the next several years. It has a glowing section of approximately two miles in length, (the trail is three miles overall), and it passes by a couple of Vinton's schools which were attended by a former resident and Vinton city employee, Nathan Hesson, who first dreamed of this trail. He died, unfortunately, before this trail could be realized, and it is dedicated in his memory. Called "Nathan's Miles" trail, the City of Vinton dedicated and opened the trail just this past Tuesday.  

I'll have to scoot down there again someday to check this out. I was last through Vinton on my aborted century ride last Summer but I did not see anything of this new trail at that time. Maybe I can even time it right to go through in the dark and see what this trail can do.

First Annual "UG" To Occur This Weekend:

You know, this event is big, and it is following the coat tails of one of the original gravel grinders of the modern era, the Dirty Kanza 200. (That was its name, whatever your politics/thoughts are on that.) This 'new' event happens for the first time this  next weekend. (Thanks to "RonDog" for catching my mistake!)

Here are my thoughts concerning this. I'm probably the only person that thinks this way, so never mind me, but here we go....

The whole kerfuffle with the DK name and the ouster of its former original co-director, (the other co-director, Joel Dyke, voluntarily left DK around 2011), was driven by social justice issues and with an aim to remake the old event into something which would not resemble much of the heritage of the past DK event- Things which were deemed to be offensive. Okay, that is a valid and understandable action which leaves us with a new name and new race directors, none of which are related to the old DK event with the exception of Kristi Mohn. 

Okay, so now you have an odd situation. The former name and former race director, Jim Cummings, were largely responsible for the event's effects on the community of Emporia, Kansas, which were deemed to be positive. These gains in tourism, economic impact, and let's not forget prestige in the international racing community, were things which the new owner of the event, Life Time Fitness, and the community business folks did not want to have 'go away'. 

How do you separate the one from the other? On the one hand, you have a 'turning of the page', a new event, for all intents and purposes, and on the other, you have people and business entities wanting to hold on to the money, (let's be honest here, that's the bottom line), which has great potential to benefit said entities and concerned people. Things which that old name and the old race director brought to the area. Actually, you can do this. But Unbound Gravel seems to be wanting to walk the fence on it. 

On the one hand, they haven't said that this event is a new beginning and that any and all ties to that past event which shall not be named are now cut. They could do it like this: "That part is over. The Past. We now, for the first time, begin a new event with better ideals and with the same focus on challenge, etc....." But no, we get uncomfortable references to the DK200, and in some situations, it is painfully obvious that there really is no 'cutting of the ties' to the Dirty Kanza 200. Especially when 'the continuance' of certain ideals are being carried over in terms of things the old DK200 did for rider recognition, the references to this being whatever year it is of the event, and so on. 

I just find that all totally unnecessary. Just stop it. Make a full cut from the old and start again with this being 'Year One' and make your own heritage. But no, the uncomfortable truth of the matter is that fear of losing economic impact and prestige makes for words and actions that say one thing but hold the hand behind the back for the cash on the other. 

And that's just my take. Like I said, I may be the only person on Earth that sees things that way, and I am fine with being told I'm crazy and wrong if that's the case, but that's how I see it. 

UPDATE on the Wesley Martin YouTube Channel: I was made aware on Wednesday that the link in my story called "Just Passing Through" about Wesley Martin for his You Tube channel was not working. I fixed it, but here it is again in case you tried and missed last Wednesday. I apologize for the inconvenience. But go check it out, like, and subscribe to his channel. It's a great little look at everything he is seeing on his 3000 mile bicycle trip which will eventually take him and a friend to California. 

Just as a sample, he rode a mystery trail before meeting his traveling companion and it is a hilarious episode. I won't say more, but do go check out his channel. 

WARNING: Self-Plug Coming! If you listen to his Day 15 entry you'll hear Wesley heaping praise on Andy's Bike Shop. I guess he was pretty impressed by us and said as much in that entry. It is nice to hear it, honestly. After years of pretty much no feedback on my work at the old job I was pleased to get some positive commentary and it made me feel pretty good. Also, Andy gave him one of the shop shirts and he was wearing it for the next two days! Pretty cool all in all.

So, Wesley, I doubt you'll ever read this, but if you do- "Thank you!" And also- Here's to a safe, adventurous, memorable trip for you and your traveling companion. I'll be following along on the You Tube channel to see what happens.

The WAR brand is part of the new Ross Bicycles.

Ross Bicycles Returns, Has Gravel Bike, (Of Course!) :

Rumors and bits of news had been coming for a few years in the trade papers that Ross Bicycles was coming back. You may remember the brand for their chromed out early 80's mountain bikes. By the late 80's/early 90's Ross Bicycles seemingly faded away, never to be heard from again.

Well, now they are back and they do (or will) have mountain bikes again. However; as you are all probably well aware by now, Gravel® is what you HAVE to be selling, so Ross Bicycles has a gravel model dubbed the Evader GSR under the W.A.R brand of their company.

Comments: It looks to be a consumer direct brand and the prices are okay looking, nothing spectacular here for an aluminum frame/carbon fork and SRAM Rival bits. The frame looks a LOT like the Viathon from Walmart, what with the big dropped drive side chain stay and lowered seat stay design. The geometry is what I would expect- not very inspiring, to me at least, and so this isn't anything that trips my trigger. It is just interesting that Ross Bicycles is behind this and that the brand is making a comeback.  

Okay, that's a wrap. This is a BIG weekend in the U.S.A. Stay safe, have a great holiday, and roll some wheels somewhere! Thank you for reading!

Friday News And Views

 Nathan's Miles: Vinton's Glow-In-The-Dark Trail (From Baker Ent. Facebook page)

 The U.S.A's Longest Glow-In-The-Dark Trail:

A bicycle trail that glows in the dark? Yes, and it is located just South of where I live about 38 miles away. The trail, claimed to be the longest of its type in the U.S., has aggregate embedded in it which glows in the dark when exposed to sunlight.

Apparently it only needs 15 minutes of direct sunlight to glow for 15 hours!  This trail should get a lot of attention here in Iowa over the next several years. It has a glowing section of approximately two miles in length, (the trail is three miles overall), and it passes by a couple of Vinton's schools which were attended by a former resident and Vinton city employee, Nathan Hesson, who first dreamed of this trail. He died, unfortunately, before this trail could be realized, and it is dedicated in his memory. Called "Nathan's Miles" trail, the City of Vinton dedicated and opened the trail just this past Tuesday.  

I'll have to scoot down there again someday to check this out. I was last through Vinton on my aborted century ride last Summer but I did not see anything of this new trail at that time. Maybe I can even time it right to go through in the dark and see what this trail can do.

First Annual "UG" To Occur This Weekend:

You know, this event is big, and it is following the coat tails of one of the original gravel grinders of the modern era, the Dirty Kanza 200. (That was its name, whatever your politics/thoughts are on that.) This 'new' event happens for the first time this  next weekend. (Thanks to "RonDog" for catching my mistake!)

Here are my thoughts concerning this. I'm probably the only person that thinks this way, so never mind me, but here we go....

The whole kerfuffle with the DK name and the ouster of its former original co-director, (the other co-director, Joel Dyke, voluntarily left DK around 2011), was driven by social justice issues and with an aim to remake the old event into something which would not resemble much of the heritage of the past DK event- Things which were deemed to be offensive. Okay, that is a valid and understandable action which leaves us with a new name and new race directors, none of which are related to the old DK event with the exception of Kristi Mohn. 

Okay, so now you have an odd situation. The former name and former race director, Jim Cummings, were largely responsible for the event's effects on the community of Emporia, Kansas, which were deemed to be positive. These gains in tourism, economic impact, and let's not forget prestige in the international racing community, were things which the new owner of the event, Life Time Fitness, and the community business folks did not want to have 'go away'. 

How do you separate the one from the other? On the one hand, you have a 'turning of the page', a new event, for all intents and purposes, and on the other, you have people and business entities wanting to hold on to the money, (let's be honest here, that's the bottom line), which has great potential to benefit said entities and concerned people. Things which that old name and the old race director brought to the area. Actually, you can do this. But Unbound Gravel seems to be wanting to walk the fence on it. 

On the one hand, they haven't said that this event is a new beginning and that any and all ties to that past event which shall not be named are now cut. They could do it like this: "That part is over. The Past. We now, for the first time, begin a new event with better ideals and with the same focus on challenge, etc....." But no, we get uncomfortable references to the DK200, and in some situations, it is painfully obvious that there really is no 'cutting of the ties' to the Dirty Kanza 200. Especially when 'the continuance' of certain ideals are being carried over in terms of things the old DK200 did for rider recognition, the references to this being whatever year it is of the event, and so on. 

I just find that all totally unnecessary. Just stop it. Make a full cut from the old and start again with this being 'Year One' and make your own heritage. But no, the uncomfortable truth of the matter is that fear of losing economic impact and prestige makes for words and actions that say one thing but hold the hand behind the back for the cash on the other. 

And that's just my take. Like I said, I may be the only person on Earth that sees things that way, and I am fine with being told I'm crazy and wrong if that's the case, but that's how I see it. 

UPDATE on the Wesley Martin YouTube Channel: I was made aware on Wednesday that the link in my story called "Just Passing Through" about Wesley Martin for his You Tube channel was not working. I fixed it, but here it is again in case you tried and missed last Wednesday. I apologize for the inconvenience. But go check it out, like, and subscribe to his channel. It's a great little look at everything he is seeing on his 3000 mile bicycle trip which will eventually take him and a friend to California. 

Just as a sample, he rode a mystery trail before meeting his traveling companion and it is a hilarious episode. I won't say more, but do go check out his channel. 

WARNING: Self-Plug Coming! If you listen to his Day 15 entry you'll hear Wesley heaping praise on Andy's Bike Shop. I guess he was pretty impressed by us and said as much in that entry. It is nice to hear it, honestly. After years of pretty much no feedback on my work at the old job I was pleased to get some positive commentary and it made me feel pretty good. Also, Andy gave him one of the shop shirts and he was wearing it for the next two days! Pretty cool all in all.

So, Wesley, I doubt you'll ever read this, but if you do- "Thank you!" And also- Here's to a safe, adventurous, memorable trip for you and your traveling companion. I'll be following along on the You Tube channel to see what happens.

The WAR brand is part of the new Ross Bicycles.

Ross Bicycles Returns, Has Gravel Bike, (Of Course!) :

Rumors and bits of news had been coming for a few years in the trade papers that Ross Bicycles was coming back. You may remember the brand for their chromed out early 80's mountain bikes. By the late 80's/early 90's Ross Bicycles seemingly faded away, never to be heard from again.

Well, now they are back and they do (or will) have mountain bikes again. However; as you are all probably well aware by now, Gravel® is what you HAVE to be selling, so Ross Bicycles has a gravel model dubbed the Evader GSR under the W.A.R brand of their company.

Comments: It looks to be a consumer direct brand and the prices are okay looking, nothing spectacular here for an aluminum frame/carbon fork and SRAM Rival bits. The frame looks a LOT like the Viathon from Walmart, what with the big dropped drive side chain stay and lowered seat stay design. The geometry is what I would expect- not very inspiring, to me at least, and so this isn't anything that trips my trigger. It is just interesting that Ross Bicycles is behind this and that the brand is making a comeback.  

Okay, that's a wrap. This is a BIG weekend in the U.S.A. Stay safe, have a great holiday, and roll some wheels somewhere! Thank you for reading!

Country Views: Up Against It- Back With It

Escape Route: 2nd Avenue, Waterloo, Iowa.

Man! Tuesday was brutal! Humidity up the wazoo and hot to boot. One of those 'your sweating just standing still' kind of days. My son's graduation saw me get all gussied up in a suit and I tell ya....it wasn't comfortable! But regarding the occasion I wore it for, it was totally worth it. 

Overnight the air swapped out to a Canadian source and with that, a much lower humidity and temperature. Wednesday dawned bright, clear, and comfortable with a strong breeze from the Northwest. I knew I had an errand to run in the morning and I wanted to stay and eat lunch with my two children who weren't in school anymore. So, I did that and at 2:00pm I was finally ready to roll out from G-Ted Headquarters for a short ride up North first. Go into the wind, roll home with it. That was the plan. 

The breeze was coming at what the weather people claimed was a 22mph steady stream with higher gusts. Honestly, I felt no gusting. Just a blast from the Northwest that was loud in the ears. Oh well! At least it wasn't beastly humid and the temperature was in the upper 70's, so really nice.

Burton Avenue- Clean lines and fast, despite the headwind.

Rolling up Burton to the intersection with Mt Vernon Road here.

I decided to dust off the ol' Raleigh Tamland Two. It is a red, white, and blue scheme in terms of its looks, and with Memorial Day weekend coming, why not use it? Seemed like the proper thing to do. 

I had to re-up the sealant, since I have not used this bike since last Fall when I was still on 'The Quest'. Once that was done it was ready to go, and it worked flawlessly for my ride. I always forget how touchy and powerful those Tektro hydraulic brakes on this bike are. I mean, I can stop using my pinky off the hoods position, if I wanted to! It took a few stops before I adjusted my pulling power on my hands! 

The fields are slowly turning greener.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to hold a good pace up most of the climb up out of the Cedar Valley. There was a few downshifts, but considering the resistance put up by the wind, I was happy with how I was going. 

When I reached St. Paul's at the corner of Gresham Road and Burton Avenue, I'd had enough of going North!

I guess the 'new trend' is "big tires and drop bars". Hmm.... Meet my 2014 Raleigh Tamland!

By the time I had reached St. Paul's Church on Burton Avenue I had decided that I had had enough of headwinds. It was time for some relief and a right turn downhill on Gresham Road. Man! That white noise of the wind rushing by my ears was gone and I could finally hear the crunch of gravel underneath my poofy sized Vee Tire Rocketman tires. 

I must have just missed the dump truck! Freshies on Moline Road North of C-57 here.

Someone is erecting a ginormous machine shed on Moline Road and C-57 here.

I decided I only wanted to do a two to three hour ride, especially after working hard into that big wind. So, I turned back South on Moline Road and even with fresh gravel, I was flying. It was almost too easy! I was reminded of that time in Kansas when I did a ride up North into a stiff wind and came back on a mighty tailwind. I coasted a full country mile that day! I didn't quite pull that off Wednesday, but I was coasting far more than pedaling there for a bit until I got into the rollers South of Dunkerton Road. 

Back to clean tracks and loads of speed running with the wind.

Looking back the way I came at Moline Road's namesake- The Moline-Anderson Farm.

It didn't take long to roll out of the fresh gravel and I found myself on speedy, clean tracks which raised my speeds even more. The Vee Tire Rocketman tires were humming like bias ply truck tires! I made a short stop for a few images I needed to get but then it was back on the bike and my ride on gravel was soon over.

I still had to get back home, so I snaked my way through the North parts of Waterloo, crossed the Cedar River, and was back home shortly after 4:00pm. Not quite as long as I had hoped for, but later on, my legs were barking and I was tired. I knew that the heat, wind, and hills had given me a lot in those two hours of riding. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I was grateful for the time regardless.

Country Views: Up Against It- Back With It

Escape Route: 2nd Avenue, Waterloo, Iowa.

Man! Tuesday was brutal! Humidity up the wazoo and hot to boot. One of those 'your sweating just standing still' kind of days. My son's graduation saw me get all gussied up in a suit and I tell ya....it wasn't comfortable! But regarding the occasion I wore it for, it was totally worth it. 

Overnight the air swapped out to a Canadian source and with that, a much lower humidity and temperature. Wednesday dawned bright, clear, and comfortable with a strong breeze from the Northwest. I knew I had an errand to run in the morning and I wanted to stay and eat lunch with my two children who weren't in school anymore. So, I did that and at 2:00pm I was finally ready to roll out from G-Ted Headquarters for a short ride up North first. Go into the wind, roll home with it. That was the plan. 

The breeze was coming at what the weather people claimed was a 22mph steady stream with higher gusts. Honestly, I felt no gusting. Just a blast from the Northwest that was loud in the ears. Oh well! At least it wasn't beastly humid and the temperature was in the upper 70's, so really nice.

Burton Avenue- Clean lines and fast, despite the headwind.

Rolling up Burton to the intersection with Mt Vernon Road here.

I decided to dust off the ol' Raleigh Tamland Two. It is a red, white, and blue scheme in terms of its looks, and with Memorial Day weekend coming, why not use it? Seemed like the proper thing to do. 

I had to re-up the sealant, since I have not used this bike since last Fall when I was still on 'The Quest'. Once that was done it was ready to go, and it worked flawlessly for my ride. I always forget how touchy and powerful those Tektro hydraulic brakes on this bike are. I mean, I can stop using my pinky off the hoods position, if I wanted to! It took a few stops before I adjusted my pulling power on my hands! 

The fields are slowly turning greener.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to hold a good pace up most of the climb up out of the Cedar Valley. There was a few downshifts, but considering the resistance put up by the wind, I was happy with how I was going. 

When I reached St. Paul's at the corner of Gresham Road and Burton Avenue, I'd had enough of going North!

I guess the 'new trend' is "big tires and drop bars". Hmm.... Meet my 2014 Raleigh Tamland!

By the time I had reached St. Paul's Church on Burton Avenue I had decided that I had had enough of headwinds. It was time for some relief and a right turn downhill on Gresham Road. Man! That white noise of the wind rushing by my ears was gone and I could finally hear the crunch of gravel underneath my poofy sized Vee Tire Rocketman tires. 

I must have just missed the dump truck! Freshies on Moline Road North of C-57 here.

Someone is erecting a ginormous machine shed on Moline Road and C-57 here.

I decided I only wanted to do a two to three hour ride, especially after working hard into that big wind. So, I turned back South on Moline Road and even with fresh gravel, I was flying. It was almost too easy! I was reminded of that time in Kansas when I did a ride up North into a stiff wind and came back on a mighty tailwind. I coasted a full country mile that day! I didn't quite pull that off Wednesday, but I was coasting far more than pedaling there for a bit until I got into the rollers South of Dunkerton Road. 

Back to clean tracks and loads of speed running with the wind.

Looking back the way I came at Moline Road's namesake- The Moline-Anderson Farm.

It didn't take long to roll out of the fresh gravel and I found myself on speedy, clean tracks which raised my speeds even more. The Vee Tire Rocketman tires were humming like bias ply truck tires! I made a short stop for a few images I needed to get but then it was back on the bike and my ride on gravel was soon over.

I still had to get back home, so I snaked my way through the North parts of Waterloo, crossed the Cedar River, and was back home shortly after 4:00pm. Not quite as long as I had hoped for, but later on, my legs were barking and I was tired. I knew that the heat, wind, and hills had given me a lot in those two hours of riding. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I was grateful for the time regardless.

Just Passing Through

Wesley and his Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross bike.

 On Monday when I arrived at work at Andy's Bike Shop I was running the show alone for the morning hours. It was a good thing that I have had almost 45 years of working with customers at a retail level under my belt because things started off with a bang. The phone was going nuts and I had multiple people on the sales floor several times throughout the morning. One of the calls I fielded was a bit unusual. 

The caller was obviously outside, judging by the wind noise I could discern during our conversation. It turned out I was correct because the caller was on the road near Denver, Iowa on a self-supported bicycle tour. He needed assistance with a poorly behaving rear derailleur and a wheel that was wiggly. I gave him the thumbs up to make an appearance at the shop whenever he could get there that afternoon. 

Eventually, after a couple of hiccups finding the place, a young man with an orange bicycle, laden with baggage, and sporting an American flag slid in through the front door. His name was Wesley, and he had a Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross, just like mine! Right down to the same size and everything. Pretty amazing right there. Wesley marveled at the fact that I had an identical frame and fork to his and then I got the heavily laden rig up into the stand to have a look. 

We got him sorted- a loose rear cable and a broken spoke turned out to be his issues with the bike, and then we had time to chat a bit. Andy had showed up by this time, and Wesley got our photograph for his You Tube video channel documenting his journey. Eventually he is to hook up with a companion traveler and together they are going to go to California via bicycle. Wesley thought the trip should consume about two months time. 

I told Wesley that if we were part of his story, he had to be part of mine, so he graciously posed for a photograph, and well, here is the story. I was pretty interested in his situation, having done a similar trip by bicycle twice in my life, (See "The Touring Series" link below the header above for those stories), but nothing cross country to California. That is a big adventure! I wish Wesley and his companion well! Hopefully they have some awesome, life altering-in-a-good-way type experiences along their way.

Just Passing Through

Wesley and his Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross bike.

 On Monday when I arrived at work at Andy's Bike Shop I was running the show alone for the morning hours. It was a good thing that I have had almost 45 years of working with customers at a retail level under my belt because things started off with a bang. The phone was going nuts and I had multiple people on the sales floor several times throughout the morning. One of the calls I fielded was a bit unusual. 

The caller was obviously outside, judging by the wind noise I could discern during our conversation. It turned out I was correct because the caller was on the road near Denver, Iowa on a self-supported bicycle tour. He needed assistance with a poorly behaving rear derailleur and a wheel that was wiggly. I gave him the thumbs up to make an appearance at the shop whenever he could get there that afternoon. 

Eventually, after a couple of hiccups finding the place, a young man with an orange bicycle, laden with baggage, and sporting an American flag slid in through the front door. His name was Wesley, and he had a Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross, just like mine! Right down to the same size and everything. Pretty amazing right there. Wesley marveled at the fact that I had an identical frame and fork to his and then I got the heavily laden rig up into the stand to have a look. 

We got him sorted- a loose rear cable and a broken spoke turned out to be his issues with the bike, and then we had time to chat a bit. Andy had showed up by this time, and Wesley got our photograph for his You Tube video channel documenting his journey. Eventually he is to hook up with a companion traveler and together they are going to go to California via bicycle. Wesley thought the trip should consume about two months time. 

I told Wesley that if we were part of his story, he had to be part of mine, so he graciously posed for a photograph, and well, here is the story. I was pretty interested in his situation, having done a similar trip by bicycle twice in my life, (See "The Touring Series" link below the header above for those stories), but nothing cross country to California. That is a big adventure! I wish Wesley and his companion well! Hopefully they have some awesome, life altering-in-a-good-way type experiences along their way.

Riding Off Into The Sunset

My son and my wife walking off after his last vocal concert.

Sunsets. They can be beautiful, amazing, awe inspiring, and memorable. They also can signify endings, since it marks the end of a day for us. Well, myself and my family have reached a pretty memorable 'ending' today. 

It's the graduation from high school for my son. The last child of mine to make that walk across a stage to get a diploma from public school. That's a pretty big deal for us here.

But while it is the end of one thing it marks the beginning of other things as well. What exactly those things might be, we all are not sure. Only thing I know is that my son is excited to go to a tech program at a local community college this Fall. 

This is one of the big reasons I stepped back from promoting and doing events. To be 'there' for my kids and wife at this time of their lives means a lot to them, and obviously it does to me as well. I've stated this as a reason I 'retired' from putting on events several times, and well, as I walked off behind my wife and my son last night after his final vocal performance in his high school career, I knew I had done the right thing.  

I get the whole sentiment attached to my old event called "Trans Iowa". All I have to do is mildly hint at maybe, possibly doing it again and someone hops on and comments something to the effect of "Do it!", and whatnot. But I also understand that they are just being selfish. It has nothing to do with the reasons why I stopped doing that stuff. The sun set on that era of my life, and like my son now, I am looking forward to whatever is down the road for me. 

Sure, like my son might do later on, I look back and wonder what it might be like to be doing those things again, but really, that's a big waste of time, and I hope he, nor myself, ever get caught up in that way of thinking. The past means never going back again. I'm okay with that.......because I have a future to be excited about.  So does my son. 

Sunsets. Enjoy them while they are happening. But get a move on in the morning. Time is not going backward. 

Riding Off Into The Sunset

My son and my wife walking off after his last vocal concert.

Sunsets. They can be beautiful, amazing, awe inspiring, and memorable. They also can signify endings, since it marks the end of a day for us. Well, myself and my family have reached a pretty memorable 'ending' today. 

It's the graduation from high school for my son. The last child of mine to make that walk across a stage to get a diploma from public school. That's a pretty big deal for us here.

But while it is the end of one thing it marks the beginning of other things as well. What exactly those things might be, we all are not sure. Only thing I know is that my son is excited to go to a tech program at a local community college this Fall. 

This is one of the big reasons I stepped back from promoting and doing events. To be 'there' for my kids and wife at this time of their lives means a lot to them, and obviously it does to me as well. I've stated this as a reason I 'retired' from putting on events several times, and well, as I walked off behind my wife and my son last night after his final vocal performance in his high school career, I knew I had done the right thing.  

I get the whole sentiment attached to my old event called "Trans Iowa". All I have to do is mildly hint at maybe, possibly doing it again and someone hops on and comments something to the effect of "Do it!", and whatnot. But I also understand that they are just being selfish. It has nothing to do with the reasons why I stopped doing that stuff. The sun set on that era of my life, and like my son now, I am looking forward to whatever is down the road for me. 

Sure, like my son might do later on, I look back and wonder what it might be like to be doing those things again, but really, that's a big waste of time, and I hope he, nor myself, ever get caught up in that way of thinking. The past means never going back again. I'm okay with that.......because I have a future to be excited about.  So does my son. 

Sunsets. Enjoy them while they are happening. But get a move on in the morning. Time is not going backward. 

Country Views: Flower Power

Escape Route: The view across from Prairie Grove Park.

 What a week here in the world where "Guitar Ted Productions" is. Rain, rain, and more rain all week with skies so gloomy that I would have thought it was November but for the greenery. When the Sun finally popped out late Friday afternoon it was.....odd! Welcomed, for sure, but oddly bright and blinding. 

So, Saturday was originally going to be partly cloudy and pretty nice, but, you know.....we're talking about weather. How it really happens sometimes is not at all what we're told to expect. So, by Friday I learn that it is going to be cloudy and that there was a chance for rain. Okay......what about Sunday? Well, cloudy, but no rain, so I'm good with that. Saturday ended up becoming beautiful by mid-afternoon, (of course) and instead of a bicycle ride I mowed the lawn, because it rained all last week! 

So, Sunday rolls around and now it might rain by noon? Sheesh! I scramble and get out there for a relatively decent ride, short, but decent, by 9:00am. The bike was my Twin Six Standard Rando and the gear I wore was your typical Summertime kit, finally! No more nods to cold weather again for a while, I hope. This time the escape route was from Prairie Grove Park, and I was heading South since the wind was out of the Southwest. 

The roads were pretty smooth and fast since all the gravel was smoothed out during the week by rain.

The barns near the corner of Aker and Griffith Road are slowly decaying away with the years.

Heading South wasn't actually too bad since the wind was more Westerly than Southerly. I made good time on super-smooth roads which were smoothed out by traffic pushing the stones down into the base, which would have been pretty softened up by the rains last week. Now all that had dried and hardened into a smooth, almost 'soft-cement' kind of surface which is what we call 'hero-gravel' around here. 

Flowers near an old farmstead. I'm sure these were planted by former residents who once lived on this spot.

These wild little yellow blossoms on tall, bare stems were seen fluttering in the breeze Sunday.

If you've been around here long, you may remember that I love the wild flowers in the ditches and alongside trails here in Iowa. Well, the mighty, pesky dandelion is always the leader in the fields here, but they fade away soon enough and the real show begins soon after. I noted several patches of color on this ride, some of which I documented for the post today. 

One of my favorite 'rest stops' near the corner of Quarry Road and Aker Road.

These iris flowers probably were from a planting- not native.

It occurred to me that many of the flowers I am seeing now may actually mark the spots where old homesteads once were. It is no secret that farms were much more numerous in the early 20th Century in Iowa. I do know of one farm home that used to be occupied on Aker Road. It had a family with children and was fairly active. Then one day riding South I noted the house had been damaged by fire. It wasn't long before the place was abandoned, the house razed to the ground, and now nothing but a few out buildings mark the spot. Well, that and the flowers near the old drive way in the ditch. 

It made me wonder. Will there come a day when nothing will be out here but warehouses holding drones and robotic farm implements which are remotely controlled? Will the rural areas devolve into a faceless, empty agricultural landscape where people are rarely seen anymore? Will there be nothing to mark their passing but a few random flower patches and an old decaying barn or two? 

Will this culture, like that of the Native Americans before it, become a mere shadow of the past? Memories written down somewhere will document the decline and fading away. Digital files will exist somewhere that hardly anyone will bother to dig up. All will pass eventually....

A little flash of lavender in a field of green

A flash of soft pink amongst some decaying plant matter

Hmm....." ...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Yeah. No need to answer those questions. Just getting through this time is hard enough without thinking about all of that 'future' stuff! So, I pedaled onward.......

The planting all done, these implements are at rest while the corn grows.

The skies got a little heavier as I approached the end of my ride.

 

So, eventually I reached the end of my ride after passing a random single woman pushing a child in a stroller right up the middle of Hoff Road. Weird. She was pleasant and returned my greeting, so that was nice. As I approached the more civilized edges of Waterloo, I felt rain drops. "Gee....I hope she and that kid don't get caught in the rain!"

But there was nothing to fear. That few drops of precipitation was all the "rain by noon" amounted to. Why do I listen to the weather reports again? Then as things wound up I saw an approaching cyclist. As the biker came closer I realized it was "Tomcat" who posts comments here from time to time. (Hello again, by the way!) 

So, a quick little ride. Nice that my right knee felt perfect. That's a first for 2021.