"Hall of Fame" Ride

Perhaps we will have our picture made here?

 On June 19th there is going to be a gravel ride out of Vinton, Iowa from Riverside Park and it will start at 9:00am. Those are the pertinent details. You can read more about the ride on N.Y. Roll's blog HERE. 

There are a few reasons I am posting about this ride on my blog and in no particular order, here they are:

One: So you cannot say, "I never heard about this!"

Two: So I can cross-post this on social media to "get the word out" so you can't say "I never heard about this!". 

Three: To give a preview of the ride and to discuss a couple of points about the date, time, and place. 

Okay, I think #1 is obvious. If you are reading this, you know. Secondly, if  you have come to this post via a link on social media, you know. So, that leaves the third bit, and that will be explained in images and words to follow. 

We did most of this route last year on a ride with myself, N.Y. Roll and Tom

The purpose of this was instigated by N.Y. Roll as being a way to celebrate my induction into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. I had expressed my pleasure in having ridden this route that N.Y. Roll came up with last year, so he decided to use it for the HoF Ride with a few tweaks. It's a metric century plus a tiny bit. 

There are several woodlined roads on the route and shade should be easy to find in spots.

So, that's why this route and venue were chosen. Now, as for the date- Yes, I understand it is on Father's Day this year. This is the date that works for me. I cannot ride big rides on Saturdays because I work Saturdays now. So, that's why it is on a Sunday. This particular Sunday was the closest one to my induction into the HoF that worked for me, because I am busy on some Sundays playing guitar in my church band. So, that's why it is on the 19th. 

We didn't ride this Level B Road last year, but we will this time.

 Unless it is lightning and pouring rain, we will likely do the ride anyway, but you decide for yourself what you will put up with. I mean, it's like this- You Are Responsible For Yourself. And as always, if you don't like the ride or the details of this ride, you can request your entry fee back. Wait! What did you pay for this? Right.....

This is an image of that rustic cemetery N.Y. Roll mentions in the link above.

N.Y. Roll and I expect a small group, maybe 30? I think less.... Which one of us will be right? Hard to say. But whatever.... We will ride whether it is just I and N.Y. Roll or if it is 40 riders. Oh....and it is a no-drop ride. We will be stopping to gather up the group, and therefore this will take 6-7 hours. Most likely, anyway.... 

On the venue: Vinton is a fairly conservative, rural Iowa village and therefore most places are closed Sundays. Convenience stores and an ice cream place are what will be open. After-ride gathering? Probably not a big concern. I would think a bit of hobnobbing afterward at the ice cream place maybe.

There will be a toast made at a low-water "Missouri Crossing" at some point about halfway into the ride to celebrate my HoF thing. Just be aware of that. 

Otherwise this is just a ride. No big deal, right? If you can make it, great. If not, well, maybe some other time then? If you really want to have me along for a ride to celebrate the HoF thing, let me know. I'm open to other riding possibilities. 

Thanks and if you plan on coming, I'll see ya there. if not, thanks for reading and there will be the usual ride report here following the ride's completion.

Thanks to N.Y. Roll for the idea and for putting this on!