Just a reminder that I have another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast up now if you are so inclined to listen in. N.Y. Roll is my co-host and we discuss a wide range of topics concerning the Gravel Cycling Hall of fame, gravel history, and more. Here is the link to the podcast.
I moved the distribution and production aspects of the podcast in order to ensure a timely release of episodes. Unfortunately that meant that I had to start from zero, in terms of access to the podcast, so it really helps out if you not only listen, but share the link as well.
Thanks for checking the podcast out.
Cold Weather Clinic:
I am putting my 20+ years of cold weather riding experiences and know-how into an hour long clinic on November 3rd, at 6:30pm at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective in downtown Waterloo.
While it is obviously impossible to cover everything in an hour or so, I am going to download a significant amount of tips and there is going to be a PDF, (I think) of my clinic available to CVBC members.
Perhaps I will also pull that and a bit more into a mini-series here on the blog afterward. It might prove useful to you readers out there. At least those who are not busy "zwifting", or whatever it is that you call doing that is. (All I know is that ain't fer me!)
So, if you have any great cold weather tips you'd like me to pass on, just share them in the comments. I'll take those and what I have, share at the clinic, and then I'll post up a series here on what I have as well later in November.
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| Header for the Save RAGBRAI Facebook page. |
Is The End Nigh For RAGBRAI?:
This week I found out that there was some drama brewing concerning RAGBRAI again. (Remember all the hullabaloo when "Iowa's Ride" split off?)
It isn't news to hear that the newspaper business is floundering. No one really reads physical newspapers anymore and digital renderings of newspapers don't seem to attract the advertising revenues that the old print newspapers once did. Large corporate news behemoths, like Gannett, who own the Des Moines Register and the sub-corporation, Ventures Endurance, which runs RAGBRAI now, are experiencing deep financial turmoil. So bad are things looking in from the outside that the former director of RAGBRAI, who just left his post recently, has started a "Save RAGRAI" Facebook page to air his concerns. His perspective could be questioned, seeing as he may have an axe to grind, or he could very well be raising red flags which should be acknowledged. I don't know.
Comments: Claims of overnight towns from the 2022 route not getting paid, claims that RAGBRAI has not upheld contractual obligations, and claims of non-communication from Venture Endurance don't sound great here, but let's be honest- RAGBRAI isn't going to "die" anytime soon. Here are the facts: With upwards of 20.000 registered riders (claimed by Dieter Drake for 2022 ridership numbers), at $175.00 a pop to register, and considering all the business that can be generated out of those numbers in concessions, souvenirs, etc, the economics of RAGBRAI are just too big to ignore.
The ride isn't going away but it is looking more and more like it may change. It may change a LOT. Think about the whole "Iowa's Ride" fiasco. Had the pandemic not interfered with that, I can totally imagine how that ride may have eventually taken over the spot in July which RAGBRAI has held. It was certainly apparent that a potential was there, and that potential is still there today.
My belief is that despite what may happen to Gannett, RAGBRAI will survive in some form. And even IF it doesn't, something will arise to take its place on the calendar. There is just too much money and tradition on the table for something like RAGBRAI to just disappear now. In the future? Maybe whatever is left over won't be done in a manner that people find attractive and things will fizzle out. That's an outcome I could see happening also.
But change seems imminent. There has been a lot of upheaval surrounding RAGBRAI in the past five years and I don't think we've seen what the outcome of those forces on that event will be just yet.
3 comments:
Cold weather tips I've very recently learned, also after riding for 20+ years through Chicago Winter:
1. Flat pedals + warm boots. I prefer riding in cleats and have several winter cycling boots from Shimano, Northwave, Bontrager, and Lake. Finally made the switch last year to flat MTB pedals (with pins) and some cheap boots from Land's End that are very quick to take on/off with just a zipper up the back. Buy the boots 1 to 2 sizes bigger than your shoe to comfortably wear 2-3 pair socks and even in -5 to -10 Fahrenheit, toes are toasty. Can also fill the extra space of too-large boots with sheepskin liners like UGGs (rather than multiple sock layers). You will know this but mention in your notes that shoes/boots should definitely not be tight, need warm air circulation in the toe box.
2. I still have not tried Pogies but am sure they might be the magic ticket.
For those who prefer gloves, my suggestion is to not look at gloves from cycling companies or even traditional outdoor brands such as NorthFace, Columbia, etc but look at Motorcycle gloves. I found great success with a pair of gloves from https://shop.olympiagloves.com/collections/winter-motorcycle-gloves
They easily kept my fingers warm again in temps down to 10 below, didn't fall apart in one winter, and were far less expensive that comparable cycling-specific gloves. The pair I bought are no longer on this site but similar to these with full leather glove and a big Gore-Tex neoprene-ish gauntlet. https://shop.olympiagloves.com/products/4270-gore-tex-wolf
Hope it helps and I look forward to your blog post to see if I can learn something else. As always, thanks for what you do and keep up the good work!
@ENB - Thank you for all of those tips. I would agree with much of what you have offered as advice and I have to wonder if you peeked at my notes! Lots of stuff you mention here is also on my notes. What isn't I'll add.
Thanks again!
I take anything TJ says with more than a grain of salt.
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