Ride Plans Taking Shape

Some riding plans are emerging out of the fog for 2023

I've been thinking about riding gravel roads again, and this year I want my riding to be about consistency. No huge plans and no grabbing big miles without having a consistent base of rides to build off of. With that all in mind, here are my thoughts going into the year.

Renegade Gents Race: I've been assured that I still have my place on my team and that a lodging plan is available. (Thank you Capn' Steve!) So, that event, which falls on April 1st this year, will be my first "official ride" date for 2023. 

Leading in to that date I want to have put in several consistent rides and off-bike work-out type training efforts to be ready to do this event. Since the Gents Race is about 70 miles or less, I think if I can have a base of several 3-4 hour rides by April 1st I'd feel pretty good about that. Maybe 3-4 of those and several shorter rides as well. That means I have to get going here pretty quick.

Off-bike efforts will include some special stretching and moving exercises I've got planned for myself. Nothing huge, but again - I just want consistency. 

The route for the "Tour of Black Hawk County" might form the basis of another big ride in May

ToBHC/GTDRI? Then I have had a request from a local rider named Josh to ride with me on a big ride sometime this year. This fits in with my desire to bag a century ride at least once this year. Josh and I spoke about the idea this past weekend and I suggested that perhaps the Tour of Black Hawk County route might be a good one to make use of for this ride. 

If I so chose, I need to reroute a bit of the Western edge of the loop. The stupid county had part of the border between Grundy and Black Hawk County paved! Bah! So, to avoid about six to seven miles of madness, I will have to make a big revision to the route. 

And IF I do that, my plan is to run the loop in reverse, so the big miles without resupply are on the front end, and the shorter distances between stops can help get us to the finish in better condition than what I experienced when I did the loop in 2021. 

Double IF: Let's say I find a date in May that you think would work for you to join us. Well......okay then. I am going to allow anyone that can come to join in. It's not necessarily a "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational", but it pretty much would be. Interested? Drop me a line...... If I get enough interest I may make this "officially official". Or something.....

From the Single Speed Century in 2020

Single Speed Century: So..... Let's say "IF" I get this far into the year and all goes well. Okay, then I am thinking I need to stick in a single speed century ride. I have a couple routes to choose from including this gnarly edition I did back in 2020 with Jeremy Fry which about did me in. I'm thinking this is a Summertime ride and that I would do this whenever it seemed right during June, July, or August.

This may be the bike and set-up, or.....it may not!

The Closure Tour: Sharp readers here might remember this idea I had for a late Summer "over-nighter" tour that I was prepping for. It didn't happen due to circumstances beyond my control, but I have not let this idea go. I feel this needs to happen and for pretty personal reasons which go beyond a bicycle ride. Thus the name of the ride. 

I've got everything I need to do this, I have the bicycles, the route is done, and anytime I have a window to do this, I feel as though I need to just go and get it done. This is high on the list of goals for 2023. I hope that it all works out.

Fat Bike Century: I've done this before, like seven years ago! I have threatened to get back out and do another for years and especially so now that I own the Ti Muk 2. 

As far as a route goes, I have two other completely different routes in mind which I would not use for the other ride ideas here. One would pretty much reprise the 2016 Fat Bike Century while the other one would be an expansion on my Turkey Burn Ride of 2021. 

I like the idea of the latter, but either would tickle my long ride bones and I would have fun either way. The latter idea of the two would require some more route planning and stuff since it is a route that doesn't exist in the mileage I would need, but it wouldn't be any big deal these days to pull something together. Not with the resources at hand today. 

Which reminds me..... Putting together a gravel route in 2005 was a LOT harder! But I digress....

Anywho! These are all huge, gigantic, BIG if's and will not happen unless I start doing the things today to get ready. So, that is the immediate plan. I will show up every day to do the stuff and we'll talk again come the end of March and see where I am at pre-Gent's madness. 

Stay tuned....