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| This drawing by my daughter, Izabel, served as the header again for 2011 |
The way 2010 went for me and rides I attended was not very good. It was, on average, a very hot, humid Summer and that took its toll on me. I did not finish many events at all, with the Fargo Adventure Ride being probably the only one I can remember doing every mile of that year.
So, I surmised that there were a few causes for this. One being the aforementioned heat and humidity, but the other being that I had entered too many events, took them far too seriously, and that I was far too busy with Life in general and with website stuff.
Oh....and I suppose Trans Iowa figures into that as well.
The one bright spot all of 2010, in terms of rides, was the night time gravel outings I did with David Pals. I wanted to do more of that in 2011. Funny how that hasn't really happened much, or at all, since then. I guess that when I lost my willing 'partner in crime' I lost all motivation for doing those. That's on me.....
A new distraction arrived in early 2011: Fat biking!
While my heart was set on being on the gravel, and while I was making all kinds of plans for a new, gravel specific bicycle, I was smitten by my 50th birthday present, a Salsa Cycles Mukluk. This bicycle captured my imagination in a big way. Had the Phil Wood rear hub not failed after the third ride on it, who knows where my aspirations may have led me. It wouldn't be until later, in early Fall, that the hub situation would be figured out, so..... What may have been!
But besides all the new bike mayhem that was going on in my life back then, I had a mind to make another simple, easy to put on GTDRI that would not be quite so hilly and definitely something I already had figured out for a route. Or at least mostly figured out for a route. So, early on I was talking about a route in and around Grinnell. That's where we were moving Trans Iowa and I was pretty stoked on the terrain around there in Powesheik and Jasper Counties. Plus, you know, it could be work for Trans Iowa recon. I was always looking for new ideas for that event.
I also noted that I was bouncing around the idea of doing the next GTDRI in Tama County, so again- an easy to identify route with little travel time for myself. At that time I had no idea exactly where I would take the ride. But, the third GTDRI, which had started out in Hickory Hills County Park seemed like it worked out really well. And in the end, that is what I gravitated towards.
Oh, and that new fat bike? It figures into the recon leading up to this 2011 GTDRI event. Stay tuned....
Next: Death Cookies
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