The GTDRI Stories: The 2017 GTDRI - Part 5

  "The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

Getting on into the back half of this GTDRI I was doing my typical dragging behind. Not unusual for me to be in this position on this, or any really long ride, to be honest. So, that was no surprise, it is just that it takes longer on the back half because we had to stop so much to gather me back up to the rest of the riders. So, I felt a bit guilty about that, and again, even that part was not unusual. 

That said, the riders were having a great time. The nature of the roads were hitting their senses in a good way, and one in particular was a standout. Again, I am not sure this is even a public road anymore, and I am really glad I got to ride on it a few times. But if this is still out there to be ridden, you should ride it. It's a crazy road. The name of it is "I" Avenue, and it is a lonely mile stretch of "road", and I use that term loosely. It is about as close to a prairie wagon road that I am aware of anywhere in this part of Iowa. 

I stopped at this mid-point on I Avenue and looked back to grab this image.

 Another view of "I" Avenue by Robert Fry

If we didn't ride another Level B dirt road the rest of the day, I Avenue fulfilled the "Adventure quota" nicely and would have been enough, but there was a lot more dirt to ride yet. The thing is, it wasn't nearly as spectacular as I Avenue was. 

A giant steep hill with a terraced field adjacent to it on 270th Avenue.

Level B section of G Avenue.

The rest of this ride was fairly unremarkable for me as it covered ground I had ridden several times and that I had already used on several Trans Iowa routes. It was also somewhat of a blur to me as I was in deep survival mode by this time and just wanted to get it all over with. 

That I did as I made it back to Reinbeck. I met with some of the others at that brewery that used to be there and had some good, tasty beer. I couldn't stay long though, as I had to drive back to Waterloo and be with my family. 

Next: The fall out from the2017 ride.