Rear View 2025: Summer

 Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year will feature  five Rear View posts looking back on   End of Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and  Beginning of Winter. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2026. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

The Summer was a contrast of high and low. The high started out in July with the recapping of the Tree In The Road Ride. The trip to Atlantic was a memorable one and a chance to reconnect with dear friends. 

Then I had a pretty nice 4th of July ride with a decently long course. I was able to get out one other time after this in about three weeks though because the weather pattern went hot, windy, and rainy. The bad days seemed to always fall on days I could ride, so I was a bit on the frustrated side during the latter half of the month. So much so I posted about being happy July was going away. Man..... Hindsight is 20 - 20, they say. I'd take that post back in a heartbeat today. 

During July I started a project which used my old Singular Cycles Buzzard hard tail trail bike. I replaced the front wheel to a rear single speed hub and used my old Ti Muk 1's steel Salsa Enabler fork to make an odd wheel-swappable bike for bike packing. 

It turned out really well, but like every other year, I never actually went anywhere to use it. I know it sounds like a broken record to you long-time blog readers, but I have that route ready for a two-day gravel bikepacking outing, and I still intend on doing it. 

The last image I took of my son. 7/25/25

Of course, losing your only son with no warning and no reason found for his death was devastating. This changed everything after August 2nd, 2025.

I could say a lot of things here, and I have already said a lot of things here on these digital pages. I am torn as to how much I should write here about the death of Jacob and how it has affected me. What I am not hesitant to write about and share here is how several people have come through and supported me through this time. 

Many of you dear readers are amongst this number of people who have done over and above anything I could have imagined. Kind words, gestures, and more have been consistently received here since August's tragedy in my life. I appreciate each and every thought, prayer, kind words,shared, and more. 

I guess there are a few folks out there having a hard time "reading me" and how I am actually doing here. I just want to address this by saying there are days of tears..still. There are days of being just "okay". I laugh. I enjoy riding bicycles. I cherish friends and family maybe a bit more these days. I lean on my Faith, I pray a lot more. There is a lot of heartache and pain, but there also have been plenty of amazing experiences right alongside of those painful emotions and memories. It's weird, and I don't know how to fully express what I feel and am going through. 

So, that is how I am doing. 
 

In honor of my son, I did a ride in late August I dubbed "The Ride For Jacob". I usually go for one long ride in the Summer which I had always called "The Death Ride" because I would ride until I was about dead. In light of what had recently happened this name did not seem right. So, I renamed it "Ride For Jacob" and this will be how I name this ride going forward. 

Anyway, it turned out to be the longest ride I will get done in 2025. A metric century. A healing ride. A way to honor my son and the man he turned out to be. 

I used the old Gen I Fargo for this ride. I also had 180mm long cranks on it! I made it through with no issues, really, but I did learn I prefer shorter cranks than 180mm. 

Otherwise the Fargo was stellar, Even with that heavy wheel set and thick Surly Extraterrestrial 29 x 2.5" tires. I won't lie, I was cooked after the effort, and a lighter wheel set with lighter tires probably would have been better, but I was fine and the tires did soak up a lot of gravel vibrations. This will be the bike for the upcoming L.O.G. Ride in April next year, and I may have to build that lighter wheel set before I take off for the Flint Hills where there will be a LOT more elevation! 

 Next up in the Rear View will be the months of September and October. Look for the next Rear View 2025 in a week from now. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Friday News And Views (Monster Year-End Edition)

Image from Innova Super Gravel webpage.

 Call It "Gravel™" And It Will Sell:

What happens when you take an XC racing chassis, slap a drop bar on it, and call it a "gravel bike"? Well, apparently you sell bicycles. That is what it looks like judging from a few bicycle brands out there now who are trying to figure out how to "innovate" the gravel bike into something the marketing departments hope you will see as a "must have bike". 

The recently released Trek Checkout, and a few other bicycles like this Innova Super Gravel (shown here) seem to have a very striking resemblance to 29"er XC racing bikes from five to ten years ago. 

I wrote up a comparison of the Trek Checkout with an old Gary Fisher XC Trail bike back at the end of September. If you missed the comparison, it may be enlightening to go back and read the article as it will shed some light on what it is that is going on here with these supposed "category defining" gravel bikes. 

I think this is happening due to a few things. One - Road bikes are encroaching on territory formerly covered by the gravel category. Many road bikes can now fit 35mm road tires, which were "gravel tire" widths in the 2010's. Some road bikes in the "road endurance/all-road" category fit even wider tires. No one wants to call these "gravel bikes", even though for a lot of people out there, this is all they would ever need to ride any road they come across. 

Two - "Gravel" is not everywhere. Many places have back roads, pavement, or dirt roads, but many "paths" cross over to single track/MTB type riding. Wider tires, more aggressive trail geometry, and suspension fit this terrain better. The marketing for the Innova Super Gravel shows it on rocky paths and more MTB/XC type terrain. Actual crushed rock roads (gravel) are no where to be seen.  Perhaps this reflects what seems more enticing to ride and this new style of 'Gravel Bike", which is really just XC MTB with drop bars, is what will motivate folks to pop the credit card number in for a charge. 

Three: "Adventure" was removed from XC MTB bikes when racing-focused products took over and gravity oriented machines became the guise entry level MTB bikes took on, if only in form. Part of this swing toward drop bar MTB is labeled as "adventure biking" because MTB has abandoned this adventure off-road category for years. Bike packing was, and is, a partial beneficiary to this as well. However; the lighter, more svelte "gravel bike" with a suspended front end seems to be filling this void where once the mainstay of MTB was residing. News about the 2026 Focus Atlas adventure bike brings to mind the original Fargo, a bicycle who's tagline was "Adventure by Bike" and which created this drop-bar, MTB based adventure category nearly 20 years ago now. 

All these things are being drenched in "gravel" because this is the magic word which conveys a sense of thrill, adventure, and does not carry the pretenses of road cycling or MTB racing/mountain riding. Even though much of what is being put out there as "new", "category defining" and "adventure" is derivative and old news. 

For more on this, see my take on another bike in this vein below....... 

Guitar Ted Podcast To Take Winter Break:

N.Y. Roll and I recorded the final episode of the Guitar Ted Podcast for this season recently. We will be taking our annual Holiday break and recharging the batteries for another season of the show being planned now. 

2025 was a year of growth, according to our end-of-year stats we received recently from a couple of our podcast platforms. We thank you for listening - if you did - over the past year. I have a review of the year on the podcast which will post the last week of this month, so do look for that. 

Season 4 (!!) will start in January with......well, I don't know just yet! We will come up with something, I am sure. We have received a few great suggestions for the podcast and future episodes, and if you would like to voice your opinions on the direction of the show, please do by leaving a comment here or by email @g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

Image by A. Andonopoulos

Fixing The Bus

What is my friend Ari holding in his hand here? Well.....it is what I am going to "fix the Bus with." 

Yep! The old Twin Six Standard Rando, or what I called "The Gravel Bus", due to its yellow and black paint scheme, is going to become my new fixed gear bicycle. 

Since I stripped the bike down and used its parts to build up my new Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4, I thought I was just going to sell this frame and fork off. However; I ended up contemplating how I could make a fatter tire fixed gear bicycle. Something akin to the Shogun, but with beefier tires which I could ride on gravel with. This led me to the Paul WORD Fixed Disc Hub and the possibility of converting the Gravel Bus to direct drive.  

Oh....and in case you are not familiar: Fixed gear means you have a cog on a hub which is locked together. You cannot coast. Every inch the wheel travels the cranks are spinning. It is how all bicycles once were in the late 19th Century. Track bikes are still this way. Just thought I'd throw this out there in case you were new to the concept. 

By the way, single speed free wheel bikes are NOT like fixed gear bikes.They are completely different animals. If you have never ridden fixed gear, you should try it out. It really is amazing and you'd get why it is so different straight away. I love riding this way, and so this new build will be getting used quite a bit,, I think. Stay tuned for more on this bike soon. 

Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Recap:

All the reports are in and published. This year we had ten reports and all from the USA. Most everyone had an issue with the big storm which rolled into the country just in time to affect rides for the challenge.

However; I was encouraged greatly because despite the fact many of the challenge takers did not log the mileage to reach a century, either metric or standard, they reported anyway and shared their rides here. I think this is perhaps even more inspiring, since these folks went out in the face of adversity to ride anyway. 

Feedback from the riders was positive and it looks as though many want to participate in this again next year. Whether you reported or not, if you took inspiration from this challenge and rode, ran, swam, or walked outdoors after Thanksgiving, I appreciate this very much. This is the entire motivation for me - To get folks outdoors and trying to stretch themselves a bit physically instead of sitting around, being sucked into the marketing machine, or whatever. Thanks everyone! We'll plan on doing this again next year then!

 

Image courtesy of Knolly Bikes

Knolly Bikes Releases Updated Cache "Gravel" Bike:

The new Cache drop bar bike in titanium is now available from Knolly Bikes, a predominantly mountain cycling oriented company.  

Their geometry isn't anything crazy with a 70.5° head tube angle, 75mm of bottom bracket drop, and 422mm chain stays. But with many companies going wider on tires, you might expect an increase in maximum tire size over the outgoing Cache, and you'd be correct. Now with clearance for a 29" X 2.3" front and a 29" x 2.1" rear tire (1X and 2X), and suspension fork compatibility, ("gravel travel" suspension only), 

Comments: Okay, I don't really care about big tires or not on gravel rides, you can decide on this idea for yourself. However; at the point where companies are going now with 29"er tires, I have to make a demarcation. 

For myself, and going forward, any "gravel bike" with suspension correction and wider than 2.1" rear tire clearance is technically a mountain bike with drop bars. I mean, call a spade a spade.  Personally, I would rather say a bike like the Cache is a "bad Fargo take", or a poor Cutthroat in the case of carbon frames, but this maybe just me being grumpy today. 

Legends Of Gravel (L.O.G. Ride) Update:

I have a few more details to share concerning the April 17th-18th Legends Of Gravel Ride event. Once again - I am not in charge of this ride. So, if you've got beef with anything concerning the ride, I am not the person to bother with those complaints. Just so we are clear.... 

I am being feted at this event, for further clarity, and I was asked to share this information here, since many of you readers of Guitar Ted Productions just might be interested in this subject. 

Finally, the information I was asked to share: An event site is now live and will be updated with specifics on how you can participate in this event if you want to do so. The site is on Facebook, full disclosure, and I know some of you don't travel in the 'metasphere', which is understandable. Have a friend keep tabs on things then. Don't ask me! 

Here is the link. 

Comments: There is a plan for a group lodging opportunity which would cost $100.00/night to stay which includes meals. The ride itself, if that is all you need, is going to be $50.00/person. This is to help defray costs and gets you an event t-shirt. I know, I thought the ride was free at the onset, but I was wrong, and again - I am not one of the organizers. Any event details, costs, or times are subject to change by the organizers. Be aware! 

I think there is a groundswell of interest in this thing, so if you are at all interested it probably would behoove you to pay attention to that Facebook event page. My part in this is to get there and show up ready to ride a couple of days. That is all I am going to do. So, from this point onward I may mention this event in passing, but do not expect timely updates from me. 

From Singular Cycles' social media

The 32 Watch: Singular Cycles Proto

Recently Singular Cycles posted an Instagram story/reel which showed the bike to the left here with the comment: "It's surprisingly normal looking." Reading into it, I assumed this meant "surprisingly normal" because it was a 32"er. I "liked" the post and Sam Alison replied back in a pm confirming my suspicions. I will stop right there. 

Comments: Sooooo...... One would assume this might just be an actual thing, coming from Singular, who are not in the position to just randomly see if something is going to work or not. It would be reasonable to assume this is in an effort to confirm suspicions the idea is marketable.  

I have to thank my brother, MG, for capturing this image. You know, Insta stories go dark after 24hrs. So, here is the evidence which was provided, but only for a short period of time, preserved now for your consideration. What do you think? Would you be interested in something like this? (I have no horse in this race, by the way.)

I think it bears watching. I would be a lot more interested in a drop bar, gravel crusher, but that is just me. I'd want to see wider spaced hubs than 29"ers have. Thinking out loud, I'd want 150mm front and rear spaced. I would think with the longer chain stays this wouldn't be an issue with cranks and it would build a way stronger wheel. The front matching would allow front to rear wheel swaps. You might want this if a cassette failed, or a derailleur failed, and your front, (actually a rear standard) set up with a single speed cog could swap in as a bail-out. Weird? Maybe, but why not? The stronger wheels would be worth the effort with such a big diameter rim. 

And I don't give a rip about telescopic front suspension forks, so there!  

Programming Note: There are two Friday's left in the year. Usually industry news tails off for the holidays, so unless there are compelling reasons to report news or opinions I will likely post end-of-year articles on the following December Fridays. The FN&V will return the first week of January, 2026. 

Have an awesome weekend! Get out and ride those bicycles! 

VTBR Report: Warran Weibe

 They say, "Save the best for last", and I really feel this is the case with this entry from Kansan Warran Weibe. His report will be the final Virtual Turkey Burn Ride report for 2025. Written in the style of the Legendary Charlie Farrow, this post was a lot of fun to read through and publish here. Thank you, Warran! 

 “Next Year, Bring Pronto!”

The Most People for the Most Miles

Roll call for the 2025 Thanksgiving group ride was answered by the Crew with a variety of responses that ended in some version of “sorry not going to make it this year.” When we put together a ride, the route/mileage/departure time is loosely based on “what works for the most people to ride the most miles.”

Given that most of the Crew fits Charlie Farrow’s description of “Guyz on the List.”“Guyz that make The List are under the gun in their day-jobs and in their everyday lives…To them training “aint work,” training is a way to escape reality, to feel FREE! They don’t dread training, they look forward to training. Most of the time, they have to train at all hours of the day, super early in the morning or late night, if they are gonna “get one in.”

Gettin One In

Group rides with the Crew check all of Charlie’s boxes plus a few others like parking vehicles in the next county so people can leave in the dark, ride with the group, and drive the vehicle back to get home in time to carry on their “everyday lives.” The answer for the most people to ride the most miles for the 2025 Thanksgiving ride was local coffee shop/zero miles/6:30 a.m. In a pretty amazing turn of events almost everybody showed up.

Flyer for Gravel Worlds 2026

The biggest laugh, among many, from the coffee no ride was retelling a story from the road trip to Gravel Worlds last summer. Every year since the first Good Life Gravel Adventure the Crew from Lawrence has stayed with the same family in Lincoln. We look forward to seeing our hosts as much or more than riding our bikes. Some of the Crew are more “memorable” guests than others and when we arrived at GWs this year the first comment from our Lincoln host was “Great to see you guys again, but where’s Pronto?” Well Pronto didn’t make it to Lincoln this year, but as a testimony to Pronto’s historical “memorability multiplier” as we were pulling out to head back to Lawrence after the race the last thing we heard was “Thanks for coming, but next year, bring Pronto!”

Missing Ingredients

Gathering for coffee with the Crew filled the cup for community and encouragement but added zero miles ridden for the 2025 VTB Victory Rides.

For me, any time I get on my bike and start to pedal it is a victory to celebrate. This fall I had two wheels but was missing the bike and pedal ingredients to celebrate the victory of a ride. Lots of other victories, but none involved riding my bike.

Two Wheels, no pedals

The Podium Came Through Five Hours Ago

When I finally got back on my bike in early November after not riding for two months I was deliberately cautious and extremely slow, but riding my bike never felt better. I was looking forward to getting some miles to get ready for Mark’s VTB ride at the end of the month.

Riding this way (slow) reminded me of a race long ago when in the middle of the night a dog caused a rider to miss a turn, ride an extra mile past the turn, ride a mile parallel to the route, and then ride the extra mile back down to return to the route. When we all got back together there was a question as to whether the reroute caused by the dog would keep the rider off the podium? Out of somebody’s mouth in the dark came the response “Dude I wouldn’t worry about it, the Podium came through here five hours ago.”

Work Commute - VTB Victory Ride I

The single route I’ve ridden the most is the work commute. I know every turn, hill, treeline, and the time it takes to get to each landmark. I know the names of the dogs that chase and the name of at least one dog that bites. I also know a number of the good folks that live and farm along the route. The route is a mostly gravel road that follows a railroad track that follows a river. Typically five or less cars/pickups pass me when I’m riding and in the fall there are more deer on the road than vehicles. In years past the work commute has been at the bottom of the training list for difficulty and distance. This Thanksgiving the work commute is twice as far as I had ridden in the last few months and I was glad a buddy lives at the halfway point with a fridge and cold Cokes.

I had butterflies all week when I thought about whether I could actually finish the entire work commute. It was similar to the last week of worrying before a race you had spent months training for (minus the bike prep., clothing choices, and nutrition plan). I rolled away from work as the sun was setting, riding cautious and slow, and hoping nothing would happen that would later have to be explained to my wife under the category of “That Sure Was Stupid.”

Before I was out of town it was obvious I had no power or endurance on even the overpass over the train tracks. I was thankful the wind was at my back. The first time I looked at my watch was when I pulled into my buddy’s house at the halfway point - the time it took to go halfway was close to my FKT for the entire route. The Podium definitely came through here five hours ago! 

Had a Coke and warmed up a little, riding slow doesn’t generate as much heat as normal. Headed back out and made it to the last big hill. Usually the question is how hard do I want to go to get up the hill. The issue that night was, 'Can I make it up the hill without walking?' If I saw someone I knew putting up Christmas lights I was definitely going to stop to visit. Well I didn’t see anyone working on their Christmas lights, and I didn’t have to walk the hill, but I’m confident the time it took to get up the hill established a new SKT for this part of the work commute. 

All in all I think the relief of getting home safely with nothing stupid happening was similar to the relief you have when you finally arrive at the last convenience store five minutes before it closes in a long race.

I Didn’t Know It Was Supposed to Rain - VTB Victory Ride II

The aftermath of the Work Commute was dead legs the next day which just so happened to be Thanksgiving. So recovery consisted of doing what people do on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving kinda  overflowed into Friday, so the start time and route for Ride II was modified throughout the day until darkness and bedtime forced the matter. What was supposed to be a repeat of the work commute time and distance was revised to be a shorter route on the bike path around Lawrence with some rural roads added. Much of the bike path is away from the city lights and crosses undeveloped (for now) darkness. When you ride your bike in Kansas you’re always keeping track of the weather forecast for tempersture, wind, rain, etc.  Since I had not been riding this fall I had fallen out of the habit of closely monitoring the weather conditions.

Riding slow and cautious through the bike path darkness I notice flecks of what looked like rain sprinkles in my headlight. I thought maybe it was moisture, or fog from the nearby wetlands. In the darkness it was hard to tell if the bike path concrete was getting wet or not. I didn’t have any idea that there was a forecast for rain so I just kept riding. Note: Not knowing the forecast also meant two things: (1) I was wearing a winter coat, work pants, and mittens each with a water repellent factor of zero; and (2) my rain jacket was at home. When I leaned my bike against the traffic sign below, the sign was not wet, but the ground around it was? My headlight had water drops on the lens and for the first time it occurred to me . . . for a guy trying to ride cautious and slow, riding in the rain seemed like it could be the beginning of a story about doing something Stupid.

A Rainy Reminder to Check The Weather

 I turned off the bike path, rode even slower into town, and under the streetlights I was able to see it was definitely drizzling. As I rode past the house of one of the Crew I noticed two Amazon packages sitting on their front porch getting wet. I knew they were out of town for Thanksgiving. So, I called another one of the Crew that lived down the street and asked if I could drop off the packages so they wouldn’t get wet. Riding with one hand, two packages, in the drizzle was well inside the Stupid bullseye, but it was only two blocks and I made it without any problems. As soon as I dropped off the packages it stopped drizzling and started dumping real rain - real hard. I had about four miles of riding on the street to get home and I  was getting soaked. The good news was after four miles I could get out of the wet clothes and take a hot shower.

All in all there I got home safely but soaked to the core and now I’m back to being a regular follower of the NWS Hourly Forecast for Northeast Kansas.

I'm a Believer!

I Guess It Is Colder Than I Thought - VTB Victory Ride III

Ride III occurred the day after Ride II but before I had returned to being a regular follower of the NWS Hourly Forecast. The plan was to ride the work commute halfway, get a Coke from my buddy’s fridge and return home.

After a half mile I realized it was a lot colder than I thought. I stopped to put on my jacket hood, and zip up my coat all the way. On the way down the first long downhill (the one I had almost walked up four days before) I had to put my hand/mitten in front of my face as a windshield from the cold. I was riding straight into the wind,which was bad for the ride out, but good for the return trip.

Iced Water Bottle Hill

Near the end of the first half of the ride I stopped at the top of one of the last hills to take a break and get a drink. No water came out of the plastic water bottle so I unscrewed the lid and the bottle was half ice and half water. Now I realized it was a lot colder x 2 than I thought. Riding below 32 degrees is common if you want to ride in Kansas in the winter but riding in Kansas in the winter with plastic water bottles is not. Good thing the halfway stop for the ride has hot water and Cokes.

After a cold Coke and water bottle refill I headed back home. One thing about stopping during a winter ride and going inside a Casey’s to get warm is that when you start out riding again you are completely cold and miserable for the first mile or two. Luckily the work commute has two big warm up hills immediately after the halfway stop. As I worked my way back to town I was thinking about how I would get up the last big hill and whether anyone would be working on their Christmas lights. Surprisingly the hill was much easier this time - I think the strong tailwind was a greater factor than any improvement on my part.

All in all there it was a wake up call to get out the box of winter bicycling gear and start packing extra backup layers when riding and a “Newsflash” - Start following the NWS hourly forecast.

2025 VTB Victory Ride Totals

2025 VTB Victory Ride Total Mileage = 78 miles and every mile was a much valued victory. One VTB ride report per year is my limit. As I said last year, I have no idea how Mark has written a daily post for 20+ years.

Mark - Thanks again for helping so many people get to "Doing" and V for Victory. WW

And with this the VTBR Reports for 2025 are done and dusted! Thanks to everyone who sent in a report.  

VTBR Report: Ari Andonopoulos

 Like many of us here trying the VTBR in 2025, we were struggling with weather issues and Ari was no exception. Here is his brief report on his attempt at the challenge. 

  Ari Andonopoulos:

Well, well. Never think that something is gonna last forever, specially in the Midwest. I had some crazy idea of getting this ride without any hiccups. Mother Nature had other plans for us. 

I had been basking in my glory with temps in the 40-50 range. I kinda get used to temps and deal with it okay. But then for the VTBR everything went south. The speeding cranes above were speeding due south. That was a sign.

 I rode Thursday, Friday, Saturday Sunday and accumulated minimal mileage. I’m glad I committed to do this challenge because I learned a lot. Studded tires were NOT installed, Fat bike was not ready, winter clothing not sorted out. So yeah it was a lesson. Thank you!! 

And I rode a grand total of 34 miles in 4 days!!

 Hey Ari! We who were also caught out in the wind, cold, and snow over this period completely understand! And I am happy to know you got out and gave it your best shot. Nicely done! 

VTBR Report: Ken Stabile

 Today's report comes in from Connecticut's Ken Stabile who is our first 100 mile VTBR finisher! Ken is also a photographer, which you will see evidenced in his spectacular imagery he sent along with this report. Read on!

Lasagna Burn, by Ken Stabile: 

I’ve been looking for an excuse to attempt a century ride, and after reading Guitar Ted’s suggestion for a “turkey burn” century the weekend of Thanksgiving, there it was: Opportunity presented!

I knew there would be no turkey to burn in my case, having been a vegetarian since 1985, so this ride was charged with burning off the layers of lasagna that had been consumed at the previous day’s holiday feast. I decided that Friday was the day, the ride would be paved, I would ride from home in Goshen, CT, and I would use my Blackheart Titanium all road, fitted with 700 x 32 road tires. The forecast was for fair weather but cold temps, mid 30’s and some wind. I was ready to go by 8:30 am and so, armed with a route, some full water bottles, pockets loaded with snacks, as well as an eyeball on the wind, out the door I went. 

The wind gave an immediate hello: blowing strange, strong and cold, seeming to swirl from every direction. Oh well, I thought, it’s just the wind. Little did I know it would be a constant companion, howling in my head and at my bike for the next ten hours!

The route took me south and into the town of Bethlehem where I stopped at a convenience store for water and a nature break at around mile 17. When I came back out to the bike, I was one glove short, and spent the next fifteen minutes or so trying to find the missing glove. I retraced my steps into the store, looked all around the parking lot, and, finally, when I was about to ride off with only one, looked under the four cars in the lot, and there it was, blown by the wind, under the middle of car number four. Oh well, should have looked there first, I guess. Onward!

St. James Cemetery

One of the planned stops was to pay my respects and have lunch with my parents and sister at their final resting place in Naugatuck, and so at mile 42 I rolled into St. James Cemetery and did just that. The wind joined us and, honestly, dominated the conversation, but it was a nice break nonetheless. Now it was time to head back north and into the wind.


 

 

 I had some urban miles to cover before I got back onto the quiet roads, including one pedestrian bridge that rides right next to a highway exit ramp. It was kind of a blast to be riding up the ramp, the wind screaming at everybody, and the cars rushing straight in my direction (I was fairly well protected by a concrete barrier). That lasted for only a quarter mile, and then I was safely tucked onto a paved bike path before cutting through Hop Brook State Park, and then back onto the less traveled country roads in Middlebury and beyond. 

 The ride continued into the wind and up some hills through Watertown and back into Morris, where I passed a field of pumpkins looking resplendent in the afternoon sun. I was at mile 63 or so and the sun was on its way down. This ride would definitely finish after dark. The wind continued to blow and I continued to pedal. It was a real battle now between the cold, the wind and the distance still needed to cover. The miles passed, and soon I was at mile 75, then 80, 85 and soon the goal was within sight. I switched on the bike’s headlight, as well as the one on my helmet, and I was really ready to roll those last miles and finish this thing up! I was in farm country now and I couldn’t resist the temptation to photograph in the beautiful but waning daylight. 

Barns For Jacob

 Finally, the daylight was finished and it was full on darkness but I still had ten miles or so to go before hitting the 100 mark. The wind, however, was not finished, and rode with and against me the rest of the way home as I pedaled until I hit the 101 mile mark. There I was, finally home after 101 miles and 9000 feet of elevation gain! I felt great, a little numb from the cold and the wind, but great!

Thanks to Guitar Ted for the inspiration, and thanks for taking the time to read this ride report. I look forward to trying it again. 

Wow! That was a great report! I appreciate Ken's request to honor my son, Jacob, with his barn image. Thanks for the kind gesture. 

We've still got a couple more reports so stay tuned for both tomorrow. Both VTBR reports will post tomorrow, (Thursday), so be sure to scroll down the page so you do not miss them! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

VTBR Reports: Jeff & Cesar

Today we have two short VTBR reports for you to check out. The first is from Jeff. Let's check it out:

Jeff Elsken: Hey GT, I was able to get in a metric century this weekend, 29 miles Thursday and 36 on Sunday. The weather here was much nicer than yours, Thursday was calm, 40's and plenty of sunshine. Sunday was about the same except mid 30's for temps. 

I included a 'me and my shadow' picture on the levee from Thursday. It's been a weird fall, the leaves are finally falling but we haven't had a hard freeze yet so still a lot of green things growing. This is my first completed VTBC. I wanted to thank you for all the work you do to keep your blog entertaining, can't start my day without it.

Next up we have another short report from Cesar, who also has a couple good cold weather riding tips which I have also included in the report here. Check it out! 

 Cesar Nunez: Unfortunately my try to get the Turkey Burn was boycotted by awful weather conditions (pretty icy in Minneapolis western suburbs) and tons of food leftovers, ha ha ha! 

I really wanted to take the challenge and the great idea you proposed to move our bodies and have a great excuse to ride. At least I went out on Saturday for the 1st Fatty ride of the season, just 18 miles. But it was good.

Cesar's Cold Weather Riding Tips: 

 On another topic you guys spoke about getting prepared to ride in cold weather. I use Chamois Butt'r to protect my face from the windchill and frostbite. Apply it on your skin as much as you want/need. It's easy to apply, easy to remove just when you wash your face. It isn't greasy like Vaseline. 

When using pogies, I usually use light gloves but if it's pretty cold, I take an extra pair that I keep around.

For water, I use a free sip, double insulated bottle which has a plastic mouthpiece to sip up an internal straw instead. The water bottle keeps the water out from freezing up in the container and in the mouth piece. I've tried everything, and this type of bottle is the only (that) prevents the water to freeze.

 

I usually, fill it up with warm water that feels very good when drinking in the cold outside.

 

Thanks Cesar! Those are some good ideas to consider when riding in the cold. Cesar also shared a couple of other ideas regarding the structuring of the VTBR and subject suggestions for the podcast and the blog here. I really appreciate suggestions and comments like the ones Cesar shared because it helps me to become better at what I, and N.Y. Roll, are doing for you all. 

 

Okay, there is at least ONE more VTBR report incoming that I am aware of now. So, stay tuned for it to be posted here, hopefully tomorrow.   

VTBR Report: Steve Sprague

 Today we get another VTBR Report from long-time Guitar Ted Productions reader, Steve Sprague. Check it out....

Steve (center) and Friends

 Steve Sprague: My 2025 Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge goal is 100k. I started off on Thanksgiving with two friends riding around Lake Natoma near Sacramento, California for a freezing cold 20 miles. It was in the high 40's! With no sun and all clouds, it was quite cold all day. 

We took all of the dirt trails around the lake to make it more of a gravel ride. Luckily riding my single speed kept me warm. Black Friday was a similar ride that was downstream of Lake Natoma with my lovely wife. Riding from the house, as you all know, has its advantages. We did an out and back along the American River Parkway netting 26.5 miles of mostly dirt trails and fire roads. The weather was the same, mid 40's and cold all ride long. The company kept me warm the whole ride.

All fours from Day 1.

 

High above Nevada City, California

 I decided to finish up my VTBC mountain biking above Nevada City. The sun rays felt so good! I strung together a winding route along the trail network to net my 100k! I was so excited to achieve my goal a second year in a row for the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge. Looking forward to next year!

Ride totals.

 Thank you for your wonderful blog and Love the Podcast with you and NY Roll!

Thanks Steve! I think it is interesting how some of the submissions show their mileage totals. Not that we wouldn't believe your stories, but the "evidence" is fun to see on the devices you all are using. 

We've got another submission for tomorrow. Stay tuned! 

Rear View 2025: Spring

 Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year will feature  five Rear View posts looking back on   End of Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and  Beginning of Winter. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2026. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

The Spring months of April, May, and June saw my reviewing duties kick into high gear. I had Continental Terra Adventure tires, Stan's bike care accessories, Rene Herse TPU tubes, Tifosi glasses, and more going on. It kept me on my toes.

There was also a big ride announcement. Since I was car-less and unable to go out of town, N.Y. Roll asked if I'd like to do something for a ride on gravel at some point somewhere in Iowa. We were thinking along the lines of the ride in 2024 we did with Warren Weibe called the Victory Ride. 

We had kicked around a few ideas and landed on doing a ride to the famous Tree In The Road near Atlantic, Iowa. We se a date of June 28th and excitedly made plans. Steve Fuller and Sarah Cooper, along with initial guidance by Rob Evans, led us to a nice looped course out of Atlantic which was around 70-ish miles.

Clik Valve gauge: The Clik Valve review was super popular.

I did get in some country riding in March, May, and June, which was great, but I was still struggling with my schedule at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective with regard to how it meshed with family life. 

Saturdays were a disaster now for getting anything done on a bike. Sundays as well. This left Thursday and Friday open, but often times I had meetings for various volunteer groups and we had two cats to take care of as well. (Cat care fell mostly to me.)

So every time I got out into the country was a precious time to me. I was, and am still, very thankful I was and am able to ride. 

Work at the Collective kicks into a higher gear in Spring and I was involved in a couple of bike checks at local farmer's markets. There were clinics to run, and the aforementioned volunteering I do was also a demand. N.Y. Roll and I also kept pumping out podcasts at the rate of about three episodes per month. 

Early Spring ride in the country

 

Getting the Gryphon tested for the Tree In The Road Ride.

Tragedy struck for the first time in 2025 when our cat, Felix, was found dead in the hallway the morning of June 6th. He was "my cat", or more appropriately, "I was his person", so it hit me pretty hard. Not to mention my son, who was the one who found him when he got up to go to work that morning. He was so upset about it he couldn't work and came home from his job early that day. 

One of the hardest things I ever have done was to take Felix\s body out into the woods via my Surly Big Dummy and lay him to rest underneath a tree in the Green Belt. I thought it was the worst thing I'd ever experienced, for some reason, but it was only a dress rehearsal for what would happen about two months later. 

 So, the Tree In The Road Ride was a big highlight for me after the death of Felix the Cat. Getting away with N.Y. Roll was fun, and seeing old friends was awesome. The ride? Well, it was very hot and it wasn't what we had planned, but it was great. A very good time, and I am so appreciative and grateful for all who participated in the ride. It really meant a lot to me, and it still does. 

That led me into Summer, which I will cover next with a review of the months of July and August next. Stay tuned....  

 NOTE: Another VTBR Report will be posted tomorrow. 

Announcing The L.O.G. Ride

A rough draft of the logo. 

 Announcing the L.O.G. Ride:

When: April 17th - 18th, 2026

Where: Eskridge, Kansas 

What: Two days of gravel riding in the Flint Hills with fellowship and fun in between. 

Why: To get together with like-minded riders and celebrate the "legends" of the gravel scene who show up.  

Details: First of all, there will be finer details in the coming days. So, check back here on Guitar Ted Productions for any updates.  Times, how to register, and more will be revealed very soon. The plan is to close up the registration before the end of the year. 

Technically the ride is free to enter, but there will be obligatory tasks for each person who chooses to enter this ride. The organizers are going to divvy up tasks to pull the ride off and will split costs amongst the signed on roster. You'll know what your part in pulling off the ride is once the registration has been closed as all who sign on will become part of a group text to discuss how things will be portioned out as to tasks and then costs will be determined. All signers will know their obligations and will need to contribute to the ride fund by mid-January. 

Included in the ride structure will be food, beverage, accommodations for riders to spend the night, (a possible group housing opportunity is being discussed to help defray costs), and options for either the Friday ride, Saturday ride, or both. 

Registrants will enter via post card, because of course! 

Background: 

Last year I was approached by Warren Weibe, a resident of Kansas, to come down and ride in the Flint Hills. He felt his nephews should know where this whole gravel thing started from and he said I was someone who could not only be an example, but a representative of the genre for them. Well.....maybe that is a debatable thing, but the point is, this ride did not happen this year for various reasons. 

 Now Warren hasn't given up on the idea, and he has partnered with Ryan "Uncle Dudley" Dudley from the old "Ride for Masie's Pride" and other gravel rides. Between the two they are determined to have me down to the Flint Hills to ride. 

I chose the date, they are doing everything else, including the naming of the ride, fine details, and whatnot. I decided to come up with the logo, and this may not get used, but that is fine because I am not in charge of this one. I was just asked to spread the word on this platform and a few of my social media accounts. 

From Ryan Dudley's Facebook account concerning the L.O.G. ride:

"Legends of Gravel, aka L.O.G. ride, is an event Warren Wiebe and I are putting together. The tentative plan is that we'll be operating out of Wild Olives Lodge at Lake Wabaunsee. The idea is that a bunch of old farts, the legends of gravel are going to ride bicycles in the Flint Hills for a couple of days. Maybe some youngsters will want to hang out and ride with us old farts. Guitar Ted is a pioneer of gravel. He's also going to be the 'Big Dill of the Flint Hills' for this amazing gathering of silverbacks. So many more details to come, very soon."

Look for more details to come out very soon. Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments or e-mail me @g.ted.productions@gmail.com and I will collect those queries and forward them on.

VTBR Report: Mike Baggio

NOTE: We are skipping the usual Friday News and Views for a Virtual Turkey Burn report. 

  Today's VTBR Report comes to us from an old friend and Trans Iowa volunteer, Mike Baggio. He lives in Tennessee now days and files the following report for your reading pleasure:

Mike Baggio: Greetings from Columbia, Tennessee! Got out for several rides over the holiday weekend. The weather was less than ideal but WAY better than the 10+ inches of snow y’all got in the Midwest. 

Flow-trail in Columbia, Tenessee

First ride was on the new, city-built trail system in town. It is a small but flowy and super fun trail. It has multiple jump lines and something for everyone. Parks and Rec has really done a great job! We have two city owned trails and a big system (Chickasaw Trace) that is owned by the county and maintained by our cycling club. I am an average mountain biker (at best) but am very fortunate to have so many good trails within 10 minutes of my house. 

Ridin' Pop's old Trek

 For my second ride, I took my Pop’s old Trek Antelope out for a cruise on the country roads near my house. My dad passed last month but it makes me smile to get out on his old bike and share a smile. Pop was not a cyclist but he rode that old Trek around his neighborhood for 30+ years. 

Nice titanium Salsa Cycles El Mariachi.

 Lastly, I took my trusty old el Mariachi out to pound some hills around the city of Columbia. It is a really great place with a lot of character. I love my new home town and the people that live here. The people at the city do a whole lot for the residents of Columbia. We have good food, music, and arts to share. 

 

Statue of Thurgood Marshall standing in Columbia, Tennessee 

I included a picture of the new Thurgood Marshall statue off the square. It looks great. Marshall successfully defended 25 people wrongly accused in the race riots of 1946. It was a sad time for Columbia. I am proud that my town took time to acknowledge the good and bad part of our local history. It has helped make it the great, diverse place that it is today. The last pic is of me making up the balance of my metric miles on my old spin bike. Looking forward to hear about everyone else’s ride reports!

Mike has been a participant in the Virtual Turkey Burn Ride challenge for a while now. His effort exemplifies the heart of the idea - To motivate people to move and do it in a way which is satisfying and fun. 

I also appreciate Mike's love for his new hometown and the history he shared with us. It's a part of the gravel riding scene as well which makes things even more interesting for everyone. 

NOTE: Saturday I will be making a big announcement concerning a ride in April of 2026. So, we will be taking a break from VTBR Reports for that special announcement. Sunday will see another Rear View review of April, May, and June from the blog this year. VTBR ride reports will commence again this coming Monday.

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Get out and ride those bicycles!