Rear View '20: The First Quarter

2020 kicked off with the Iowa Gravel expo Pop-up Series.

 Hello Readers! Once again I am doing the annual retrospective on what went down over the year of 2020. This post will focus on the First Quarter of the year. Other posts will cover the other quarters for a total of four, one each week of December on Thursdays.This is the first "Rear View" post of the series. 

First Quarter: This seems like it happened a decade ago, but there was a time during 2020 that was 'pre-COVID-19' in America. The year started out with my usual "State of the Gravel Scene" posts and I'll have a little to say about that later this month. The other thing I had going on was another season of the "Iowa Gravel Expo" with N.Y. Roll. We did a 'pop-up' series with two events in January and two in February at Second State Brewing. 

But the biggest news early in the year was my switch to working at a new bike shop after 17+ years at the previous shop. Andy's Bike shop was my new employer and I got started off working here and there throughout the rest of the Winter until right about when COVID hit where I was working four days a week. 

Late January and early February brought about four to five weeks of decent fat biking weather. With all the time off I had, I was digging into some rides and I actually had one of my best fat biking seasons that I've had in many a year. Even though conditions were only good for maybe a month, and I typically with the old job would have missed out on a lot of the opportunities to ride. So, not much money in that, but it was fun!

The snow was the meat in a weird gravel riding sandwich time. Great gravel riding was had from late 2019 right up through to mid-January, and then again from the mark out of the gate in March onward. "Slop Season" wasn't bad, and the roads were top notch for early riding. I also had a trip in here, my last one for a long, long time. 

T-Bock's sports bar in Decorah, Iowa where the pre-race meetings for T.I.v3 and v4 were held. Seen here in 2020.

 I went up to Decorah, Iowa on Leap Day to interview Marty Larson of the Heywood Ride for RidingGravel. It was a glorious day with Mrs. Guitar Ted and I had a wonderful time. I also was gearing up for an event I was putting on with N.Y. Roll, the C.O.G. 100, which we had to tie up a lot of loose ends for with the event set to happen on the last weekend of March, and right away, a week afterward I was to do the 10th annual Gent's Race, but as we all know, THAT never happened! 

Everything went upside down mid-March and the World as I knew it was changed. No plans mattered, and all the social and economic weirdness kicked in with a heavy dose of fear. I just was freaking out, to be honest, and just riding out in the country alone on gravel roads felt odd, like I wasn't supposed to be doing this......maybe? 

And that was the biggest thing, right? No one knew anything for certain about anything- Just stay away from people, shelter at home, wash yer hands, don't touch your face, sanitize EVERYTHING and good luck finding toilet paper. Oh,,,,,,and all the gravel events were cancelling or moving dates to Fall.

Next on the Rear View '20: April, May, and June

Rear View '20: The First Quarter

2020 kicked off with the Iowa Gravel expo Pop-up Series.

 Hello Readers! Once again I am doing the annual retrospective on what went down over the year of 2020. This post will focus on the First Quarter of the year. Other posts will cover the other quarters for a total of four, one each week of December on Thursdays.This is the first "Rear View" post of the series. 

First Quarter: This seems like it happened a decade ago, but there was a time during 2020 that was 'pre-COVID-19' in America. The year started out with my usual "State of the Gravel Scene" posts and I'll have a little to say about that later this month. The other thing I had going on was another season of the "Iowa Gravel Expo" with N.Y. Roll. We did a 'pop-up' series with two events in January and two in February at Second State Brewing. 

But the biggest news early in the year was my switch to working at a new bike shop after 17+ years at the previous shop. Andy's Bike shop was my new employer and I got started off working here and there throughout the rest of the Winter until right about when COVID hit where I was working four days a week. 

Late January and early February brought about four to five weeks of decent fat biking weather. With all the time off I had, I was digging into some rides and I actually had one of my best fat biking seasons that I've had in many a year. Even though conditions were only good for maybe a month, and I typically with the old job would have missed out on a lot of the opportunities to ride. So, not much money in that, but it was fun!

The snow was the meat in a weird gravel riding sandwich time. Great gravel riding was had from late 2019 right up through to mid-January, and then again from the mark out of the gate in March onward. "Slop Season" wasn't bad, and the roads were top notch for early riding. I also had a trip in here, my last one for a long, long time. 

T-Bock's sports bar in Decorah, Iowa where the pre-race meetings for T.I.v3 and v4 were held. Seen here in 2020.

 I went up to Decorah, Iowa on Leap Day to interview Marty Larson of the Heywood Ride for RidingGravel. It was a glorious day with Mrs. Guitar Ted and I had a wonderful time. I also was gearing up for an event I was putting on with N.Y. Roll, the C.O.G. 100, which we had to tie up a lot of loose ends for with the event set to happen on the last weekend of March, and right away, a week afterward I was to do the 10th annual Gent's Race, but as we all know, THAT never happened! 

Everything went upside down mid-March and the World as I knew it was changed. No plans mattered, and all the social and economic weirdness kicked in with a heavy dose of fear. I just was freaking out, to be honest, and just riding out in the country alone on gravel roads felt odd, like I wasn't supposed to be doing this......maybe? 

And that was the biggest thing, right? No one knew anything for certain about anything- Just stay away from people, shelter at home, wash yer hands, don't touch your face, sanitize EVERYTHING and good luck finding toilet paper. Oh,,,,,,and all the gravel events were cancelling or moving dates to Fall.

Next on the Rear View '20: April, May, and June

A Few Thoughts In Reaction To The C.O.G 100 Update

 I wanted to first say, "Thank You", to all who took the time to weigh in with a comment regarding the post yesterday. N.Y. Roll and I really appreciate the support and the suggestions that you provided us. And if you read that and didn't comment, that's okay. No worries. 

Secondly, a suggestion we received yesterday, a comment I saw on Twitter, and an email I received yesterday all had a common thread which forced me to take a moment or three to think. There are a lot of opinions and statements flying about regarding COVID-19, the pandemic, and its effects upon all of us. But I think many of us, myself included, are being negatively affected by the fall-out from this pandemic, the election season, and how we've all been dealing with that as a society. Beyond the obvious, there are effects upon us as cyclists. Yes.....it has a LOT to do with the C.O.G 100 too. 

You see, there is an underlying side effect of all of what has been going on this year and it has to do with depression. Mentally I am worn out. I am sure many of you are as well. Maybe some of you are beyond what you can take? Please reach out. And we should be reaching out to those around us we care about as well. There has never been a more necessary time to be a community that cares than now, I feel. 

And so how does this affect the C.O.G. 100? Well, for one thing any sort of 'getting together' of we cyclists is maybe so desirable we'd forfeit common sense to somehow make things work. I mean, we'll be okay, right? We're a mostly healthy, younger, stronger group, yes? Well, maybe this isn't overtly said, but I get the feeling that many in the cycling community are secretly feeling this way, and again- who can blame them with the darkness of the pandemic and how we've dealt with that? How can all this grinding down of decency surrounding the elections be countered? A little cycling get-together, maybe. Something .....you know....to take our minds off things and bring a feeling of 'normalcy' again. We'd all feel that same feeling we have had while riding/racing together. 

But I am afraid that's pretty selfish, and yes, privileged thinking. There has to be a way to see through our desires and all of that to begin to see that- right now anyway- that whole scene has to be dealt with very carefully, or in alternative ways. We need to report racing and events, which aren't necessary to be having now in my opinion, in a way that shows we are really conscientious of the possible ramifications of our actions. And I've seen race reports that have totally ignored any reporting on COVID-19 protocols or things that have resulted from holding these events. That's ignorant and dangerous. 

But we also need to have balance. I am not saying we all should be hiding in our homes wearing masks while no one is around us out of fear. I am saying that we need to be a bit more reasonable about this. We can still be a community, we can still find ways to be caring for each other, and we really need that right now. But racing and holding events? Maybe......probably not. 

So yesterday I said we were leaning pretty hard toward not having a C.O.G. 100 next March for various reasons, but I also want to say today that we need community. We need to reach out to each other. There are a lot of people feeling weighed down right now and we cannot wait for "normal" to come back to "save us" from that. So, do me a favor if you are so inclined- Reach out to a friend today and commit to staying connected. It'll do a whole lot more for the world right now than a silly little single speed gravel event ever could. 

A Few Thoughts In Reaction To The C.O.G 100 Update

 I wanted to first say, "Thank You", to all who took the time to weigh in with a comment regarding the post yesterday. N.Y. Roll and I really appreciate the support and the suggestions that you provided us. And if you read that and didn't comment, that's okay. No worries. 

Secondly, a suggestion we received yesterday, a comment I saw on Twitter, and an email I received yesterday all had a common thread which forced me to take a moment or three to think. There are a lot of opinions and statements flying about regarding COVID-19, the pandemic, and its effects upon all of us. But I think many of us, myself included, are being negatively affected by the fall-out from this pandemic, the election season, and how we've all been dealing with that as a society. Beyond the obvious, there are effects upon us as cyclists. Yes.....it has a LOT to do with the C.O.G 100 too. 

You see, there is an underlying side effect of all of what has been going on this year and it has to do with depression. Mentally I am worn out. I am sure many of you are as well. Maybe some of you are beyond what you can take? Please reach out. And we should be reaching out to those around us we care about as well. There has never been a more necessary time to be a community that cares than now, I feel. 

And so how does this affect the C.O.G. 100? Well, for one thing any sort of 'getting together' of we cyclists is maybe so desirable we'd forfeit common sense to somehow make things work. I mean, we'll be okay, right? We're a mostly healthy, younger, stronger group, yes? Well, maybe this isn't overtly said, but I get the feeling that many in the cycling community are secretly feeling this way, and again- who can blame them with the darkness of the pandemic and how we've dealt with that? How can all this grinding down of decency surrounding the elections be countered? A little cycling get-together, maybe. Something .....you know....to take our minds off things and bring a feeling of 'normalcy' again. We'd all feel that same feeling we have had while riding/racing together. 

But I am afraid that's pretty selfish, and yes, privileged thinking. There has to be a way to see through our desires and all of that to begin to see that- right now anyway- that whole scene has to be dealt with very carefully, or in alternative ways. We need to report racing and events, which aren't necessary to be having now in my opinion, in a way that shows we are really conscientious of the possible ramifications of our actions. And I've seen race reports that have totally ignored any reporting on COVID-19 protocols or things that have resulted from holding these events. That's ignorant and dangerous. 

But we also need to have balance. I am not saying we all should be hiding in our homes wearing masks while no one is around us out of fear. I am saying that we need to be a bit more reasonable about this. We can still be a community, we can still find ways to be caring for each other, and we really need that right now. But racing and holding events? Maybe......probably not. 

So yesterday I said we were leaning pretty hard toward not having a C.O.G. 100 next March for various reasons, but I also want to say today that we need community. We need to reach out to each other. There are a lot of people feeling weighed down right now and we cannot wait for "normal" to come back to "save us" from that. So, do me a favor if you are so inclined- Reach out to a friend today and commit to staying connected. It'll do a whole lot more for the world right now than a silly little single speed gravel event ever could. 

C.O.G. 100 Update: Not Looking Good

 NOTE: This is NOT an announcement of whether or not the C.O.G. 100 will happen or not. It IS an indication of that status as of 11/20. N.Y. Roll and I offer this as a way of being more transparent about what is happening within the 'think tank' here at C.O.G. 100 headquarters. Thanks for your patience and understanding ahead of time.

For regular blog readers- this also may help you navigate where 2021 might take you in regard to events. Please feel free to ask questions or to leave comments. I am open to dialogue on this subject. Now for the post......

The current thinking here between N.Y. Roll and I concerning whether or not to completely cancel the C.O.G. 100 is a process of back-and-forth, a changing of thoughts on a daily basis, and is a hope against hope situation that is- frankly- exhausting us. Here are things that are shaping our thoughts as of November 2020 in no particular order.

1. We acknowledge that certain events have taken place and have been relatively 'safe' in retrospect. There have been big, event impacting decisions done with regard to these events that, honestly, if we followed suit, would take a lot of what we intend for the C.O.G. 100 away and in our view make it less the event we originally had intended on putting on. This is not where our hearts are at. So, regarding the comparisons one may make here, we get that others have done their events. But we cannot do ours the way we intended to in the current situation we have found ourselves in. We feel it is, therefore, difficult to call it the "C.O.G. 100" then if it isn't really done in the way the first one was. 
2. COVID-19 is not going away by the time we want to have the C.O.G. 100. Yes, you may have heard news recently about a vaccine, and that is good news. However; the reality is that it will take months to roll out any - as yet unapproved by the way - vaccine, and then it will be first administered to our most vulnerable in the population, as it should be. With less than four months to go until a rescheduled C.O.G. 100, it is our estimation at this time, having reviewed the best information we can gather, that there will be no vaccine available in time to affect whether or not we can put this event on without enforcing restrictive protocols. 
3. The current situation with regard to the pandemic is worsening. The Governor of Iowa announced restrictions yesterday on crowd sizes and masks, mandating that any outdoor gathering of 100 or more people would have to be required to wear masks if they cannot socially distance. This was one of a few mandates made Tuesday, and are the first 'mask mandates' made in Iowa on a statewide level. That should tell you that we are quite a ways away from getting clear from having public restrictions with or without a vaccine. It is our best judgement that IF a C.O.G. 100 were to happen that we would have to enforce some strict protocols regarding group sizes and make sure riders were administering social distancing practices. 
4. Our insurance would have to be re-purchased for the event. The policy we hoped to make use of runs out before we'd get to a rescheduled C.O.G. 100. This means an out-of-pocket expenditure or perhaps adding enough riders to make up the shortfall by re-opening registration. Adding more folks sounds like a really bad idea right now though.  
5. While some may feel having 'something' is better than nothing, I am not of that school of thought. Racing, competitions, and socially gathering for events, are frivolous activities that are expendable when a random element to a deadly virus could cause a lot of pain and suffering. For what? A silly single speed only gravel event? 
   

In closing, all of these things are weighty issues to consider and we haven't even touched upon what we would have to consider IF we cancelled the C.O.G. 100 altogether. But we'll cover that IF we get to that point.

In closing, I want to say that I appreciate everyone's patience regarding the situation with the C.O.G. 100. We are leaning toward NOT having the event at all at this point because we do not feel that by late March things will be any safer than they are today. I think we will have a definite answer one way or the other by the end of this month. Look for our final word by then.

C.O.G. 100 Update: Not Looking Good

 NOTE: This is NOT an announcement of whether or not the C.O.G. 100 will happen or not. It IS an indication of that status as of 11/20. N.Y. Roll and I offer this as a way of being more transparent about what is happening within the 'think tank' here at C.O.G. 100 headquarters. Thanks for your patience and understanding ahead of time.

For regular blog readers- this also may help you navigate where 2021 might take you in regard to events. Please feel free to ask questions or to leave comments. I am open to dialogue on this subject. Now for the post......

The current thinking here between N.Y. Roll and I concerning whether or not to completely cancel the C.O.G. 100 is a process of back-and-forth, a changing of thoughts on a daily basis, and is a hope against hope situation that is- frankly- exhausting us. Here are things that are shaping our thoughts as of November 2020 in no particular order.

1. We acknowledge that certain events have taken place and have been relatively 'safe' in retrospect. There have been big, event impacting decisions done with regard to these events that, honestly, if we followed suit, would take a lot of what we intend for the C.O.G. 100 away and in our view make it less the event we originally had intended on putting on. This is not where our hearts are at. So, regarding the comparisons one may make here, we get that others have done their events. But we cannot do ours the way we intended to in the current situation we have found ourselves in. We feel it is, therefore, difficult to call it the "C.O.G. 100" then if it isn't really done in the way the first one was. 
2. COVID-19 is not going away by the time we want to have the C.O.G. 100. Yes, you may have heard news recently about a vaccine, and that is good news. However; the reality is that it will take months to roll out any - as yet unapproved by the way - vaccine, and then it will be first administered to our most vulnerable in the population, as it should be. With less than four months to go until a rescheduled C.O.G. 100, it is our estimation at this time, having reviewed the best information we can gather, that there will be no vaccine available in time to affect whether or not we can put this event on without enforcing restrictive protocols. 
3. The current situation with regard to the pandemic is worsening. The Governor of Iowa announced restrictions yesterday on crowd sizes and masks, mandating that any outdoor gathering of 100 or more people would have to be required to wear masks if they cannot socially distance. This was one of a few mandates made Tuesday, and are the first 'mask mandates' made in Iowa on a statewide level. That should tell you that we are quite a ways away from getting clear from having public restrictions with or without a vaccine. It is our best judgement that IF a C.O.G. 100 were to happen that we would have to enforce some strict protocols regarding group sizes and make sure riders were administering social distancing practices. 
4. Our insurance would have to be re-purchased for the event. The policy we hoped to make use of runs out before we'd get to a rescheduled C.O.G. 100. This means an out-of-pocket expenditure or perhaps adding enough riders to make up the shortfall by re-opening registration. Adding more folks sounds like a really bad idea right now though.  
5. While some may feel having 'something' is better than nothing, I am not of that school of thought. Racing, competitions, and socially gathering for events, are frivolous activities that are expendable when a random element to a deadly virus could cause a lot of pain and suffering. For what? A silly single speed only gravel event? 
   

In closing, all of these things are weighty issues to consider and we haven't even touched upon what we would have to consider IF we cancelled the C.O.G. 100 altogether. But we'll cover that IF we get to that point.

In closing, I want to say that I appreciate everyone's patience regarding the situation with the C.O.G. 100. We are leaning toward NOT having the event at all at this point because we do not feel that by late March things will be any safer than they are today. I think we will have a definite answer one way or the other by the end of this month. Look for our final word by then.

Back To Reality

The front moves in Monday and The Change is coming!

 So this whole 'False Summer' thing we experienced last week is coming to a close today. Rain and cooler, more seasonal temperatures will now reign as they ought to in November. While I thoroughly enjoyed last week's unseasonably warm weather, it was really weird. You know? Like it just didn't feel right. 

I rode to work yesterday in shorts and a t-shirt, which I figured I was done doing a couple weeks ago. Nope! But it felt odd. The light wasn't jiving with 't-shirt weather' vibes and it was sooper-hyooomid Monday, which also felt very odd. The shorter days, the low angle light, and these odd-ball weather patterns shouldn't be happening together in November. 

But be that as it may, I am - as stated yesterday - VERY thankful for the opportunities to knock out big chunks of "The Quest" to the point that maybe- perhaps - by the end of this week I'll be over the hump and done. Which begs the question: 'What's next, Guitar Ted?" Yeah........ That's a really great question! Actually, I've been pondering that for a bit. Here's my thoughts. 

The whole 'quest' thing kind of took over my riding late into Summer, through Fall, and now on the doorstep of Winter. Reality strikes here and says that I am running out of time for any sort of goals for 2020. There is a small, tiny chance I get a run at my Fat Bike Century, which was put on hold due to "The Quest" activities. But if I do not get around to that, I am not going to sweat that too much. Again- weather will play a big role in whether or not I get to try that yet this year. 

What reality will dictate - probably - will be that I'll go to just doing fun rides through the Winter and when next riding season comes along, I might try another quest. Here's where I need to acknowledge the influence of a local cyclist and reader of this blog- (well, at least he comments from time to time!), and we'll just call him "T.S." here. Well, T.S. has already bagged all the gravel roads in Bremer County, and is attempting the same in Butler County, (or do I have that backward?), anyway..... T.S. is doing this and was at it first, so this idea is not my invention, and that is the point I'm making. I am just using this fantastic idea as a way to see a lot of Iowa I'd never see otherwise.

I've ridden a lot of roads in Tama County

Maybe in 2021 I'll do another 'quest' type challenge and if I do, it will have to be nearby, because it is my belief that much of 2021 will be like the majority of 2020 has been. That means I am making zero plans to do any events or races at all. While many events will be, and are, finding ways to happen, well, you guys and gals go ahead. I am finding far more joy and personal discovery by doing these oddball back road rides than I have found in suffering through a race course with, really, almost no personal contact. All my social fun was on either end of the bike riding at races, and since that is all a rather ill-advised idea these days, and probably will be well into 2021, I see no benefit to racing. Now if things miraculously change in that regard, I will revisit these thoughts. But if I were a betting man.......

So, I was thinking.... I've ridden a lot of Tama County gravel roads and driven on many others. I feel I know most of this county well, but what else is there out there? Maybe I need to inventory where I've been and knock out where I haven't been in 2021. Maybe......

Tama County has a plethora of Level B Maintenance roads, most of which I have already been on in a truck or on the saddle of a bicycle, but I know I haven't made them all, and I've seen some roads far off on recons and during rides that I've always wondered about. It could be a lot of fun, and since I've done a lot of Tama County miles already, it is an achievable goal without shutting out other aspects of my life. Unlike say, if I decided to bag all of Buchanan County's gravel, since I've barely ridden in that county. Buchanan County could be a lot of fun to explore, but to achieve that goal, I'd have to shut out a LOT of other stuff in life. 

The whole thing may not even happen anyway. It's all a pipe dream right now and I have to knock off the last miles of the current quest first. The realities of Life may dictate a completely different set of goals and tasks to accomplish. I mean, who wulda thunk we'd be doing what we've done this year back in 2019? No one- that's who. 

Reality. You just never know what it will be......

Back To Reality

The front moves in Monday and The Change is coming!

 So this whole 'False Summer' thing we experienced last week is coming to a close today. Rain and cooler, more seasonal temperatures will now reign as they ought to in November. While I thoroughly enjoyed last week's unseasonably warm weather, it was really weird. You know? Like it just didn't feel right. 

I rode to work yesterday in shorts and a t-shirt, which I figured I was done doing a couple weeks ago. Nope! But it felt odd. The light wasn't jiving with 't-shirt weather' vibes and it was sooper-hyooomid Monday, which also felt very odd. The shorter days, the low angle light, and these odd-ball weather patterns shouldn't be happening together in November. 

But be that as it may, I am - as stated yesterday - VERY thankful for the opportunities to knock out big chunks of "The Quest" to the point that maybe- perhaps - by the end of this week I'll be over the hump and done. Which begs the question: 'What's next, Guitar Ted?" Yeah........ That's a really great question! Actually, I've been pondering that for a bit. Here's my thoughts. 

The whole 'quest' thing kind of took over my riding late into Summer, through Fall, and now on the doorstep of Winter. Reality strikes here and says that I am running out of time for any sort of goals for 2020. There is a small, tiny chance I get a run at my Fat Bike Century, which was put on hold due to "The Quest" activities. But if I do not get around to that, I am not going to sweat that too much. Again- weather will play a big role in whether or not I get to try that yet this year. 

What reality will dictate - probably - will be that I'll go to just doing fun rides through the Winter and when next riding season comes along, I might try another quest. Here's where I need to acknowledge the influence of a local cyclist and reader of this blog- (well, at least he comments from time to time!), and we'll just call him "T.S." here. Well, T.S. has already bagged all the gravel roads in Bremer County, and is attempting the same in Butler County, (or do I have that backward?), anyway..... T.S. is doing this and was at it first, so this idea is not my invention, and that is the point I'm making. I am just using this fantastic idea as a way to see a lot of Iowa I'd never see otherwise.

I've ridden a lot of roads in Tama County

Maybe in 2021 I'll do another 'quest' type challenge and if I do, it will have to be nearby, because it is my belief that much of 2021 will be like the majority of 2020 has been. That means I am making zero plans to do any events or races at all. While many events will be, and are, finding ways to happen, well, you guys and gals go ahead. I am finding far more joy and personal discovery by doing these oddball back road rides than I have found in suffering through a race course with, really, almost no personal contact. All my social fun was on either end of the bike riding at races, and since that is all a rather ill-advised idea these days, and probably will be well into 2021, I see no benefit to racing. Now if things miraculously change in that regard, I will revisit these thoughts. But if I were a betting man.......

So, I was thinking.... I've ridden a lot of Tama County gravel roads and driven on many others. I feel I know most of this county well, but what else is there out there? Maybe I need to inventory where I've been and knock out where I haven't been in 2021. Maybe......

Tama County has a plethora of Level B Maintenance roads, most of which I have already been on in a truck or on the saddle of a bicycle, but I know I haven't made them all, and I've seen some roads far off on recons and during rides that I've always wondered about. It could be a lot of fun, and since I've done a lot of Tama County miles already, it is an achievable goal without shutting out other aspects of my life. Unlike say, if I decided to bag all of Buchanan County's gravel, since I've barely ridden in that county. Buchanan County could be a lot of fun to explore, but to achieve that goal, I'd have to shut out a LOT of other stuff in life. 

The whole thing may not even happen anyway. It's all a pipe dream right now and I have to knock off the last miles of the current quest first. The realities of Life may dictate a completely different set of goals and tasks to accomplish. I mean, who wulda thunk we'd be doing what we've done this year back in 2019? No one- that's who. 

Reality. You just never know what it will be......

Friday News And Views

Tis the end-o-the-year time and around here that means that I begin to start wrapping up the season with looks back and reviews of bikes and equipment I used throughout the year. So, this is a 'warning' of sorts that there will be such posts coming along very soon here. 

Obviously, this will be quite a bit different look on the "Rear View" than I have done in years past because of the ongoing pandemic. For one thing, there will be no real event reviews due to all my events having been postponed. There will be reports on "The Quest", of course, and the Single Speed Century, and the failed Solo GTDRI from this Summer. I'll have reports on all the bikes used throughout the year, and the changes to them, if any. 

Plus I will have an essay, maybe two, on the COVID-19 affected landscape as it affected myself and my immediate surroundings. Obviously, THAT will be the #1 story of 2020. How could it not be. 

I'll be talking about the first (almost) year at Andy's Bike Shop, how the pandemic affected that scene, and why this change in my work life has been one of the best things to have happened to me in years. Speaking of work, December 1st 2020 marks six years of RidingGravel.com for myself and I want to take a quick look at where that ride has taken me as well. So, stay tuned for the "Rear View 2020" and "Bikes of 2020" and more starting now through the end of the year. 

The new fizik Terra Argo X5 saddle. Image courtesy of fizik.

A Gravel Specific Saddle?

Marketing. Ya just gotta love it, right? A niche of cycling gets started and the next thing ya know every company has some specific thing made for that discipline. Whether it matters or not. Such is the case with these specific saddles from 'fizik'. These are their Argo range of saddles and are the short/wide type of saddles I first noticed coming out for triathlon purposes. 

These saddles made sense for me in terms of tri pursuits since those riders tend to ride bikes with very steep virtual seat angles and they also tend to position their bodies up on the nose of the saddle. Also, since there are arcane rules regarding saddle to bottom bracket relationship in place for road time trialists, their saddles also need to be shorter. I get that. Okay, what I don't get is why these saddles work in other disciplines of riding. 

The nose of a saddle is used to steer your bike, by the way. If you've ever ridden one of those nose-less, supposed 'comfort' saddles, you would get this immediately. Anyway, with a shorter saddle, you lose some of this effect. Also, these saddles are really pretty wide and the transition from wide to narrow is a lot more abrupt. Huh....... Color me as one who doesn't 'get this'. I've sat myself on customer's bikes with these types of saddles on test rides and, well.......nope. I just don't see the appeal here. 

So, all of that to say this- If you ride one of these saddles, what is it that makes these work for you? Enlighten me, please. I ask because to my way of thinking, these short/wide saddles go against every ergonomic and technique driven attribute most cycling saddles for enthusiasts exhibit. Thanks in advance. The gravel specific thing? Whatever......

The 45NRTH Wrathlorde studded fat bike tire. Image courtesy of 45NRTH.

To Be Studded Or Not Studded? - That Is The Question: 

Okay, so there is a period of time during Winter that the gravel roads get slicked up with compressed snow and ice and this pretty much makes it so that I have to abandon riding out in the country for a while. Of course, there are solutions to this 'problem', if you want to look at this as a problem to be solved. I mean, you could just say it is a golden opportunity to ride in the woods, or, ya know, stay at home with a hot cup of coffee and a book. (Do people still read books?) But staying indoors is not an option for me, so yes- this is a problem to be solved. 

Now, I have some 40+ mm studded gravel tires. They are the 45NRTH Gravdal models, but have you seen how uneven gravel roads get when they are frozen over? My issues with a narrower tire is that these undulations and ruts could upset the bike enough that stud contact on the surface is not going to be sufficient enough for stable riding. I don't need to biff it on a rock-solid road in freezing temperatures. The risk is too great for the reward. 

Fat bike tires have a LOT more surface area contact, and therefore have the potential for more studs to be engaged than a narrower gravel type studded tire. So, my thoughts have been that if I can get a set of studded fat bike tires that look like they have a decent rolling resistance and are not like tractor tires, then I might consider going that way and riding my Ti Muk 2 this Winter on gravel. These 45NRTH Wrathlorde tires look pretty good in that regard. The thing is they are $250.00.......for one! Spending a half a grand just to be able to ride a couple months on gravel? 

Hand me that book and that cuppa joe.........

Naw.....just kidding. I'm going outdoors to ride, but probably not out in the country if things get iced up. I'll figure something else out. Just like I have for since......well, a long time now. But if those tires were a more reasonable buy, I would do that. Anyway, just a thought. 

That's a wrap for this week. Get out and enjoy the outdoors,however you can! Thanks for reading!

Friday News And Views

Tis the end-o-the-year time and around here that means that I begin to start wrapping up the season with looks back and reviews of bikes and equipment I used throughout the year. So, this is a 'warning' of sorts that there will be such posts coming along very soon here. 

Obviously, this will be quite a bit different look on the "Rear View" than I have done in years past because of the ongoing pandemic. For one thing, there will be no real event reviews due to all my events having been postponed. There will be reports on "The Quest", of course, and the Single Speed Century, and the failed Solo GTDRI from this Summer. I'll have reports on all the bikes used throughout the year, and the changes to them, if any. 

Plus I will have an essay, maybe two, on the COVID-19 affected landscape as it affected myself and my immediate surroundings. Obviously, THAT will be the #1 story of 2020. How could it not be. 

I'll be talking about the first (almost) year at Andy's Bike Shop, how the pandemic affected that scene, and why this change in my work life has been one of the best things to have happened to me in years. Speaking of work, December 1st 2020 marks six years of RidingGravel.com for myself and I want to take a quick look at where that ride has taken me as well. So, stay tuned for the "Rear View 2020" and "Bikes of 2020" and more starting now through the end of the year. 

The new fizik Terra Argo X5 saddle. Image courtesy of fizik.

A Gravel Specific Saddle?

Marketing. Ya just gotta love it, right? A niche of cycling gets started and the next thing ya know every company has some specific thing made for that discipline. Whether it matters or not. Such is the case with these specific saddles from 'fizik'. These are their Argo range of saddles and are the short/wide type of saddles I first noticed coming out for triathlon purposes. 

These saddles made sense for me in terms of tri pursuits since those riders tend to ride bikes with very steep virtual seat angles and they also tend to position their bodies up on the nose of the saddle. Also, since there are arcane rules regarding saddle to bottom bracket relationship in place for road time trialists, their saddles also need to be shorter. I get that. Okay, what I don't get is why these saddles work in other disciplines of riding. 

The nose of a saddle is used to steer your bike, by the way. If you've ever ridden one of those nose-less, supposed 'comfort' saddles, you would get this immediately. Anyway, with a shorter saddle, you lose some of this effect. Also, these saddles are really pretty wide and the transition from wide to narrow is a lot more abrupt. Huh....... Color me as one who doesn't 'get this'. I've sat myself on customer's bikes with these types of saddles on test rides and, well.......nope. I just don't see the appeal here. 

So, all of that to say this- If you ride one of these saddles, what is it that makes these work for you? Enlighten me, please. I ask because to my way of thinking, these short/wide saddles go against every ergonomic and technique driven attribute most cycling saddles for enthusiasts exhibit. Thanks in advance. The gravel specific thing? Whatever......

The 45NRTH Wrathlorde studded fat bike tire. Image courtesy of 45NRTH.

To Be Studded Or Not Studded? - That Is The Question: 

Okay, so there is a period of time during Winter that the gravel roads get slicked up with compressed snow and ice and this pretty much makes it so that I have to abandon riding out in the country for a while. Of course, there are solutions to this 'problem', if you want to look at this as a problem to be solved. I mean, you could just say it is a golden opportunity to ride in the woods, or, ya know, stay at home with a hot cup of coffee and a book. (Do people still read books?) But staying indoors is not an option for me, so yes- this is a problem to be solved. 

Now, I have some 40+ mm studded gravel tires. They are the 45NRTH Gravdal models, but have you seen how uneven gravel roads get when they are frozen over? My issues with a narrower tire is that these undulations and ruts could upset the bike enough that stud contact on the surface is not going to be sufficient enough for stable riding. I don't need to biff it on a rock-solid road in freezing temperatures. The risk is too great for the reward. 

Fat bike tires have a LOT more surface area contact, and therefore have the potential for more studs to be engaged than a narrower gravel type studded tire. So, my thoughts have been that if I can get a set of studded fat bike tires that look like they have a decent rolling resistance and are not like tractor tires, then I might consider going that way and riding my Ti Muk 2 this Winter on gravel. These 45NRTH Wrathlorde tires look pretty good in that regard. The thing is they are $250.00.......for one! Spending a half a grand just to be able to ride a couple months on gravel? 

Hand me that book and that cuppa joe.........

Naw.....just kidding. I'm going outdoors to ride, but probably not out in the country if things get iced up. I'll figure something else out. Just like I have for since......well, a long time now. But if those tires were a more reasonable buy, I would do that. Anyway, just a thought. 

That's a wrap for this week. Get out and enjoy the outdoors,however you can! Thanks for reading!

Winding Down

 I spent the latter half of the weekend resting after that big effort Saturday and ended up taking stock of things. Time to think about the end of 2020. This has been a super weird year and a few things have jumped out at me concerning how the year has transpired so far and how it is likely going to close out.

First off, I realized that 2020 has been the first year in 15 years that I have not planned and produced a cycling event. That's weird to consider. It also was extremely liberating. I cannot express the feelings I have had over the past several months that I have felt while 'just riding' without something I have to plan and put on hanging over my head. 

This has extended to my not having attended any cycling related events all year up to this point either. And that also has been extremely liberating. I kind of thought I'd miss that, and, well.......the parts regarding the social interactions? That part I missed. The rest? Meh. Not so much. If I've learned anything from 2020 in relation to cycling it is that I love the exploration part. I love just going for long rides with no other purpose than just to do exactly that. Oh sure, I have the review thing going on, but that's no biggie. 

The event bit will not be excluded through to the end of the year though. No, I have a volunteering job I am doing at an event, so technically, yes- I will attend one event as a volunteer. Stay tuned. I don't want my attendance to be noted. I'm just helping out, nothing more, nothing less. 

Anyway, the important thing is that 2020 will influence my cycling goals to a great degree going forward. I will uphold my commitment to doing the C.O.G. 100- if we can - in 2021, and we probably will, but...... (Who really knows?) After that? I'm likely not going to organize anything in terms of cycling events again. 15 years of doing that is enough. 2020 showed me it is time to just enjoy riding bicycles again. And I plan on doing just that.

Winding Down

 I spent the latter half of the weekend resting after that big effort Saturday and ended up taking stock of things. Time to think about the end of 2020. This has been a super weird year and a few things have jumped out at me concerning how the year has transpired so far and how it is likely going to close out.

First off, I realized that 2020 has been the first year in 15 years that I have not planned and produced a cycling event. That's weird to consider. It also was extremely liberating. I cannot express the feelings I have had over the past several months that I have felt while 'just riding' without something I have to plan and put on hanging over my head. 

This has extended to my not having attended any cycling related events all year up to this point either. And that also has been extremely liberating. I kind of thought I'd miss that, and, well.......the parts regarding the social interactions? That part I missed. The rest? Meh. Not so much. If I've learned anything from 2020 in relation to cycling it is that I love the exploration part. I love just going for long rides with no other purpose than just to do exactly that. Oh sure, I have the review thing going on, but that's no biggie. 

The event bit will not be excluded through to the end of the year though. No, I have a volunteering job I am doing at an event, so technically, yes- I will attend one event as a volunteer. Stay tuned. I don't want my attendance to be noted. I'm just helping out, nothing more, nothing less. 

Anyway, the important thing is that 2020 will influence my cycling goals to a great degree going forward. I will uphold my commitment to doing the C.O.G. 100- if we can - in 2021, and we probably will, but...... (Who really knows?) After that? I'm likely not going to organize anything in terms of cycling events again. 15 years of doing that is enough. 2020 showed me it is time to just enjoy riding bicycles again. And I plan on doing just that.

Randomonium

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Andy's Bike Shop Fleece Beanie:

So, this happened the other day. Andy of Andy's Bike Shop ordered in some beanies, took his iron on logo patches, and voila'! Beanies for your warm headed goodness. 

These aren't even up on Andy's site yet, but if you call down to the shop, we can set one aside for you. They are a very warm, fleece style beanie. Not as deep as a Euro styled one, but more like a skull-cap fit, if your head is big, like mine is. 

Anyway, I think Andy said these are like $12.95 or something.......don't hold me to that, but that's very close if it isn't right. I know! Just tell Andy you saw it here and it is a twelve-ninety-fiver. Special "G-Ted Productions" price! Ha!  

We also have t-shirts and stickers and maybe some of those same iron-on patches you see here on the beanie. Just stop by, call, and ask. We're hoping to get some Riding Gravel stickers and whatnot down there at the shop sometime soon also. Stay tuned......

Basement Chemistry:

Sometimes I chuckle to myself when I am down in "The Lab" mixing up sealant using "MG's Secret Sauce" recipe. I feel like some mad scientist, mixing up some formula that ends up getting out of hand and causing some catastrophic 'blob' to come to life that swallows life as we know it on this planet. 

But that's probably just shreds of memories left over from seeing "Creature Feature" with my late Uncle Joe when I was young and impressionable. I'm not really doing anything diabolical, just doing something practical.

You see, I go through a lot of sealant for tubeless bicycle tires. My brother down in Lincoln, MG, told me about his special home brewed recipe for sealant that he came up with after years of toying around with stuff and it worked well. He shared this with me back in 2007 or so, and ever since then I've been doing sealant using this method. It's got good qualities, but the big thing from my standpoint is that it is cheaper than branded offerings you can get on the open market. 

So, it's the best of both worlds for me. Cheap, easy to make, easy access, and effective in use. I know there are some of you out there that will want to know what it is exactly. I've shared it here on the blog before, search for it. I'm not taking the time to reveal the recipe again. Besides, it's called "MG's Secret Sauce" for a reason. 

Lunch With N.Y.Roll:

Last Wednesday I had lunch with N.Y. Roll from a local Bosnian food truck. But that wasn't why I am bringing this up. We had a wide ranging conversation covering many subjects, but the point I wanted to bring up has to do with the C.O.G. 100. 

We have not made any definitive decisions, but all outcomes are on the table now. We may cancel the event entirely, offer refunds, or we may do a socially distanced type of deal, or we may do something else altogether. 

One big issue is that we won't have insurance due to the COVID postponement after February 28th, 2021. So, if we were to run the event, we'd have to foot an insurance bill out of pocket. That makes offering refunds a bit more appealing, but as of now, we don't know what that might look like. So, there you are. I'm not making any decisions just yet, but you can see that in financial terms, this doesn't make sense to have the event. 

And in any scenario, we're looking at probably losing money on this. But it is what it is. This situation would have been 100% different had our event not been scheduled right when the whole COVID thing broke. You'll remember that at mid-March we were being told that this virus was going to pretty much end the world. Had we been scheduled in Summer, we would have had a lot more information and, although the event would have been postponed- probably- we would have had more leeway with insurance. 

Anyway.....stay tuned.

No whiskey products were consumed during this podcast recording.

Special Guest:

Thursday we had a special guest in for the recording of the next "Riding Gravel Radio Ranch" podcast. His name is "Dangerous Dan" and his event is the Sterile Iowan. This wide ranging interview went on for over an hour, so this will be our longest podcast to date. 

It was fun and I learned a lot from Dan while we were chatting. I won't give away too much, but this has somewhat to do with the above C.O.G100 discussion. Dan, having the luxury of a couple of months perspective, had a view that we didn't have. He was able to put on his event in a way that was safe and took in the protocols necessary to appease locals and government officials in his area. He also, along with other event promoters, found a way to bring some small amount of joy to some folks who have been locked up due to this pandemic for several months earlier this year. 

There was a lot more, as I said, so make sure you look for this episode, which I think is going to be #61, coming out soon.  

That's a wrap for this edition of Randomonium. 

Randomonium

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Andy's Bike Shop Fleece Beanie:

So, this happened the other day. Andy of Andy's Bike Shop ordered in some beanies, took his iron on logo patches, and voila'! Beanies for your warm headed goodness. 

These aren't even up on Andy's site yet, but if you call down to the shop, we can set one aside for you. They are a very warm, fleece style beanie. Not as deep as a Euro styled one, but more like a skull-cap fit, if your head is big, like mine is. 

Anyway, I think Andy said these are like $12.95 or something.......don't hold me to that, but that's very close if it isn't right. I know! Just tell Andy you saw it here and it is a twelve-ninety-fiver. Special "G-Ted Productions" price! Ha!  

We also have t-shirts and stickers and maybe some of those same iron-on patches you see here on the beanie. Just stop by, call, and ask. We're hoping to get some Riding Gravel stickers and whatnot down there at the shop sometime soon also. Stay tuned......

Basement Chemistry:

Sometimes I chuckle to myself when I am down in "The Lab" mixing up sealant using "MG's Secret Sauce" recipe. I feel like some mad scientist, mixing up some formula that ends up getting out of hand and causing some catastrophic 'blob' to come to life that swallows life as we know it on this planet. 

But that's probably just shreds of memories left over from seeing "Creature Feature" with my late Uncle Joe when I was young and impressionable. I'm not really doing anything diabolical, just doing something practical.

You see, I go through a lot of sealant for tubeless bicycle tires. My brother down in Lincoln, MG, told me about his special home brewed recipe for sealant that he came up with after years of toying around with stuff and it worked well. He shared this with me back in 2007 or so, and ever since then I've been doing sealant using this method. It's got good qualities, but the big thing from my standpoint is that it is cheaper than branded offerings you can get on the open market. 

So, it's the best of both worlds for me. Cheap, easy to make, easy access, and effective in use. I know there are some of you out there that will want to know what it is exactly. I've shared it here on the blog before, search for it. I'm not taking the time to reveal the recipe again. Besides, it's called "MG's Secret Sauce" for a reason. 

Lunch With N.Y.Roll:

Last Wednesday I had lunch with N.Y. Roll from a local Bosnian food truck. But that wasn't why I am bringing this up. We had a wide ranging conversation covering many subjects, but the point I wanted to bring up has to do with the C.O.G. 100. 

We have not made any definitive decisions, but all outcomes are on the table now. We may cancel the event entirely, offer refunds, or we may do a socially distanced type of deal, or we may do something else altogether. 

One big issue is that we won't have insurance due to the COVID postponement after February 28th, 2021. So, if we were to run the event, we'd have to foot an insurance bill out of pocket. That makes offering refunds a bit more appealing, but as of now, we don't know what that might look like. So, there you are. I'm not making any decisions just yet, but you can see that in financial terms, this doesn't make sense to have the event. 

And in any scenario, we're looking at probably losing money on this. But it is what it is. This situation would have been 100% different had our event not been scheduled right when the whole COVID thing broke. You'll remember that at mid-March we were being told that this virus was going to pretty much end the world. Had we been scheduled in Summer, we would have had a lot more information and, although the event would have been postponed- probably- we would have had more leeway with insurance. 

Anyway.....stay tuned.

No whiskey products were consumed during this podcast recording.

Special Guest:

Thursday we had a special guest in for the recording of the next "Riding Gravel Radio Ranch" podcast. His name is "Dangerous Dan" and his event is the Sterile Iowan. This wide ranging interview went on for over an hour, so this will be our longest podcast to date. 

It was fun and I learned a lot from Dan while we were chatting. I won't give away too much, but this has somewhat to do with the above C.O.G100 discussion. Dan, having the luxury of a couple of months perspective, had a view that we didn't have. He was able to put on his event in a way that was safe and took in the protocols necessary to appease locals and government officials in his area. He also, along with other event promoters, found a way to bring some small amount of joy to some folks who have been locked up due to this pandemic for several months earlier this year. 

There was a lot more, as I said, so make sure you look for this episode, which I think is going to be #61, coming out soon.  

That's a wrap for this edition of Randomonium. 

Looks Like We're In It For The Long Haul

 

Last March I had a lot of plans. I bet you did too. Well, I don't need to tell you all what happened there. Things in our lives have been radically changed and what we expected, in many cases, has been postponed or cancelled. I think about how my son, just as an example, has had his whole senior year of high school upended. It is but a small example of many of our lives.

And "they say" it isn't going to go away anytime soon. So...... What exactly does THAT mean? Well, you'll have to answer that for yourselves. I can only vouch for myself at this time. This is all my opinion and just is where my head and my heart is at right now. 

First of all, I'm not going to be making any big plans. Chances are pretty high that the current situation, or some slightly modified version of it, will still be in effect for a major portion of 2021. Rides, going places, hanging out with big crowds of folks, all of that is off my table for the foreseeable future. I'm not going anywhere soon, and I am settling in for the long haul here. In my opinion, it isn't worth the risk to myself and others here where I live for me to go gallivanting around the countryside at gravel events, or for any other reasons.Things may change, maybe..... I'll admit I'm wrong gladly. But I am not holding out a lot of hope that I am wrong on this......

Looks Like We're In It For The Long Haul

 

Last March I had a lot of plans. I bet you did too. Well, I don't need to tell you all what happened there. Things in our lives have been radically changed and what we expected, in many cases, has been postponed or cancelled. I think about how my son, just as an example, has had his whole senior year of high school upended. It is but a small example of many of our lives.

And "they say" it isn't going to go away anytime soon. So...... What exactly does THAT mean? Well, you'll have to answer that for yourselves. I can only vouch for myself at this time. This is all my opinion and just is where my head and my heart is at right now. 

First of all, I'm not going to be making any big plans. Chances are pretty high that the current situation, or some slightly modified version of it, will still be in effect for a major portion of 2021. Rides, going places, hanging out with big crowds of folks, all of that is off my table for the foreseeable future. I'm not going anywhere soon, and I am settling in for the long haul here. In my opinion, it isn't worth the risk to myself and others here where I live for me to go gallivanting around the countryside at gravel events, or for any other reasons.Things may change, maybe..... I'll admit I'm wrong gladly. But I am not holding out a lot of hope that I am wrong on this......

Should We Or Shouldn't We?

As the year of 2020 slowly trudges toward its inevitable conclusion, we are now running into the Fall where many events that should have already happened have been postponed to. The plumb of all of these must surely be the Tour de France, set to take place mostly in the beginning weeks of September this year. Starting August 28th, this pinnacle of cycling racing is an event- like it or not- which sets the tone for much of what follows behind it in the cycling world. 

Obviously things will necessarily need to be quite a bit different this year. A hint of what it takes to put on such an event was given when the Colorado Classic released details on its protocols that it was to have enacted for its now cancelled event, as I reported on in this FN&V post. A really blunt take on where the TdF sits within current events was recently published here on "Cyclingtips" website which echos much of what was to be at the Colorado Classic. 

The question, "should the event start?", is not just a question for the Tour de France, or the now cancelled Colorado Classic, but this is the question on every event promoter's mind coming into Fall, Winter, and even into next year. Where will we be sitting in regard to COVID-19? Will there be a 'second wave', as it appears there will be in France? Does any event with larger numbers of people planned for participation need to have the same, or similar protocols to what the TdF has? How do you balance all of this against health concerns, economic concerns, and public perceptions? 

Whew! Those are balls that no one wants to juggle with. Will the outcome be a positive or a negative? In my opinion, the Tour this year will be a sort of 'proving grounds'. If this spectacle, which stands to make a LOT of money for a lot of people, can go off with little to no COVID impacts, then I think you see bigger events take note and encouragement from that. However; if the microscope of attention focused upon the Tour sees one crack to exploit concerning this pandemic, you can be sure that the condemnation for any failures will be swift and far reaching. This, in my opinion again, will affect following events to a great extent. 

Should the event even start? Pfffft! It'll be easy to say after the fact. Place your bets now though, and this becomes a sort of gamble. A gamble that may have some dark consequences. In light of that, the prudent person might answer, "No. The TdF should not start." Those with the view that traditions should be upheld, those with a view that  human beings being social creatures, need this sort of thing,  and those who find economic ruin too great an expense for something that needs to not be feared? Well, they may look at this quite differently. And this is really a microcosm of the World's predicament concerning COVID-19, isn't it? The results of running the TdF then might actually have far reaching consequences. 

This isn't an experiment I'd want to conduct, but he we go..........

Should We Or Shouldn't We?

As the year of 2020 slowly trudges toward its inevitable conclusion, we are now running into the Fall where many events that should have already happened have been postponed to. The plumb of all of these must surely be the Tour de France, set to take place mostly in the beginning weeks of September this year. Starting August 28th, this pinnacle of cycling racing is an event- like it or not- which sets the tone for much of what follows behind it in the cycling world. 

Obviously things will necessarily need to be quite a bit different this year. A hint of what it takes to put on such an event was given when the Colorado Classic released details on its protocols that it was to have enacted for its now cancelled event, as I reported on in this FN&V post. A really blunt take on where the TdF sits within current events was recently published here on "Cyclingtips" website which echos much of what was to be at the Colorado Classic. 

The question, "should the event start?", is not just a question for the Tour de France, or the now cancelled Colorado Classic, but this is the question on every event promoter's mind coming into Fall, Winter, and even into next year. Where will we be sitting in regard to COVID-19? Will there be a 'second wave', as it appears there will be in France? Does any event with larger numbers of people planned for participation need to have the same, or similar protocols to what the TdF has? How do you balance all of this against health concerns, economic concerns, and public perceptions? 

Whew! Those are balls that no one wants to juggle with. Will the outcome be a positive or a negative? In my opinion, the Tour this year will be a sort of 'proving grounds'. If this spectacle, which stands to make a LOT of money for a lot of people, can go off with little to no COVID impacts, then I think you see bigger events take note and encouragement from that. However; if the microscope of attention focused upon the Tour sees one crack to exploit concerning this pandemic, you can be sure that the condemnation for any failures will be swift and far reaching. This, in my opinion again, will affect following events to a great extent. 

Should the event even start? Pfffft! It'll be easy to say after the fact. Place your bets now though, and this becomes a sort of gamble. A gamble that may have some dark consequences. In light of that, the prudent person might answer, "No. The TdF should not start." Those with the view that traditions should be upheld, those with a view that  human beings being social creatures, need this sort of thing,  and those who find economic ruin too great an expense for something that needs to not be feared? Well, they may look at this quite differently. And this is really a microcosm of the World's predicament concerning COVID-19, isn't it? The results of running the TdF then might actually have far reaching consequences. 

This isn't an experiment I'd want to conduct, but he we go..........

Technical Difficulties

 

Yesterday a severe line of storms raged through Iowa causing massive damage, power outages, and probably lots of injuries, but as I write to you, I am not exactly sure what the status of all of this is yet.

 The image here shows a farm field in Eastern Iowa that was flattened by winds many estimated at over 90mph  The devastation in cities such as Des Moines and its Northern suburbs, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids that I have seen is massive and very shocking  

So, I am having to write this post on my iPhone in the “Truck with No Name” because we have no internet access in the palatial Guitar Ted Laboratories and this phone doesn’t work in the house with no WiFi  

Wah!  So what?  Most folks have no power, tree limbs sticking out of roofs, or total losses of corn staring themselves straight in the face  my issues are counted as nothing  

If you are the sort of person that believes in the power of prayer, I humbly request you lift some up for the 100’s of thousands of people affected by this  

As if 2020 wasn’t bad enough, right? 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all are well  I’m okay. My area was largely spared   

Image credit: Iowa Storm Chasing Network  

Technical Difficulties

 

Yesterday a severe line of storms raged through Iowa causing massive damage, power outages, and probably lots of injuries, but as I write to you, I am not exactly sure what the status of all of this is yet.

 The image here shows a farm field in Eastern Iowa that was flattened by winds many estimated at over 90mph  The devastation in cities such as Des Moines and its Northern suburbs, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids that I have seen is massive and very shocking  

So, I am having to write this post on my iPhone in the “Truck with No Name” because we have no internet access in the palatial Guitar Ted Laboratories and this phone doesn’t work in the house with no WiFi  

Wah!  So what?  Most folks have no power, tree limbs sticking out of roofs, or total losses of corn staring themselves straight in the face  my issues are counted as nothing  

If you are the sort of person that believes in the power of prayer, I humbly request you lift some up for the 100’s of thousands of people affected by this  

As if 2020 wasn’t bad enough, right? 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all are well  I’m okay. My area was largely spared   

Image credit: Iowa Storm Chasing Network