Brown Season: Riding Into Spring

Escape Route: South Riverside Trail

 A little more than a week ago we were staring down a blizzard. High winds and snow battered us Sunday evening through until Monday evening. Then it got brutally cold with negative wind chills and air temperatures in the single digits on Tuesday. 

By Friday it was shirt-sleeve weather! 

What a crazy Winter, and I sure hope it is all over with. We were on a roller coaster of freezing, thawing, snow cover, no snow cover, all Winter long. But hopefully it is all done with, and this Spring can be a bit less up and down. 

Friday I took advantage of the nice weather and got out on my Honeman Flyer since it has all the Ergon stuff on it I am reviewing. It was 65°F and so I put on a wind vest, a short-sleeved jersey, my Twin Six bib knickers, and I wore normal cycling shoes. A bandana and Bontrager Circuit helmet rounded out the kit for the day. 

There were a lot of people enjoying Big Woods Lake on Friday

 

First gravel on Mt. Vernon Road. 

I saw the breeze was out of the Northwest before I left the house so I decided to use my "Northwest Passage" route out of town. It essentially follows the Cedar River along quiet city streets and bike paths, stays out of the wind, and allows me to get out of town without expending a lot of energy.Once I get away from Big Woods Lake I only have about two miles worth of headwind. 

The roads are nice! No fresh gravel......yet!

Not much snow in the ditches anymore here. Probably none now!

It's amazing how quickly the snow disappeared. Tuesday the ditches were full last week. Now on Friday, during my ride, snow was hard to come by, and most of it was stained black from dirt blowing into it during the storm. The winds scoured the snow off  during the blizzard and picked up the black dirt afterward. 

Angles in the Sky and angles on the ground. 

 

It felt like a Summer ride. I almost took the wind vest off a few times to stuff it into my jersey pocket, but I never did. I stuck it out. Because the heat was so unfamiliar to me at this point of the year for around these parts, I decided not to take a longer route. Later on, after I was at home for a while, I was happy I made that decision. 

 

One example of the rolling hills North of Waterloo.

Now we are back to what feels like Spring. This past weekend, well Friday and Saturday, at any rate, were straight out of Summer. It's too early for Summer! Hopefully Spring will be good. I need to get some miles in. 

Stay tuned.... 

Brown Season: Rare Air

Escape Route: Gates Park

February is a month when I would expect it to snow a lot, be not so great for cycling out in the country, and a month which would test my patience knowing Spring is just around the corner. I do not expect February to act like Spring! 

But ever since the beginning of the month we've been getting warmer and warmer until at the beginning of this past week it was evident we'd end the week with absolutely no snow on the ground at all. None. Like mid to late March, but a whole month earlier than that. 

With temperatures sneaking above 50 degrees by the end of last week, I decided I had to get out and see what was going on in the country. At the rate things are going the frost will begin to start coming out of the ground. When this happens the roads get messy and gooey. I wanted to get out while the roads were still firm. 

North of Waterloo. The roads were perfect.

Even the ditches were mostly clear of snow in many places. 

I went out on the Singular Peregrine Mk4. A bicycle relatively still new to me and one I am still getting used to. I had the Pirelli Cinturato H tires on this time set at 30psi. I think I could go lower, but during cold weather it isn't a good time for me to experiment with air pressure unless I plan on stopping to check the tire pressures a lot during the ride. I don't plan on this, so I lived with 30psi for the time being. It was okay. 

 

This was probably an impressive snow drift three weeks ago. 

I decided not to try to ride too fast or go too far on this first outing for 2026 in the country. Especially so since I am still dealing with the bruised rib from my crash two weeks ago today. So, I went slower than normal and I did just a minimal loop and went back into Waterloo. 

 

I stopped at the Big Rock. The atmosphere was calm. There was barely a breeze blowing. I could hear the mournful cry of some bird or another a long ways off in the distance. I've come out to this rock many a time before. This was different. It seemed very peaceful. 

 

For a first country ride it was good. Not too long, not over the line to the point of being trashed, and the weather was super rare. I shake my head at this when I think about it being February. You have to wonder, is March going to be awful? 

Hmm..... I don't know, but this is a rare treat and I'll enjoy what I can of it.  

Veteran's Day Ride

Escape Route: An invitation from N.Y. Roll

Last weekend N.Y. Roll reached out to me and asked if I would want to join him on a 40-ish mile ride North toward Waverly and back again. I accepted his offer, so the plans were put into place to ride on Tuesday morning at 9:00am. 

I decided I'd ride the Peregrine MK4, of course, and since I was finished with the Schwalbe tires I went and did a wheel swap to get the SOMA Cazadero 700 X 50mm tires on the bike. This entailed swapping cassettes and rotors as well, since I wanted to keep the drive train and brakes the same. 

I got this finished up in time, so the evening before I laid out some gear and got to bed early so I would be as rested as possible. The temperatures were to start out in the mid-30's, but with a stiff Southwesterly breeze, it was feeling chillier than that. 

I ended up wearing the Twin Six Thermal Cargo Bibs with the T-6 base layer and a Smart Wool short-sleeved jersey gifted to me by a Trans Iowa rider. Over this I wore my Voler-made Pirate Cycling League thermal jacket. On my feet I had my 12" Sock Guy wool socks, Northwave winter boots, and that was it. On the noggin I wore a buff from another Trans Iowa rider who lives in Germany and gave me this Berlin Cycling Club branded buff to wear. Then my Circuit Wave Cell helmet went over this. On my hands I wore HandUp Winter gloves. 

As it turned out the only thing I would have done differently would be to have an extra pair of gloves to put on at halfway, and I could have used a plastic shopping bag vapor barrier for the feet. I sweat a lot more than I thought I would on this ride! 

The Veteran's Memorial in Downtown Waterloo

I waited outside for N.Y. Roll and he arrived right at 9:00am. So, the plan, as stated, was to ride North, and as we chatted at the beginning of this ride, N.Y. Roll was realizing we'd be heading straight into a headwind if we used his original route. So, not a half a mile in, he "called an audible", and we decided to roll out towards Evansdale, along the Cedar River, hit the CVNT for a bit, and then see what we felt like. 

It was no big deal to me to change up the route on the fly, and I kind of liked the spontaneity of this decision. Plus, we hadn't gone much over a mile and we rode right by the Waterloo Veteran's Memorial display, replete with someones remote PA set up and microphone just sitting there. We did not see anyone around, which I thought was strange because Waterloo folks have "sticky fingers" and anything left out and about without oversight or strong tethers, well...... Let's just say it would be gone. 

We figured it was too cold for ne're-do-wells and we rolled onward.  

And for the record, we rode past three veteran's memorials on this ride. It was meant to be! 

Trail on the North side of the Cedar River going to Evansdale. 

Approach to the CVNT and another crossing of the Cedar River. 

The wind wasn't fun, so we took this into our calculations as we rode to Evansdale, through the city, and onward to the CVNT. We decided to head up Foulk Road, and yes, into the wind, but then turning left onto McKellar Road, we'd get two Level B Roads in series, and then end up in Washburn, Iowa. From there we'd make another decision. 

The Eastern end of McKellar Road

Weiden Road's Level B Section looking toward Washburn, Iowa. 

There were several wet spots we had to pay attention to on both Level B Roads. It was a tiny bit sketchy, but we made it through just fine. The dirt was a nice change of pace from pavement. However; we'd be getting a big dose of pavement yet coming up. 

We decided to head over to the CVNT from where we popped out at in Washburn. This right turn would take us to LaPorte City, then we'd leave town to the Northeast, cross the Cedar River (again!) and head towards some remote Black Hawk County gravel. 

I like N.Y. Roll, but sometimes he's a little bossy!

 

A remote gravel called Miller Creek Road, which doesn't get a lot of riders on it. 

We were heading into flood plain territory. Very flat, so it was very windy! Heading South on Girsch Road was a chore. Turning East on Miller Creek Road was a big relief. This territory is not common for cyclists as it sits in a pocket between Highway 218 and the Cedar River. It isn't easy to access, and there are better through-routes for recreationalists like the CVNT. But we had stuck our little dirt road sections in, and going "out of our way" through Gilbertville on the CVNT was not what we wanted to do. So, here we were. 

I had not been out on these roads since 2020 when I did "The Quest" to ride all the gravel and dirt roads in Black Hawk County, which I ended up getting done. As I stated back then, there were roads I'd likely never ride again, and these roads were some of them! Guess I was wrong!

We returned to the CVNT, stopped briefly for a "nature break", and rolled on through LaPorte City and exited on the Northeast side. This is a hardtop road called Brandon Road, and it is usually very busy. It wasn't bad on Tuesday, but it wasn't slow in terms of traffic. 

(Looking back the way we came here) Crossing the Cedar.....again!

Another criminally under-ridden road. Ashley Road here looking Northwest

We went North on South Canfield Road, (another busy County hardtop road) and skipped Bryan Road for the diagonally placed Ashley Road. This is a remnant of an ancient footpath of the Native Americans and was an original pioneer trail which became part of the Red Ball Route. Parts of the Red Ball Route are still Highway 218 to this day. Ashley Road is an old segment of the Red Ball Route. 

Barns For Jason

 

More Ashley Road

We ended up essentially following the Cedar River and older paths which reflected how Native Americans, and then the pioneers after them, used the land to traverse from one area to another. It was said that the paths the Native Americans took were so often used the grasses wouldn't grow where they walked and these pathways were easily seen by the later Europeans who came and settled the lands around here. 

Coffee stop. Mile 30

Leaving Gilbertville on old Highway 218

Eventually, after a real estate inspection by N.Y. Roll, we made our way into Gilbertville. We decided we would either stop at a Casey's Convenience store, or at a cafe if we came across one. N.Y. Roll actually found the 1854 Cafe in Gilbertville and we stopped and had a cup of coffee. 

This stop was kind of funny. Here we were, all geared up in our cold weather cycling garb, tromping in with our cycling shoes on, making a scene. It was almost as if it really were 1854 and some rogue band of ruffians had walked in amongst some decent citizens. We were getting side-eyed and look-aways like crazy. Too funny. 

The oak trees were spectacular this Fall. More red than usual. 

N.Y. Roll looking for an open restroom. Did not find anything!

We left Gilbertville on old Highway 218 which is really pretty scenic any time of the year. But it was especially so this Fall since this road has a lot of oak trees around it.The oaks were especially red this year. Usually they are a more rusty-brown color. So, that was a good distraction as I was riding along.

Apparently coffee runs right through N.Y. Roll because by the time we reached Elk Run Heights he needed to find a place to relieve himself. Nothing we went by had any open doors. All the recreational sites had locked up for the season. So, he ended up finding a secluded spot in the woods of a local park to, you know...... take a nature break. 

Then it was just slogging into a quartering headwind to get all the way home again. We did 40 plus miles in less than four hours time, including stops, so this was pretty good, I thought. Especially considering the wind factor. All in all, it was a good training day for the upcoming Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Challenge.  

Brown Season: Bumpy Ride

Escape Route: Burton Avenue.

Well, the weekend was bracketed by bad weather here. Friday was just weirdly moist. It never really rained outright, but it was misting off and on and it looked like it could go full-on rain at any minute. Not a very good day to ride.

Sunday was Easter, but it also rained, so Saturday, which was actually rather pleasant, was the day to ride, so I did. I had to wear some warmer duds since it was only in the 50's and the breeze was out of the North. I decided to ride the pink BMC MCD and head North out of town up Burton Avenue.

I had to wait until after lunch since I work Saturday mornings. I managed to also get off any family duties after asking Mrs. Guitar Ted about making a short ride plan. I would only have about two to three hours to get something in, but that is enough. So, I headed out at about 2:00pm.

The ditches are turning greener. Brown Season is coming to a close.

The ag traffic is high now and the roads reflected this.

Right away I noted there were a lot more bumps, lunging feelings, and roughness to the road. I figured out this was all caused by agricultural equipment. It seems these beasties are so heavy they push, compress, rut out, and deposit field dirt which all contributed to the weird feeling road experience.

An image from the highest point on my ride, just North of C-57 on Burton Avenue.

This cool barn and outbuilding complex is just South of the St. Pauls Church and on the opposite side of the road.

I don't know what it was, but I was not feeling it on this ride. Maybe it was the Northwest wind, which was stronger than indicated by the weather people, but then again, it almost always is out here. It could be I wasn't rested. It could be I just haven't gotten in the miles due to all the stupid wind we've had so far this year. Probably all of that, actually.

Stopped for a quick breather here.

This controlled burn is so fresh it was still smoldering when I passed by.

Things got a little better when I turned East on Gresham Road. I had something of a tailwind and I felt a bit easier than I had been feeling. The road was pretty much all fresh gravel, but with the all-day moisture event we experienced the day before this gravel was not shifty and like marbles under the tires. So, it was a lot less difficult than it could have been.

Moline Road was smooooth sailing!

Farming activities are starting to ramp up out here.

Turning South on Moline Road was the best part of the ride. The wind was a quartering tailwind, the road was way smoother, and the rollers made for fast, fun riding on the way back. I ended up doing just over two hours with one minor stop. It was all I wanted to do, to be honest, with the way I felt. I need to get out there more consistently to start getting myself into some semblance of "gravel shape". 

Hopefully this weather straightens up so I can do this. 

Brown Season: The Freshies

Escape Route: Sergeant Road bike path.

The Continental Terra Adventure tires I have in for review needed to be ridden, and with Friday being a nearly windless day, (what?!), I decided to ask myself, "What better time to go than now?" The answer: There is no better time than now.

So, out came the 3/4's Twin Six bibs, my longsleeved Bontrager wool jersey I've had for years, and my Twin Six wind vest. I put half a plastic shopping bag around each foot and wore my old Giant MTB shoes.

It was around 50°F, so it wasn't 'warm', and with a mostly cloudy sky, I had little help from the Sun. As it turned out, I was dressed perfectly. The Conti tires were aired up to 30psi, the water bottles were filled, and I was off to find Petrie Road's Level B section to test these knobby little tires.

Spring-time gravel road maintenance has begun. Great!

The farmers are readying their toys for Spring play-time.

Well, I found out I hit the "gravel jack-pot" on the first stretch of gravel of the day. The County has hit Aker Road hard with the freshies. Deep, loose, fresh ground and crushed rock. Mmmmm.... The Noble GX5 was darting and slipping around on the white rock. Dust was being kicked up by passing cars and made the dust look like thunderheads, but I was fortunate in that every car and truck slowed to make sure I wasn't too blinded.

Taking a break at "The Usual Spot".

Once I passed by Hudson, Iowa, to my right, Aker Road cleared up. A little bit!

That fresh gravel was jarring. I expected sooner or later we would be seeing this happen. It is about the time when farmer's are getting ready to plant and the County likes to get its 530 miles of gravel squared away before their heavy equipment hits the gravels. 

Where the dirt begins on the East side of Petrie Road's Level B section.

There is usually water here all year long, but with the drought it has been hit or miss.

Level B roads, the good ones, change periodically. Petrie Road's Level B section is no different. Right now it is rough and rutted out. We haven't had a ton of moisture around here, and you would think things couldn't get too tore up, but they are right now.

I was remarking to myself how it was back when we ran Trans Iowa v12 through this road and it was super-smooth. I think it was in the best condition I'd ever seen this section of road be in. Now, it should be said that a certain landowner adjacent to this section of dirt road would like nothing more than to have the County declassify it to a C Level road and have it gated off. So, this landowner has let their end of this road "go to hell" and they even took down the street sign on their corner along with the Levl B warning sign so it looks more like a farmer's lane. Maybe someday this farmer will get their wish, but it is still open to traffic in 2025.....

The first hill on the East end.NOTE: This shot is from a similar vantage point as the header (as of 4/14/25)

Headed down to the last bit which is flat, riddled with ruts, and in Summer, overgrown with weeds.

I was picking my way through trying to avoid the ruts, the decomposed clay, which sucks yoiur wheel in, and the mud where it was prevalent. On the West end, near where "that farmer lives", it gets real gnarly with really deep ruts, mud, and water. I was 50 yards from the West entrance when I finally made a wrong move and dumped myself unceremoniously on my left side.

I was laughing. I almost made it and, well.....darn it!  I got back up still chuckling to myself, remounted, and got to the end with no further issues. A quick look at the Terra Adventure, to see how much mud stuck to it, and I was off on my way back North on Holmes Road.

I don't notice this erratic too often, but it appears this farmer is stacking more rock on it.

Freshies on Aker Road. The right side by the ditch was way smoother!

I was out almost two and a half hours. It was a good ride and I learned a lot about the new tires. (I'll post again on those soon.) I was happy it wasn't windy and at least I felt pretty good once I got back home. Now I just need to get out more consistently and keep stacking those pennies.