Ride Plans Taking Shape

Some riding plans are emerging out of the fog for 2023

I've been thinking about riding gravel roads again, and this year I want my riding to be about consistency. No huge plans and no grabbing big miles without having a consistent base of rides to build off of. With that all in mind, here are my thoughts going into the year.

Renegade Gents Race: I've been assured that I still have my place on my team and that a lodging plan is available. (Thank you Capn' Steve!) So, that event, which falls on April 1st this year, will be my first "official ride" date for 2023. 

Leading in to that date I want to have put in several consistent rides and off-bike work-out type training efforts to be ready to do this event. Since the Gents Race is about 70 miles or less, I think if I can have a base of several 3-4 hour rides by April 1st I'd feel pretty good about that. Maybe 3-4 of those and several shorter rides as well. That means I have to get going here pretty quick.

Off-bike efforts will include some special stretching and moving exercises I've got planned for myself. Nothing huge, but again - I just want consistency. 

The route for the "Tour of Black Hawk County" might form the basis of another big ride in May

ToBHC/GTDRI? Then I have had a request from a local rider named Josh to ride with me on a big ride sometime this year. This fits in with my desire to bag a century ride at least once this year. Josh and I spoke about the idea this past weekend and I suggested that perhaps the Tour of Black Hawk County route might be a good one to make use of for this ride. 

If I so chose, I need to reroute a bit of the Western edge of the loop. The stupid county had part of the border between Grundy and Black Hawk County paved! Bah! So, to avoid about six to seven miles of madness, I will have to make a big revision to the route. 

And IF I do that, my plan is to run the loop in reverse, so the big miles without resupply are on the front end, and the shorter distances between stops can help get us to the finish in better condition than what I experienced when I did the loop in 2021. 

Double IF: Let's say I find a date in May that you think would work for you to join us. Well......okay then. I am going to allow anyone that can come to join in. It's not necessarily a "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational", but it pretty much would be. Interested? Drop me a line...... If I get enough interest I may make this "officially official". Or something.....

From the Single Speed Century in 2020

Single Speed Century: So..... Let's say "IF" I get this far into the year and all goes well. Okay, then I am thinking I need to stick in a single speed century ride. I have a couple routes to choose from including this gnarly edition I did back in 2020 with Jeremy Fry which about did me in. I'm thinking this is a Summertime ride and that I would do this whenever it seemed right during June, July, or August.

This may be the bike and set-up, or.....it may not!

The Closure Tour: Sharp readers here might remember this idea I had for a late Summer "over-nighter" tour that I was prepping for. It didn't happen due to circumstances beyond my control, but I have not let this idea go. I feel this needs to happen and for pretty personal reasons which go beyond a bicycle ride. Thus the name of the ride. 

I've got everything I need to do this, I have the bicycles, the route is done, and anytime I have a window to do this, I feel as though I need to just go and get it done. This is high on the list of goals for 2023. I hope that it all works out.

Fat Bike Century: I've done this before, like seven years ago! I have threatened to get back out and do another for years and especially so now that I own the Ti Muk 2. 

As far as a route goes, I have two other completely different routes in mind which I would not use for the other ride ideas here. One would pretty much reprise the 2016 Fat Bike Century while the other one would be an expansion on my Turkey Burn Ride of 2021. 

I like the idea of the latter, but either would tickle my long ride bones and I would have fun either way. The latter idea of the two would require some more route planning and stuff since it is a route that doesn't exist in the mileage I would need, but it wouldn't be any big deal these days to pull something together. Not with the resources at hand today. 

Which reminds me..... Putting together a gravel route in 2005 was a LOT harder! But I digress....

Anywho! These are all huge, gigantic, BIG if's and will not happen unless I start doing the things today to get ready. So, that is the immediate plan. I will show up every day to do the stuff and we'll talk again come the end of March and see where I am at pre-Gent's madness. 

Stay tuned....

Ride Plans Taking Shape

Some riding plans are emerging out of the fog for 2023

I've been thinking about riding gravel roads again, and this year I want my riding to be about consistency. No huge plans and no grabbing big miles without having a consistent base of rides to build off of. With that all in mind, here are my thoughts going into the year.

Renegade Gents Race: I've been assured that I still have my place on my team and that a lodging plan is available. (Thank you Capn' Steve!) So, that event, which falls on April 1st this year, will be my first "official ride" date for 2023. 

Leading in to that date I want to have put in several consistent rides and off-bike work-out type training efforts to be ready to do this event. Since the Gents Race is about 70 miles or less, I think if I can have a base of several 3-4 hour rides by April 1st I'd feel pretty good about that. Maybe 3-4 of those and several shorter rides as well. That means I have to get going here pretty quick.

Off-bike efforts will include some special stretching and moving exercises I've got planned for myself. Nothing huge, but again - I just want consistency. 

The route for the "Tour of Black Hawk County" might form the basis of another big ride in May

ToBHC/GTDRI? Then I have had a request from a local rider named Josh to ride with me on a big ride sometime this year. This fits in with my desire to bag a century ride at least once this year. Josh and I spoke about the idea this past weekend and I suggested that perhaps the Tour of Black Hawk County route might be a good one to make use of for this ride. 

If I so chose, I need to reroute a bit of the Western edge of the loop. The stupid county had part of the border between Grundy and Black Hawk County paved! Bah! So, to avoid about six to seven miles of madness, I will have to make a big revision to the route. 

And IF I do that, my plan is to run the loop in reverse, so the big miles without resupply are on the front end, and the shorter distances between stops can help get us to the finish in better condition than what I experienced when I did the loop in 2021. 

Double IF: Let's say I find a date in May that you think would work for you to join us. Well......okay then. I am going to allow anyone that can come to join in. It's not necessarily a "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational", but it pretty much would be. Interested? Drop me a line...... If I get enough interest I may make this "officially official". Or something.....

From the Single Speed Century in 2020

Single Speed Century: So..... Let's say "IF" I get this far into the year and all goes well. Okay, then I am thinking I need to stick in a single speed century ride. I have a couple routes to choose from including this gnarly edition I did back in 2020 with Jeremy Fry which about did me in. I'm thinking this is a Summertime ride and that I would do this whenever it seemed right during June, July, or August.

This may be the bike and set-up, or.....it may not!

The Closure Tour: Sharp readers here might remember this idea I had for a late Summer "over-nighter" tour that I was prepping for. It didn't happen due to circumstances beyond my control, but I have not let this idea go. I feel this needs to happen and for pretty personal reasons which go beyond a bicycle ride. Thus the name of the ride. 

I've got everything I need to do this, I have the bicycles, the route is done, and anytime I have a window to do this, I feel as though I need to just go and get it done. This is high on the list of goals for 2023. I hope that it all works out.

Fat Bike Century: I've done this before, like seven years ago! I have threatened to get back out and do another for years and especially so now that I own the Ti Muk 2. 

As far as a route goes, I have two other completely different routes in mind which I would not use for the other ride ideas here. One would pretty much reprise the 2016 Fat Bike Century while the other one would be an expansion on my Turkey Burn Ride of 2021. 

I like the idea of the latter, but either would tickle my long ride bones and I would have fun either way. The latter idea of the two would require some more route planning and stuff since it is a route that doesn't exist in the mileage I would need, but it wouldn't be any big deal these days to pull something together. Not with the resources at hand today. 

Which reminds me..... Putting together a gravel route in 2005 was a LOT harder! But I digress....

Anywho! These are all huge, gigantic, BIG if's and will not happen unless I start doing the things today to get ready. So, that is the immediate plan. I will show up every day to do the stuff and we'll talk again come the end of March and see where I am at pre-Gent's madness. 

Stay tuned....

Friday News And Views

The old rusted out bumper from the Truck With No Name.

 Trans Iowa Stories Update:

In an effort to be as transparent and to help keep my feet to the fire, I will be posting sporadic updates on what is being planned and what may be happening with the "Trans Iowa Stories Project". The overall idea is that the series that is hosted here on the blog will be condensed down and put out as a book. 

So, with that in mind here is my overall look at how this will be accomplished. This will also give you somewhat of an idea of what the book might look like, should it all come to fruition. keep in mind that this is a "sketch" and as such, major revisions are possible in the future as inspiration and circumstances lead me. 

• Editing Process: There is FAR too much material here for one book, and one book is all I am going to shoot for here. That means a lot of heavy editing will have to happen. This also means that a year-by-year look at Trans Iowa probably is not the format for this book either, as that would, by the nature of the editing, begin to look pretty repetitive as events would start to look the same overall. There just would not be enough detail space to make it interesting. 
• Theme: So, I feel that a thematic approach, one where the book overall will be a journey through the process of the event, is best. So you as a reader would get stories from recon in one chapter, stories from the pre-race in another, stories from the races, and finally post-event stories. In front of that I would do a genesis/beginning story. There might have to be stories about sponsorships placed into there as well, but you get the picture. From the beginning of the book through to the end you'd get what a Trans Iowa looked like and every really good story would be in there. 
• Images: This is where it gets hard because there are SO MANY IMAGES that are really, really great. I know I can cull out what works for the book, but that leaves literally hundreds of images on the table. Could there be a companion book with just images? If there were that possibility, there would need to be a huge effort to get permissions from many photographers, and somehow set up a way that any monies generated from that would go to those folks. They would deserve it, but obviously, that would be a monumental project. Right now, that seems out of my scope of activities for now. Just know that I have ideas here and as long as I have these images, this is a possibility. 

And there you go! That's the outline for now. I will be doing some thinking and starting to make cuts on the information. Arranging things, making sense of it all, maybe adding bits to stitch together the quilt of stories, and then producing a manuscript are what's in the future. Once I get there I will be asking a few key folks to do read-throughs and then another round of editing will happen, I am sure. Stay tuned....

LOOK Trail Fusion pedals. Image courtesy of LOOK.

LOOK Offers New Trail Fusion Pedals:

"Flats" are a good way to go if your cycling trends toward the "grab-and-go" style, or if you'd prefer not to spend more money on fancy cycling slippers and clipless pedals which can cost hundreds of dollars and require you to wear and use these items just to ride a bicycle. 

I'm a big believer that the removing of barriers to cycling is conducive to people using bicycles more. That goes for myself as well, since there are lots of times I decide to ride certain bicycles I have primarily because they are fitted with flat pedals, or "traditional pedals", if you will. 

I have been pretty big on Fyxation's Mesa range of pedals for years because of their low price and high value. Now LOOK has a similar product called "Trail Fusion". 

These pedals are made from a composite material and come in a few different colors for a retail price of $60.00 USD.  They are made in Nevers, France and according to LOOK have replaceable parts with a double ball bearing set up on a CroMoly axle. 8 pins which are replaceable give your shoe something to grip on. 

Look also has a "Trail Roc+" aluminum flat pedal for those looking for that type of pedal. I like the composite pedals myself for cold weather riding as metal pedals suck the heat from your shoes/feet in a hurry. Anyway, check out this option if you are looking for a nice composite pedal at a reasonable price. (Note: I am not being paid nor bribed for this recommendation and I have no affiliation with LOOK whatsoever)

Discontent At The LifeTime Gravel Grand Prix:

A recent article on the "VeloNews" website speaks to issues the Pro racers are seeing with "Big Money Gravel Racing" and the LifeTime Gravel Grand Prix seems to be the focus here. Specifically, Unbound Gravel (formerly the DK200)

A few riders have dropped out of the series, but one in particular, Lea Davison, is getting press via the "VeloNews" article about this and she has expressed concerns which, to me, are not surprising at all. 

The calls for a women's only race were voiced again, which in a Pro race setting, is not to be wondered at. But here is probably the most revealing of her criticisms: 

“People don’t realize that winning these races may be the difference in having a job next year or not, so the stakes are really high and when they are that high, racers take risks. One racer may attack through an intersection in front of a car, descend on the inside of a blind corner, and that’s not a risk that I’m willing to take.”

Money. People will do strange things when it comes down to a paycheck for their reward. I guess, according to Davison, they are willing to do unreasonable things for the money. Makes sense to me. I've seen riders do unreasonable things in races for no other reason than to make things easier. But there may be a connected issue which is even more concerning- The demands of sponsors of their athletes. It isn't just purse money. In fact, sponsorship may be the main driver of some athlete's discontentment. 

Pro rider Sonya Looney mentioned on a Twitter thread in response to reading Davison's reasons for dropping out of the series, that she had refused sponsors and some had chosen not to sponsor her because she would not consider doing gravel races. Her heart was satisfied, and her enjoyment of cycling, she determined, was derived from being a mountain biker. 

Safety was another concern brought up, mostly due to the rash decision making riders employ to gather prize money and satisfy sponsorships. This style of "racing" is epitomized by what we see in the Pro Road ranks with closed courses, support cars, and the like. As I have stated several times, this is where Pros want the "gravel scene" to go. Money, sponsors, and the resulting pressures of both will force these "big-time", big money events and series to become Pro Road racing on gravel. That is not gravel racing. 

And as I've always said, if it doesn't suit you, don't do it. Lea Davison chose to follow her gut. More Pro racers should do the same. Gravel is not for everyone, and it was never about "making a living" off of it. This is why there is conflict and confusion within the Pro racer ranks when it comes to the gravel riding scene. 

And I haven't even gotten to another reason this is an issue. That being gravel events are too big- too many riders packed on to roads never meant to see that sort of traffic. That's another facet of all of this as well.

The Closure Tour Update; 

Well, I had a window in early August to get this done and that has been fouled up by responsibilities and the weather. So, I now will have to wait for my next opportunity which opens up potentially at the end of this month. 

So things are basically on "stand-by" until I can shove off on this voyage. Since I have opportunities for "practice", I may take a ride or two to places, set up, tear back down, and ride home all in the same ride. 

I also might try another wheel set with larger tires I have to try. Just for "research". If it turns out that the bigger tires make for a better ride I may opt over to that wheel set. But other than that, all I have to do is pack some food and fuel for my "penny stove" and I'll be ready to roll. I have my clothes and everything else ready to go at a moment's notice. 

Stay tuned.....

That's it for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride!

Friday News And Views

The old rusted out bumper from the Truck With No Name.

 Trans Iowa Stories Update:

In an effort to be as transparent and to help keep my feet to the fire, I will be posting sporadic updates on what is being planned and what may be happening with the "Trans Iowa Stories Project". The overall idea is that the series that is hosted here on the blog will be condensed down and put out as a book. 

So, with that in mind here is my overall look at how this will be accomplished. This will also give you somewhat of an idea of what the book might look like, should it all come to fruition. keep in mind that this is a "sketch" and as such, major revisions are possible in the future as inspiration and circumstances lead me. 

• Editing Process: There is FAR too much material here for one book, and one book is all I am going to shoot for here. That means a lot of heavy editing will have to happen. This also means that a year-by-year look at Trans Iowa probably is not the format for this book either, as that would, by the nature of the editing, begin to look pretty repetitive as events would start to look the same overall. There just would not be enough detail space to make it interesting. 
• Theme: So, I feel that a thematic approach, one where the book overall will be a journey through the process of the event, is best. So you as a reader would get stories from recon in one chapter, stories from the pre-race in another, stories from the races, and finally post-event stories. In front of that I would do a genesis/beginning story. There might have to be stories about sponsorships placed into there as well, but you get the picture. From the beginning of the book through to the end you'd get what a Trans Iowa looked like and every really good story would be in there. 
• Images: This is where it gets hard because there are SO MANY IMAGES that are really, really great. I know I can cull out what works for the book, but that leaves literally hundreds of images on the table. Could there be a companion book with just images? If there were that possibility, there would need to be a huge effort to get permissions from many photographers, and somehow set up a way that any monies generated from that would go to those folks. They would deserve it, but obviously, that would be a monumental project. Right now, that seems out of my scope of activities for now. Just know that I have ideas here and as long as I have these images, this is a possibility. 

And there you go! That's the outline for now. I will be doing some thinking and starting to make cuts on the information. Arranging things, making sense of it all, maybe adding bits to stitch together the quilt of stories, and then producing a manuscript are what's in the future. Once I get there I will be asking a few key folks to do read-throughs and then another round of editing will happen, I am sure. Stay tuned....

LOOK Trail Fusion pedals. Image courtesy of LOOK.

LOOK Offers New Trail Fusion Pedals:

"Flats" are a good way to go if your cycling trends toward the "grab-and-go" style, or if you'd prefer not to spend more money on fancy cycling slippers and clipless pedals which can cost hundreds of dollars and require you to wear and use these items just to ride a bicycle. 

I'm a big believer that the removing of barriers to cycling is conducive to people using bicycles more. That goes for myself as well, since there are lots of times I decide to ride certain bicycles I have primarily because they are fitted with flat pedals, or "traditional pedals", if you will. 

I have been pretty big on Fyxation's Mesa range of pedals for years because of their low price and high value. Now LOOK has a similar product called "Trail Fusion". 

These pedals are made from a composite material and come in a few different colors for a retail price of $60.00 USD.  They are made in Nevers, France and according to LOOK have replaceable parts with a double ball bearing set up on a CroMoly axle. 8 pins which are replaceable give your shoe something to grip on. 

Look also has a "Trail Roc+" aluminum flat pedal for those looking for that type of pedal. I like the composite pedals myself for cold weather riding as metal pedals suck the heat from your shoes/feet in a hurry. Anyway, check out this option if you are looking for a nice composite pedal at a reasonable price. (Note: I am not being paid nor bribed for this recommendation and I have no affiliation with LOOK whatsoever)

Discontent At The LifeTime Gravel Grand Prix:

A recent article on the "VeloNews" website speaks to issues the Pro racers are seeing with "Big Money Gravel Racing" and the LifeTime Gravel Grand Prix seems to be the focus here. Specifically, Unbound Gravel (formerly the DK200)

A few riders have dropped out of the series, but one in particular, Lea Davison, is getting press via the "VeloNews" article about this and she has expressed concerns which, to me, are not surprising at all. 

The calls for a women's only race were voiced again, which in a Pro race setting, is not to be wondered at. But here is probably the most revealing of her criticisms: 

“People don’t realize that winning these races may be the difference in having a job next year or not, so the stakes are really high and when they are that high, racers take risks. One racer may attack through an intersection in front of a car, descend on the inside of a blind corner, and that’s not a risk that I’m willing to take.”

Money. People will do strange things when it comes down to a paycheck for their reward. I guess, according to Davison, they are willing to do unreasonable things for the money. Makes sense to me. I've seen riders do unreasonable things in races for no other reason than to make things easier. But there may be a connected issue which is even more concerning- The demands of sponsors of their athletes. It isn't just purse money. In fact, sponsorship may be the main driver of some athlete's discontentment. 

Pro rider Sonya Looney mentioned on a Twitter thread in response to reading Davison's reasons for dropping out of the series, that she had refused sponsors and some had chosen not to sponsor her because she would not consider doing gravel races. Her heart was satisfied, and her enjoyment of cycling, she determined, was derived from being a mountain biker. 

Safety was another concern brought up, mostly due to the rash decision making riders employ to gather prize money and satisfy sponsorships. This style of "racing" is epitomized by what we see in the Pro Road ranks with closed courses, support cars, and the like. As I have stated several times, this is where Pros want the "gravel scene" to go. Money, sponsors, and the resulting pressures of both will force these "big-time", big money events and series to become Pro Road racing on gravel. That is not gravel racing. 

And as I've always said, if it doesn't suit you, don't do it. Lea Davison chose to follow her gut. More Pro racers should do the same. Gravel is not for everyone, and it was never about "making a living" off of it. This is why there is conflict and confusion within the Pro racer ranks when it comes to the gravel riding scene. 

And I haven't even gotten to another reason this is an issue. That being gravel events are too big- too many riders packed on to roads never meant to see that sort of traffic. That's another facet of all of this as well.

The Closure Tour Update; 

Well, I had a window in early August to get this done and that has been fouled up by responsibilities and the weather. So, I now will have to wait for my next opportunity which opens up potentially at the end of this month. 

So things are basically on "stand-by" until I can shove off on this voyage. Since I have opportunities for "practice", I may take a ride or two to places, set up, tear back down, and ride home all in the same ride. 

I also might try another wheel set with larger tires I have to try. Just for "research". If it turns out that the bigger tires make for a better ride I may opt over to that wheel set. But other than that, all I have to do is pack some food and fuel for my "penny stove" and I'll be ready to roll. I have my clothes and everything else ready to go at a moment's notice. 

Stay tuned.....

That's it for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride!

The Closure Tour: Experimental Phase 3

The set-up was tested on gravel on Monday.

 I've gone through a complete tear-down/unpacking of my bags and re-packing them and remounting them on the bike. That part went pretty smoothly, but I still need to get a few items and place them in the bags properly. It is a close-to-a-full-load as I can get now. 

That is important since I wanted to ascertain how this all was going to ride like. Loaded bikes are a different animal to ride. If you've ever given a ride to another person, or carried something heavy on your bicycle, you already know that it radically changes how a bicycle handles. 

Testing my set-up then was a critical step to undertake before I blast off on this mini-tour. Especially so since gravel can vary so much. And while I have toured, I've never done it on gravel roads. So, I wanted to gain some experience before the tour date. 

I added a full water bottle to mimic some food weight I don't have on there, but this was pretty close to max load. I also wore some clothing I think I will use, which is important for other reasons I'll get to later on. I was a bit disappointed that the weather was so moderate Monday. I was hoping it would be hot and humid because the advance forecast for my dates for the ride are looking to be hot and humid.

There was a good mix of deeper, fresh gravel, like this shown here, and smoother gravel.

I was pleased to find out that I could adapt yet to a very different feeling bike rather quickly. After about two miles I was settled in and riding smoothly. There were some pretty rough areas that had some fresh gravel dumped on them. That made for an interesting riding experience. I think that the 700 X 40 Ritchey Speedmax tires are a bit overwhelmed in the chunk, but not unrideable. I may swap out to a bigger tire before I leave, but on pavement and smoother gravel this tire is okay. 

It's the load that makes the tire act a bit skittish in the rougher stuff. Otherwise I wouldn't mind these tires at all. So, I may or I may not swap. It's going to have to be done soon, though, if I decide I am switching. I don't have a lot of time to waffle around with this. 

Other than that, the load stayed put, which was great to see. I stopped once to see how tight the toe straps were staying and I did not see anything untoward. So, I figure I'll be fine there. 

The ride was a short one, but I liked that I found some varied conditions. Loose, deep gravel, smoother gravel, and pavement helped me decide that I was on track here for a successful attempt at this tour. 

So, now all I really need to do to be ready, barring changing tires, are little details. I have to get some food to add to what I have. I need to decide on exactly what clothing to pack. I need that lighter, or matches. I need proper stove fuel yet. Logistically I need to get my cues written and find the sleeve I want to use to keep them safe. I need to finalize the exact time of departure, although as of now I have targeted the first two weeks of August to try to get this in, weather depending. 

The Redwing Blackbirds are fixing to leave. So, at least they won't be a bother!

It will be an interesting trip on gravel. I have not ridden many of the areas I am going to, although I have been on many roads around the loop I am taking in cars and trucks and on tractors. Climbing shouldn't be an issue, but winds might be. Anyway, it will be good. 

The Redwing Blackbirds are gathering now to leave, so that's a bonus. I won't have to do battle with them for a while now. I noticed many corn fields have not only tasseled out, but have grown ears and silked out as well! That was surprising. It will be good to see how things look North of here. 

Stay tuned....

The Closure Tour: Experimental Phase 3

The set-up was tested on gravel on Monday.

 I've gone through a complete tear-down/unpacking of my bags and re-packing them and remounting them on the bike. That part went pretty smoothly, but I still need to get a few items and place them in the bags properly. It is a close-to-a-full-load as I can get now. 

That is important since I wanted to ascertain how this all was going to ride like. Loaded bikes are a different animal to ride. If you've ever given a ride to another person, or carried something heavy on your bicycle, you already know that it radically changes how a bicycle handles. 

Testing my set-up then was a critical step to undertake before I blast off on this mini-tour. Especially so since gravel can vary so much. And while I have toured, I've never done it on gravel roads. So, I wanted to gain some experience before the tour date. 

I added a full water bottle to mimic some food weight I don't have on there, but this was pretty close to max load. I also wore some clothing I think I will use, which is important for other reasons I'll get to later on. I was a bit disappointed that the weather was so moderate Monday. I was hoping it would be hot and humid because the advance forecast for my dates for the ride are looking to be hot and humid.

There was a good mix of deeper, fresh gravel, like this shown here, and smoother gravel.

I was pleased to find out that I could adapt yet to a very different feeling bike rather quickly. After about two miles I was settled in and riding smoothly. There were some pretty rough areas that had some fresh gravel dumped on them. That made for an interesting riding experience. I think that the 700 X 40 Ritchey Speedmax tires are a bit overwhelmed in the chunk, but not unrideable. I may swap out to a bigger tire before I leave, but on pavement and smoother gravel this tire is okay. 

It's the load that makes the tire act a bit skittish in the rougher stuff. Otherwise I wouldn't mind these tires at all. So, I may or I may not swap. It's going to have to be done soon, though, if I decide I am switching. I don't have a lot of time to waffle around with this. 

Other than that, the load stayed put, which was great to see. I stopped once to see how tight the toe straps were staying and I did not see anything untoward. So, I figure I'll be fine there. 

The ride was a short one, but I liked that I found some varied conditions. Loose, deep gravel, smoother gravel, and pavement helped me decide that I was on track here for a successful attempt at this tour. 

So, now all I really need to do to be ready, barring changing tires, are little details. I have to get some food to add to what I have. I need to decide on exactly what clothing to pack. I need that lighter, or matches. I need proper stove fuel yet. Logistically I need to get my cues written and find the sleeve I want to use to keep them safe. I need to finalize the exact time of departure, although as of now I have targeted the first two weeks of August to try to get this in, weather depending. 

The Redwing Blackbirds are fixing to leave. So, at least they won't be a bother!

It will be an interesting trip on gravel. I have not ridden many of the areas I am going to, although I have been on many roads around the loop I am taking in cars and trucks and on tractors. Climbing shouldn't be an issue, but winds might be. Anyway, it will be good. 

The Redwing Blackbirds are gathering now to leave, so that's a bonus. I won't have to do battle with them for a while now. I noticed many corn fields have not only tasseled out, but have grown ears and silked out as well! That was surprising. It will be good to see how things look North of here. 

Stay tuned....

The Closure Tour: Experimental Phase 2

With my bicycle set up mostly figured out I moved my focus to the important overnight accommodations and just how that would work. Logistically, I needed to identify a place where I could overnight. My initial thought was to do a 'bandit camp' in the woods adjacent to a cemetery along the route, but then I decided to check out camping opportunities in the area where I was riding through.

I found a good alternative in Charles City called "R Campground". I'm riding through Charles City, so I only had to tweak the route a small amount to make this work. 

It's a bit longer of a stretch to get there on my loop at about 84 miles in, but I think it shouldn't be a big concern if I get shoved off before Sunrise on the first day. Plus, that leaves a shorter distance on Day 2 for me to finish off the trip, and Charles City is a good point to resupply at, or source a meal from, so I think that's set in stone as my overnight spot. 

 Next on the agenda: How the heck do I set up my tent? This may seem like a silly question, but keep in mind, I haven't used this tent in many years. I'd forgotten what it even looked like. So, off to the back yard to do a dry run of set up and tear down.

Oh yeah....it's coming back to me now....

The Sierra Designs tent I have is a two-man, backpacking affair with a built in rain fly and shock-corded poles. It's free-standing, but I can stake down the fly and corners to keep it from becoming a man-made tumbleweed. 

Once I had it out of its cocoon that it had been in for years, I began to remember what it was about. I was timing myself on set up as well, so when I was able to have it completely ready to move into within fifteen minutes, I was pretty happy. 

And there it is! Ready to be slept in.

Once I had it set up I was also pleased to find that the interior was not musty or stinky at all. I let it air out for about an hour anyway. Then I decided to see how long it might take to pack it up. Ten minutes! I think it will all go smoother next time I try this out. 

So, that was a major hurdle which I cleared with no issues. Plus I have identified a good place to stop overnight on my route. Next up I need to refine what I am taking along with me. Staying in Charles City will modify my plans somewhat, as food and drink will be readily available to me there. That will put less of a burden on me as far as packing up stuff. I'll really only need to worry about snacks and food for the trip up,as I won't be going through any towns with a convenience store and there is only a gas station at Mile 62 which might have some refreshments. 

Water shouldn't be a problem there, so I can find a source to refill bottles at that point and make the final 20+ mile run into Charles City where I'll plan on chowing down. I only will then have to concern myself with water and nutrition to go about another 50+ to get home. 

Stay tuned......

The Closure Tour: Experimental Phase 2

With my bicycle set up mostly figured out I moved my focus to the important overnight accommodations and just how that would work. Logistically, I needed to identify a place where I could overnight. My initial thought was to do a 'bandit camp' in the woods adjacent to a cemetery along the route, but then I decided to check out camping opportunities in the area where I was riding through.

I found a good alternative in Charles City called "R Campground". I'm riding through Charles City, so I only had to tweak the route a small amount to make this work. 

It's a bit longer of a stretch to get there on my loop at about 84 miles in, but I think it shouldn't be a big concern if I get shoved off before Sunrise on the first day. Plus, that leaves a shorter distance on Day 2 for me to finish off the trip, and Charles City is a good point to resupply at, or source a meal from, so I think that's set in stone as my overnight spot. 

 Next on the agenda: How the heck do I set up my tent? This may seem like a silly question, but keep in mind, I haven't used this tent in many years. I'd forgotten what it even looked like. So, off to the back yard to do a dry run of set up and tear down.

Oh yeah....it's coming back to me now....

The Sierra Designs tent I have is a two-man, backpacking affair with a built in rain fly and shock-corded poles. It's free-standing, but I can stake down the fly and corners to keep it from becoming a man-made tumbleweed. 

Once I had it out of its cocoon that it had been in for years, I began to remember what it was about. I was timing myself on set up as well, so when I was able to have it completely ready to move into within fifteen minutes, I was pretty happy. 

And there it is! Ready to be slept in.

Once I had it set up I was also pleased to find that the interior was not musty or stinky at all. I let it air out for about an hour anyway. Then I decided to see how long it might take to pack it up. Ten minutes! I think it will all go smoother next time I try this out. 

So, that was a major hurdle which I cleared with no issues. Plus I have identified a good place to stop overnight on my route. Next up I need to refine what I am taking along with me. Staying in Charles City will modify my plans somewhat, as food and drink will be readily available to me there. That will put less of a burden on me as far as packing up stuff. I'll really only need to worry about snacks and food for the trip up,as I won't be going through any towns with a convenience store and there is only a gas station at Mile 62 which might have some refreshments. 

Water shouldn't be a problem there, so I can find a source to refill bottles at that point and make the final 20+ mile run into Charles City where I'll plan on chowing down. I only will then have to concern myself with water and nutrition to go about another 50+ to get home. 

Stay tuned......

The Closure Tour: Experimental Phase 1

Experimenting with load and light placement.

Yesterday I mentioned this idea I have for an over-night tour and as you can see from today's title, I've tentatively named it "The Closure Tour". Hopefully, if this all goes well, you will learn why I chose that title for this endeavor. 

That said, I wanted to start delving into the experimental phase of the idea and show where I am at with regard to equipment, thoughts on loading, and other sundry details. 

Here to the left you can see the Elkhorn Rack* which is carrying two dry bags on Salsa Anything Cages attached to the Elkhorn's Three-Pack bosses. I've lashed the bags to the cages with old-school toe straps. Same goes for the Sierra Designs tent on the deck. While neither of these bags serve as 100% waterproof solutions in case of rain, (well- the Salsa bag, yes. That's probably okay here), I don't anticipate pulling the trigger on going if there is rain in the forecast. As I've said here before- We don't get rain in a kindly fashion, generally speaking. It usually comes with a fair amount of lightning and wind. So, if a storm is forecast, the "launch date" will be changed.

Oh yes! I have a window already chosen for this trip and it is the first week of August. So, there is some reason to be a bit intentional with regard to getting this figured out now,. That and a commitment to doing the trip is necessary. I've talked about doing something like this for years and have not gotten around to it. Hopefully this plan will see a fruitful ending. 

Anyway- I digress. Note that I have several tail lights affixed to this set up. I am leaning toward the strap mounted lights here as they are further toward the rear and out in better view than the single seat stay mounted light would be. The Ravemen tail lights have a really stout clip which fits on the toe-strap very tightly and I have that strapped to the bags quite firmly. I really don't foresee those hopping off the straps. I think this will be my set up there. I'll probably remove the seat stay mounted light for now.

Detail showing how I snapped the bag closure around the rack stay.

Inside the blue dry bag I have my sleeping bag. A 40° bag that is pretty light and packable. It has synthetic insulation, so I don't have to worry about moisture too much. I think I could get one of those compaction bags and make it smaller, but- well.....I don't have one of those, and honestly? This is okay. 

The black Salsa Expedition Dry Bag has my gear for a stove and camp cookware, personal items, food which is in a separate plastic jar, and some odds and ends I'll use in the tent at my campsite. I mocked a fuel canister up which has water in it now to mimic weight of fuel. That's in this bag also. I need to buy a lighter though, or confiscate one of my wife's long-nosed butane lighters we use for barbecuing and for the lighting of candles. 

The 'full monty' side view.

Of course, I have Bike Bag Dude bags on my bike at all times. The Garage Top Tube Bag and Chaff Bags will hold repair and food items. I'm not anticipating having a lot of spares along for this trip. The main issues will be tire related if I have anything go wrong, in my opinion, so I'm not going to do anything different than I would for an ordinary ride in this department. 

My third dry bag is an Outdoor Research handlebar bag which is out of production now. I have my Thermarest pad rolled up in there. I also will have changes of clothing in there. A spare jersey and short insert with socks is likely all I need there. I may stuff a small camp pillow in there as well. 

Note that light and mount under the dry bag.

My plan is to try to get off on this trip in the dark. That means I'll need lights, and if I have lights, I need a place to mount them. That OR dry bag takes up a LOT of real estate. My lights that mount off a handlebar would struggle with all that bag sticking out of the front of the bike. 

I could go with my steer tube hack to mount off the front fork boss. However; I don't really like a super-low light mount without a higher mounted light to compliment it. If I have just one light, I'd rather have it be higher than lower. And centered rather than off to one side, which is an issue for me when I mount the light off a fork leg. 

What to do? Well, I have had a Minoura Space Bar extension mount sitting around which was last used at Dirty Kanza about ten years ago or more now. I grabbed it and ditched the steel band mount. I found an extra-long threaded bolt and managed to mount the rest of the Space Bar off the fork crown. That places the light just above the front tire in a centered, more or less, position, and low enough to easily clear the OR dry bag. To run the light, I will use the Raveman remote button attached to the handle bar.

I may use a helmet mounted light, but I don't think I will. Chances are I won't be riding in the dark more than a few hours on two separate occasions during this trip with the oddball chance that I get caught out after dark on Day 1.  I'll take my chances there. I may also have a camp light which, if I really needed it, could be that extra light source for identifying signs and whatnot. 

I plan on using cue sheets for navigation. That cue sheet stack will go into a clear sleeve that I can attach to the OR dry bag. I do not plan on using a computer or a GPS device. 

So, I've done a little test ride to shake things down. I'll be doing an actual gravel ride soon to really put things to the test with this set up. I'll also be doing some practice setting up and packing back up for camp. Stay tuned for more soon......

The Closure Tour: Experimental Phase 1

Experimenting with load and light placement.

Yesterday I mentioned this idea I have for an over-night tour and as you can see from today's title, I've tentatively named it "The Closure Tour". Hopefully, if this all goes well, you will learn why I chose that title for this endeavor. 

That said, I wanted to start delving into the experimental phase of the idea and show where I am at with regard to equipment, thoughts on loading, and other sundry details. 

Here to the left you can see the Elkhorn Rack* which is carrying two dry bags on Salsa Anything Cages attached to the Elkhorn's Three-Pack bosses. I've lashed the bags to the cages with old-school toe straps. Same goes for the Sierra Designs tent on the deck. While neither of these bags serve as 100% waterproof solutions in case of rain, (well- the Salsa bag, yes. That's probably okay here), I don't anticipate pulling the trigger on going if there is rain in the forecast. As I've said here before- We don't get rain in a kindly fashion, generally speaking. It usually comes with a fair amount of lightning and wind. So, if a storm is forecast, the "launch date" will be changed.

Oh yes! I have a window already chosen for this trip and it is the first week of August. So, there is some reason to be a bit intentional with regard to getting this figured out now,. That and a commitment to doing the trip is necessary. I've talked about doing something like this for years and have not gotten around to it. Hopefully this plan will see a fruitful ending. 

Anyway- I digress. Note that I have several tail lights affixed to this set up. I am leaning toward the strap mounted lights here as they are further toward the rear and out in better view than the single seat stay mounted light would be. The Ravemen tail lights have a really stout clip which fits on the toe-strap very tightly and I have that strapped to the bags quite firmly. I really don't foresee those hopping off the straps. I think this will be my set up there. I'll probably remove the seat stay mounted light for now.

Detail showing how I snapped the bag closure around the rack stay.

Inside the blue dry bag I have my sleeping bag. A 40° bag that is pretty light and packable. It has synthetic insulation, so I don't have to worry about moisture too much. I think I could get one of those compaction bags and make it smaller, but- well.....I don't have one of those, and honestly? This is okay. 

The black Salsa Expedition Dry Bag has my gear for a stove and camp cookware, personal items, food which is in a separate plastic jar, and some odds and ends I'll use in the tent at my campsite. I mocked a fuel canister up which has water in it now to mimic weight of fuel. That's in this bag also. I need to buy a lighter though, or confiscate one of my wife's long-nosed butane lighters we use for barbecuing and for the lighting of candles. 

The 'full monty' side view.

Of course, I have Bike Bag Dude bags on my bike at all times. The Garage Top Tube Bag and Chaff Bags will hold repair and food items. I'm not anticipating having a lot of spares along for this trip. The main issues will be tire related if I have anything go wrong, in my opinion, so I'm not going to do anything different than I would for an ordinary ride in this department. 

My third dry bag is an Outdoor Research handlebar bag which is out of production now. I have my Thermarest pad rolled up in there. I also will have changes of clothing in there. A spare jersey and short insert with socks is likely all I need there. I may stuff a small camp pillow in there as well. 

Note that light and mount under the dry bag.

My plan is to try to get off on this trip in the dark. That means I'll need lights, and if I have lights, I need a place to mount them. That OR dry bag takes up a LOT of real estate. My lights that mount off a handlebar would struggle with all that bag sticking out of the front of the bike. 

I could go with my steer tube hack to mount off the front fork boss. However; I don't really like a super-low light mount without a higher mounted light to compliment it. If I have just one light, I'd rather have it be higher than lower. And centered rather than off to one side, which is an issue for me when I mount the light off a fork leg. 

What to do? Well, I have had a Minoura Space Bar extension mount sitting around which was last used at Dirty Kanza about ten years ago or more now. I grabbed it and ditched the steel band mount. I found an extra-long threaded bolt and managed to mount the rest of the Space Bar off the fork crown. That places the light just above the front tire in a centered, more or less, position, and low enough to easily clear the OR dry bag. To run the light, I will use the Raveman remote button attached to the handle bar.

I may use a helmet mounted light, but I don't think I will. Chances are I won't be riding in the dark more than a few hours on two separate occasions during this trip with the oddball chance that I get caught out after dark on Day 1.  I'll take my chances there. I may also have a camp light which, if I really needed it, could be that extra light source for identifying signs and whatnot. 

I plan on using cue sheets for navigation. That cue sheet stack will go into a clear sleeve that I can attach to the OR dry bag. I do not plan on using a computer or a GPS device. 

So, I've done a little test ride to shake things down. I'll be doing an actual gravel ride soon to really put things to the test with this set up. I'll also be doing some practice setting up and packing back up for camp. Stay tuned for more soon......