Friday News And Views

 Triple D 2025:

The long running Winter endurance race, Triple D, will happen again this coming January 18th in Dubuque, Iowa. The event has a running and fat biking component. Fat bike riders can choose from three distances. There is the full-course 70 mile, the half-distance 35, and the non-timed fun ride with a 17 mile distance which also is a "poker ride" adding to the fun factor. 

Runners can sign up for a 50K Ultra-Marathon, a full or half Marathon distances, and there is a fun "stroll", which is a walking distance of 5K. (You can run it as well)

Registration is open now HERE. 

Stan's Collab With Swiss Daysaver Tool Results In Incredible DART:

Stan's released their newest DART tubeless repair kit in collaboration with Swiss tool maker Daysaver. Called the "Incredible DART", this tool hides a DART plug readied to go at the twist of the black portion of the tool. This releases the DART like a switchblade knife and you can get to plugging that leak more quickly.

The Incredible DART also can be configured to reside inside your handle bar end with a kit offered by Stan's at an extra cost. The Incredible DART is made from aluminum and also houses three extra DART plugs which come with the purchase price of $72.00 USD. 

Comments: That's not cheap, but I can see this if you are a racer with seconds burning up as you pull over for a repair with this DART tool. You would be ready at a moments notice to use the DART and get back on the course with less downtime. But other than that, yeah... A standard DART tool is $25.00 for comparison. 

I have to admit to having several tubeless repair kits and never having had to use one. Not in the seventeen years I've been running bicycle tires tubeless all over the Mid-West, so maybe this is all lost on me. If you've had experiences with one of these tools, let me know in the comments.

Image courtesy of Lapierre Bikes

Does The New Lapierre Pulsium Show Gravel Bike Influence?

I received a press release this past week concerning Lapierre's new endurance/ultra-distance road bike, the Pulsium. It is a very interesting bike from the standpoint of a gravel cyclist. 

While it is a road bike, the Lapierre Pulsium is rated for 38mm tires with fenders, which indicates to me that this may as well be representative of what we were looking at for gravel bikes five to seven years ago. At least from a tire clearance perspective. 

But looking at other aspects of this design, it becomes apparent that cues from the gravel cycling world are being heeded in today's road cycling marketplace. Things like flared drop bars (10° on this bike) and the unique seat stay design that Lapierre calls "3D Tubular". The stays pass the seat tube, are not connected to it, but terminate at a point at the top tube ahead of the seat tube. These stays are arched slightly to allow for a spring-like movement which translates to better rider comfort over lower frequency bumps, according to Lapierre's press release.

Image courtesy of Lapierre Bikes

This sort of design idea (flexing seat stays) has been utilized by several gravel bikes, but none more famous, perhaps, than Salsa Cycles Class 5 VRS stays. So, wider tires, flex stays, and flared drop bars? Seems pretty "gravel-ish" to me. While this is only one bike, other companies have been bringing in classic design cues from gravel into their road lines also. It makes perfect sense since "gravel" is the category which has captivated the buying public now for several years. 

This also makes sense for how I, and others, envisioned this "all-road" idea to be back in the late 2000's. That was a time when you were lucky to get a road bike with 25mm tire clearances, and the geometry, even for entry level road bikes, was the same for those Pro level bikes meant for super-fit, athletic builds. While there is always a place for such a bicycle, most people could use more of an all-roads approach which would be versatile, utilitarian, and have lightweight, durable, long lasting design for frames, forks, and components. 

Just to be clear, I don't think we are seeing the ultimate vision for this sort of all-roads bicycle yet. But we are a lot closer than we were in 2008. 

Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #61:

In case you missed it, here is the link to last week's podcast, Episode #61.  But what I really need to have your help with is for our next episode. 

We are going to talk about tubeless tire sealants. What works, what does not work, failures and successes. We plan on having 'shiggy' back again who will have his perspective from a drier, warmer climate versus ours which comes from a wetter, and colder (in Winter) perspective. Obviously local conditions will help us out as well to give the listener more varied experiences and opinions. 

What I want to know is what you, the reader here, thinks is a good topic to cover regarding sealants for tubeless tires. What would you like to know? Do you have any experiences that are unique, frustrating, or noteworthy for their success? 

Let me know in the comments, or email me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

Should This "Pipedream" Become Reality?

Trek showed this bike, dubbed the "Pipedream", on their social media on Wednesday. The text that went along with it read:

"Meet PipeDream: a Trek prototype by Kyle Neuser with a steel main frame and Top Fuel rear stays for classic strength and modern performance. Exposed cable routing, bolt-on shock mounts, and retro-inspired paint—built for today’s trails."

Comments: Asking readers, "Should we make this?", I think the answer may already be in play. Typically you don't see stuff like this unless there is a marketing plan in place to sell it. 

I also have to admit that when I saw this I had a double-take because, well.....Trek. This company doesn't typically float prototype ideas and, if I recall correctly, they really haven't done anything like that since the 2000's. But I like this, and if it were to be sold looking like this, or similarly, with minimal badging? I'd be a fan. Would I buy one? 

Well, "pipe dreams" sometimes do come true, but I would be willing to bet that this bike would be somewhere between 5k and 10k and that's simply far above a price I'd pay to have a part-time usage bike in my stable. Granted, I am not the core customer for a bicycle like this, but it is refreshing to see Trek have a take on the typically British idea of a full-suspension trail bike with a steel main frame.

Redshift Sports Arclight Pedals Back: 

Erik from Redshift recently let me know that Redshift Sports recently had restocked on Arclight Pedals. I guess that they had been out of stock for some time. 

I did a review of the Arclight Pro pedals which you can access HERE. Check that out if you want, but I will say now that if you ride in a city at night, these pedals will definitely increase your safety and make you more noticeable to other vehicle operators. 

Besides that, who doesn't like being part of a rolling light show? That's the fun part of these pedals and I always smile when I see people craning their necks to try and figure out "what I am" while riding with these pedals.

That's a wrap for this week! Get out and ride those bicycles!

Gravel Was Young and Fat Bikes Were Hot!

 In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

In 2013 we were experiencing huge growth in two areas: Fat bikes and gravel events. One could say that 2013 was the "heyday" of both things. On fat bikes because this was the zenith of their popularity. The almost rabid appetite for any news on fat bikes was amazing. On gravel events because there was a plethora of what I would say were the "adventure/experiential/grassroots/altruist" type of events which were being fueled by passion and an appetite for adventure and experiences.

I was enamored of fat bikes, like many were and I already had two in my stable. Keep in mind that a turnkey fat bike wasn't available three years prior to this. So, my owning an aluminum and a titanium framed fat bike in 2013 was saying something.

Saying "you were nuts!", most likely, and maybe that was correct. I had done two Triple D fat bike events by January of 2013 and was headed for one more in 2014. I managed to finish all three which are accomplishments I am proud of yet today. 

It is funny when I look back at things because, as it is with many things we do the first time, there was a lot of "pioneering" going on. I had a few posts on the blog here dealing with how to set up fat bike wheels tubeless. I even had one of the first tubeless wheel sets and tires for a fat bike, which I used for the 2015 Triple D. (Thanks Velocity USA!) 

Finishing up the 2013 Triple D. Michael Lemberger clapping.

Things were so new to me that I decided to just ride the Triple D like I did for all my training rides and commuting, with a messenger bag! Hey! It worked great. 

Fat bikes were changing about as fast as PC's in the 2000's with new stuff being rumored about and coming out all year. What is crazy is that by 2015 my four year old Mukluk was outdated already! 

Even my titanium Mukluk, a year newer than my original, was outdated and trying to keep up with all the carbon frames, tubeless options, and the front suspension craze, (remember that?) was just too much. I bought a 2014 Blackborow DS which, at that time, took the biggest tires and rims you could get, and decided I was done. Well, I did get the 2015 Ti Muk, but that was a special deal. More about that in an upcoming post. 

2013 Odin's Revenge

Gravel cycling arguably reached the pinnacle of its "early era" during this time. The range and quality of experiences on offer at gravel events was never more varied and exciting. Now days you expect chip timing, a finish line arch, yada, yada, yada. Go to another event? Same thing, different time and place. But nothing could have been further from the truth during those early days of gravel grinding. 

It was an adventure which involved all aspects of the event experience. Getting there, meeting people, seeing how things were (or were not) organized. Getting out into country you'd never have dreamed of seeing, and of course, having that along with weather, friends, and whatever circumstances popped up throughout a day on a bicycle were just outstanding. Many of these event experiences were the way they were because the events were new, or not very old. The "word" hadn't gotten out about them, and mainstream cycling media turned their noses up at gravel cycling then. They thought it was "not racing" so it wasn't worthy of any coverage. 

Of course, my "Gravel Grinder News" website and this blog did cover these things and traffic here was growing exponentially because of the way things were back then. People were hungry for this style of riding and competing. It was so obvious, but the pride that mainstream cycling media had and their dogged stance that only a UCI-type event was "legitimate racing", stymied what could have been a huge sea change in the way we see competitive events today. Of course, gravel cycling got so big that they eventually had to pay attention, and that is why you hear about Unbound, SBT GRVL, Gravel Worlds, and other US events on unpaved roads. 

More soon....

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of 45NRTH

 45NRTH Announces New Latkat Winter Tire:

Last week 45NRTH released news of a new 700 X 40mm non-studded road tire for wet Winter conditions. Dubbed "Latkat", the tire features a rubber compound that 45NRTH is calling "Gripkraft" which is said to enhance grip on wet pavement. 

The tread is also heavily siped for better gripping on slick surfaces. The tire features bead-to-bead puncture protection and is also tubeless ready. 

The Latkat costs $70.00 USD and is available online or at 45NRTH dealers. See more about this tire HERE. 

Comments: This reminds me a lot of "Blizzak" car tires. (IYKYK) I'd think that these might also work okay as a gravel Winter tire, but I also know that ice on gravel is weird and I would rather run studs because of that. Your mileage may vary.

As a commuter tire in the city? I get it. However; there are really decent gravel tires that do a pretty good job at this already, so the LatKat would have to show significant snow and ice performance bennies before I'd spend the bucks on a set. Seventy a pop isn't all that bad though, so if you haven't got a tire for Winter, and studs seem like overkill, this could be a great solution.

The Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #32:

We're back again with another episode, this time featuring several interesting subjects. N.Y. Roll and I ramble on from the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame noms, which are open now through December 1st, by the way, to industry troubles and we even talk cameras at one point. 

The title is from a quote by N.Y. Roll where he says at one point during the episode, "Are we seeing the end of the Age of Gravel?", which I thought was an interesting question. 

While we don't answer that in the episode, I think that we are at a point right now where that is a fair question to ask. Gravel™ has "peaked", in my opinion, especially in the rider's viewpoint, and media has already reached a point where "gravel" is everything and besides Pro roadie stuff, which has always been the cycling media's darling, those are primarily the two subjects that dominate their coverage on their sites. 

People are sick of it all and that's usually the beginning of the end for many disciplines of cycling. The thing is, what's next? I don't see it being a resurgence of road racing, although the websites and YouTube media wonks are sure pushing that narrative hard. Especially in terms of the Women's Pro events. The thing is, road cycling, as a participatory sport, is a death wish in the USA. The "Lance Effect" isn't going to happen again, and especially with the advent of electrified, assisted bicycles. 

So, until a viable, grassroots based type of cycling emerges, we're probably going to be stuck with this "gravel thing" a while longer.

Triple D 2024 Registration Open:

Triple D, the Winter endurance race, is going to occur on January 13th, 2024. This event runs out of Dubuque, Iowa and traverses parts of the Driftless Area and utilizes the heritage Trail as parts of its 70 mile course. 

Riders can choose a half distance of 35 miles or an untimed, fun ride of 17 miles as well. Runners are also a part of Triple D and can choose several distances also. 

Event headquarters for the bike part of the event will be at 7 Hills Event Center just off HWY 151 in downtown Dubuque. Registration is $75.00 for the full distance and you can sign up HERE. 

Comments: I have participated in this event on three occasions and I can recommend it highly. Conditions can be brutal or difficult in several ways, so don't take this one lightly. In my three years of doing the event we had sub-zero temperature starts, copious amounts of snow, and on one occasion ice was a big factor, sending me skittering off the Heritage Trail into the ditch head-first! 

This is a long-running event in Iowa and the cycling part was taking place before fat bikes were commercially available. That said, a fat bike is recommended although I have seen people tackle this on mountain bikes and one year a guy showed up on a cross bike! 

Pinched from Instagram

Jeff Kerkove Finishes Another Ultra:

So, if you are not familiar, Jeff Kerkove and I worked for a few years side by side as mechanics at a bike shop where we concocted the idea for this gravel event called "Trans Iowa". Then gravel became a thing. That was back almost 20 years ago now. 

So, while I stuck around and forged ahead with the gravel race and riding stuff, Jeff moved to Colorado, got a job at Ergon USA, and continued his mountain biking while doing well and winning long distance events. 

He still works for Ergon, who are based in Germany. While on a business trip to the home office Jeff noted that there was an event in Morocco where he had already ridden in an ultra earlier in the year. It is called Bikingman Origine Ultra X Morocco. The course was a mixture of pavement and gravel.

Jeff had to ride 638 miles and he did it in 61 hours and change coming in 4th overall and 3rd place Mens. So, congratulations to Jeff! What an amazing ride in an amazing country. 

Jeff kind of "live-blogged" his journey on Instagram and he was saying that he thought a lot of the riders were "under-biked" having more road biking gearing, not much storage, and "slammed stems". he finished off the description by saying "...you know the type.", which made me chuckle. Roadies! Jeff has always had the tiniest bit of disdain for the overall stereotype of a roadie. You know....him being a dirty mountain biker and all. Ha! 

This really reminded of 2004-2005 when Jeff was killing it at solo 24hr races and riding the roadie group ride here on his MTB on the shoulder and keeping pace with the group. It was great training, obviously, and a thumbing of the nose to the local road riders at the same time. Good times!

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend and ride those bikes if you can.

Friday News And Views

Challenge Accepted:

I've known about this deal since about 2008, I think it was, when I started compiling rides and races for my old "Gravel Grinder News" page. It is "The Cup O Dirt Challenge", a challenge to any rider to do six full centuries or twelve "metric" centuries, (100 kilometers equals around 63 miles or thereabouts) in a calendar year. I believe when it first started the rule was you had to complete 12, full 100 mile, rides in a calendar year, but this is how it is now. By the way, you can check out the older site, which has rider stats still posted in the left sidebar going back several years, HERE.

So, I accepted the challenge for this year. I've always wanted to do this, but I just never got it on my schedule of "things to do" and I figured that, like last year, I probably did enough miles to get a cup, or darn near did. In other words, it shouldn't be hard to pull this off, in terms of metrics, but why stop there?

That's right, I am aiming for the bigger miles. I'm going to try to squeeze out six centuries at a minimum. If you manage to get twelve, you get a "bonus" of some sort. Hmm..... Well, we will see. The thing is, I have to have a plan.

The "plan", I think, will be to have at least a century a month. Gosh! and we're almost half done with January already! I will say one thing, I won't be doing a century this weekend! So, January might prove to be a toughie. That means I'll have to pack two into one month, at some point. Maybe..... Otherwise, I am going to shoot for the moon and try getting 12 centuries. If I miss the target, I still get the Cup-O-Dirt. No way to lose here, as far as I can see. So, look for "COD Hundies" to happen throughout the year.

Heritage Trail, Triple D 2014

Triple D This Weekend:

The big fat bike, run, and ski race in Dubuque is Sunday this weekend, and I know a few guys going over to make an attempt at this race. It's called "Triple D" because there are three events and you go from Dubuque to Dyersville and back to Dubuque. Triple D, get it?

I completed this event three consecutive years, in '12, '13, and 2014. It's tough for sure, but this year it will be a bit extra tough, seeing as how the temperature is never going to get above 0°F around Iowa that day and the night time temperatures will be well below that. There may be wind to deal with as well, so anyone doing this one should be taking the thing quite seriously. I know there are a lot of ways to find trouble out there on this course. Take my attempt in '13, for example.......

That was the year that it was very warm just before the event, and then that evening before the ride the temperatures dumped to well below freezing, leaving the Heritage Trail, a recreational trail that the majority of the 75 miles of the event is done on, all glare ice. Yeah, I went for a flyer into the ditch, and I could have gotten pretty messed up right there. Fortunately, I didn't. It's a tough event no matter what the weather, but this year should prove to be one of the tougher Triple D's in a while. I'll be eager to hear the stories afterward, that's for sure!

Frigid Plans:

With all this Triple D talk, I was thinking I should take a ride sometime over the weekend in commemoration of my past accomplishments there at Triple D and I am thinking about those from here that are doing Triple D, I thought it would be a way to show solidarity with them. Anyway, it will also probably be the coldest ride opportunity for the Winter here.

I'm not making any promises, but I think I'll give it a shot. The Green Belt will be good and frozen, and the track is clear, so I think I would ride there. The wind isn't bad through there, so it may be the best place to be. That ride will be on the Ti bike, most likely, as it has the Body Float seat post on it which should mitigate the craters out there. I rode through the Green Belt on my Blackborow DS and my upper body was aching badly afterward and that due to my fall last Saturday. A bit of carbon fork, sprung seat post goodness should go a long way in helping me stay fresh. The Ti Muk is what I would have ridden at Triple D too, if I had went.

Okay, that's a wrap on this post! Good luck and a safe ride to all you Triple D freaks!

Friday News And Views

Challenge Accepted:

I've known about this deal since about 2008, I think it was, when I started compiling rides and races for my old "Gravel Grinder News" page. It is "The Cup O Dirt Challenge", a challenge to any rider to do six full centuries or twelve "metric" centuries, (100 kilometers equals around 63 miles or thereabouts) in a calendar year. I believe when it first started the rule was you had to complete 12, full 100 mile, rides in a calendar year, but this is how it is now. By the way, you can check out the older site, which has rider stats still posted in the left sidebar going back several years, HERE.

So, I accepted the challenge for this year. I've always wanted to do this, but I just never got it on my schedule of "things to do" and I figured that, like last year, I probably did enough miles to get a cup, or darn near did. In other words, it shouldn't be hard to pull this off, in terms of metrics, but why stop there?

That's right, I am aiming for the bigger miles. I'm going to try to squeeze out six centuries at a minimum. If you manage to get twelve, you get a "bonus" of some sort. Hmm..... Well, we will see. The thing is, I have to have a plan.

The "plan", I think, will be to have at least a century a month. Gosh! and we're almost half done with January already! I will say one thing, I won't be doing a century this weekend! So, January might prove to be a toughie. That means I'll have to pack two into one month, at some point. Maybe..... Otherwise, I am going to shoot for the moon and try getting 12 centuries. If I miss the target, I still get the Cup-O-Dirt. No way to lose here, as far as I can see. So, look for "COD Hundies" to happen throughout the year.

Heritage Trail, Triple D 2014

Triple D This Weekend:

The big fat bike, run, and ski race in Dubuque is Sunday this weekend, and I know a few guys going over to make an attempt at this race. It's called "Triple D" because there are three events and you go from Dubuque to Dyersville and back to Dubuque. Triple D, get it?

I completed this event three consecutive years, in '12, '13, and 2014. It's tough for sure, but this year it will be a bit extra tough, seeing as how the temperature is never going to get above 0°F around Iowa that day and the night time temperatures will be well below that. There may be wind to deal with as well, so anyone doing this one should be taking the thing quite seriously. I know there are a lot of ways to find trouble out there on this course. Take my attempt in '13, for example.......

That was the year that it was very warm just before the event, and then that evening before the ride the temperatures dumped to well below freezing, leaving the Heritage Trail, a recreational trail that the majority of the 75 miles of the event is done on, all glare ice. Yeah, I went for a flyer into the ditch, and I could have gotten pretty messed up right there. Fortunately, I didn't. It's a tough event no matter what the weather, but this year should prove to be one of the tougher Triple D's in a while. I'll be eager to hear the stories afterward, that's for sure!

Frigid Plans:

With all this Triple D talk, I was thinking I should take a ride sometime over the weekend in commemoration of my past accomplishments there at Triple D and I am thinking about those from here that are doing Triple D, I thought it would be a way to show solidarity with them. Anyway, it will also probably be the coldest ride opportunity for the Winter here.

I'm not making any promises, but I think I'll give it a shot. The Green Belt will be good and frozen, and the track is clear, so I think I would ride there. The wind isn't bad through there, so it may be the best place to be. That ride will be on the Ti bike, most likely, as it has the Body Float seat post on it which should mitigate the craters out there. I rode through the Green Belt on my Blackborow DS and my upper body was aching badly afterward and that due to my fall last Saturday. A bit of carbon fork, sprung seat post goodness should go a long way in helping me stay fresh. The Ti Muk is what I would have ridden at Triple D too, if I had went.

Okay, that's a wrap on this post! Good luck and a safe ride to all you Triple D freaks!

#psyck Part 3

Tired of sitting inside all weekend, I decided to break out and enjoy a Sunset. Glad I did!

Noticing a theme for 2015 so far?

Not that I wouldn't like to change that. It's been great outside, (for January), and I could have been piling on some miles. Oh well....... They say things happen for a reason. Perhaps it was a period where I needed to slow down, relax, and take it easy, and as much as I am not liking that, it may be true. Well, there is only so much I can take, so after resting all day Saturday and most of Sunday, I went out for a short jaunt on the Blackborow DS to chase down a Sunset.

I mentioned in my #psyck Part 2 post that the snow would be mostly gone by the weekend, and it was. There were a few stretches of mushy snow left here and there, but for the most part it was either completely gone, packed into ice, or forming big stretches of water. I merrily splooshed through the mud and water, trundling along in the "low range" on the Blackborow, and kept things chill. I didn't need to burn any matches, what with being sick yet, I just wanted some exercise and fresh air. Plus, the slower speeds kept the muck in check.

It always amazes me how little impact fat bikes can have on soft ground. (Note dog print in left foreground)

The Blackborow DS with its Clown Shoe 100mm rims and Lou tires really leaves little impact in comparison to anything else out there, and I know that any other bike than a wide tire type fat bike would have caused a lot of trail damage that day. Not that it matters in the Green Belt, but it is a good observation. I noted that pedestrian and dog traffic was leaving more evidence of passage, and more damage, than I was creating. In fact, all you could see in most places I rode were my tread block marks, as shown above.

You should ride this event.

This past weekend marked another running of the Triple D event in Dubuque. It is a three pronged event- when there is enough snow- and one of those is a fat bike race. I have done it three years in a row and decided to take a year off. Good thing! Seeing as how I have been under the weather for a couple weeks, I wouldn't have been able to ride it anyway.

They had record number of riders attempt the event this year, and by some estimations it was the fastest course conditions ever. Sounds good, right? Well, I admire anyone that tackled the event, but I am not sorry I missed subjecting my self and my equipment to that mudfest. Whoo-wee! The images that I saw of folks coming back in made it look as though they had been in a mud wrestling match with a herd of pigs. The bikes didn't look much better! I'm sure it was "fun" but that aftermath didn't look too great.

Let's hope that the rescheduled Iowa Winter Games fat bike event at George Wyth State Park on the 31st actually has snow. As of now, I doubt there is a whole lot left out there. Of course, you could always go to the Fatbike Frozen Forty in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Being further North, that event may have the best chances of actually being a snow event than anything down this way does this year. I probably won't get up there as it is the 14th of February and right before Frostbike, which I cannot miss. Well, unless I am still sick then! 

Which brings me back to that- If you have your health, don't take it for granted. Get out there, use it, and enjoy it while you can. I can tell you one thing- It ain't no fun sitting on the sidelines due to being ill, mudfest or no!

#psyck Part 3

Tired of sitting inside all weekend, I decided to break out and enjoy a Sunset. Glad I did!

Noticing a theme for 2015 so far?

Not that I wouldn't like to change that. It's been great outside, (for January), and I could have been piling on some miles. Oh well....... They say things happen for a reason. Perhaps it was a period where I needed to slow down, relax, and take it easy, and as much as I am not liking that, it may be true. Well, there is only so much I can take, so after resting all day Saturday and most of Sunday, I went out for a short jaunt on the Blackborow DS to chase down a Sunset.

I mentioned in my #psyck Part 2 post that the snow would be mostly gone by the weekend, and it was. There were a few stretches of mushy snow left here and there, but for the most part it was either completely gone, packed into ice, or forming big stretches of water. I merrily splooshed through the mud and water, trundling along in the "low range" on the Blackborow, and kept things chill. I didn't need to burn any matches, what with being sick yet, I just wanted some exercise and fresh air. Plus, the slower speeds kept the muck in check.

It always amazes me how little impact fat bikes can have on soft ground. (Note dog print in left foreground)

The Blackborow DS with its Clown Shoe 100mm rims and Lou tires really leaves little impact in comparison to anything else out there, and I know that any other bike than a wide tire type fat bike would have caused a lot of trail damage that day. Not that it matters in the Green Belt, but it is a good observation. I noted that pedestrian and dog traffic was leaving more evidence of passage, and more damage, than I was creating. In fact, all you could see in most places I rode were my tread block marks, as shown above.

You should ride this event.

This past weekend marked another running of the Triple D event in Dubuque. It is a three pronged event- when there is enough snow- and one of those is a fat bike race. I have done it three years in a row and decided to take a year off. Good thing! Seeing as how I have been under the weather for a couple weeks, I wouldn't have been able to ride it anyway.

They had record number of riders attempt the event this year, and by some estimations it was the fastest course conditions ever. Sounds good, right? Well, I admire anyone that tackled the event, but I am not sorry I missed subjecting my self and my equipment to that mudfest. Whoo-wee! The images that I saw of folks coming back in made it look as though they had been in a mud wrestling match with a herd of pigs. The bikes didn't look much better! I'm sure it was "fun" but that aftermath didn't look too great.

Let's hope that the rescheduled Iowa Winter Games fat bike event at George Wyth State Park on the 31st actually has snow. As of now, I doubt there is a whole lot left out there. Of course, you could always go to the Fatbike Frozen Forty in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Being further North, that event may have the best chances of actually being a snow event than anything down this way does this year. I probably won't get up there as it is the 14th of February and right before Frostbike, which I cannot miss. Well, unless I am still sick then! 

Which brings me back to that- If you have your health, don't take it for granted. Get out there, use it, and enjoy it while you can. I can tell you one thing- It ain't no fun sitting on the sidelines due to being ill, mudfest or no!

Rear View 2014- Part 1

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone.

Hard to believe it, but this old year is about to become history. It seems like a long, long time ago, in 2013 at the end of the year, that I hinted about some changes coming along, and some of those things are happening/will happen very soon, while one other thing almost did happen, but didn't. I'll get to all of that later....

First things first- January was all about getting ready for my third attempt at Triple D, the Winter bike/ski/run event held in the middle of January in Dubuque. I was going to ride the Ti Mukluk and shortly before the event, I went tubeless with the tires and got a Velocity Dually 26"er fat bike wheel set to try out for that event. I was pretty deep into my looking back at all previous Trans Iowas on the blog here, and Winter was kicking it down hard all month.

Triple D went well, as I had gotten very ill earlier in the month and wasn't as trained up as I wanted to be. Still, I finished for a third time in a row and got 33rd out of almost 90 riders. Not too shabby for an old guy! The rest of the month was filled up with more snow, more cold, and ramblings about gravel stuff.

One for Odin

I sent my post card off for my second Odin's Revenge attempt and decided to take the Fargo Gen I again. I also decided to use a wider range gearing than I had before and placed a triple ring set up on it that I figured would work well.

In other bicycle news I got my old Snow Dog back together finally after having had it robbed of parts to get my son's Mukluk going the previous Fall. It was nice having it back, but I also had really frustrating rides on both Mukluks due to the lack of flotation and control in the drier, blown out conditions for snow we endured last Winter. I had decided to get on board with big rims and tires and with that decision came a set of purple ano Salsa Conversion hubs that would see a totally different usage down the road.

Part of a Trans Iowa booth display at Frostbike

In the middle of this terrible Winter and of the month of February I received news of a friend's death and I played at his "Celebration of Life" ceremony. If you ever see me riding with an orange bandana on my head, it is in memory of this person. That hit me harder than I thought it might.

Then it was Frostbike. Whoo boy! Mrs Guitar Ted and I drove up to the Twin Cities in the worst weather I've driven in for years. The interstate was actually closed at one point, but we somehow got on it anyway and eventually we made it. It wasn't fun at all! Frostbike itself was another marathon session of seeing old friends and making new acquaintances.

After that it was more Trans Iowa stories and working on the t-shirts, which a few had gotten finished so I could give Jeff Kerkove one at Frostbike. Then I received the news that Grinnell had awarded Trans Iowa the 2014 Tourism Experience Award. So, in one month I see a trade show booth with a Trans Iowa theme and a city gives the event an award based on tourism. That was pretty surreal and humbling. I never figured I'd ever see the day.

More Rear View 2014 coming soon........

Rear View 2014- Part 1

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone.

Hard to believe it, but this old year is about to become history. It seems like a long, long time ago, in 2013 at the end of the year, that I hinted about some changes coming along, and some of those things are happening/will happen very soon, while one other thing almost did happen, but didn't. I'll get to all of that later....

First things first- January was all about getting ready for my third attempt at Triple D, the Winter bike/ski/run event held in the middle of January in Dubuque. I was going to ride the Ti Mukluk and shortly before the event, I went tubeless with the tires and got a Velocity Dually 26"er fat bike wheel set to try out for that event. I was pretty deep into my looking back at all previous Trans Iowas on the blog here, and Winter was kicking it down hard all month.

Triple D went well, as I had gotten very ill earlier in the month and wasn't as trained up as I wanted to be. Still, I finished for a third time in a row and got 33rd out of almost 90 riders. Not too shabby for an old guy! The rest of the month was filled up with more snow, more cold, and ramblings about gravel stuff.

One for Odin

I sent my post card off for my second Odin's Revenge attempt and decided to take the Fargo Gen I again. I also decided to use a wider range gearing than I had before and placed a triple ring set up on it that I figured would work well.

In other bicycle news I got my old Snow Dog back together finally after having had it robbed of parts to get my son's Mukluk going the previous Fall. It was nice having it back, but I also had really frustrating rides on both Mukluks due to the lack of flotation and control in the drier, blown out conditions for snow we endured last Winter. I had decided to get on board with big rims and tires and with that decision came a set of purple ano Salsa Conversion hubs that would see a totally different usage down the road.

Part of a Trans Iowa booth display at Frostbike

In the middle of this terrible Winter and of the month of February I received news of a friend's death and I played at his "Celebration of Life" ceremony. If you ever see me riding with an orange bandana on my head, it is in memory of this person. That hit me harder than I thought it might.

Then it was Frostbike. Whoo boy! Mrs Guitar Ted and I drove up to the Twin Cities in the worst weather I've driven in for years. The interstate was actually closed at one point, but we somehow got on it anyway and eventually we made it. It wasn't fun at all! Frostbike itself was another marathon session of seeing old friends and making new acquaintances.

After that it was more Trans Iowa stories and working on the t-shirts, which a few had gotten finished so I could give Jeff Kerkove one at Frostbike. Then I received the news that Grinnell had awarded Trans Iowa the 2014 Tourism Experience Award. So, in one month I see a trade show booth with a Trans Iowa theme and a city gives the event an award based on tourism. That was pretty surreal and humbling. I never figured I'd ever see the day.

More Rear View 2014 coming soon........

Randomonium: Fat Bike Thoughts

100mm of float foundation

Whelp.........I am wheeless. On the titanium Mukluk, that is. The Velocity Duallys had to return back home, and I had other ideas anyway. Big, floaty ideas.

Not that I didn't like the Duallys, because I did, but my priority wheel set has to be a big, fat, ridiculous one. Why? Well, I am tired of punching through and being in an unstable situation on the blasted, drier snows, like we had to ride at Triple D. So, I have this plan to set up some 100mm Clownshoes with some Vee rubber tires. But first, I needed to get some hubs.

Those hubs should show up today. Purple hubs. Salsa Cycles purple anodized hubs. They are convertible from quick release to through axle, so if these go to a different bike, it's no problem. You may say, but aren't those front hubs a front disc spacing?, and I would say, "Right you are". Still no problem, since I can get an adapter for my rear spaced front fork. Going forward, if I get another fork, it would most likely be front disc spaced, so I would be good there as well.

So anyway, the first piece of the puzzle arrives today and I will be slowly making my way toward getting a big, wide, expedition worthy wheel set up and running for the titanium Mukluk. Now if I were to be racing more, I would get a Dually wheel set. Those are sweet for that purpose.  The thing is, the Triple D, which is pretty much the only fat bike race around here I am interested in, isn't done on a groomed course. 100mm rims and big tires are overkill anywhere else races are held around here. The Triple D would be a suitable event for the big fatties, but otherwise I am not doing any super-groomed, fast, hard packed trail on my fat bike in a racing situation. Why? Because lap races on groomed courses is so 1990's. My opinion, and it isn't what I think of when I think of fat biking. Many of you might enjoy that sort of thing, and I think you should go do that then. It just is not for me, that's all.

To Carbon Infinity....and beyond!

Besides, I don't ride a fat bike to be out racing anyway. In fact, I like it for quite the opposite reasons. I do like lighter weight, high performance parts though. The thing is, I just don't see the value in going with carbon fiber rims for a bike I am not going to be racing on. The Clownshoes are fine for me. Yes......they are heavier, but they also cost a heck of a lot less money, and for the times I will want to be using them, cost is a consideration. Weight is way down the list of "needs" for this project. Besides, there are no 100mm wide carbon rims........yet. Sarma is coming out with them, but their 80's cost over a grand a pair already. Nope. Not gonna go there.

Now for tires I am going to probably slap a Snowshoe on the rear and a Snowshoe, or an upcoming Vee Rubber tire that isn't out yet, or a Bud on the front. We'll see there when the time is ripe. There may be an offering from Bontrager, or others, before Winter comes back around here and I need such monster tires. So, what will I do with the bike until then?

 Skinny set up

Why I will slap on the "skinny" wheels, that's what! I did this back in 2012 and I really enjoyed the Mukluk that way. It rode really well, albeit more like a "touring" set up. I don't mind that at all, and actually, for casual mountain biking, just to see the sights, it was fantastic.

This will make it so I have a good geared hard tail with a flat bar set up. I have the Fargo Gen 2 with the drop bar, but no other geared, flat bar hard tail. Ironically, back in 2012 I was trying out a bike packing set up, but now that I have the Bike Bag Dude's frame bag, seat bag, and Chaff Bags, I am set to go in that way. I already told my son that we're going camping this Summer, so we'll be taking his fat bike and mine will be there with the "Summer-set up".

So the Winter "big wheels" will be slow in getting put together. Winter is about shot here, (really......just you wait and see!), so no hurry to get them done just now. I figured I may as well get started on next year now though.

Randomonium: Fat Bike Thoughts

100mm of float foundation

Whelp.........I am wheeless. On the titanium Mukluk, that is. The Velocity Duallys had to return back home, and I had other ideas anyway. Big, floaty ideas.

Not that I didn't like the Duallys, because I did, but my priority wheel set has to be a big, fat, ridiculous one. Why? Well, I am tired of punching through and being in an unstable situation on the blasted, drier snows, like we had to ride at Triple D. So, I have this plan to set up some 100mm Clownshoes with some Vee rubber tires. But first, I needed to get some hubs.

Those hubs should show up today. Purple hubs. Salsa Cycles purple anodized hubs. They are convertible from quick release to through axle, so if these go to a different bike, it's no problem. You may say, but aren't those front hubs a front disc spacing?, and I would say, "Right you are". Still no problem, since I can get an adapter for my rear spaced front fork. Going forward, if I get another fork, it would most likely be front disc spaced, so I would be good there as well.

So anyway, the first piece of the puzzle arrives today and I will be slowly making my way toward getting a big, wide, expedition worthy wheel set up and running for the titanium Mukluk. Now if I were to be racing more, I would get a Dually wheel set. Those are sweet for that purpose.  The thing is, the Triple D, which is pretty much the only fat bike race around here I am interested in, isn't done on a groomed course. 100mm rims and big tires are overkill anywhere else races are held around here. The Triple D would be a suitable event for the big fatties, but otherwise I am not doing any super-groomed, fast, hard packed trail on my fat bike in a racing situation. Why? Because lap races on groomed courses is so 1990's. My opinion, and it isn't what I think of when I think of fat biking. Many of you might enjoy that sort of thing, and I think you should go do that then. It just is not for me, that's all.

To Carbon Infinity....and beyond!

Besides, I don't ride a fat bike to be out racing anyway. In fact, I like it for quite the opposite reasons. I do like lighter weight, high performance parts though. The thing is, I just don't see the value in going with carbon fiber rims for a bike I am not going to be racing on. The Clownshoes are fine for me. Yes......they are heavier, but they also cost a heck of a lot less money, and for the times I will want to be using them, cost is a consideration. Weight is way down the list of "needs" for this project. Besides, there are no 100mm wide carbon rims........yet. Sarma is coming out with them, but their 80's cost over a grand a pair already. Nope. Not gonna go there.

Now for tires I am going to probably slap a Snowshoe on the rear and a Snowshoe, or an upcoming Vee Rubber tire that isn't out yet, or a Bud on the front. We'll see there when the time is ripe. There may be an offering from Bontrager, or others, before Winter comes back around here and I need such monster tires. So, what will I do with the bike until then?

 Skinny set up

Why I will slap on the "skinny" wheels, that's what! I did this back in 2012 and I really enjoyed the Mukluk that way. It rode really well, albeit more like a "touring" set up. I don't mind that at all, and actually, for casual mountain biking, just to see the sights, it was fantastic.

This will make it so I have a good geared hard tail with a flat bar set up. I have the Fargo Gen 2 with the drop bar, but no other geared, flat bar hard tail. Ironically, back in 2012 I was trying out a bike packing set up, but now that I have the Bike Bag Dude's frame bag, seat bag, and Chaff Bags, I am set to go in that way. I already told my son that we're going camping this Summer, so we'll be taking his fat bike and mine will be there with the "Summer-set up".

So the Winter "big wheels" will be slow in getting put together. Winter is about shot here, (really......just you wait and see!), so no hurry to get them done just now. I figured I may as well get started on next year now though.

Thoughts On The Regulator

Salsa Cycles Regulator Titanium post

Seat posts seem to be a somewhat boring component, but ever since I have started up the Gravel Grinder News quest for the most comfortable seat post, I have learned that there are indeed many things to learn about such seemingly simple objects.

If you are riding a "proper" mountain bike which is sized correctly, you probably have several inches of exposed post out of the frame. Many folks probably do not consider that a seat post flexes, but they do, and that is a very good thing! However; now designers of seat posts are going further and using seat posts as a way to absorb vibrations on purpose, like the Ergon CF-3 post does. I had heard friends rave about how titanium seat posts rode as well, so I figured that since Salsa Cycles was now offering a version of a titanium post, I would jump on board one to see what all the fuss was about, and to see if the titanium post would perhaps mitigate some potential discomforts.

The Regulator was pretty convincing at Triple D

Of course, I used the Regulator at Triple D, and have done several shorter rides since that 67 miler over all sorts of rough ice, snow, and post holed, teeth jarring frozen trail. Here's my initial thoughts from the perspective of riding a fat bike.

First of all, I am very familiar with how my titanium Mukluk rides with a Salsa Shaft post which is made from aluminum. The Regulator post was a noticeable difference from that old post with the titanium bike. Much, much smoother over smaller chatter. In some cases, I couldn't feel many vibrations that I was feeling with the aluminum post in back to back rides on both posts. There is certainly an improvement to be had in ride feel with the Regulator post. No doubt about that.

Downsides? Yes- there are a few. First off, (and this may be okay for many riders), the springy action of this post is undamped. That means if the post absorbs energy, and flexes, it will return that energy and this is felt with a tendency to bounce a couple of times after bigger hits and when going through abrupt transitions in terrain. Like a "g-out", for instance. Think about a car with bad shock absorbers, and maybe that will give you an idea, but it wasn't that bad! However; it was definitely noticeable, and as I said, it did not bother me. That said, I never was bounced out of my saddle, so it was not severe like that in anyway. Lighter riders will likely never notice this, by the way. (I weigh 230lbs, for reference.)

Secondly, this post is not all that light. I weighed this in at 310 grams, which was 30 grams heavier than the Shaft post it replaced. However; the comfort factor increased by an order of magnitude with the Regulator post installed, so the weight penalty here is maybe forgivable. Consider that for heavier folks, or riders that carry a heavy backpack, the peace of mind in knowing that this post is made from metal, and can handle some abuse, well that weight may be seen as an asset in those circumstances. I've snapped off a carbon post before, and it ain't something I want to try again, I can tell you that much!

Thirdly, the post is expensive. No doubt about that. However; it's in line with a 400mm lay back Eriksen Sweetpost and Moots Cinch Post pricing, so the 410mm Regulator at $275.00 or so isn't bad. But that's still a lot of coin for a seat post.

 Again, I paid my own money for this post, and I am glad I did try it. It definitely has been and will be an asset in my fat bike riding. The next test will be on a gravel road bike set up where I will see how it does for mitigating the "paint shaker" effect of rough gravel roads. That will have to wait until the roads come out of Winter first though.

Stay tuned for updates.....

Thoughts On The Regulator

Salsa Cycles Regulator Titanium post

Seat posts seem to be a somewhat boring component, but ever since I have started up the Gravel Grinder News quest for the most comfortable seat post, I have learned that there are indeed many things to learn about such seemingly simple objects.

If you are riding a "proper" mountain bike which is sized correctly, you probably have several inches of exposed post out of the frame. Many folks probably do not consider that a seat post flexes, but they do, and that is a very good thing! However; now designers of seat posts are going further and using seat posts as a way to absorb vibrations on purpose, like the Ergon CF-3 post does. I had heard friends rave about how titanium seat posts rode as well, so I figured that since Salsa Cycles was now offering a version of a titanium post, I would jump on board one to see what all the fuss was about, and to see if the titanium post would perhaps mitigate some potential discomforts.

The Regulator was pretty convincing at Triple D

Of course, I used the Regulator at Triple D, and have done several shorter rides since that 67 miler over all sorts of rough ice, snow, and post holed, teeth jarring frozen trail. Here's my initial thoughts from the perspective of riding a fat bike.

First of all, I am very familiar with how my titanium Mukluk rides with a Salsa Shaft post which is made from aluminum. The Regulator post was a noticeable difference from that old post with the titanium bike. Much, much smoother over smaller chatter. In some cases, I couldn't feel many vibrations that I was feeling with the aluminum post in back to back rides on both posts. There is certainly an improvement to be had in ride feel with the Regulator post. No doubt about that.

Downsides? Yes- there are a few. First off, (and this may be okay for many riders), the springy action of this post is undamped. That means if the post absorbs energy, and flexes, it will return that energy and this is felt with a tendency to bounce a couple of times after bigger hits and when going through abrupt transitions in terrain. Like a "g-out", for instance. Think about a car with bad shock absorbers, and maybe that will give you an idea, but it wasn't that bad! However; it was definitely noticeable, and as I said, it did not bother me. That said, I never was bounced out of my saddle, so it was not severe like that in anyway. Lighter riders will likely never notice this, by the way. (I weigh 230lbs, for reference.)

Secondly, this post is not all that light. I weighed this in at 310 grams, which was 30 grams heavier than the Shaft post it replaced. However; the comfort factor increased by an order of magnitude with the Regulator post installed, so the weight penalty here is maybe forgivable. Consider that for heavier folks, or riders that carry a heavy backpack, the peace of mind in knowing that this post is made from metal, and can handle some abuse, well that weight may be seen as an asset in those circumstances. I've snapped off a carbon post before, and it ain't something I want to try again, I can tell you that much!

Thirdly, the post is expensive. No doubt about that. However; it's in line with a 400mm lay back Eriksen Sweetpost and Moots Cinch Post pricing, so the 410mm Regulator at $275.00 or so isn't bad. But that's still a lot of coin for a seat post.

 Again, I paid my own money for this post, and I am glad I did try it. It definitely has been and will be an asset in my fat bike riding. The next test will be on a gravel road bike set up where I will see how it does for mitigating the "paint shaker" effect of rough gravel roads. That will have to wait until the roads come out of Winter first though.

Stay tuned for updates.....

Triple D 2014: Race Report Part 4

Purveyors of the "finest" convenience store light beer trailside.

Wanna Beer? This road crossing was an amusing break from the treacherous snow on the Heritage Trail that I had been wrestling with since leaving the Dyersville checkpoint. There was a pickup truck and two gents offering free beers to any passersby. Keystone Light may not even be on my "beer radar", but I obliged their offer and quafed one while we chatted briefly. Suddenly the whine and whirr of snowmachines came into my hearing, and looking toward the East, I saw several machines headed our way.

The two beer wielding young men were dismayed that their freshly spray painted sign on the trail would be churned up by the snowmobiles, but I quickly whipped out my camera and saved their work for posterity! (See the bottom of yesterday's post) Hey.....I'm only trying to help out a couple of generous fellows, ya know! 

The snowmachines approach. Angels or Devils? I wasn't sure at this point.

 As I watched the snowmachines approach, I was gauging whether they would perhaps do me any good. I was doubtful, having seen the way this snow had turned into a frozen water version of wheat flour. There was almost no lateral support and the only way to make any headway without struggling with your bike mightily was to find the tracks of those ahead of you and stay in them as best you could. Of course, with my slightly narrower than average tires, I found it easier to do this. Getting out of the beaten path was death to my forward motion though. I feared the snownachines would not provide that packed down track I needed.

I vocalized my fears to the two gents and one of them assured me that the next section of the Heritage Trail would be packed in and faster. He said, "....you'll really be able to lay down the power." I took his assessment under advisement and rolled off, thanking them for the barly pop.

Well, much to my dismay, the fellow couldn't have been more wrong. I was correct in my fears that the snowmachines were not my friend on this day. I was hoping that this would be only a mere oddity and no more of these two cycle, oil burning apparati would be encountered. But I was further dismayed to find that another "train" of these machines was headed my way, and again I was obliged to pull aside and wait to avoid any accidents with these things.

This hiker called out a welcome and called me "Boss". I liked that, it was a much needed lift in a bad stretch for me.

The Westering Sun called out the end of a beautiful day and marked the beginning of a firmer trail.

The church overlooking the intersection of the Heritage Trail with Girl Scout Road

The trail begins to firm up again, and no more snowmachines! Yay!

Bad JuJu: Okay- here's where I went into a "dark period" for a while. After having to dismount for the fourth time for snowmachines to pass, and having to deal with the aftermath they left behind, which was almost impossible to ride on quickly, I began to vent my frustrations out loud. Of course, I had been riding alone since the Dyersville turnaround and had not yet seen another rider for several miles. I guess I thought I was the only guy out there. I let loose a curse of snowmachines and then looked up to see another rider ahead kneeling besides his Surly. I saw that he was repairing a chain. I felt kind of silly at this point, because I knew he had heard my outburst.

I apologized for that and asked if he needed anything. He was okay, but also agreed that the snowmachines were a curse upon the fat bikers on this particular day. I could see he too was outraged by the conditions at the time. I put my head down and settled on just pushing through without being so outwardly negative.

I think I underestimated the anger of the Surly rider, because not long after I had passed him he came around me at such a high rate of speed it caught me off guard. He pronounced a further malediction upon the snowmobilers and sped away as if he were sprinting for the finish line. He made me sit up and I thought to myself that he was really holding a nice line through the inconsistent snow. I felt maybe he was on to something, so I clicked down a couple gears and gave pursuit. 

Into the bluffs and limestone outcroppings before the light of the Sun faded away.

It Gets Better: It was working, but it was taxing my reserves a bit too much this far out yet. I backed down a hair and was content to follow his tire tracks. Only they got obliterated twice more by the dratted snowmobiles! I finally started to see signs of more tire tracks further on up the trail afterward, and the trail firmed up with the steadily dropping temperatures to a point where I was hauling the mail once again. It felt good to be back up to speed and heading toward Durango, which had a bar that hosted the final checkpoint for the event.

I was still stopping regularly to eat and drink. I also snarfed down that brownie I got at the Dyersville turnaround, which was a highlight of this stretch for me. Man! Something about really pushing yourself on a bike makes the simplest foods taste like gourmet fare. Anyway, a couple of chocolates and pieces of beef jerky later and I was in the Durango checkpoint before I had to switch on the lights. Inside, Traci Andre, one of the event directors, gave me a fist bump and I was stoked to finish out the final 8 miles of this grueling event. I drew another poker card. An 8 of something.....Bah!

I pulled out of Durango just ahead of two other riders and I pushed up the speed to a point where I gapped them off and held them there. Once the gap formed, I couldn't make anymore headway against the two, but I pushed on as hard as I could, because I knew the last section after we left the Heritage Trail was going to be brutal. I crossed the new Highway 52 Overpass bridge and immediately found a man by a snowmachine who waved me over. He asked if I had gotten any directions for the end of the event at the Durango checkpoint, and I said no, but that Lance Andre had told us at the start to watch out for this turn. He said, "I am Lance!" Ha! I didn't recognize him, but I had probably been pushing so hard that I was a bit out of sorts.

Pushing the bike more than riding it marked the last four miles of Triple D

Lance gave me some final directions and I was off for the last four miles. Lance said it would probably take me all of an hour and a half to get through it! That was a hammer blow to my brain, but there was nothing for it, and I wasn't about to quit now so close to the end.

The End Game: The two chasers caught me here, of course, and with the change to the off-road snowmobile tracks, my tire/wheel choice really became a burden for me. I was relegated to walking where these other two were easily riding stuff. The snow was horrible. I let the two guys go and sank into a dark place, pushing feebly up a dark, long, steep climb which gained almost 800 feet in elevation. I could hardly step further than six inches at a crack, and it was slow going.

There were downhills that I coasted down, but otherwise I walked probably 80% of the last four miles and finally got back to the race headquarters at 7:17pm in 33rd place overall. But not before I crashed on one last run out after a down hill. That was four for the day! I was super glad to see the folks that were kind enough to clap for me and offer congratulations. My wife and daughter were there, (my son was off on an adventure in the motel somewhere else), and it was a great relief to have that over with and behind me. It was the slowest time for any of the now three Triple D races I have done, but it was by far and away the toughest.

Unfortunately we were unable to stay later, and I had to bug out right away afterward so my wife and I could be at work the following day, but I need to thank a few folks:

Thank You: Lance and Traci Andre: You guys and your volunteers put on a great event and this year was tougher than I have experienced here. Thanks for the opportunity to test myself. To The Land Owners: Thanks for letting us cross your land and enjoy some beautiful Iowa backcountry! To the Asbury Snowhawks Snowmobile Club: Thanks for working with Triple D to give us the chance to ride off bike trails in Iowa! To the Best Western Plus: What a great venue and the rooms were ace! Thanks to Mrs. Guitar Ted and my two wonderful kids who let me do this nutty stuff and even come along occasionally with me on my adventures.