Change Of Pace

Long time readers of the blog here probably will recall my "pilgrimage" to the Green Belt every Fall. The ride I generally do to see Fall colors and celebrate my beginnings in cycling in the Cedar Valley. I wasn't always a "gravel guy"!

Sometimes I do this ride on a fat bike, sometimes on a mountain bike. This year I pulled The OS Bikes Blackbuck off the peg, aired up the tires, and went seeking leaf-peeping opportunities on a Summer-like day in mid-October. 

So, before I get on with the story, I probably should explain this OS Bikes thing. Every time I post a picture of this bike I get questions about it, so please bear with me if you already are aware of the history. 

OS (Of Spirit) Bikes was a side project of WTB's Mark Slate. Around 2007 he designed a single speed 29"er frame and fork, had 500 units made at Maxway in Taiwan, and bought some components to sell completes and some frame sets. These became available late in 2007. I bought mine in January of 2008. 

Unfortunately for Mark, he spec'ed original Rock Shox Rebas on the completes, which by 2008 were superseded by Fox's new 51mm offset 29"er fork. It also coincided with a less favorable view of single speed 29"ers and an uptick in geared offerings. Finally, the Blackbuck was only available in a single size. The OS Bikes Blackbuck subsequently wasn't in high demand. 

Mark made a second version of the Blackbuck, made at a different factory, with three sizes available, in 2010. These are easily identified by their white "darts" paint job, where the original Blackbuck was almost all black save for a silver colored dart on each seat stay and chain stay. I've no idea how many v2 Blackbucks were made. And no....you cannot buy one new. Unless there are some NOS ones around, which I am unaware of. 

So, there ya go..... 

The OS Bikes Blackbuck as it sits now in 2025.

Now on with the ride....

I decided to head out after lunch for a quick look at the meadow where I usually go to see the Fall colors. I started from the house and took the alleys and side streets over to the dog park and then went up and over the dike to enter the Green Belt. N.Y. Roll reported the Green Belt had received its annual Fall mowing, so I knew it would be fairly clean with little debris to deal with. 

The Fall colors are a bit behind this year. Usually by the 17th we are either done, or right at peak Fall color.. With the extension of Summer into early October, I think the colors were put off until around the latter part of last week. Then I noted a big change in the neighborhood, which was the prompt for me to go check the Green Belt. 

However; once I got out there, it was pretty obvious we are not quite at the zenith of Fall colors. I'd guess it will be next weekend when we reach the peak of leaf peeping here. Barring any stupidly windy days which may strip the trees before the colors come in.

Hopefully this will coincide with the C.O.G. 40. That would be awesome to have a bit of that Fall color happening for the ride, but it would be quite late in the season for the peak. Maybe.... We'll see.

I was scheduled to meet with N.Y. Roll around 3:30pm, so I didn't have a ton of time to explore the Green Belt for more color, but the meadow did not disappoint, despite it being on the early side for colors. I stayed a while in the meadow and contemplated a few things before I set off to come back home again. 

I've had these old Kenda XC tires on this bike for ages now. They are big, voluminous, and have fast tread. They don't work great in anything other than hardpack, which is what I generally encounter if and when I ride off-road. However, with recent rains the Green Belt had some greasy spots and standing water which made the bike a bit tail happy. I could definitely feel the tires slipping a bit in some corners! 

 It was a short, but good Fall ride. It wasn't peak color, but it was a great balance of the greens of Summer with splashes of Fall color. The trails had some leaves, but it wasn't swimming in them. All in all, it was a great change of pace from the gravel I normally am out on. 

We Need More Stories About Fun On Bicycles

From the Victory Ride in 2024

 I'm going to go out on a limb and say most cycling media outlets are anti-fun. I say this because these outlets keep pushing racing coverage and articles with titles like "The Key to Riding Faster Is Lactate Threshold Training....", or "4 tips to make your indoor training more realistic ".

None of which sound like "fun". Racing is fine, but one site I follow only posts about racing, and almost always about the most niche races no one knows about. Then another site I follow is always posting about techniques to get faster or whatever, and it points out how "you aren't good enough yet, but do this...." I mean, this is their messaging, as I see it. 

Then you have the ever-present tech articles which appeal to the bike-nerds like myself, but to the average cyclist? All this super-spendy tech seems to only force folks into feeling the cycling industry is a rip-off. 

Again, none of this sounds like fun. Maybe this is why most US citizens are looking online and getting their cycling stuff off Amazon or from big-box online and brick and mortar retailers. They don't have to clear gate-keepers, understand technology they've likely never heard of in their daily lives, or deal with uninformed or snooty clerks at bicycle shops. 

Bicycles were supposed to be fun. Freedom, fitness, and adventures were the main reasons to purchase a two-wheeled contraption when I was young. Heck, I never even heard about a racing bike until the Summer of my junior year in high school. I managed to fall in love with cycling despite my ignorance of FTP, carbon fiber, and carbon monoxide rebreathing. 

You mean you can have fun on a bicycle?

Fun needs to be focused on again. Especially if we are to actually grow cycling. We "nerds" in here all understand this bit about fun. We get the health benefits of mind and body which cycling can bring a person. But does any of this get translated by cycling media? 

The barriers to getting into gravel races was a big deal starting with post-COVID gravel events. Socially conscientious event directors began to push for inclusion of minorities and for gender equality. It's sad the cycling industry itself doesn't think in terms of removing barriers. It is painfully obvious this doesn't matter.

Raising the ceiling on prices, posting on the latest tech which costs an arm and a leg, focusing on racing which only pertains to a infinitesimally small portion of cyclists-  All of this alienates the common person who might just want something else. Something like escape from this mad world, a good time, and ease of getting involved. 

Can all the latest Winter cycling garb tests, the banter about aero helmets, and wireless transmissions on 10K+ bicycles. It creates barriers to entry. Maybe focus efforts on cycling infrastructure, how you can enjoy cycling while wearing Chuck Taylors, or make yourself calmer and more healthy by spinning wheels around the blocks in your neighborhood. 

Or, maybe just say cycling is a hoot, and you are missing out on it if you didn't partake in the sport. Put people in ads who look like they are enjoying a ride, and not squinting through pain while sprinting for a finish line. Make cycling fun again. 

Or....just continue to churn out the same tired messaging the industry has trotted out for the past 40+ years. 

I know how that  works. Ha! 

Announcing The Creatures Of Gravel 40

C.O.G. 40

Reinbeck, Iowa

9;00am Start  Broad Street between HWY 175 and Main Street..

Okay, here are the details for the fun, non-competitive, free  group ride out of Reinbeck, Iowa on Sunday, October 26th. 

What: A casual single speed* gravel ride of 40 miles to celebrate the end of the riding season. NOT a competitive event!!

Why: For fun. To see friends, To get rid of old C.O.G. 100 merch. To eat pierogies.  To ride single speed bicycles on gravel*. 

Where: Out of Reinbeck we will go South, skirt the North side of Lincoln, Iowa, pass by Gladbrook (convenience store at Mile 15) and stop halfway at the Union Grove State Park. Then on back to Reinbeck. Total of 40 miles and three Level B Roads.  

When: Sunday, October 26th because this is the next Sunday I have off from playing in my church's band. I also work on Saturday mornings, so Saturdays are not good for me. Starting at 9:00am because this should get us to our halfway stop in time for a lunch, (I think) of pierogies from N.Y. Roll. (Subject to change) 

Details: READ CAREFULLY! NO COST TO RIDE. No registration. Just show up or do not show up. Ride starts PROMPTLY at 9:00am Park on Broad Street and prepare to ride from the 100 block of Broad Street. In between the start and stop look for rolling hills and gravel. N.Y. Roll prepared THIS ROUTE which you can download into your GPS units.  (NOTE: N.Y. Roll has already changed the route three times so double check the file before you leave to come to this ride. Who knows how many times he'll tweak the route!)

The pace will be CASUAL. No one left behind. This is NOT a competitive event. ALL rules of the road are in effect. This is an OPEN ROUTE TO CARS AND AG TRAFFIC. Riders MUST CREST HILLS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD!! All traffic signs MUST be obeyed. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU! Be prepared with water, food, and gear to fix a flat tire or a minor mechanical. THERE IS NO SAG, NO SUPPORT!! If you show up to ride, you assume all responsibilities, consequences, and outcomes of YOUR DECISIONS OR RANDOM, CHANCE HAPPENINGS. 

N.Y. Roll is planning to have pierogies at the halfway stop where there will be restrooms available, (we think)  

 Merch: Old C.O.G. 100 hats, jerseys, and maybe a few tidbits of other stuff will be offered FOR FREE to anyone who shows up. Must be present to get anything offered and all will be given away, first come first served - NO HOLDS. I have 20 C.O.G 100 hats, maybe a half dozen jerseys, and I will bring down whatever else I need to off-load. ONE HAT PER RIDER, please! 

Merch will be offered at the ride's start.  

Weather: We cannot control the weather and neither can you!  If things look to be too rainy, or stormy, we will cancel this ride and maybe do it next year. If it is cold, windy, or warm and Sunny, be prepared for it, and keep astride of the latest forecasts so you do not get caught out under or over dressed

*Note: We are strongly suggesting single speed bikes, but if you want to ride this route and do not own a single speed you are still welcome to do so.  

Country Views: Harvest Wrapping Up

Escape Route: More Alleys

 The bathroom is done. Mrs. Guitar Ted is back to work. Life is getting back to a routine. I won't say "normal" because, well...... Nothing seems quite right yet. 

This weather! What the..... Summer keeps right on truckin' along, at least up until this week. 80's during the day and 50's at night. Little wind. Dry air. Like really dry air. The corn and soybeans sure make a difference when they are growing. Now they are all dried out and brown, or....gone, so it is easier for the air to be dry here. 

Friday was the first day I really had any chance of getting out into the country for a couple of weeks now. It was to be near 90°F, nearly record-breaking heat. Plus the winds were supposedly only going to be pleasant breezes. More on this later. 

It may have been the last outing in full Summer kit, so I was happy I grabbed this chance to get out there. I took the new Peregrine Mk4, of course, and my aim was to ride it on the Level B section of Petrie Road, which is South of town. This worked out great, as you will see later. 

"Hey! Just paint the lines straight across here,m Joe, so they line up with the sidewalks." Ah....about that!

 

Shaved and prepped for Spring. Wow!

I knew the harvest was running early this year. This was most likely due to the Summer-like heat which would dry plants out faster then if we had "normal" Fall temperatures in the 50's for highs. Even the roads were dried up badly. Dust was everywhere. You could see it hanging in the air as you looked at the horizon line. 

I wasn't quite prepared to see most fields were harvested already and some were prepped as if it were Spring. Wow! This has been a very unusual Fall so far. But, I am happy I had the chance to enjoy the Summer-like heat on a ride since I missed out on most of September due to circumstances beyond my control. 

The corn is in the bin!

 

Well, most of it is. There were some fields out there waiting to be harvested yet. 

Now let's talk about those "gentle breezes" I was told about on Friday. Yeah. Those were not gentle breezes dear readers. This was a pretty heavy wind with a Southwesterly origin. Going South was a chore, and with my lack of steady, long country rides, I was pretty much starting from zero again. I felt it, but I also decided to spin as much as I could, keep my head down, and grind. 

A stop for a decision.

Looking back from where I had come on Petrie Road. 

I stopped at the "Usual Spot" on Aker Road. I should get a sign made for this place and put "The Usual Stop" on it for fun. Anyway, I reckoned I could keep going onward after a brief time to consider how I was doing. The goal, which was to Ride the Level B, was well within reach. I just had to be patient and smart about riding into this stiff breeze. 

Petrie Road's Level B section is different every time I ride it. Through the years it has gotten more rustic and weird. This time it was pretty blown out in places where sand is prevalent. It didn't faze my Peregrine though. Those Schwalbe 50mm tires just pushed me right on through. 

Some actual harvesting being done here. 

I cannot remember if I have ever noticed this stubby silo before. 

Going back North was super easy. Fast and super easy! Again, I don't believe the weather people when it comes to wind out in the country. But I had fun, and I got hot, and it was so dry I went through almost all of my water. This felt sort of like riding in Kansas in their wind and low humidity. 

I made it home and was quite happy I had taken the chance to ride and also happy I did not try to ride more than I did. It is hard when you feel sort of like a dog off a leash. You just want to go fast and far, but the ol' body maybe is not quite ready for that just yet! If I can get into some kind of a rhythm as far as riding, I will regain my long ride capabilities again. 

I sure hope the weather does not flip-flop too hard. I know it will get cold and windy sooner than later, but I need to ride and find rhythm again. I've had two months of upheaval. I am just waiting for things to calm down a bit for me.  

A Discovery Leads To Questions

 The last event I ever promoted and ran was the 2019 C.O.G. 100. This was a single speed, 100 mile long gravel event to determine a Male and Female Single Speed gravel champion for the state of Iowa. 

Official? pfffft! If you mean "sanctioned" by some folks claiming authority, well the answer is an emphatic NO! N.Y. Roll and I just thought we'd try it out to see if the idea had legs. 

It seemed to resonate with folks, so we threw in for doing it again the following year, but you all probably can guess what happened to our late March 2020 scheduled event. 

Yeah....that happened. 

One thing led to another and we ended up cancelling the event completely. We either gave away or sold off the remaining merch we created for the event, licked our wounds and moved on. During this time, when there were no events or anything going on during the Spring of 2020, I came to the realization I was through organizing events on gravel. 15 years was enough for me, and I still am happy to not be doing several events a year. 

However; I was not through with events, not really. There was the Hall of Fame Ride we did in 2022 for my induction into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. There was the Victory Ride in 2024. This year N.Y. Roll and I hosted the Tree In The Road Ride which was a highlight of the year for me (so far) 

So, to say I am "completely" out of organizing events is disingenuous. I dabble in loosely organized fun on bicycles for gravel riding. I invite others to come along. N.Y. Roll is also of a similar mindset as I. We both are all about non-competitive, perhaps challenging, but fun-focused rides on gravel That's our jam these days. The Tree In The Road Ride was a smashing success, and we probably will do something again next year, especially now that I have transportation available to me. 

I know the folks down in Kansas sorely wanted me to come down to ride this year, but it wasn't possible, and circumstances have kept me from making this opportunity a reality in 2025. But next year? Yeah, this is an open idea. So, the point being I will be doing something on gravel for a ride in 2026. This was always the plan, but......

What's this? C.O.G. 100 hats?!!

While digging around for a soldering station I knew I had so I could repair an output jack on my 1988 Fender Stratocaster Plus, I came across a big square shaped box. What could be inside of this? 

Well, much to my surprise it was all the signed waivers from the first C.O.G. 100, some jerseys, and about 20 or so C.O.G. 100 hats. 

Oh! Okay......now what? 

I'm not the kind of person who just throws stuff away, especially good, new stuff. I had an idea, and I ran it across N.Y. Roll to see where his head was at regarding my thoughts. He was all-in. 

Yes....we are probably going to give these hats away. However, you also probably will have to show up for a ride. A ride with a single speed bicycle. And yes.....it will be on gravel. Also, it will - of course - be a free ride. That's all I know right now. We have no date, time, or place decided as of this writing. It is just an idea we want to pursue. 

Could it be this Fall? Yes. Probably. However, our seemingly endless Summer is forecast to go straight to very cold, windy, sort of yuck weather. So, I don't know a date, and this Fall could be a swing to difficult weather until Winter. We will monitor this closely. 

It could be we wait until next year, but this is much less likely. At least, this is my feeling. But whenever we do this, we will let you know here, and if you have any ideas to share, or if you just want to show your feelings about doing something like this, let me know in the comments. 

Meanwhile I have a Stratocaster to fix........ 

Country Views: Fall Is Here

Escape Route: Northern Waterloo Alleys

It has been a while now since I've had a ride out into the country. These off and on again thundershowers and rain have made scheduling a ride difficult  for me of late. In fact, I generally just had to dash out when the opportunity arose to just get in a brief ride in my neighborhood.

Things finally straightened out enough this past weekend to allow for chancing a ride out of town. However; I had to make it brief due to a few things going on with us at home. 

One was a bathroom remodel. A project which was to have started a few days after my son's death, and was put on hold for obvious reasons. Next was Mrs. Guitar Ted's knee surgery, (a clean-up, not a replacement), which had been scheduled for over a month. This meant Mrs. Guitar Ted could not drive, so anything requiring driving was now on my plate. So, yeah.....chaos. 

But on Sunday there was a window of time where everything came together to allow for a brief ride, so I grabbed the chance. Of course, I rode the Singular Peregrine Mk4. Since this was to be its first foray on "real gravel", I had to take it to the "Big Rock", because this has kind of become tradition with me and gravel bikes. 

It seems things are a bit advanced as far as where the crops are at for harvesting.

The skies were moody on this day.

Once I reached the rural areas it was plain to see the corn was totally dried down and harvesting had been taking place. I have seen a lot of harvesting images on social media from Iowa, but here everything is on hold. There were places which have received over three inches of rain around Waterloo over the past week. Those harvesters won't get out there in these fields until things firm up a bit more. 

Even some of the trees are in full-color already here.

The visitation

The calendar says it is "officially Fall" now, and it shows up all around. Even some of the trees are all in color now. Again, seems a bit advanced from a normal year. I think of early October for this sort of color and the beginning of harvesting corn. Maybe I am way off, but this is my perception of things. 

 

Lying in wait. Ready to attack!

I made it to the Big Rock and took a brief assessment of my time and condition. Oh, I forgot! I tweaked my right shoulder muscles somehow while hauling scrap out of the basement at the Collective the other day. I did not want to exacerbate this issue as it was feeling a bit better for the first time on Sunday. So, with all the things going on, I made the call to make this a short ride. 

Good thing too. I was two blocks from home when my incapacitated wife put out a distress call. Nothing major, but I was sure happy I was close to home!  

Labor Day Ride

August was a rough month. The last day of it N.Y. Roll asked if I wanted to do a chill ride on the first day of September, which was also Labor Day. I liked the idea, so we planned to meet at N.Y. Roll's home at 8:00am. He insisted I bring a camera. I thought, "Well, of course! I always bring a camera along on most rides!". This seemed a rather odd request, but so be it. 

When I awoke on Monday it was cool, but not too cold to the point of having to wear a vest, arm warmers, or the like. Not yet, but we are hearing we will have to later this week. Fall is coming.... Or at least it is "False Fall". 

Well, when I got over to his house on my Raleigh Tamland Two, I saw why he wanted me to bring a camera. A ten foot high human-like skeleton alongside his ginormous dog skeleton was in his front yard. The dog skeleton was from last year, but the human-like giant skeleton was new. 

Sergeant Road Bike Path

Checking out the aid station at the junction of Sergeant Road Trail and Cedar Prairie Trail

The plan was to take bicycle trails to Cedar Falls and grab some coffee and then ride different trails back to Waterloo. We started by going South on Sergeant Road Trail and we had a bit of an adventure crossing all the main roads. This trail parallels Highway 63 and this road has been under construction all Summer to resurface it. The highway is mostly finished but all the approaches for the bicycle trail are dug up and forms have been placed to pour fresh concrete. This will smooth the transition from trail to road to trail again where the trail crosses three major routes for Waterloo. 

A rather canopied section of the Cedar Prairie Trail

Summiting the hill along HWY 20 on the Cedar Prairie Trail. 

N.Y. Roll was grousing about the unkempt nature of the Cedar Prairie Trail as it is a small section of the Great American Rail Trail. (GART). The cracks, weeds growing through them, and the encroaching plant life on the trail from a Summer's worth of growth were disturbing him. He was feeling it was a bad look for anyone coming through on the GART and he was advocating for more maintenance. 

I could see his point, but also considering the fact that we've had an unprecedented amount of growth this year due to copious rains versus normal, and this seems less alarming. Additionally, the past two years have been so dry nothing grew very much past May, so this year's situation is unusual, in my view.   

I'm certain N.Y. Roll will think I am wrong, so.....

Prairie Lakes Trail

A very large, very kind dog in front of Cup Of Joe in Cedar Falls. 

We went through the HWY 58 madness at Ridgeway Avenue, which is just bonkers, and skirted the edge of the industrial park on a bike path running along Ridgeway's North side. Then we found a spur to the Prairie Lakes Trail and we headed back South. 

Trails along HWY 58, the "Mayor's Bridge" across this highway, and a tunnel under Greenhill Road got us into Cedar Falls proper where we went along the Dry Run Creek on older trails to get in front of Cup Of Joe coffee shop. 

Cup Of Joe has been around since the mid-1990's. It is the first coffee shop I ever had been in and it is largely unchanged from those days inside. They serve up great coffee and if you are ever in Cedar Falls, I recommend them highly.   

Heading into George Wyth State Park

N.Y. Roll LARPing as an Army Corp Engineer.

We had a nice chat in front of Cup Of Joe and some great coffee. Then it was time to hit the trails back towards Waterloo. We chose to go on the "Cedar Valley Lakes Trail" (AKA - George Wyth Bicycle Trail) and we were heading into the more canopied parts of the trail when N.Y. Roll said suddenly, "Hold up, I gotta....) and I lost clear hearing while he slowed suddenly, and he looped back down the way we had come a bit. What?!

Apparently his Army Corp of Engineers super-power abilities were turned on because he saw a drainage issue he thought he could improve upon regarding some backwaters of the Cedar. After his rock scrambling we remounted and continued on our way to Waterloo.  

South Riverside Trail

Shirey Way, 

We saw Super Dave when we crossed the Cedar River to Pfieffer Park where we parted ways with him and rode the South Riverside Trail to Shirey Way. This was an old gravel road between Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa, which I remember when it was still in use as an open road! Now it is a de-facto interurban Level B Road.  This kicked us out into the Greenwood Avenue part of the bike trail through the old Sherwood area. This then goes behind Cattle Congress and then back along the Cedar to downtown Waterloo and the end of our ride. 

It was a fun, relaxing morning ride with a good friend. I needed this and it was a bright spot in a tough weekend for me. So, thank you to N.Y. Roll for taking the time out to ride with me.  

It also is a good example of how we have a great trail system which keeps you, for the most part, off roads and away from traffic. Oddly enough, folks come from all over to ride our trail network. I know this from meeting many people over the years who have told me they were from out of town and specifically came to this area to ride the paved trails.

I ended up with 24 miles on the day, but I could easily double this amount and not ride the same trail twice. It is pretty impressive for an urban area the size of Waterloo and Cedar Falls. I don't talk a lot about these resources we have here much on the blog. But if you want to know more, here is a link to the Cedar Valley Trails Partnership site. 

Country Views: A Different Flavor

Escape Route: Sergeant Road Trail

I finally squeezed in a ride out in the country on Friday, which was a very weird day, in terms of weather. Thursday would have been the plum day to get out, but I had to do ride support in the late morning in Waverly for the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, which kind of poked a big hole in between both ends of my time to ride. So, I saw the weather was supposed to be okay on Friday and with a cancellation of a previous commitment, I had plenty of time for a country ramble. 

The weather wasn't hot, but it was more humid than it had been on Thursday, and it wasn't Sunny, like Thursday either. It was grey, overcast, and windy out of the South. You could almost see the humidity riding that Southern breeze!

I decided to ride the Black Mountain Cycles MCD for this one. My reviewing duties are almost all done now, with the exception of a couple of minor things, so I am hoping to get more time on some neglected members of my fleet.

The trail was seal coated down by Hudson, Iowa. 

Watters Road looking West.

I decided to go completely off-script for me and ride the Sergeant Road Trail all the way to Hudson. I had thought to get down to 110th Street in Tama County, but when I got to Hudson I got a wild hair and went West out of that town on Watters Road, then North on Hollis Road and then West again on Strayer Road.

Some fine looking horses here. 

Barns For Jason #1: Papa Barn, Mama Barn, and Baby Barn!

I saw I was going to pass by the Zion Lutheran Cemetery, so I decided to stop for an image. It was then when I heard the rear brake squawking because the pads were dragging slightly on the rotors. These are Avid BB-7's, by the way. I kind of pride myself on being able to make those brakes be quiet, so I decided to take a quick look.

Barns For Jason #2

Out came the hex keys and I couldn't seem to get the caliper outboard enough to make the outboard pad clear the rotor. I tried backing out the adjuster to no avail. I was about to "just live with it", but then I thought about it more and took another look. Then I noticed something.

Was I seeing a bit of light underneath the bolt holding the adapter at the rear? Why yes....I was! The adapter bolt which goes through the tab on the frame and threads into the adapter to keep it tight to the frame had vibrated loose! I tightened it up, and checked the forwrad bolt as well. It too was a bit loose. There ya go! Quiet brakes!

Remember readers: Always check the tightness of the fasteners on your bicycles regularly!

Zion Lutheran Church. This used to be a gravel road four years ago. 

Headed West into Grundy County

As I crossed Black Hawk - Grundy Road, I was reminded of the time when that North-South road was once gravel. Last time I rode it as a gravel road was in 2021. I do not know why the County paved it, but there is one more five or six mile stretch of gravel gone now. In my opinion, it is a major step in the wrong direction.

 

I ended up having to ride this "cheater road" for a mile!

The whole paved Grundy County line thing really threw off my route out here. I used to go up the county line to cross HWY 20 and onward to the North without dealing with much pavement. But now I have to go another mile West, or so I was thinking, to X Avenue, cross HWY 20 on an overpass, and then jig-a-jog over West a tiny bit at the old county road to Dike and back North again....

Well, except this is a paved County road going North! Dang it! So, I just decided to ride this a mile North and take the next right on gravel, which I did. By this time I was a bit out of my reckoning, having not ridden around here much for a long time.

Barns For Jason #3

Barns For Jason #4

I kind of like getting a bit lost at times. I really don't mind this feeling, and it comes along too little anymore since I generally ride in the same areas. I ended up stopping when I reached the Black Hawk County line and I decided on my path back into town then, which ended up being West 27th Street into UNI and then along University Avenue all the way back on bike path to my neighborhood.

West 27th Street looking East.

The bike path along University Avenue in Cedar Falls is ridiculously dangerous. 

This week, ironically, RAGBRAI comes through Cedar Falls. I rode through there and along the main bicycle route on University Avenue. I sure hope the residents of Cedar Falls treat the guests coming through for RAGBRAI with a lot more respect and care than they showed me on Friday. My head was on a swivel, and good thing, because I about got taken out by at least three vehicles with drivers who had no intentions of stopping to allow me to clear a driveway or intersection they were turning left into.

I think I'll be making it a point not to go into Cedar Falls on that death trap of a bike path anytime soon!

I ended up with 34 miles, with probably over half of this total being paved, but to get West of Cedar Falls isn't easy to do without a ton of pavement. Anyway, at least it was a different ride and the country bits were great. The urban part? I can do without going through Cedar Falls anytime soon!