Trans Iowa Stories: A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas - Part 6

Michael Roe, aka "Dr. Giggles" riding T.I.v12. Image by Celeste Mathias

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Past Checkpoint #2 I don't recall much right away. We had to check on a bit of bike trail going into Grundy Center and then we stopped at a Casey's Convenience store there. Past that point we started heading South more until we reached the next major feature in the T.I.v12 course. That would be the Level B Maintenance road section on 270th in between C Avenue and D Avenue. It was maybe a half a mile section, but what a half mile! Two descents, two climbs, and much of it flanked by steep embankments covered in vegetation and trees, sometimes reaching a height of two stories at its peak. The 'road' at this point was nothing more than a car and a half wide slot with two deeply rutted out tracks at many points. The ruts are sometimes two to three feet deep. 

This was the section first used for Trans Iowa v7, and ironically, MG had ridden that event and so he was curious to see the road once again. He was one of the few riders that year to actually ride most of the section. But then, MG has talents and skills on a bike few possess. Plus, he has the daring to use those talents, sometimes beyond the limits. His many screws and plates in his body today being a testament to that. It was this daring characteristic of MG's that gave me a bit of a thrill as we sat at the base of the first climb, staring up at it through the windshield of the Subie. 

The only shot I managed to get during MG's crazy climb and descent of 270th.

MG was leaned over the steering wheel, peering up and assessing the road as I was telling him that during recon a week before that we had to talk George out of driving this in his big F-150 Ford. I mean, who would be so crazy as to think they could actually drive up this? Right? 

Well, MG has that characteristic, as I've said, of being a dare-devil, and the next thing I knew, he had started up the first climb. I sat amazed for a second, wondering if I should shout to him to stop. This was madness! But in that moment I saw in his eyes that the game was on, and the right thing to do was not to resist, but to aid him in any way that I could. So, I took on the role of spotter on my side of the road, to keep the Subie out of those tire swallowing, deep ruts, and off we went! 

The trickiest part was that first ascent. That was where the ruts were deepest and most dangerous to us. The final descent was a bit narrow, rocky, and loose. MG had to take it quite gingerly to keep the Subie pointed in the right direction. At one point on the way down we heard a very loud thwack! against the body under my door opening, but there was no time or even space to get out and examine what had happened. We had to wait until we hit the intersection with C Avenue before MG stopped and we could get out and inspect the damage. It turned out that we must have turned a broken off tree limb with the front wheel into the rocker panel. A nice dent sat there as a result. 

After a quick shot of whiskey to celebrate our conquering of the 270th Street obstacles it was onward toward our unique, under-the-road crossing of Highway 330 near Melbourne, Iowa. This was a resource I used first for Trans Iowa v9. I had spied a bike trail along HWY 330 on trips to Des Moines and as I tried to discern where it started/ended on the South end, I kept losing the trail at Melbourne. I then noted that it appeared to go under the highway. Through some messaging back and forth with recon partner, Jeremy Fry, it was confirmed that this was indeed a tunnel under the four lane road at that point and the trail's Southern terminus was on the West side of the road leading to gravel. Perfect! 

Greg Gleason leading Walter Zitz somewhere near the Marshall County line. Image by Wally Kilburg

 So, when we used that feature for v9, we went through from the Southeast side of HWY330 to the Northwest side, essentially having to go through Melbourne. We found at that time that the trail petered out into a gravel parking lot next door to a county maintenance shed. So, as MG and I made our way down to this point, we utilized the parking area as a sort of rest stop during our travels. We would see the riders coming in as we were using this in the opposite direction as we had for v9.

Looking to the West from the parking lot MG and I were parked at during v12.

I suppose it was around 4:00pm in the afternoon by this point. MG backed the Subie in so we would be looking out toward the direction the riders would appear from, and then we sat. Of course, I had a few riders call in to quit the event. Wally would text me updates on the two leaders, Walter Zitz and Greg Gleason, who were at least an hour, hour and a half up on the rest of the riders. But otherwise it was just me and MG. It was quiet. We were relaxed, sitting in the sunshine of a perfect April afternoon, and I loved it. 

I had a rough morning, and this respite from chaos, worry, and fear was quite a change. MG even busted out his ukulele and sang me some tunes he was working on. It was the best time I had experienced on a Trans Iowa in years. In fact, it was almost as if we weren't even running an event. Everything seemed miles and worlds away. This is what I was hoping for. This is what I dreamed might happen if MG would drive me around the course of Trans Iowa. It was a healing moment for me in many respects. The pairing of MG and I was one of the main reasons I wanted to keep doing a Trans Iowa after this. Just to grab a few hours like the ones we had there in that gravel parking lot. 

It was a balance to what the morning had for me. A tale of two completely different experiences. It was as if Trans Iowa had an evil, alter-universe. The riders were reveling in the great weather. Sure, things were tough out there. It was still a triple century plus, but as far as Trans Iowa events went, this one was perhaps the best for riders. The numbers afterward point to this as being fact. But on the other side of this alter-universe was my having to bear the brunt of the events in the background. That was the 'other' Trans Iowa many never knew was going on behind the scenes. But for several hours at a nondescript gravel parking lot near Melbourne, Iowa, I was able to escape. I am still very thankful for that!  

Next: A Near Miss - A story about Trans Iowa's mythical sub-24 hour barrier.

Trans Iowa Stories: A Tale Of Two Trans Iowas - Part 6

Michael Roe, aka "Dr. Giggles" riding T.I.v12. Image by Celeste Mathias

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Past Checkpoint #2 I don't recall much right away. We had to check on a bit of bike trail going into Grundy Center and then we stopped at a Casey's Convenience store there. Past that point we started heading South more until we reached the next major feature in the T.I.v12 course. That would be the Level B Maintenance road section on 270th in between C Avenue and D Avenue. It was maybe a half a mile section, but what a half mile! Two descents, two climbs, and much of it flanked by steep embankments covered in vegetation and trees, sometimes reaching a height of two stories at its peak. The 'road' at this point was nothing more than a car and a half wide slot with two deeply rutted out tracks at many points. The ruts are sometimes two to three feet deep. 

This was the section first used for Trans Iowa v7, and ironically, MG had ridden that event and so he was curious to see the road once again. He was one of the few riders that year to actually ride most of the section. But then, MG has talents and skills on a bike few possess. Plus, he has the daring to use those talents, sometimes beyond the limits. His many screws and plates in his body today being a testament to that. It was this daring characteristic of MG's that gave me a bit of a thrill as we sat at the base of the first climb, staring up at it through the windshield of the Subie. 

The only shot I managed to get during MG's crazy climb and descent of 270th.

MG was leaned over the steering wheel, peering up and assessing the road as I was telling him that during recon a week before that we had to talk George out of driving this in his big F-150 Ford. I mean, who would be so crazy as to think they could actually drive up this? Right? 

Well, MG has that characteristic, as I've said, of being a dare-devil, and the next thing I knew, he had started up the first climb. I sat amazed for a second, wondering if I should shout to him to stop. This was madness! But in that moment I saw in his eyes that the game was on, and the right thing to do was not to resist, but to aid him in any way that I could. So, I took on the role of spotter on my side of the road, to keep the Subie out of those tire swallowing, deep ruts, and off we went! 

The trickiest part was that first ascent. That was where the ruts were deepest and most dangerous to us. The final descent was a bit narrow, rocky, and loose. MG had to take it quite gingerly to keep the Subie pointed in the right direction. At one point on the way down we heard a very loud thwack! against the body under my door opening, but there was no time or even space to get out and examine what had happened. We had to wait until we hit the intersection with C Avenue before MG stopped and we could get out and inspect the damage. It turned out that we must have turned a broken off tree limb with the front wheel into the rocker panel. A nice dent sat there as a result. 

After a quick shot of whiskey to celebrate our conquering of the 270th Street obstacles it was onward toward our unique, under-the-road crossing of Highway 330 near Melbourne, Iowa. This was a resource I used first for Trans Iowa v9. I had spied a bike trail along HWY 330 on trips to Des Moines and as I tried to discern where it started/ended on the South end, I kept losing the trail at Melbourne. I then noted that it appeared to go under the highway. Through some messaging back and forth with recon partner, Jeremy Fry, it was confirmed that this was indeed a tunnel under the four lane road at that point and the trail's Southern terminus was on the West side of the road leading to gravel. Perfect! 

Greg Gleason leading Walter Zitz somewhere near the Marshall County line. Image by Wally Kilburg

 So, when we used that feature for v9, we went through from the Southeast side of HWY330 to the Northwest side, essentially having to go through Melbourne. We found at that time that the trail petered out into a gravel parking lot next door to a county maintenance shed. So, as MG and I made our way down to this point, we utilized the parking area as a sort of rest stop during our travels. We would see the riders coming in as we were using this in the opposite direction as we had for v9.

Looking to the West from the parking lot MG and I were parked at during v12.

I suppose it was around 4:00pm in the afternoon by this point. MG backed the Subie in so we would be looking out toward the direction the riders would appear from, and then we sat. Of course, I had a few riders call in to quit the event. Wally would text me updates on the two leaders, Walter Zitz and Greg Gleason, who were at least an hour, hour and a half up on the rest of the riders. But otherwise it was just me and MG. It was quiet. We were relaxed, sitting in the sunshine of a perfect April afternoon, and I loved it. 

I had a rough morning, and this respite from chaos, worry, and fear was quite a change. MG even busted out his ukulele and sang me some tunes he was working on. It was the best time I had experienced on a Trans Iowa in years. In fact, it was almost as if we weren't even running an event. Everything seemed miles and worlds away. This is what I was hoping for. This is what I dreamed might happen if MG would drive me around the course of Trans Iowa. It was a healing moment for me in many respects. The pairing of MG and I was one of the main reasons I wanted to keep doing a Trans Iowa after this. Just to grab a few hours like the ones we had there in that gravel parking lot. 

It was a balance to what the morning had for me. A tale of two completely different experiences. It was as if Trans Iowa had an evil, alter-universe. The riders were reveling in the great weather. Sure, things were tough out there. It was still a triple century plus, but as far as Trans Iowa events went, this one was perhaps the best for riders. The numbers afterward point to this as being fact. But on the other side of this alter-universe was my having to bear the brunt of the events in the background. That was the 'other' Trans Iowa many never knew was going on behind the scenes. But for several hours at a nondescript gravel parking lot near Melbourne, Iowa, I was able to escape. I am still very thankful for that!  

Next: A Near Miss - A story about Trans Iowa's mythical sub-24 hour barrier.

Barns For Jason: The Pastry Ride Version

 I went for a 60+ mile bike ride with N.Y. Roll today and it went through a lot of territory I'd never been through before. You know what that means! Barns For Jason, that's what! 

So, instead of posting all these in the ride report, (coming Monday), I am just going to post them as a stand-alone post today. This will be done in a 'photo-dump' mode, so no captions- no words to go with it. If you have questions about a specific barn you see, just hit me up in the comments. With that, here we go.....

And that's a wrap! A few of my images did not come out, so maybe someday I'll get back that way to record those again. Maybe not! But with about half the 60 miles on new-to-me roads, there were bound to be a few new barns!

Barns For Jason: The Pastry Ride Version

 I went for a 60+ mile bike ride with N.Y. Roll today and it went through a lot of territory I'd never been through before. You know what that means! Barns For Jason, that's what! 

So, instead of posting all these in the ride report, (coming Monday), I am just going to post them as a stand-alone post today. This will be done in a 'photo-dump' mode, so no captions- no words to go with it. If you have questions about a specific barn you see, just hit me up in the comments. With that, here we go.....

And that's a wrap! A few of my images did not come out, so maybe someday I'll get back that way to record those again. Maybe not! But with about half the 60 miles on new-to-me roads, there were bound to be a few new barns!

The Last Time I Was On RAGBRAI....

Jacob at graduation last month.

 Today is my son's birthday. Eighteen.... I recall when Jacob was born, of course I do, but this time of year will always be special for the circumstances surrounding his birthday. See, it has something to do with RAGBRAI.....

Back in 2002, I was still working as a car mechanic. I had recently gotten back more into cycling after being on the sidelines for a few years in the late 90's. So, as a result, I was in the bike shop quite a bit getting bits and things for my bicycles. On one occasion, the owner asked me if I might ever be interested in being an on-the-road mechanic for RAGBRAI, as that particular shop was a licensed RAGBRAI bike shop. That, by the way, is something I find a lot of people do not know about, or understand. That you just cannot show up and repair bicycles on RAGBRAI. No, you have to be approved and under contract from RAGBRAI. Anyway....

So, I accepted the offer in 2002 and that led to my being hired at the bike shop later that year. The following year, Mrs. Guitar Ted and I were expecting the birth of a baby boy in early August. My boss wanted me to wrench on RAGBRAI again, and we decided, Mrs. Guitar Ted and I, that I could squeeze that in just before our son was expected on August 8th. So off I went, new cell phone in hand, you know.....just in case, and RAGBRAI 2003 commenced with myself being the overnight stop mechanic. 

Well, we were in Oskaloosa, Iowa for the next to last overnight, and as a treat, I was invited to sleep in the RV which generally was reserved for the boss and a few of the office people and spouses. Usually I was sleeping in the rented box van, or underneath it, as I did a couple of really hot nights that year. So it was that at around 5:00am my phone rang. It was Mrs. Guitar Ted. Yep......our son was about to be born! 

So, this caused a bit of a ruckus, as you might expect. The shop crew had to roll on to the next town, and so I gathered all my stuff in my duffel bag and was dropped off at the Oskaloosa HyVee grocery store where I set up camp on the bags of water softener pellets stacked outside their front door and started calling for a ride home. Eventually I was able to raise up my sister who lived in Des Moines and she agreed to come and fetch me and get me back to Waterloo. Then it was time to just sit and wait. And wait......and wait! 

All the while I am in the dark as to what is happening with my wife and soon to be born son. I don't know if I'll get back in time to be there when he is born, and I am quite the spectacle in that moment. What is this guy doing? Just sitting there on the soft water pellets with a big duffel bag? Ha! At least the chaos of RAGBRAI commerce and activity kept the focus somewhat off me 100%. Then, after what seemed like an eternity to me, my sister pulls up and off we go. 

I made it back in time, and I was witness to Jacob's birth. It's been quite the adventure ever since. Now he is eighteen, and they say he is an 'adult' now. Hard to believe it, and yes- it went by so fast. Well, here we are now and Happy Birthday Jacob! May you be blessed with many more markings of your birthday in the years to come! 

And as for me, I'll always remember my 'last day on RAGBRAI'!

The Last Time I Was On RAGBRAI....

Jacob at graduation last month.

 Today is my son's birthday. Eighteen.... I recall when Jacob was born, of course I do, but this time of year will always be special for the circumstances surrounding his birthday. See, it has something to do with RAGBRAI.....

Back in 2002, I was still working as a car mechanic. I had recently gotten back more into cycling after being on the sidelines for a few years in the late 90's. So, as a result, I was in the bike shop quite a bit getting bits and things for my bicycles. On one occasion, the owner asked me if I might ever be interested in being an on-the-road mechanic for RAGBRAI, as that particular shop was a licensed RAGBRAI bike shop. That, by the way, is something I find a lot of people do not know about, or understand. That you just cannot show up and repair bicycles on RAGBRAI. No, you have to be approved and under contract from RAGBRAI. Anyway....

So, I accepted the offer in 2002 and that led to my being hired at the bike shop later that year. The following year, Mrs. Guitar Ted and I were expecting the birth of a baby boy in early August. My boss wanted me to wrench on RAGBRAI again, and we decided, Mrs. Guitar Ted and I, that I could squeeze that in just before our son was expected on August 8th. So off I went, new cell phone in hand, you know.....just in case, and RAGBRAI 2003 commenced with myself being the overnight stop mechanic. 

Well, we were in Oskaloosa, Iowa for the next to last overnight, and as a treat, I was invited to sleep in the RV which generally was reserved for the boss and a few of the office people and spouses. Usually I was sleeping in the rented box van, or underneath it, as I did a couple of really hot nights that year. So it was that at around 5:00am my phone rang. It was Mrs. Guitar Ted. Yep......our son was about to be born! 

So, this caused a bit of a ruckus, as you might expect. The shop crew had to roll on to the next town, and so I gathered all my stuff in my duffel bag and was dropped off at the Oskaloosa HyVee grocery store where I set up camp on the bags of water softener pellets stacked outside their front door and started calling for a ride home. Eventually I was able to raise up my sister who lived in Des Moines and she agreed to come and fetch me and get me back to Waterloo. Then it was time to just sit and wait. And wait......and wait! 

All the while I am in the dark as to what is happening with my wife and soon to be born son. I don't know if I'll get back in time to be there when he is born, and I am quite the spectacle in that moment. What is this guy doing? Just sitting there on the soft water pellets with a big duffel bag? Ha! At least the chaos of RAGBRAI commerce and activity kept the focus somewhat off me 100%. Then, after what seemed like an eternity to me, my sister pulls up and off we go. 

I made it back in time, and I was witness to Jacob's birth. It's been quite the adventure ever since. Now he is eighteen, and they say he is an 'adult' now. Hard to believe it, and yes- it went by so fast. Well, here we are now and Happy Birthday Jacob! May you be blessed with many more markings of your birthday in the years to come! 

And as for me, I'll always remember my 'last day on RAGBRAI'!

Friday News And Views

 Shimano Announces Re-opening Of Factory:

 After a full month plus of complete shutdown, and two weeks at 60% output, Shimano has reportedly re-opened their Malaysian factory components works. A factory said to be responsible for parts production from 105 road level and below, and SLX MTB level and below. The component manufacturer, already behind demand leading into the shutdown, is now further behind on making these critical components for the majority of what bike shops sell here in the U.S.A. 

The news, published by a couple of industry specific sites, is good, but with all the critical time lost, coupled with shipping and packaging issues worldwide, this situation has gone from bad to worse for consumers. Things like disc brake pads, disc brake rotors, derailleurs, and wheel components, amongst other bits, are nearly impossible to source. 

In the meantime, other manufacturers have been tapped to provide parts for brands seeking to get bicycles into dealer's and consumer's hands. Brands like Microshift, which does complete drive trains, and other lesser known companies, are trying to fill the void where Shimano was once dominant. While some bits seem well up to the task, it is apparent- to this mechanic at least - that many of these components are sub-Shimano quality and likely will not have similar performance or longevity. 

Furthermore; it has been whispered that some brands may even skip 2022 model year bikes altogether due to the paucity of parts and shipping woes. Some even say the bigger brands are pushing out the smaller brands for factory capacity to manufacture bicycles. Whatever the truth may be, it sounds a lot like 2022 will be a continuance of 2021 in regard to bicycles and parts.  

The KOM Cycling Saddle Tool Roll on my Noble Bikes GX5.

Tool Roll Wars:

Recently I was sent a KOM Cycling Saddle Tool Roll for test and review on RidingGravel.com. (Free and at no charge- I'm not being paid for this, yadda,yadda, yadda...) It's a new product for them and for me, it is another 'dreaded tool roll' deal. You see, I haven't been too impressed by this sort of storage idea in the past.

I tried a tool roll once from a company I shall not name, and the thing ended up falling off my bike at unawares after being rock solid on there for over a week and I lost all my good riding tools. Bah! 

These things are for the minimal-packing cyclist, but yet they are not all that much lighter or compact than a small under-saddle mounted bag. I should think almost any under-saddle mounted bag wouldn't just fall off your bike. So.....the whole idea of a 'tool roll' was kind of lost on me. But there is a certain romanticized view of such things coming from the road riding world, as I understand it. 

Anyway, the tool roll..... I am testing another one. This is a bit like a Silca tool roll, and I was rudely reminded of this by a commenter on an Instagram post I made about the KOM Saddle Tool Roll. "It's a rip-off...", and I'm like, am I supposed to do something about that? It may be similar, yes- probably, but 'rip-off'? So, I figured why not? I ordered up the Silca one as well. (Paid for, not asked to test, yadda, yadda, yadda....)We'll see about the similarities and compare and contrast. Fair and square, without any negativeness or name-calling. 

Tool Roll Wars. It's on! Stay tuned......

Sea Otter Australia Postponed:

While to us here in the U.S.A. it may seem as though things are all 'back to normal', the rest of the world is still grappling with the effects of COVID-19. The latest cycling related issue regarding the pandemic is the postponing of the Sea Otter event in Australia to early Fall. 

This news comes as case loads of COVID-19 are on the uptick in the U.S.A. Most agree that the Delta variant of COVID is to blame as it is much more contagious than the original COVID strain. It is not engraved in stone that we here in North America won't ever have to isolate, wear masks, or suffer cancellations of events again. This bears watching going forward and things like what we are seeing now in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, (see first entry in today's "FN&V") and elsewhere in the world remind us that despite vaccines being available, this isn't over just yet. 

Cannondale Topstone 2

Andy's Bike Shop Is Now A Cannondale Dealer!

I've known about this for a while now, but the public statement just went out this past week that Cannondale Bicycles will now be sold through Andy's Bike Shop in Cedar Falls, Iowa. (If you are unaware, I work as a mechanic at Andy's) 

 Now Andy's Bike Shop sells Kona Bikes, Cannondale, and Reid Bikes. We were pretty happy to land a Cannondale account since it is a brand that has been represented in the Cedar Valley for 30+ years now. After the shop I last worked at went out of business at the end of 2019, Cannondale bikes have been missing from this market area. Not anymore. 

Obviously bicycles are hard to come by, but by the end of this month Andy's Bike Shop should know more about exactly when the Cannondales will be rolling in. I don't know exactly what we'll be able to get, but I hope to see some Topstones and maybe.......their new Super Six Evo SE gravel bike. That'd be pretty cool. Stay tuned.........

That's a wrap for this week. have a great weekend and stay cool!

Friday News And Views

 Shimano Announces Re-opening Of Factory:

 After a full month plus of complete shutdown, and two weeks at 60% output, Shimano has reportedly re-opened their Malaysian factory components works. A factory said to be responsible for parts production from 105 road level and below, and SLX MTB level and below. The component manufacturer, already behind demand leading into the shutdown, is now further behind on making these critical components for the majority of what bike shops sell here in the U.S.A. 

The news, published by a couple of industry specific sites, is good, but with all the critical time lost, coupled with shipping and packaging issues worldwide, this situation has gone from bad to worse for consumers. Things like disc brake pads, disc brake rotors, derailleurs, and wheel components, amongst other bits, are nearly impossible to source. 

In the meantime, other manufacturers have been tapped to provide parts for brands seeking to get bicycles into dealer's and consumer's hands. Brands like Microshift, which does complete drive trains, and other lesser known companies, are trying to fill the void where Shimano was once dominant. While some bits seem well up to the task, it is apparent- to this mechanic at least - that many of these components are sub-Shimano quality and likely will not have similar performance or longevity. 

Furthermore; it has been whispered that some brands may even skip 2022 model year bikes altogether due to the paucity of parts and shipping woes. Some even say the bigger brands are pushing out the smaller brands for factory capacity to manufacture bicycles. Whatever the truth may be, it sounds a lot like 2022 will be a continuance of 2021 in regard to bicycles and parts.  

The KOM Cycling Saddle Tool Roll on my Noble Bikes GX5.

Tool Roll Wars:

Recently I was sent a KOM Cycling Saddle Tool Roll for test and review on RidingGravel.com. (Free and at no charge- I'm not being paid for this, yadda,yadda, yadda...) It's a new product for them and for me, it is another 'dreaded tool roll' deal. You see, I haven't been too impressed by this sort of storage idea in the past.

I tried a tool roll once from a company I shall not name, and the thing ended up falling off my bike at unawares after being rock solid on there for over a week and I lost all my good riding tools. Bah! 

These things are for the minimal-packing cyclist, but yet they are not all that much lighter or compact than a small under-saddle mounted bag. I should think almost any under-saddle mounted bag wouldn't just fall off your bike. So.....the whole idea of a 'tool roll' was kind of lost on me. But there is a certain romanticized view of such things coming from the road riding world, as I understand it. 

Anyway, the tool roll..... I am testing another one. This is a bit like a Silca tool roll, and I was rudely reminded of this by a commenter on an Instagram post I made about the KOM Saddle Tool Roll. "It's a rip-off...", and I'm like, am I supposed to do something about that? It may be similar, yes- probably, but 'rip-off'? So, I figured why not? I ordered up the Silca one as well. (Paid for, not asked to test, yadda, yadda, yadda....)We'll see about the similarities and compare and contrast. Fair and square, without any negativeness or name-calling. 

Tool Roll Wars. It's on! Stay tuned......

Sea Otter Australia Postponed:

While to us here in the U.S.A. it may seem as though things are all 'back to normal', the rest of the world is still grappling with the effects of COVID-19. The latest cycling related issue regarding the pandemic is the postponing of the Sea Otter event in Australia to early Fall. 

This news comes as case loads of COVID-19 are on the uptick in the U.S.A. Most agree that the Delta variant of COVID is to blame as it is much more contagious than the original COVID strain. It is not engraved in stone that we here in North America won't ever have to isolate, wear masks, or suffer cancellations of events again. This bears watching going forward and things like what we are seeing now in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, (see first entry in today's "FN&V") and elsewhere in the world remind us that despite vaccines being available, this isn't over just yet. 

Cannondale Topstone 2

Andy's Bike Shop Is Now A Cannondale Dealer!

I've known about this for a while now, but the public statement just went out this past week that Cannondale Bicycles will now be sold through Andy's Bike Shop in Cedar Falls, Iowa. (If you are unaware, I work as a mechanic at Andy's) 

 Now Andy's Bike Shop sells Kona Bikes, Cannondale, and Reid Bikes. We were pretty happy to land a Cannondale account since it is a brand that has been represented in the Cedar Valley for 30+ years now. After the shop I last worked at went out of business at the end of 2019, Cannondale bikes have been missing from this market area. Not anymore. 

Obviously bicycles are hard to come by, but by the end of this month Andy's Bike Shop should know more about exactly when the Cannondales will be rolling in. I don't know exactly what we'll be able to get, but I hope to see some Topstones and maybe.......their new Super Six Evo SE gravel bike. That'd be pretty cool. Stay tuned.........

That's a wrap for this week. have a great weekend and stay cool!

Country Views: Tall Corn Ride

Escape Route: County V-49 South from Raymond, IA

 The day off this week saw temperatures into the 80's with pretty high humidity too. Just the perfect scenario for training to get ready for some of my upcoming planned big rides. The wind was even cooperating by merely being a breeze from the Northwest, hardly anything to speak of, making for really tough conditions in the heat. 

I also decided that I needed to practice throttling things back when it gets hot and humid. What better way to do that than to limit yourself to a single gear. The Twin Six Standard Rando v2 got the call for this ride then. I also decided to go to Raymond, Iowa to embark upon a fairly brief ride to just get acclimated to the brutal humidity. 

My route plan was to head out on Young Road and then to see what I felt like doing after that. So, that meant a bit of riding a gravel shoulder on County V-49 to get the half a mile South out of Raymond so I could pull off left and start riding gravel proper. The nice thing about the gravel shoulders out that way is that they were all recently graded and maintained, so they actually ride better than the gravel roads in many cases. 

It was a hazy, hot, and humid day.

It seems to me that the Chicory has been flourishing this year. 

Young Road started out very promisingly with nice, smooth lines to follow, then it went all to deep, fresh gravel. Oh well! It isn't as if I haven't ridden on that before. Onward then on the single speed! 

Most of the field corn is tasseled and silked out now. How tall is it?......

I'd say about THAT tall!

The corn growth has been amazing of late. Whatever moisture we were able to get recently was sucked up and turned into greenery out in the fields. Out in Eastern Black Hawk County, at any rate, the corn is as tall as I can ever remember seeing it. Miles and miles of it that way. It is simply amazing. 

The Barclay United Presbyterian Church on Newell Avenue.

Looking North up Pilot Grove Road

I ended up coming back on Newell, Pilot Grove, and Osage Roads to get back to the truck in Raymond. In between I came across the rare County Sheriff sighting, a few Red Wing Blackbirds still patrolling, and a smashed Apple iPhone in the middle of the road. You just never know what you'll come across out there!

My favorite 'Lone Tree' on Pilot Grove Road has survived the recent severe weather.

It was a decent enough ride. Not too brutal, although I was soaked in sweat by the time I had finished my 20 miles. Not a real long ride, but I had other things to do once I got back home. So, a good little heat training ride and I felt okay for the duration. Plus the single speed kept my efforts within a certain range which was another part of the plan. 

More soon....