The Kanza Ride: From One Extreme To Another

Riders begin to gather in front of the Grenada Theater

Friday. Four in the morning. The alarm on Tony's phone rings, but we were probably both ready for it. That's how it goes when you are anticipating a big ride. Up until this point, our days had been spent with the same purposes. However; today Tony and I would separate. Our intentions would be entirely different. One would be looking down the mouth of a 200 mile dragon of a ride. The other of us would be looking for the next turn, not knowing exactly where, how far, or even if the ride would end at a certain point.

One of us had their plot laid out plainly for them. The other would not know what the ride would be until it was over. Nothing wrong with doing it either way. Both ways have their merits and shortcomings. I was ready to find out what I could about riding into the land of the Kanza on my own, under my own power, relying on my own wits and provisions.

We got up, went to have some breakfast, and then got outfitted for our rides. Had I had a number plate, you wouldn't have known that I was not doing the Dirty Kanza 200. Maybe you might have thought my full frame bag was overkill, but other than that clue, I looked like any other guy or gal getting ready for the big 200. I rolled downtown with Tony and we looked for familiar faces. I saw Luke, the third place finisher from Trans Iowa this year, and I saw Warren. He finally bagged his Trans Iowa finish this year. I wished Tony all the best, and then I turned around, rode back up Commercial Street in the opposite direction from the way the 200 was leaving town, and a few minutes before 6am, I was on my way.

A street jam-packed with riders waiting to set off for 200 miles of gravel. Note the thunderhead in the distance.

The weather had brought us a cool front, but not before dumping rain on the area just an hour or so ahead of the riders. I knew there would be a big Northerly wind on this day, despite there being a complete calm at the start. I was going North at first anyway, but I had thought I might veer to the West a bit as well, to take advantage of any Northwesterly wind there may be. So, I started with a vague idea of how to get out of town, and a goal of going through Americus, Kansas to start out with.

The Sun hadn't risen yet as I left town.

The juxtaposition of the anticipation and tense atmosphere of the beginning of the Dirty Kanza 200 and where I found myself on the North side of Emporia was extreme. On one side of town all hell was breaking loose on the first stretch of gravel, which was inundated by the recently passed thunderstorm. I heard later that 150 mechanicals ended 150 riders attempts within the first six miles. On the the other side of town, a peaceful sunrise over waving fields of grain highlighted by a light fog were entertaining a lone rider with nothing pressing to do for the rest of the day but to have an enjoyable ride. 

The roads immediately North of Emporia are flat, but beauty can be found easily.

Jim Cummings, one of the founders of the Dirty Kanza 200, described the area North of Emporia to me as "empty miles". Taken in context of his task of putting on a challenging event, such as the Dirty Kanza, I can certainly understand his viewpoint. However; that doesn't at all mean that cyclists shouldn't be riding out there. There was a beauty and peacefulness that was thick and enjoyable. Non-racing types would totally get into it. The riding is easy, and the scenery is really quite good.

Early morning riding can be quite spectacular.

My route maps were taken straight off the Kansas Department of Transportation site. I enlarged the particular parts of each county I was interested in and printed them off on paper. Yes.....paper maps. You should all know how to use them. Anyway.....

Once you commit to using a map, you have to use your brain to find your way, and maybe that hurts too much for most folks. I don't know, but being prompted by a beep to look for your next turn is giving away something of your own power that I feel is not a good thing to make a practice of. It's kind of a "use it or lose it" deal. So, I was navigating by map, and I had to do it with a lot of thought and care. I didn't even have the road names, despite there being signs on every corner, just like we have in Iowa. I had to count miles and pay attention. My choice. Your choice may vary, and that's okay.

So it was that I was day dreaming or something and missed a corner which put me on a course to miss Americus. Dang it! Oh well, how about we just readjust our goals and try something different? That's the beauty of a ride with no hard parameters. You can adjust expectations on the fly.

Following a route that ran along a nearby creek found me on tree canopied roads for much of the beginning miles.

More tree lined roads as I headed toward Council Grove.

I was following a course Northward that paralleled, for the most part, Allen Creek. I saw several white tailed deer bounding in fields and across roads. I spied a coyote up the road that quickly darted into the cover of tall grass that lined the road ahead. A big Red Tailed Hawk sailed off a utility pole as I came near it. I hadn't gone 15 miles and I had seen all of this and a beautiful countryside. This was a good start!

I stopped to assist this tortoise to a safer warming spot off to the side of the road. 

As I stopped to make a tortoise a little safer as it sunned itself in the light of a fantastic day, I wondered how things were going for Tony and the others in the race. I figured that they were well on their way to Checkpoint #1 by that time, and that they were still expectant and hopeful of a finish. It was a glorious day, with a light breeze, and copious sunshine. I was on my way to Council Grove, with maybe a resupply stop to extend my range, and new goals might be possible. However; I had my immediate route to consider, and turns I shouldn't miss, so I had to be vigilant. Yet, despite that, I allowed that I could stop and photograph anything I wanted to, rest when I needed it, and take my sweet time.

So far, so good.

Next: To The Land Of The Dawn Of Day

The Kanza Ride: Blowing Up

Room and board at ESU: Air conditioning? - maybe.

That wasn't the best night's sleep I ever had. Chalk it up to a good rehearsal for the 4:00 am wake up call for Saturday. Yes.....we woke up in a sweaty mess at 4:00am. There wasn't a breath of air coming in the wide open window either.

Breakfast was had, then we had purposed to go check out the expo area downtown and especially the Brooks saddle tent. There would be a demo fleet of saddles which one could swap into their bike and give a try. Swapping saddles the day before your big event? Yeah....some people went for it. That meant that when the demo ride was over, they would have to swap their own saddle back in, and well, you know, you should never change anything on your bike a day before an event. Never. Some folks were daring though. Kudos to all of them. I would not have done that, and Tony didn't either, but we still wanted to check out the rare and high end C-13 Cambium with a carbon cradle. It was really light, but it was also really narrow! Too narrow for my caboose, that's for sure!

The other plan that came to be was that we had run into Michael and Josh, two guys we know from our gravel travels, and we were to do a shakedown ride that morning. We finally met up with them, and then we watched as the over 100 strong "demo/pre-ride" ride went off on their journey. One hundred plus riders? That's probably more than a few early Dirty Kanza's had for entire fields. It was pretty impressive.

Brooks demo saddles- The carbon C-13 is to the left here. 

Trans Iowa finisher, Dirty Kanza 200 finisher. That's the UK's Paul Errington right there doing his best at the Brooks demo.

After the throng of riders set off, we did as well, but just us four. It was a nice group and we endeavored to only ride out for a few miles or so, then turn back and go get some lunch somewhere. Michael actually decided to turn back sooner than we three had a mind to, so we waved goodbye to him and turned our faces back to the road ahead. We were about to pass under the turnpike when I heard a strange sound, or rather, a series of sounds.

Whump! Whump! Whump! Whump! BOOM!

My rear tire was flat! Okay......what the.......!!!

After four years and more of use, the casing fails internally, and air pressure did the rest. KA-BOOM!!

 The problem was caused by a few things. One- A tire not meant to be tubeless, but I ran it that way anyway. This isn't always a good idea, but in this case, it lasted almost five years. Secondly, the casing, which was a light XC racing casing, just wasn't meant to withstand this sort of abuse, and the fabric separated due to stress. Thirdly, when the previous happens, air can get between the casing and the tread and separate it, which causes a "bubble" and then that can explode. Well, that's exactly what happened to me. Now what?

I removed the tire, and while I did that, Tony got out his small roll of Gorilla Tape, and the plan was to apply that inside the casing where the fabric had separated. The tread, which was separated from the casing, was another matter. Once I got my spare tube in and partially inflated on the rim, I decided that wrapping the entire tire and rim at the point of the rupture was going to have to do. It looked rather cartoonish, but I figured that it would get me back home.

The fix worked! Here is what it looked like after getting back to Emporia.

I had noted that we crossed a chip sealed road not long before I flatted, and Josh, with his Garmin device, confirmed that it would take us back to Emporia via a few curves. This was going to be easier on the repair, I figured, so I suggested that we cruise back that way. Tony and Josh agreed, and much to my amazement, the repair held. I made it back! So, once again, now what? 

Michael (R) and Tony on the ride out.

 

Josh getting all aero behind me as I cruised back into Emporia on my repaired tire.

The expo area at the cordoned off street section in front of the DK Promotions offices had several vendors and there I searched for a possibility of obtaining new tires. I figured on replacing both of them, since the front Ikon, being of the same age as the rear one, was likely at some point to fail in a similar manner. No need to experience that again! Nip that in the bud!

I ran across Jim Cummings, one of the directors of the Dirty Kanza 200, and he directed me to go to the Sunflower Outdoor and Bike's pop-up store within the DK Promotions building. In the meantime, we saw many people we knew and lots of cool stuff. I was a bit distracted, so the operation of getting tires fitted to my bicycle took a bit longer than I had anticipated it to.

Joe and Tina Stiller's custom Eriksen tandem bicycle.

I finally got the tires, a pair of 60TPI Sparwood models from Teravail, and brought my bicycle in to the mechanics working on site for Sunflower Outdoor and Bike. It was odd being "on the other side of the counter", as it were, but I get it. These guys are busting their butts trying to make a living, just like I do when I am "on duty". This day was a vacation day for me, so I let the guys that were getting paid do the work. Well, that was until the mechanic needed some help.

One of the things I hate about a hectic situation is that I never remember names when things are going fast and furious. So, I need to apologize up front to the man who was helping me out, because he deserves credit for going above and beyond in his trying to help me out. He was hitting a wall called Stan's No Tubes versus the Rest Of The Tubeless Tire World, and that wasn't the mechanic's fault. My rims are Sun-Ringle' designed, which are based upon Stan's No Tubes bead seat diameter, which is slightly bigger in diameter than what a tubeless tire bead is designed to fit these days. I know, maybe you are confused, but trust me- we mechanic's know this. He understood it was going to be a struggle, and he gave it his best effort. I was handed the tire to see if I could manage the feat, and after a bit of struggle, I found the technique that won the day. I ended up mounting the last bead of both tires for the mechanic, but not before I broke my own tire lever doing it. Hopefully, these won't need to be fixed in the field at anytime, but if they do, I sure hope the bead of the tire stretches some!

I celebrated the tire victory with a pint of Big Grin. #biggrin

I paid the cashier, who was the son of the first DK200 winner, Dan Hughes, for the tires and service, then we went out and wandered around. Finally we went off to get some food. There are some great restaurants in downtown Emporia, and we ate some really good barbecue sandwiches at Bobby D's Merchant Street BBQ. You almost cannot go wrong with food downtown in Emporia. I haven't been disappointed yet.

The next stop was the Pre-race Meeting, so we attended that. It was the usual fare, and when we were able to get out of the Grenada Theater, we walked around aimlessly for a bit. The hours wound away and Tony reminded me that I wanted to "tip" the mechanic that helped me, so we found the liquor store and I bought a sixer of tallboys for him. We walked it over in a big brown paper bag and he was pretty stoked when he looked inside. Good deed done, we went off and then ran into Michael, Josh, and a few others who were talking about getting something to eat.

We weren't too motivated, and when we found out most of the Dirty Kanza participants were also wanting to eat, forcing up to two hour wait times, we bailed out and went looking on our own for some grub. Tony and I ended up getting a bite to eat on the far side of town. Then we came back to our cinder block palace for what we hoped would be a more comfortable night of sleep. The air conditioning was fixed! However; the air conditioning game at ESU was weak. The air outside was cooler than the air in our room.

Windows open then with the alarm set for 4am......

Next: From One Extreme To Another

The Kanza Ride: Blowing Up

Room and board at ESU: Air conditioning? - maybe.

That wasn't the best night's sleep I ever had. Chalk it up to a good rehearsal for the 4:00 am wake up call for Saturday. Yes.....we woke up in a sweaty mess at 4:00am. There wasn't a breath of air coming in the wide open window either.

Breakfast was had, then we had purposed to go check out the expo area downtown and especially the Brooks saddle tent. There would be a demo fleet of saddles which one could swap into their bike and give a try. Swapping saddles the day before your big event? Yeah....some people went for it. That meant that when the demo ride was over, they would have to swap their own saddle back in, and well, you know, you should never change anything on your bike a day before an event. Never. Some folks were daring though. Kudos to all of them. I would not have done that, and Tony didn't either, but we still wanted to check out the rare and high end C-13 Cambium with a carbon cradle. It was really light, but it was also really narrow! Too narrow for my caboose, that's for sure!

The other plan that came to be was that we had run into Michael and Josh, two guys we know from our gravel travels, and we were to do a shakedown ride that morning. We finally met up with them, and then we watched as the over 100 strong "demo/pre-ride" ride went off on their journey. One hundred plus riders? That's probably more than a few early Dirty Kanza's had for entire fields. It was pretty impressive.

Brooks demo saddles- The carbon C-13 is to the left here. 

Trans Iowa finisher, Dirty Kanza 200 finisher. That's the UK's Paul Errington right there doing his best at the Brooks demo.

After the throng of riders set off, we did as well, but just us four. It was a nice group and we endeavored to only ride out for a few miles or so, then turn back and go get some lunch somewhere. Michael actually decided to turn back sooner than we three had a mind to, so we waved goodbye to him and turned our faces back to the road ahead. We were about to pass under the turnpike when I heard a strange sound, or rather, a series of sounds.

Whump! Whump! Whump! Whump! BOOM!

My rear tire was flat! Okay......what the.......!!!

After four years and more of use, the casing fails internally, and air pressure did the rest. KA-BOOM!!

 The problem was caused by a few things. One- A tire not meant to be tubeless, but I ran it that way anyway. This isn't always a good idea, but in this case, it lasted almost five years. Secondly, the casing, which was a light XC racing casing, just wasn't meant to withstand this sort of abuse, and the fabric separated due to stress. Thirdly, when the previous happens, air can get between the casing and the tread and separate it, which causes a "bubble" and then that can explode. Well, that's exactly what happened to me. Now what?

I removed the tire, and while I did that, Tony got out his small roll of Gorilla Tape, and the plan was to apply that inside the casing where the fabric had separated. The tread, which was separated from the casing, was another matter. Once I got my spare tube in and partially inflated on the rim, I decided that wrapping the entire tire and rim at the point of the rupture was going to have to do. It looked rather cartoonish, but I figured that it would get me back home.

The fix worked! Here is what it looked like after getting back to Emporia.

I had noted that we crossed a chip sealed road not long before I flatted, and Josh, with his Garmin device, confirmed that it would take us back to Emporia via a few curves. This was going to be easier on the repair, I figured, so I suggested that we cruise back that way. Tony and Josh agreed, and much to my amazement, the repair held. I made it back! So, once again, now what? 

Michael (R) and Tony on the ride out.

 

Josh getting all aero behind me as I cruised back into Emporia on my repaired tire.

The expo area at the cordoned off street section in front of the DK Promotions offices had several vendors and there I searched for a possibility of obtaining new tires. I figured on replacing both of them, since the front Ikon, being of the same age as the rear one, was likely at some point to fail in a similar manner. No need to experience that again! Nip that in the bud!

I ran across Jim Cummings, one of the directors of the Dirty Kanza 200, and he directed me to go to the Sunflower Outdoor and Bike's pop-up store within the DK Promotions building. In the meantime, we saw many people we knew and lots of cool stuff. I was a bit distracted, so the operation of getting tires fitted to my bicycle took a bit longer than I had anticipated it to.

Joe and Tina Stiller's custom Eriksen tandem bicycle.

I finally got the tires, a pair of 60TPI Sparwood models from Teravail, and brought my bicycle in to the mechanics working on site for Sunflower Outdoor and Bike. It was odd being "on the other side of the counter", as it were, but I get it. These guys are busting their butts trying to make a living, just like I do when I am "on duty". This day was a vacation day for me, so I let the guys that were getting paid do the work. Well, that was until the mechanic needed some help.

One of the things I hate about a hectic situation is that I never remember names when things are going fast and furious. So, I need to apologize up front to the man who was helping me out, because he deserves credit for going above and beyond in his trying to help me out. He was hitting a wall called Stan's No Tubes versus the Rest Of The Tubeless Tire World, and that wasn't the mechanic's fault. My rims are Sun-Ringle' designed, which are based upon Stan's No Tubes bead seat diameter, which is slightly bigger in diameter than what a tubeless tire bead is designed to fit these days. I know, maybe you are confused, but trust me- we mechanic's know this. He understood it was going to be a struggle, and he gave it his best effort. I was handed the tire to see if I could manage the feat, and after a bit of struggle, I found the technique that won the day. I ended up mounting the last bead of both tires for the mechanic, but not before I broke my own tire lever doing it. Hopefully, these won't need to be fixed in the field at anytime, but if they do, I sure hope the bead of the tire stretches some!

I celebrated the tire victory with a pint of Big Grin. #biggrin

I paid the cashier, who was the son of the first DK200 winner, Dan Hughes, for the tires and service, then we went out and wandered around. Finally we went off to get some food. There are some great restaurants in downtown Emporia, and we ate some really good barbecue sandwiches at Bobby D's Merchant Street BBQ. You almost cannot go wrong with food downtown in Emporia. I haven't been disappointed yet.

The next stop was the Pre-race Meeting, so we attended that. It was the usual fare, and when we were able to get out of the Grenada Theater, we walked around aimlessly for a bit. The hours wound away and Tony reminded me that I wanted to "tip" the mechanic that helped me, so we found the liquor store and I bought a sixer of tallboys for him. We walked it over in a big brown paper bag and he was pretty stoked when he looked inside. Good deed done, we went off and then ran into Michael, Josh, and a few others who were talking about getting something to eat.

We weren't too motivated, and when we found out most of the Dirty Kanza participants were also wanting to eat, forcing up to two hour wait times, we bailed out and went looking on our own for some grub. Tony and I ended up getting a bite to eat on the far side of town. Then we came back to our cinder block palace for what we hoped would be a more comfortable night of sleep. The air conditioning was fixed! However; the air conditioning game at ESU was weak. The air outside was cooler than the air in our room.

Windows open then with the alarm set for 4am......

Next: From One Extreme To Another

The Kanza Ride: Going Deeper

Racing the Dirty Kanza 200 in 2015: Image by A. Andonopoulous

It was an early January day in 2016. The registration for the 2016 version of the Dirty Kanza 200 event was the next day. I had a strong hunch it would sell out rather quickly, and I was in no mind to struggle with whether or not I should get up early and press the submit button. I figured if it was meant to be, I'd wake up early enough to get in. If I overslept, I wasn't going to be sorry about that. I just had no feeling one way or the other on the subject.

I had made my peace with the DK 200 the previous year when I went 154 miles out of 200 and missed the checkpoint for going the final leg by two minutes. Yes....it isn't a finish in the official sense. However; my personal satisfaction with the event wasn't predicated by having a pint glass and my name on a list. I was very satisfied with my efforts in 2015, and I still am at peace with that part. The event is a fantastic event, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good gravel challenge, but my focus was shifted after last year's ride.

The thing is, I knew that there was something more to this area. Something deeper and something I was missing by doing the event. I was too busy eating every fifteen minutes, worrying about finishing a water bottle every hour, and being distracted by focusing on my cues. I could see things in my periphery vision. I could feel things I didn't have time to stop and pay attention to. In other words, this former land of the Kanza, a land that had beaten back an invasion of white settlers in the 1930's with nothing more than heat and dust and wind, was calling to me. It was time to listen. That's all.

Just how was I going to do that? Well, to be honest, I had no idea whatsoever how I would do that. There is one lesson I've learned about my life though, and that is this- If I let it go, things come around to me. Sometimes it works out better than I could have ever imagined, and then sometimes there are delays. That's just how I've found life works out well for me. I don't stress about those things, and they tend to work out anyway. This thing has worked out well, and here is the story of how that came to be......

Ready to load up.

 My friend Tony has been working his way toward a Dirty Kanza 200 finish for a couple of years or more now and so he was motivated to get up that cold January day and get himself signed up to go ride the full 200. He ended up getting himself all set to go with the support for hire package, a two occupancy room, and the entry fee. Afterward, he asked me if I'd like to travel down and hang out. Certainly the social aspects of being at the Dirty Kanza weekend were very appealing, and if that were all I got out of it, I would have heartily agreed to go no matter. The offer was accepted, and after I discovered Tony didn't need me to do any support for him, I was free to entertain the call of this land. To explore it more intimately and discover what it might be I was missing.

The ride down was really good. Tony is a great traveling companion and the way we travel seems to mesh well with each other. It didn't hurt that the day was a spectacular early June day with abundant sunshine and blue sky. We arrived at Emporia late on Thursday afternoon to unload our belongings and bicycles in the dormitories of Emporia State University. I at once was reminded of my days at the University of Northern Iowa and my room there. Uggh! The "dorm life" was not my thing then, nor would it be so now. That being as it may, these were our digs for the weekend. They would suffice. Now if they would get that air conditioning fixed!

Geeking out on various forms of "Gravel Bikes" in the parking lot.

We ended up going downtown, eating at the excellent, and highly recommended Radius Brewing Company, and then retiring to the equally excellent Mulready's Pub on Commercial Street. There we ran into two of the quartet of forces that move the mighty Dirty Kanza's levers and set things in motion. Tim and Kristi Mohn. We had an excellent conversation and I learned that the event has started to affect the residents of Emporia in a positive way. People are becoming more community oriented through the various facets of the event, and even more impressively, are beginning to choose more healthy lifestyles centered around cycling. I left the pub that evening feeling hopeful and uplifted, even if Kristi doesn't like getting flowers. (I didn't think that anyone would hate on flowers, but oh well! )

Tony and I retired to our four walls of cinder block awesomeness. The air conditioning was still broken.......

Next: Blowing Up

The Kanza Ride: Going Deeper

Racing the Dirty Kanza 200 in 2015: Image by A. Andonopoulous

It was an early January day in 2016. The registration for the 2016 version of the Dirty Kanza 200 event was the next day. I had a strong hunch it would sell out rather quickly, and I was in no mind to struggle with whether or not I should get up early and press the submit button. I figured if it was meant to be, I'd wake up early enough to get in. If I overslept, I wasn't going to be sorry about that. I just had no feeling one way or the other on the subject.

I had made my peace with the DK 200 the previous year when I went 154 miles out of 200 and missed the checkpoint for going the final leg by two minutes. Yes....it isn't a finish in the official sense. However; my personal satisfaction with the event wasn't predicated by having a pint glass and my name on a list. I was very satisfied with my efforts in 2015, and I still am at peace with that part. The event is a fantastic event, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good gravel challenge, but my focus was shifted after last year's ride.

The thing is, I knew that there was something more to this area. Something deeper and something I was missing by doing the event. I was too busy eating every fifteen minutes, worrying about finishing a water bottle every hour, and being distracted by focusing on my cues. I could see things in my periphery vision. I could feel things I didn't have time to stop and pay attention to. In other words, this former land of the Kanza, a land that had beaten back an invasion of white settlers in the 1930's with nothing more than heat and dust and wind, was calling to me. It was time to listen. That's all.

Just how was I going to do that? Well, to be honest, I had no idea whatsoever how I would do that. There is one lesson I've learned about my life though, and that is this- If I let it go, things come around to me. Sometimes it works out better than I could have ever imagined, and then sometimes there are delays. That's just how I've found life works out well for me. I don't stress about those things, and they tend to work out anyway. This thing has worked out well, and here is the story of how that came to be......

Ready to load up.

 My friend Tony has been working his way toward a Dirty Kanza 200 finish for a couple of years or more now and so he was motivated to get up that cold January day and get himself signed up to go ride the full 200. He ended up getting himself all set to go with the support for hire package, a two occupancy room, and the entry fee. Afterward, he asked me if I'd like to travel down and hang out. Certainly the social aspects of being at the Dirty Kanza weekend were very appealing, and if that were all I got out of it, I would have heartily agreed to go no matter. The offer was accepted, and after I discovered Tony didn't need me to do any support for him, I was free to entertain the call of this land. To explore it more intimately and discover what it might be I was missing.

The ride down was really good. Tony is a great traveling companion and the way we travel seems to mesh well with each other. It didn't hurt that the day was a spectacular early June day with abundant sunshine and blue sky. We arrived at Emporia late on Thursday afternoon to unload our belongings and bicycles in the dormitories of Emporia State University. I at once was reminded of my days at the University of Northern Iowa and my room there. Uggh! The "dorm life" was not my thing then, nor would it be so now. That being as it may, these were our digs for the weekend. They would suffice. Now if they would get that air conditioning fixed!

Geeking out on various forms of "Gravel Bikes" in the parking lot.

We ended up going downtown, eating at the excellent, and highly recommended Radius Brewing Company, and then retiring to the equally excellent Mulready's Pub on Commercial Street. There we ran into two of the quartet of forces that move the mighty Dirty Kanza's levers and set things in motion. Tim and Kristi Mohn. We had an excellent conversation and I learned that the event has started to affect the residents of Emporia in a positive way. People are becoming more community oriented through the various facets of the event, and even more impressively, are beginning to choose more healthy lifestyles centered around cycling. I left the pub that evening feeling hopeful and uplifted, even if Kristi doesn't like getting flowers. (I didn't think that anyone would hate on flowers, but oh well! )

Tony and I retired to our four walls of cinder block awesomeness. The air conditioning was still broken.......

Next: Blowing Up

Minus Ten Review- 22

Riding the Inbred at the first DK200 in '06 (Image by Joel Dyke)

Ten years ago this week on the blog I gave everyone a rundown of all the stuff I was writing and who it was for. Two websites and my own blogging! So, yeah......I've been cranking out material for a long time. 

The other bit that was going on was chatter about 100 mile endurance mtb events, which were just getting organized back in the day. A big series dubbed the "NUE Series" was started to include several of the biggest, most popular 100 milers. That really gave the format a boost, and I would submit that it also gave rise to the multiple day stage race events like the Breck Epic. 24hr racing seemed to be loosing its appeal, but as we know, it never went away.

Interestingly enough, it appears that now a series of national 24 hour events and a national solo 24hr championship date are happening this year. Is 24hr racing on the comeback trail? It would seem so. We'll see if what comes around, goes around.....again! 

Finally, I lamented the fast growing vegetation in the area and how it was overcoming the trails. Maintenance in an organized fashion did not exist in this area at the time. Now, I am not claiming that I had any influence over the resulting organization here, but it was ironic that shortly after I made my blog posts about this subject that an organization was formed. This has greatly improved our situation here in the local area, and I am glad to say other organizations have picked up loppers and mowers, and the other tools to keep us rolling along all Summer off road. That wasn't the case ten years ago.

We've come a long way, Baby!, as the old ad used to say.

Minus Ten Review- 22

Riding the Inbred at the first DK200 in '06 (Image by Joel Dyke)

Ten years ago this week on the blog I gave everyone a rundown of all the stuff I was writing and who it was for. Two websites and my own blogging! So, yeah......I've been cranking out material for a long time. 

The other bit that was going on was chatter about 100 mile endurance mtb events, which were just getting organized back in the day. A big series dubbed the "NUE Series" was started to include several of the biggest, most popular 100 milers. That really gave the format a boost, and I would submit that it also gave rise to the multiple day stage race events like the Breck Epic. 24hr racing seemed to be loosing its appeal, but as we know, it never went away.

Interestingly enough, it appears that now a series of national 24 hour events and a national solo 24hr championship date are happening this year. Is 24hr racing on the comeback trail? It would seem so. We'll see if what comes around, goes around.....again! 

Finally, I lamented the fast growing vegetation in the area and how it was overcoming the trails. Maintenance in an organized fashion did not exist in this area at the time. Now, I am not claiming that I had any influence over the resulting organization here, but it was ironic that shortly after I made my blog posts about this subject that an organization was formed. This has greatly improved our situation here in the local area, and I am glad to say other organizations have picked up loppers and mowers, and the other tools to keep us rolling along all Summer off road. That wasn't the case ten years ago.

We've come a long way, Baby!, as the old ad used to say.

Friday News And Views

Titanium El Mariachi.....yum!

In Search Of:

Okay, so I have a request that I want to put forward out there. This isn't for me, but I am asking on behalf of one of my faithful Trans Iowa volunteers. He wants to set up a gravel road rig using a size Large Salsa El Mariachi in titanium. Older models will do, and a frame set is best, but all offers will be entertained.

Got one or know of someone who is tinkering around with selling one in a Large? hit me up at g.ted.productions@gmail.com, and I will get you in touch with the potential buyer, who is serious.

There is nothing at all in this for me, other than trying to help out a volunteer that helps me out with Trans Iowa most every year for nothing other than to be a part of the event. I am just leveraging this forum for him to see if I can help.

Thanks all!

As seen from the saddle of my bike.......

 Testing The Wool:

I was asking a friend, who is going to do Tour Divide in a week here, about how to "beat the heat" that I have issues with during events like Odin's Revenge, or my own GTDRI ride. He said that he had similar problems and part of his solution was ditching the plastic garb for wool. Yes......wool in the Summer. 

I know that may sound silly to many of you, and it did to me at first as well. However; I decided after my friends convincing arguments that I should at least give this idea a whirl. So I ordered up a Giro New Road jersey and I have been using it for the last couple of weeks. My version is a discontinued model, but the wool/poly mix is much like what you'll see in the link there.

So, what do I think? Well, with a good base layer tank underneath, I have had excellent results. Again, I haven't hardly noticed a thing at all other than that I haven't been at all uncomfortable in it. I need to try this in temperatures in the 90's yet, but into the 80's and I am fine. I think there is definitely something to this, but I will have to get into the really hot and humid stuff before I can sign off on the idea that it could help me beat the heat.

More on this later.....

Tire testing.

When I Come Back North:

I have a tire to keep testing, shown here, that I will have more to say about later. I also have to fine tune on my Karate Monkey as a possible rig to ride on the GTDRI route, but if my shoulder is still acting up, I may be swapping over to a completely different set up.

Then I have that Inbred sitting down in the Lab that needs to be put together at some point. I still need a head set to get that one rolling. However; I also have a bike for my son to finish up. That's in the works, and a few small parts have been procured along with a couple other odds and ends that I'll need to finally put that one together. It is really weird how one, small detail can hold up an entire build.

Finally, I have a build, or really, I should say "modification", that has been in the works for a long time, but I have spread out the parts necessary over a longer period because this one is expensive. Well, actually by waiting I got a break due to some recent downspec by SRAM, so I'll have that stuff coming in when it is available from SRAM, and then the "Frankenstein" operation will commence. This one will be an odd mix, which I know people with "official ties" will be shaking their heads at, saying "no, no no!", but I have been curious as to whether or not this will work. Then if it doesn't, I have a bail-out plan, but it would cost even more money. That's what I am trying to avoid.

Stay tuned.....

Have a great weekend and I'll see ya Monday.

Friday News And Views

Titanium El Mariachi.....yum!

In Search Of:

Okay, so I have a request that I want to put forward out there. This isn't for me, but I am asking on behalf of one of my faithful Trans Iowa volunteers. He wants to set up a gravel road rig using a size Large Salsa El Mariachi in titanium. Older models will do, and a frame set is best, but all offers will be entertained.

Got one or know of someone who is tinkering around with selling one in a Large? hit me up at g.ted.productions@gmail.com, and I will get you in touch with the potential buyer, who is serious.

There is nothing at all in this for me, other than trying to help out a volunteer that helps me out with Trans Iowa most every year for nothing other than to be a part of the event. I am just leveraging this forum for him to see if I can help.

Thanks all!

As seen from the saddle of my bike.......

 Testing The Wool:

I was asking a friend, who is going to do Tour Divide in a week here, about how to "beat the heat" that I have issues with during events like Odin's Revenge, or my own GTDRI ride. He said that he had similar problems and part of his solution was ditching the plastic garb for wool. Yes......wool in the Summer. 

I know that may sound silly to many of you, and it did to me at first as well. However; I decided after my friends convincing arguments that I should at least give this idea a whirl. So I ordered up a Giro New Road jersey and I have been using it for the last couple of weeks. My version is a discontinued model, but the wool/poly mix is much like what you'll see in the link there.

So, what do I think? Well, with a good base layer tank underneath, I have had excellent results. Again, I haven't hardly noticed a thing at all other than that I haven't been at all uncomfortable in it. I need to try this in temperatures in the 90's yet, but into the 80's and I am fine. I think there is definitely something to this, but I will have to get into the really hot and humid stuff before I can sign off on the idea that it could help me beat the heat.

More on this later.....

Tire testing.

When I Come Back North:

I have a tire to keep testing, shown here, that I will have more to say about later. I also have to fine tune on my Karate Monkey as a possible rig to ride on the GTDRI route, but if my shoulder is still acting up, I may be swapping over to a completely different set up.

Then I have that Inbred sitting down in the Lab that needs to be put together at some point. I still need a head set to get that one rolling. However; I also have a bike for my son to finish up. That's in the works, and a few small parts have been procured along with a couple other odds and ends that I'll need to finally put that one together. It is really weird how one, small detail can hold up an entire build.

Finally, I have a build, or really, I should say "modification", that has been in the works for a long time, but I have spread out the parts necessary over a longer period because this one is expensive. Well, actually by waiting I got a break due to some recent downspec by SRAM, so I'll have that stuff coming in when it is available from SRAM, and then the "Frankenstein" operation will commence. This one will be an odd mix, which I know people with "official ties" will be shaking their heads at, saying "no, no no!", but I have been curious as to whether or not this will work. Then if it doesn't, I have a bail-out plan, but it would cost even more money. That's what I am trying to avoid.

Stay tuned.....

Have a great weekend and I'll see ya Monday.

Goin' South

This bike on that truck.

Today I'm heading South with Tony, who is competing in the Dirty Kanza 200 this year. I am not riding in the Dirty Kanza 200. I am going along as a traveling companion, to see old friends, pass out a few stickers, and then go do my own ride on Saturday while all the DK200 mayhem is going on.

I'll be taking along the Fargo Gen I as a test sled for a possible rig for Odin's Revenge. My shoulder that I injured in a fall on ice last Winter is giving me fits sometimes on my "regular" drop bar bikes. I have found that by slightly turning my hands inward or outward, the pain is relieved. So, maybe a Luxy Bar with its extreme sweep may be the answer. Maybe it won't be, but there is only one way to find out, right?

I used this same bike on the Geezer Ride and I do not recall being in serious agony with the shoulder, so it may be that I have to go with a handle bar like this for Odin's. If it doesn't pan out, I am going to have to swap to one of my flat bar bikes, I guess.

Anyway, I was poking around on the KDOT site and found the county maps I need to plot out my own course. Since this year's DK is totally South of Emporia, I am going to venture Northward. I figure on at least a metric century so I can add it to my Cup-O-Dirt Challenge totals.

Okay, I am out of town till Sunday. If you see me in Emporia, hit me up for a RidingGravel.com sticker and say hello. Otherwise, I'm outta here. I have a couple of posts in the can for tomorrow and Saturday, so take care and I'll see y'all Monday, hopefully, with a full accounting of the trip.

Goin' South

This bike on that truck.

Today I'm heading South with Tony, who is competing in the Dirty Kanza 200 this year. I am not riding in the Dirty Kanza 200. I am going along as a traveling companion, to see old friends, pass out a few stickers, and then go do my own ride on Saturday while all the DK200 mayhem is going on.

I'll be taking along the Fargo Gen I as a test sled for a possible rig for Odin's Revenge. My shoulder that I injured in a fall on ice last Winter is giving me fits sometimes on my "regular" drop bar bikes. I have found that by slightly turning my hands inward or outward, the pain is relieved. So, maybe a Luxy Bar with its extreme sweep may be the answer. Maybe it won't be, but there is only one way to find out, right?

I used this same bike on the Geezer Ride and I do not recall being in serious agony with the shoulder, so it may be that I have to go with a handle bar like this for Odin's. If it doesn't pan out, I am going to have to swap to one of my flat bar bikes, I guess.

Anyway, I was poking around on the KDOT site and found the county maps I need to plot out my own course. Since this year's DK is totally South of Emporia, I am going to venture Northward. I figure on at least a metric century so I can add it to my Cup-O-Dirt Challenge totals.

Okay, I am out of town till Sunday. If you see me in Emporia, hit me up for a RidingGravel.com sticker and say hello. Otherwise, I'm outta here. I have a couple of posts in the can for tomorrow and Saturday, so take care and I'll see y'all Monday, hopefully, with a full accounting of the trip.

The Six String Side: 1990 Eric Clapton Signature "Blackie" Fender Stratocaster

When I started this blog over ten years ago, I stated that it was a "Bicycle and guitar oriented elixir....". Well, the "guitar" part sort of got pushed out by the bicycle stuff, but I've always been playing. In the Easter post, I mentioned playing my '90 Strat, and someone suggested I detail the fleet, so here ya go. Hopefully ya'll enjoy the change in pace. I'll post something periodically throughout the year. Here's #5

1990 was the first year a black Clapton signature model was offered.

In 1988 I got my first Stratocaster, (seen here), and by 1989 I was well aware of the Eric Clapton Signature version, which Bob, who I purchased my Strat from when he worked at the Music Corner, was playing a version of in his band at the time. Back then you could get an EC Signature Strat in Candy Green, Pewter, and Torino Red, which was a tomato soup color, really. Very early in 1991, G&G Music, the shop Bob co-owned at the time, got in a black EC Signature Strat, which Bob quickly noted was the color of Clapton's favorite Strat which the EC Signature was based off of. That 1957 Strat was dubbed "Blackie" by Clapton, and so the black Signature model had "Blackie" on the headstock.

The signature Claptons were USA made models, of course, but Fender wasn't selling "Custom Shop" models of anything back then to the public that I am aware of, so this was the pinnacle of the Strat line up at the time. It had Lace Sensor pickups, just like my '88 has, and a special tone circuit with a 25db "mid-boost" which was controlled by a "tone knob", which really was a boost control knob. This circuit is powered by a 9 volt battery hidden in the tremolo cavity. The story was that Clapton liked the way it thickened up the bridge pickup and gave it a throaty, humbucker sound. I guess I never thought that because it always sounds "muddy" to my ears, but whatever.

The second "Tone" knob had a special circuit as well. Going up from 0-5 on the knob, it was supposed to react like a traditional tone knob, but from a detent position at "5" on up to 10, it was a "TBX" tone which was supposed to be brighter and "better". Now that part did sound right to my ears, so I always make use of that in my playing when I use this guitar. Clapton never used the tremolo bridge option, so he blocked it and that's how you get your EC Signature out of the box. I was on board with that, so I even went as far as not removing the little orange sticker that came over the hole in the bridge plate you screw the tremolo arm into.

Beyond those things, this is pretty much a '57 Strat reissue with a custom neck profile spec'ed by Clapton. The pick guard is single ply with less screws holding it on than my '88 has. The bridge saddles are bent steel, which I feel have more "pop" than the saddles on the '88 do. The tuners are traditionally styled ones, which work fine if you stick with the guitar in "hard tail" mode.

That orange sticker has been on there since I got the guitar new.

 So, the story about how I got this guitar is a bit odd, really. Like I said, Bob showed it to me first, and I had another guy play it so I could listen to it critically without being overly stimulated by it's feel and then not hearing it clearly. I know, that may sound odd, but I am able to listen better to a new guitar if I am not actually playing it. Anyway, I loved it, but it was north of $1200.00 and I didn't have that kind of cash, especially when considering that I was about to get married for the first time back then. Well, I kept coming back to "visit" this guitar, hoping against hope I would be able to snag it later on down the road after things had settled down with my life. Then one day I came in and it was gone. Oh well! Probably for the best.

Well, my first wife actually got it for me as a wedding gift, and I played it with the band that I hired to play at our wedding. Funny thing was, (well, not funny, maybe ironically), my first wife got hooked on methamphetamine and left me, never to return. The guitar was connected to her, and for a while, I considered selling it. Then I realized that by doing that, it wouldn't really settle anything, so I ended up keeping it around. It doesn't bother me in that way anymore at all. It is what it is. Just a guitar.

What is weird is that neck profile, a "soft V", which is radically different than my "shallow C" profile on the '88 Strat. Guitarists are a fickle bunch, and neck feel is important, but I like both necks for different reasons. Oh, and some folks say this "Blackie" model wasn't available till '91, but the serial number dates this as a '90, so I'm calling it a 1990 model. At any rate, I am the original owner, and that's my story on this black Strat! Hope y'all enjoyed it. Look for another guitar to be featured soon.

The Six String Side: 1990 Eric Clapton Signature "Blackie" Fender Stratocaster

When I started this blog over ten years ago, I stated that it was a "Bicycle and guitar oriented elixir....". Well, the "guitar" part sort of got pushed out by the bicycle stuff, but I've always been playing. In the Easter post, I mentioned playing my '90 Strat, and someone suggested I detail the fleet, so here ya go. Hopefully ya'll enjoy the change in pace. I'll post something periodically throughout the year. Here's #5

1990 was the first year a black Clapton signature model was offered.

In 1988 I got my first Stratocaster, (seen here), and by 1989 I was well aware of the Eric Clapton Signature version, which Bob, who I purchased my Strat from when he worked at the Music Corner, was playing a version of in his band at the time. Back then you could get an EC Signature Strat in Candy Green, Pewter, and Torino Red, which was a tomato soup color, really. Very early in 1991, G&G Music, the shop Bob co-owned at the time, got in a black EC Signature Strat, which Bob quickly noted was the color of Clapton's favorite Strat which the EC Signature was based off of. That 1957 Strat was dubbed "Blackie" by Clapton, and so the black Signature model had "Blackie" on the headstock.

The signature Claptons were USA made models, of course, but Fender wasn't selling "Custom Shop" models of anything back then to the public that I am aware of, so this was the pinnacle of the Strat line up at the time. It had Lace Sensor pickups, just like my '88 has, and a special tone circuit with a 25db "mid-boost" which was controlled by a "tone knob", which really was a boost control knob. This circuit is powered by a 9 volt battery hidden in the tremolo cavity. The story was that Clapton liked the way it thickened up the bridge pickup and gave it a throaty, humbucker sound. I guess I never thought that because it always sounds "muddy" to my ears, but whatever.

The second "Tone" knob had a special circuit as well. Going up from 0-5 on the knob, it was supposed to react like a traditional tone knob, but from a detent position at "5" on up to 10, it was a "TBX" tone which was supposed to be brighter and "better". Now that part did sound right to my ears, so I always make use of that in my playing when I use this guitar. Clapton never used the tremolo bridge option, so he blocked it and that's how you get your EC Signature out of the box. I was on board with that, so I even went as far as not removing the little orange sticker that came over the hole in the bridge plate you screw the tremolo arm into.

Beyond those things, this is pretty much a '57 Strat reissue with a custom neck profile spec'ed by Clapton. The pick guard is single ply with less screws holding it on than my '88 has. The bridge saddles are bent steel, which I feel have more "pop" than the saddles on the '88 do. The tuners are traditionally styled ones, which work fine if you stick with the guitar in "hard tail" mode.

That orange sticker has been on there since I got the guitar new.

 So, the story about how I got this guitar is a bit odd, really. Like I said, Bob showed it to me first, and I had another guy play it so I could listen to it critically without being overly stimulated by it's feel and then not hearing it clearly. I know, that may sound odd, but I am able to listen better to a new guitar if I am not actually playing it. Anyway, I loved it, but it was north of $1200.00 and I didn't have that kind of cash, especially when considering that I was about to get married for the first time back then. Well, I kept coming back to "visit" this guitar, hoping against hope I would be able to snag it later on down the road after things had settled down with my life. Then one day I came in and it was gone. Oh well! Probably for the best.

Well, my first wife actually got it for me as a wedding gift, and I played it with the band that I hired to play at our wedding. Funny thing was, (well, not funny, maybe ironically), my first wife got hooked on methamphetamine and left me, never to return. The guitar was connected to her, and for a while, I considered selling it. Then I realized that by doing that, it wouldn't really settle anything, so I ended up keeping it around. It doesn't bother me in that way anymore at all. It is what it is. Just a guitar.

What is weird is that neck profile, a "soft V", which is radically different than my "shallow C" profile on the '88 Strat. Guitarists are a fickle bunch, and neck feel is important, but I like both necks for different reasons. Oh, and some folks say this "Blackie" model wasn't available till '91, but the serial number dates this as a '90, so I'm calling it a 1990 model. At any rate, I am the original owner, and that's my story on this black Strat! Hope y'all enjoyed it. Look for another guitar to be featured soon.