Country Views: Not The Ride I Was Looking For

The roads East of Waterloo are pretty torn up yet in spots.

Yeah......... This was supposed to be the day I was going to tell you all about my Prairie Burn 100 story. Well, that ain't gonna happen because of a forgetful brain and circumstances. You see, I got up Saturday, drove about halfway to Grinnell, which is 40+ miles, and realized I had forgotten my clipless shoes at home.

I. Felt. Terrible.

Anyway, I turned around and went home. There was no way I could get back to register on time. So, instead, I went to the farmer's market with Mrs. Guitar Ted, I attended a graduation party for one of my son's friends, and then I went on a ride by myself.

It was good. It wasn't the ride I was looking for that morning. It was the ride I needed to do. It was probably a really good thing I didn't do the Prairie Burn 100, in retrospect. I am pretty sure I would have struggled mightily. Not because of anything other than where I am at in Life at the moment. While I cannot divulge what it is exactly that is going on, my work situation is causing major stress at the moment, and I haven't been myself for several weeks now. I think if you know me and have seen me lately, you probably have gotten that vibe. Things have been pretty depressing, and I have had a hard time coping. So, forgetting my shoes doesn't surprise me at all. It is a result of where I am at now. I needed some time alone. Not with a crowd. I apologize to those who were looking forward to seeing me. I hope you can forgive me this indulgence.

So, I headed East. That was the direction the wind was out of and I haven't gone that way in a long time. It was a good ride of over three hours. I turned my phone off. I didn't use my GPS computer. I just rode my bicycle.

Barns For Jason

Barns For Jason- Part 2.

Things are greening up out in the country very quickly. There are a few freshly planted fields and more than a few untilled ones. More than I can recollect ever. We used to have this government funded program which paid farmers to leave fields alone for a year, but this isn't because of any subsidy this year. It is because we have had the coldest, wettest May in years.

Obviously you can see that it was a blue bird, big sky kind of day. The east wind was stiff, and it was dry! Low humidity in the upper 20's and lower 30's is super rare this time of year. It felt like I was riding in Kansas! This also has caused the roads to become broken down in many spots to a dusty/sandy condition. Very unusual.

Barns For Jason- Part 3

I ended up going as far East as the outskirts of Dunkerton, then North to Bennington Road, then I "stair-stepped" back West and South so I didn't have a long stretch of headwind. The wind was kind of out of the Southeast, but was mainly East. Going South wasn't bad, but it was way slower than going West!

I did extend my "Year Of The Dog" experiences again. This time it was a trio of "ankle biters". One was lame, so it was not really a threat, but the hoary old grey and black dog was still spry and meant business. A younger dog came out last and dared to defy its owner, much to the owner's chagrin. She apologized profusely. It was no big deal, but again.... The dog encounters this year have been off the charts. I have no idea why.

When your bike is ditch flower color coordinated.

A big Ag sprayer kicks up copious amounts of dust as it travels down a gravel road Northeast of Waterloo, Iowa.

So, it wasn't the Prairie Burn 100. I didn't ride with a bunch of other gravel freaks. I didn't see people that were expecting me. I am truly sorry, but I did get my head on straight Saturday, and that was worth more than anything else to me. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have had quite the same experience in Grinnell.

There is light at the end of the tunnel though. I just have to hold out to get there. In the meantime, I am going to keep pedaling, keep my head up, and keep trusting that there is something good coming out of all of this. Time will tell.

Trans Iowa Stories: Jeff Kerkove & Guitar Ted - Part 2

From a meeting at Interbike, circa 2010- (Image by Sonya Looney)

In this post we follow up on Jeff's original intentions for Trans Iowa and how this led us to a seminal meeting with Richard, "Deke" Gosen. This meeting was part of the skeleton of the philosophical basis for Trans Iowa's future. 

The thing one needs to keep in mind about the first Trans Iowa is that all along Jeff wanted it to be a mountain bike race. You may recall his question I have quoted over the years to me which precipitated the snap decision to put on an event. Well, just before that we were actually trying to figure out if, somehow or another, we could string together snippets of the rare Iowa single track, linked by gravel roads, into a cross state route. That was the original intention behind what was to become Trans Iowa. It was supposed to have been an ultra-endurance mountain biking event.

And why wouldn't that have been the goal? Jeff was in the upper tier of solo 24hr racers at the time. It wasn't unusual for Jeff to come home the winner of one of those hamster wheel events on dirt. He was a highly regarded racer in the scene, and he had a very popular blog. He was sponsored by top tier companies like Giant and Cat Eye. Jeff was a mountain biker. Not a gravel grinder.

But Jeff was also well acquainted with gravel riding. He trained on gravel roads all the time for their higher resistance and more rolling terrain. That said, this new event was first and foremost promoted as a mountain bike adventure. NOT a gravel grinder. That's why you will still see references to the "Trans Iowa Mountain Bike Race" on the Trans Iowa site. Jeff wrote most of that blogsite up and created it in 2004. I left it as intact as I could since. So, the evidence is still there.

This is not only important from a ideological perspective, but also from an influencing perspective. Jeff, of course, tried to get his endurance riding friends and acquaintances on board with the idea, and most of them were excited about the prospects of a cross-state adventure. Sure, there was some grousing by many that it wasn't in a mountainous state, but Jeff managed to get many of the heavyweights of the solo, ultra-endurance mountain biking folks to commit to coming. They did this in deference to who Jeff was. Had I been the one doing the promoting, well...... Trans Iowa would never had been heard from again.

The whole mountain biking aspect of the original idea was why we stuck the single track of Pilot Knob State Park in the middle of the route.  That was by my suggestion, if I recall, since I had ridden there back in 1995 or '96 with friends of mine from my first bike shop gig. We were also thinking about tying into the single track in Decorah, then running the route on to Lansing, Iowa, on the eastern border. However; when Jeff contacted the race director of the Decorah Time Trials, Richard, "Deke" Gosen, about this possibility, he came back with some other ideas.

Deke's ideas were to run the inaugural event Jeff was proposing to coincide with the running of the Decorah Time Trials which traditionally had always been held on the last full weekend of April. That way we could cross promote this new, crazy idea and the Decorah Time Trials. Deke was a bit reticent to have us running a similar course as his at the end of Trans Iowa, but offered that they could man a finish line which would be right where the time trial's was at. Also, Deke insisted on meeting face to face with us. So, one day in late 2004, we trekked up to Decorah to sit down with Deke.

The meeting was a bit awkward, but since Deke had run gravel events before back in the 80's, we were eager to be as absorbent as possible so we could learn something of how it was he did things. I do recall some banter about the old races, and "gravel grinding", the old roadie way of training on gravel. Then Deke asked us the strangest question.

"If you put on this event, and no one finishes it, will you be okay with that?"

Silence for a second or two. Jeff's and my eyes met for a brief moment. It was silently understood what the answer would be. We both agreed that would be okay.

"Yeah. I see no problem with that.", or something to that effect, was said by the both of us. Deke, who had been leaning in with a very intent look on his face then suddenly sat back, smiled, and said, "Good! Now we can get on with the rest of it!"

Deke later explained that had we been reticent to have an event so difficult that no one would finish it, he wouldn't have helped us out. His take was that this sort of challenge should be without compromise, but we had to realize as well that there was a huge responsibility on our part to be caretakers of that challenge, and of those who trusted us to pick that challenge up. This was a pivotal grain of wisdom which guided me for 14 years of Trans Iowa events. It was something I took hold of and based much of what I did around. Without Deke and his meeting with us, I very much doubt Jeff and I would have started out on the right foot with Trans Iowa.

Next: Why danger figures heavily into not only Trans Iowa, but the early gravel racing scene as a whole. 

Trans Iowa Stories: Jeff Kerkove & Guitar Ted - Part 2

From a meeting at Interbike, circa 2010- (Image by Sonya Looney)

In this post we follow up on Jeff's original intentions for Trans Iowa and how this led us to a seminal meeting with Richard, "Deke" Gosen. This meeting was part of the skeleton of the philosophical basis for Trans Iowa's future. 

The thing one needs to keep in mind about the first Trans Iowa is that all along Jeff wanted it to be a mountain bike race. You may recall his question I have quoted over the years to me which precipitated the snap decision to put on an event. Well, just before that we were actually trying to figure out if, somehow or another, we could string together snippets of the rare Iowa single track, linked by gravel roads, into a cross state route. That was the original intention behind what was to become Trans Iowa. It was supposed to have been an ultra-endurance mountain biking event.

And why wouldn't that have been the goal? Jeff was in the upper tier of solo 24hr racers at the time. It wasn't unusual for Jeff to come home the winner of one of those hamster wheel events on dirt. He was a highly regarded racer in the scene, and he had a very popular blog. He was sponsored by top tier companies like Giant and Cat Eye. Jeff was a mountain biker. Not a gravel grinder.

But Jeff was also well acquainted with gravel riding. He trained on gravel roads all the time for their higher resistance and more rolling terrain. That said, this new event was first and foremost promoted as a mountain bike adventure. NOT a gravel grinder. That's why you will still see references to the "Trans Iowa Mountain Bike Race" on the Trans Iowa site. Jeff wrote most of that blogsite up and created it in 2004. I left it as intact as I could since. So, the evidence is still there.

This is not only important from a ideological perspective, but also from an influencing perspective. Jeff, of course, tried to get his endurance riding friends and acquaintances on board with the idea, and most of them were excited about the prospects of a cross-state adventure. Sure, there was some grousing by many that it wasn't in a mountainous state, but Jeff managed to get many of the heavyweights of the solo, ultra-endurance mountain biking folks to commit to coming. They did this in deference to who Jeff was. Had I been the one doing the promoting, well...... Trans Iowa would never had been heard from again.

The whole mountain biking aspect of the original idea was why we stuck the single track of Pilot Knob State Park in the middle of the route.  That was by my suggestion, if I recall, since I had ridden there back in 1995 or '96 with friends of mine from my first bike shop gig. We were also thinking about tying into the single track in Decorah, then running the route on to Lansing, Iowa, on the eastern border. However; when Jeff contacted the race director of the Decorah Time Trials, Richard, "Deke" Gosen, about this possibility, he came back with some other ideas.

Deke's ideas were to run the inaugural event Jeff was proposing to coincide with the running of the Decorah Time Trials which traditionally had always been held on the last full weekend of April. That way we could cross promote this new, crazy idea and the Decorah Time Trials. Deke was a bit reticent to have us running a similar course as his at the end of Trans Iowa, but offered that they could man a finish line which would be right where the time trial's was at. Also, Deke insisted on meeting face to face with us. So, one day in late 2004, we trekked up to Decorah to sit down with Deke.

The meeting was a bit awkward, but since Deke had run gravel events before back in the 80's, we were eager to be as absorbent as possible so we could learn something of how it was he did things. I do recall some banter about the old races, and "gravel grinding", the old roadie way of training on gravel. Then Deke asked us the strangest question.

"If you put on this event, and no one finishes it, will you be okay with that?"

Silence for a second or two. Jeff's and my eyes met for a brief moment. It was silently understood what the answer would be. We both agreed that would be okay.

"Yeah. I see no problem with that.", or something to that effect, was said by the both of us. Deke, who had been leaning in with a very intent look on his face then suddenly sat back, smiled, and said, "Good! Now we can get on with the rest of it!"

Deke later explained that had we been reticent to have an event so difficult that no one would finish it, he wouldn't have helped us out. His take was that this sort of challenge should be without compromise, but we had to realize as well that there was a huge responsibility on our part to be caretakers of that challenge, and of those who trusted us to pick that challenge up. This was a pivotal grain of wisdom which guided me for 14 years of Trans Iowa events. It was something I took hold of and based much of what I did around. Without Deke and his meeting with us, I very much doubt Jeff and I would have started out on the right foot with Trans Iowa.

Next: Why danger figures heavily into not only Trans Iowa, but the early gravel racing scene as a whole. 

Minus Ten Review 2009-23

The start of the 2009 Dirty Kanza 200. From the original start in a motel parking lot.

Ten years ago this week I was telling the story of my 2009 attempt at the Dirty Kanza 200. The year I had a wicked head cold and barely made CP#1.

That year saw, what I reported then as, 85 folks taking the start. Imagine that! The DK200 pre-ride has three times that many riders! It was a much smaller and much more intimate affair back in the day.

This would mark the beginning of the end of those days though. The next year, 2010, marked the year the event started in front of the Granada Theater for the first time and the pre-race was at a different motel than we had used the first four years. 2010 was also the last year I went to the DK until 2015. By 2015 the event was BIG TIME. Nothing at all like the halcyon days of yore that built the foundation of what people think of as the "rootsy, good feeling event" when they think about the DK200 these days.

Anyway, I happened to walk out onto the back patio of the seedy motel the DK200 used to run out of that year in 2009. I saw a man talking to Jim Cummings. He was a local business man and was telling Jim that this deal oughta be held downtown. There could be side events, more hoopla, getting the town involved, and "whatta ya think?". Well, we all know where that went after that conversation.

And I went on a vacation right after that. In fact, I went with my family and we stayed a few days in Bellevue, Nebraska where my wife had a best friend and her family ask us to stay with them. This gave me the opportunity to sample some fine Nebraska single track and have MG as my personal guide to it all. The THOR trails were great then, but I understand they are even better now.

This might be from near the top of Texaco Hill. The '09 route went South that year to start.

I did a bit of Swanson Park myself and with MG again. I also rode Jewell Park, which was short, but steep and demanding. I also got down to Platte River and rode, which was tremendously fun and challenging. All in all it was a big deal to me to have that opportunity and to have ridden with MG so much.

I did a big write up on the experience for "Twenty Nine Inches" and this blog, plus I think I sent my story in to be published in a Nebraska magazine. I don't remember, but I am pretty sure that happened. If I am right, it was one of my first published articles in a print magazine. Pretty good for only having been a blogger for four years!

So, it all ended up becoming a great trip, despite the sting of being snake bitten again in Kansas. I chalked that year up to just the misfortune of being sick, and to the weather. It was in the high 90's, maybe over 100 that year, and the wind was fierce! There hasn't been a year like it in recent memory. So, I figured one more go at it at the least and I could see what I could do with fresher legs and healthier lungs. I immediately gave thought to coming back the next year.

Minus Ten Review 2009-23

The start of the 2009 Dirty Kanza 200. From the original start in a motel parking lot.

Ten years ago this week I was telling the story of my 2009 attempt at the Dirty Kanza 200. The year I had a wicked head cold and barely made CP#1.

That year saw, what I reported then as, 85 folks taking the start. Imagine that! The DK200 pre-ride has three times that many riders! It was a much smaller and much more intimate affair back in the day.

This would mark the beginning of the end of those days though. The next year, 2010, marked the year the event started in front of the Granada Theater for the first time and the pre-race was at a different motel than we had used the first four years. 2010 was also the last year I went to the DK until 2015. By 2015 the event was BIG TIME. Nothing at all like the halcyon days of yore that built the foundation of what people think of as the "rootsy, good feeling event" when they think about the DK200 these days.

Anyway, I happened to walk out onto the back patio of the seedy motel the DK200 used to run out of that year in 2009. I saw a man talking to Jim Cummings. He was a local business man and was telling Jim that this deal oughta be held downtown. There could be side events, more hoopla, getting the town involved, and "whatta ya think?". Well, we all know where that went after that conversation.

And I went on a vacation right after that. In fact, I went with my family and we stayed a few days in Bellevue, Nebraska where my wife had a best friend and her family ask us to stay with them. This gave me the opportunity to sample some fine Nebraska single track and have MG as my personal guide to it all. The THOR trails were great then, but I understand they are even better now.

This might be from near the top of Texaco Hill. The '09 route went South that year to start.

I did a bit of Swanson Park myself and with MG again. I also rode Jewell Park, which was short, but steep and demanding. I also got down to Platte River and rode, which was tremendously fun and challenging. All in all it was a big deal to me to have that opportunity and to have ridden with MG so much.

I did a big write up on the experience for "Twenty Nine Inches" and this blog, plus I think I sent my story in to be published in a Nebraska magazine. I don't remember, but I am pretty sure that happened. If I am right, it was one of my first published articles in a print magazine. Pretty good for only having been a blogger for four years!

So, it all ended up becoming a great trip, despite the sting of being snake bitten again in Kansas. I chalked that year up to just the misfortune of being sick, and to the weather. It was in the high 90's, maybe over 100 that year, and the wind was fierce! There hasn't been a year like it in recent memory. So, I figured one more go at it at the least and I could see what I could do with fresher legs and healthier lungs. I immediately gave thought to coming back the next year.

Friday News And Views

This Knolly gravel Ti frame was seen as kind of a novelty, but it is seriously cool.

The Knolly Cache Story:

A while back I posted about this new titanium gravel frame from the small but popular company, Knolly. This a company not known for its jumping on trends or for anything other than full suspension mountain bikes. So, at first it was easy to dismiss this as a way to cash in on the gravel trend. Hmm.... Cache- Cash? Interesting...........

Anyway, I filed that away as something I'd likely never hear about again. I mean, I cannot count how many companies send me glowing press releases about some new bicycle only to have that fade into the background noise so fast that it never resurfaces again. Not that the bicycles were, or are bad, but the business being so small, and with certain perceptions of the ridership so firmly held, I never get too excited about anything out of the "left field", as it were. One in a million catches on, but you can pretty much discount most of these deals. The Knolly Cache fell squarely into that mold for me.

Much to Knolly's credit, they have made a PR push on the bike and actually have one of the most informative webpages on a bike I have seen in a while. It's actually interesting, and engaging. I recommend taking a look, even if you don't have any intentions of buying this bike. The frame tech talk alone is worth it. Check it out here.

A "high end" 36"er? Yep! (Image courtesy of Bike Radar)

Fancy-Pants 36"er:

Back ten years ago and more, when Ben Witt told me about this crazy idea for a 36 inch wheeled mountain bike, I thought it was a bit of a fool's errand, to be honest. There was nothing for wheels, and the geometry wasn't dialed in, not to mention what to do with frame design.

Well, of course, Ben pulled it off, and not only that, he had two of these behemoths built. That kind of spurred on a bit of movement in the realm of 36" wheeled mountain bikes. A few builders picked up torches and worked on making the idea legitimate. Then a few companies came around with nothing but 36" wheeled mtb's. Tires and rims got better. Then that seemed "good enough" for quite some time. I never saw much else being developed around those huge hula-hoops.

But that all changed the other day when i came across this "Bike Radar" story about a company that built up a 36"er with front suspension and carbon rims! Not just any ol' carbon rims either, but the high end, Italian made Alchemist rims. Talk about bling! That's crazy stuff right there. And top that off with the upside down MRP suspension fork, and you've got one mighty capable 36"er.

I know Ben Witt is pretty humble about this, but I think you have to tip the cap to him for setting off that big hoop idea in motion back in what? 2006? Anyway, look what they did with that idea now. I'm pretty blown away by this bike, to be honest. It might not be my cup-o-tea, but it sure is cool.

A Wheels Manufacturing T-47 bottom bracket.

Is Press-Fit Finally Going To Die?

In a recent announcement, Trek has confirmed that it is using a T-47(-ish) bottom bracket standard now in the 2020 Crockett cyclo-cross bikes. There is a hint that it may actually go across Trek's entire line of bikes currently using Press-Fit style bottom brackets.

This might be a good time to review why we have Press Fit to begin with. The reasons are "lighter weight" and "ease of manufacturing", but not necessarily both in every case. First- lighter weight: The carbon frame technology had reached a point where eliminating metal interfaces with bearings had become possible. Molded "pockets" took the place of threaded metal inserts. This advanced frame technology into the 'super-light" categories quickly. Then there is the "ease of manufacturing". traditional threaded bottom brackets rely on perfectly parallel surfaces for precise alignment of bearing cups. Threading also is an extra step in machining. This all could be eliminated by simply running a hone through a shell to insure roundness and then pressing in plastic cups which themselves held bearings. the plastic deforms to any out of trueness in the inside diameter of the bottom bracket shell, thus saving money and simplifying manufacturing processes.

So, what's the big deal? Well, problems arose when contamination between the bottom bracket shell and the plastic bearing cups occured and the "squeaky,groaning" noises started driving riders nuts. This was in any frame using those cheap, plastic press in cups. The carbon pockets, most notably on Trek frames, weren't always at the tolerances they should be, and wear over time also showed up, causing Trek to have to manufacture over-size bearings that would press in with a bearing press instead of just being hand-removable parts. Not to mention the ease of which these Press Fit bearings would go bad due to exposure to the elements.

Metal framed users could always opt for one of the expensive "thread-together" solutions, but then Chris King came up with the idea of actually threading these Press Fit bottom bracket shells and they made a cartridge unit that would thread into this. They dubbed it "T-47". This happened about four years ago.

A few other companies picked up on the idea, but it basically was something in the realm of custom, NAHBS type bicycles and no mainstream companies were looking at this, until now. So, why go T-47? Well, it still allows manufacturers to utilize those wide shells to place chain stays outboard as far as possible for maximum frame stiffness and maximum tire clearances. Plus, it gets rid of the problems Press Fit introduced. Sure, it will cause more expense, and in carbon frames cases, heavier weights, but other areas of technology have advanced now to keep the overall weights of bicycles really low, so this won't be that big of an impact anyway in regard to weight.

So, with Trek thinking about making T-47 a spec throughout its line, that may signal a sea change across the industry. Maybe the days of Press Fit bottom brackets are numbered. It will be interesting to watch.

That's it for his week. Keep the rubber side down and have a great bicycling adventure this weekend!

Friday News And Views

This Knolly gravel Ti frame was seen as kind of a novelty, but it is seriously cool.

The Knolly Cache Story:

A while back I posted about this new titanium gravel frame from the small but popular company, Knolly. This a company not known for its jumping on trends or for anything other than full suspension mountain bikes. So, at first it was easy to dismiss this as a way to cash in on the gravel trend. Hmm.... Cache- Cash? Interesting...........

Anyway, I filed that away as something I'd likely never hear about again. I mean, I cannot count how many companies send me glowing press releases about some new bicycle only to have that fade into the background noise so fast that it never resurfaces again. Not that the bicycles were, or are bad, but the business being so small, and with certain perceptions of the ridership so firmly held, I never get too excited about anything out of the "left field", as it were. One in a million catches on, but you can pretty much discount most of these deals. The Knolly Cache fell squarely into that mold for me.

Much to Knolly's credit, they have made a PR push on the bike and actually have one of the most informative webpages on a bike I have seen in a while. It's actually interesting, and engaging. I recommend taking a look, even if you don't have any intentions of buying this bike. The frame tech talk alone is worth it. Check it out here.

A "high end" 36"er? Yep! (Image courtesy of Bike Radar)

Fancy-Pants 36"er:

Back ten years ago and more, when Ben Witt told me about this crazy idea for a 36 inch wheeled mountain bike, I thought it was a bit of a fool's errand, to be honest. There was nothing for wheels, and the geometry wasn't dialed in, not to mention what to do with frame design.

Well, of course, Ben pulled it off, and not only that, he had two of these behemoths built. That kind of spurred on a bit of movement in the realm of 36" wheeled mountain bikes. A few builders picked up torches and worked on making the idea legitimate. Then a few companies came around with nothing but 36" wheeled mtb's. Tires and rims got better. Then that seemed "good enough" for quite some time. I never saw much else being developed around those huge hula-hoops.

But that all changed the other day when i came across this "Bike Radar" story about a company that built up a 36"er with front suspension and carbon rims! Not just any ol' carbon rims either, but the high end, Italian made Alchemist rims. Talk about bling! That's crazy stuff right there. And top that off with the upside down MRP suspension fork, and you've got one mighty capable 36"er.

I know Ben Witt is pretty humble about this, but I think you have to tip the cap to him for setting off that big hoop idea in motion back in what? 2006? Anyway, look what they did with that idea now. I'm pretty blown away by this bike, to be honest. It might not be my cup-o-tea, but it sure is cool.

A Wheels Manufacturing T-47 bottom bracket.

Is Press-Fit Finally Going To Die?

In a recent announcement, Trek has confirmed that it is using a T-47(-ish) bottom bracket standard now in the 2020 Crockett cyclo-cross bikes. There is a hint that it may actually go across Trek's entire line of bikes currently using Press-Fit style bottom brackets.

This might be a good time to review why we have Press Fit to begin with. The reasons are "lighter weight" and "ease of manufacturing", but not necessarily both in every case. First- lighter weight: The carbon frame technology had reached a point where eliminating metal interfaces with bearings had become possible. Molded "pockets" took the place of threaded metal inserts. This advanced frame technology into the 'super-light" categories quickly. Then there is the "ease of manufacturing". traditional threaded bottom brackets rely on perfectly parallel surfaces for precise alignment of bearing cups. Threading also is an extra step in machining. This all could be eliminated by simply running a hone through a shell to insure roundness and then pressing in plastic cups which themselves held bearings. the plastic deforms to any out of trueness in the inside diameter of the bottom bracket shell, thus saving money and simplifying manufacturing processes.

So, what's the big deal? Well, problems arose when contamination between the bottom bracket shell and the plastic bearing cups occured and the "squeaky,groaning" noises started driving riders nuts. This was in any frame using those cheap, plastic press in cups. The carbon pockets, most notably on Trek frames, weren't always at the tolerances they should be, and wear over time also showed up, causing Trek to have to manufacture over-size bearings that would press in with a bearing press instead of just being hand-removable parts. Not to mention the ease of which these Press Fit bearings would go bad due to exposure to the elements.

Metal framed users could always opt for one of the expensive "thread-together" solutions, but then Chris King came up with the idea of actually threading these Press Fit bottom bracket shells and they made a cartridge unit that would thread into this. They dubbed it "T-47". This happened about four years ago.

A few other companies picked up on the idea, but it basically was something in the realm of custom, NAHBS type bicycles and no mainstream companies were looking at this, until now. So, why go T-47? Well, it still allows manufacturers to utilize those wide shells to place chain stays outboard as far as possible for maximum frame stiffness and maximum tire clearances. Plus, it gets rid of the problems Press Fit introduced. Sure, it will cause more expense, and in carbon frames cases, heavier weights, but other areas of technology have advanced now to keep the overall weights of bicycles really low, so this won't be that big of an impact anyway in regard to weight.

So, with Trek thinking about making T-47 a spec throughout its line, that may signal a sea change across the industry. Maybe the days of Press Fit bottom brackets are numbered. It will be interesting to watch.

That's it for his week. Keep the rubber side down and have a great bicycling adventure this weekend!

Gonna Go Climb That Hill

Switching out to purple Bike Bag Dude bags for the event.

Well, my riding this year has been pretty much on the down low compared to years past. That weather thing, Life, and work stress has all conspired to make 2019 pretty dismal as far as riding time goes. All that to say that I'm not expecting much from this Saturday's Prairie Burn 100.

In fact, I'm going in and treating it like an "organized training ride" and that's all my goals are for this. Just a ride. Nothing more, and the distinct possibility that it will end up being a short one. But I gotta start somewhere and climbing that hill isn't going to get easier the longer the year goes on.

But anyway, this event is perfect for exactly the reasons I am going for. It is not a race. It's pretty much just an organized ride with number plates. Speaking of which, it was famously announced just before the Almanzo this year that number plates were being eliminated. They were perceived as being a "barrier" to participation. Yeah.......I don't buy into that at all. In my view, it's the opposite. Number plates, if anything, are attracting folks to events. They are souvenirs of participation. I don't see that having them, or not, is a barrier. It's just a thing. It shows you "were there" and rode.

I recall one year at Trans Iowa we didn't have numbers at all. (T.I.v7) If anything, we heard more grumbling that we didn't have them. We heard nothing about how cool it was that we didn't have them. But I digress.........

I hear a lot of locals are going to be at the Prairie Burn 100 too. That's awesome. My friend, Tony, mentioned it is the kind of event, "we all want to go to." It's just a fun ride, a potentially good time with bands, music, and food. Of course, the gravel family will show up. That and hopefully new folks too. I just don't see any downside to it.

So, I'll ride it and get whatever I can get out of the riding part, then I'll hang out maybe a bit and come home. Should be a good time.

Gonna Go Climb That Hill

Switching out to purple Bike Bag Dude bags for the event.

Well, my riding this year has been pretty much on the down low compared to years past. That weather thing, Life, and work stress has all conspired to make 2019 pretty dismal as far as riding time goes. All that to say that I'm not expecting much from this Saturday's Prairie Burn 100.

In fact, I'm going in and treating it like an "organized training ride" and that's all my goals are for this. Just a ride. Nothing more, and the distinct possibility that it will end up being a short one. But I gotta start somewhere and climbing that hill isn't going to get easier the longer the year goes on.

But anyway, this event is perfect for exactly the reasons I am going for. It is not a race. It's pretty much just an organized ride with number plates. Speaking of which, it was famously announced just before the Almanzo this year that number plates were being eliminated. They were perceived as being a "barrier" to participation. Yeah.......I don't buy into that at all. In my view, it's the opposite. Number plates, if anything, are attracting folks to events. They are souvenirs of participation. I don't see that having them, or not, is a barrier. It's just a thing. It shows you "were there" and rode.

I recall one year at Trans Iowa we didn't have numbers at all. (T.I.v7) If anything, we heard more grumbling that we didn't have them. We heard nothing about how cool it was that we didn't have them. But I digress.........

I hear a lot of locals are going to be at the Prairie Burn 100 too. That's awesome. My friend, Tony, mentioned it is the kind of event, "we all want to go to." It's just a fun ride, a potentially good time with bands, music, and food. Of course, the gravel family will show up. That and hopefully new folks too. I just don't see any downside to it.

So, I'll ride it and get whatever I can get out of the riding part, then I'll hang out maybe a bit and come home. Should be a good time.

Ti Muk 2 Upgrade Path

 

Now that I have had the Ti Muk 2 for a bit I have a few things I want to get upgraded/straightened out on it. One thing is going to happen very soon here, the next thing fairly quickly, and the third thing probably not for a long time- if ever. 

The imminent upgrade happening is tires. the Ti Muk 2 came to me with Flowbeist and Dunderbeist tires which are great for traction but have a LOT of "rolling thunder", and they can be a lot of work on harder surfaces. Plus, I probably should save these for Winter and true off road.

So, I have a set of Terrene Cake Eaters coming. Lower knobs. Still has traction, but more for drier conditions and not bad on gravel. I have a big idea which a couple of other guys are wanting to join me for and those 45NRTH tires are just too rumbly and slow for this idea. Once those tires come in I will probably go tubless on the Whiskey carbon rims and see how that goes.

The second upgrade, which will happen soon is getting a rear rack. The reason for the rack is to get that rear generator light away from the rear tire and off that seat stay. It is in a position now that almost guarantees that I will destroy it. So, a rear rack settles that issue, and allows me versatility in carrying stuff, maybe even using panniers. The only question is what rack? Obviously the Salsa Alternator Rack is a good choice. If I can find a 170mm spaced one. Then I like the looks of the Tubus, but OMG! The thing is a tank. I don't need anything that gnarly. But anyway, whatever I get, I can then put that light on the back where it belongs and have a lead dress for the wiring that is tidy and safe.

The final upgrade is being considered, and I know what I want, but it will be so expensive, and not 100% necessary. I'm thinking about the fork. Salsa has a Kingpin Deluxe Fork with dynamo routing. Obviously that would really clean up the routing for the front end and make it more protected against harsh conditions. But.......five hundred clams. Ouch!

Stay tuned......more soon.

Ti Muk 2 Upgrade Path

 

Now that I have had the Ti Muk 2 for a bit I have a few things I want to get upgraded/straightened out on it. One thing is going to happen very soon here, the next thing fairly quickly, and the third thing probably not for a long time- if ever. 

The imminent upgrade happening is tires. the Ti Muk 2 came to me with Flowbeist and Dunderbeist tires which are great for traction but have a LOT of "rolling thunder", and they can be a lot of work on harder surfaces. Plus, I probably should save these for Winter and true off road.

So, I have a set of Terrene Cake Eaters coming. Lower knobs. Still has traction, but more for drier conditions and not bad on gravel. I have a big idea which a couple of other guys are wanting to join me for and those 45NRTH tires are just too rumbly and slow for this idea. Once those tires come in I will probably go tubless on the Whiskey carbon rims and see how that goes.

The second upgrade, which will happen soon is getting a rear rack. The reason for the rack is to get that rear generator light away from the rear tire and off that seat stay. It is in a position now that almost guarantees that I will destroy it. So, a rear rack settles that issue, and allows me versatility in carrying stuff, maybe even using panniers. The only question is what rack? Obviously the Salsa Alternator Rack is a good choice. If I can find a 170mm spaced one. Then I like the looks of the Tubus, but OMG! The thing is a tank. I don't need anything that gnarly. But anyway, whatever I get, I can then put that light on the back where it belongs and have a lead dress for the wiring that is tidy and safe.

The final upgrade is being considered, and I know what I want, but it will be so expensive, and not 100% necessary. I'm thinking about the fork. Salsa has a Kingpin Deluxe Fork with dynamo routing. Obviously that would really clean up the routing for the front end and make it more protected against harsh conditions. But.......five hundred clams. Ouch!

Stay tuned......more soon.

On Podiums- Or Not

Dismay at the 100% no-show for the DK200 Pro Men's podium awards shown by Rebecca Rusch's Tweet

Podium ceremonies are often held at the end of competitions in many forms of sport. Cycling being one of those sports, of course, and so why wouldn't a big event like the Dirty Kanza 200 have a podium celebration? I mean, if you are billing yourself as "The World's Premier Gravel Event", you probably should have a podium ceremony for the winners. 

Well, I have actually attended the podium ceremony for the DK200 a few times. I have noted no-shows before, and every time I went, there were more than a few, usually from amongst the age groupers. The "premier" over all podium ceremonies were almost 100% attended, as it should be for all podium ceremonies, not just the so called "top tier" event performers.

So, I noted this Rebecca Rusch Tweet Sunday evening and thought it was kind of sad. I would think that anyone signing up to do this event would bother to get to know the details of said event and plan ahead. (It's no secret that the DK has a podium ceremony, by the way) But I've seen it go the other way before. People not having a clue as to what they signed up for and then getting into hot water afterward when their actions didn't align with the stated rules or, as in this case, procedures, of the event. 

 Sometimes winners and placers cannot be at a podium ceremony, but if you are gunning for the top step, well, this ceremony should be the pinnacle of the event for you. Or at least part of the "Top Five" moments for you. I get it. Sometimes things happen, (and one of the Pro guys had owned his no-show publicly), but if you sign up with no intentions of doing the podium, if you earn it, then that is kind of an affront to the organizers. I guess most of the top male racers are offenders then, based on the image shown here today. If that is correct, that is a sad state of affairs.

Personally, I think podium ceremonies are goofy and infinitely boring to attend, but I can see the other side. Those riders earned that privilege.  The recognition of their achievements by their colleagues can be very rewarding. The organization went out of their way to provide a venue and set up the physical podium, PA, obtained the services of an announcer, and publicized the hoopla to the masses. The Dirty Kanza has a history of doing this ceremony. Most premier races have such events. If not showing up when you were expected to isn't an affront to all of that, I guess I just don't get it.

The Tweeted response to the "no-show" Pro Men's podium from the DK200 organization.

 That the organization knew ahead of time that some "travel & accommodation nuances" were going to affect the participation on Sunday morning, and that they bothered to even have the announcement Sunday with no Pro Men there is , on one hand, bad optics. On the other hand, the announcer is there, so "why not?" Then again- why should everyone else be expected to show up Sunday? (All the Pro Women showed up, by the way.) This is a messy looking deal, from where I sit, and I expect it will get ironed out. That said, if you are having "early podium" availability for media and what not Saturday evening, (and the DK200 promotions team did actually announce this on social media), and then you have a Sunday deal "for everyone else", that doesn't look like "equal participation across the board".

Then yesterday this appeared from Peter Stetina's Twitter feed

Again- It looks bad when you don't show up, whatever your reasons are. It also seems rather incredible that not one person organizing the Saturday "podium shot", nor any of the photographers on hand, told any of the five podium guys on Saturday night that there was a Sunday morning gig. That seems.....unlikely. Especially when it was something I had seen announced on Twitter Saturday evening. It's hard to believe not one of the five was told, or more than one of the five, but whatever. It is what it is.

Like I said, podium ceremonies are goofy. But what do I know? I'm just some dude in Iowa who wasn't there. So, there's that.....

On Podiums- Or Not

Dismay at the 100% no-show for the DK200 Pro Men's podium awards shown by Rebecca Rusch's Tweet

Podium ceremonies are often held at the end of competitions in many forms of sport. Cycling being one of those sports, of course, and so why wouldn't a big event like the Dirty Kanza 200 have a podium celebration? I mean, if you are billing yourself as "The World's Premier Gravel Event", you probably should have a podium ceremony for the winners. 

Well, I have actually attended the podium ceremony for the DK200 a few times. I have noted no-shows before, and every time I went, there were more than a few, usually from amongst the age groupers. The "premier" over all podium ceremonies were almost 100% attended, as it should be for all podium ceremonies, not just the so called "top tier" event performers.

So, I noted this Rebecca Rusch Tweet Sunday evening and thought it was kind of sad. I would think that anyone signing up to do this event would bother to get to know the details of said event and plan ahead. (It's no secret that the DK has a podium ceremony, by the way) But I've seen it go the other way before. People not having a clue as to what they signed up for and then getting into hot water afterward when their actions didn't align with the stated rules or, as in this case, procedures, of the event. 

 Sometimes winners and placers cannot be at a podium ceremony, but if you are gunning for the top step, well, this ceremony should be the pinnacle of the event for you. Or at least part of the "Top Five" moments for you. I get it. Sometimes things happen, (and one of the Pro guys had owned his no-show publicly), but if you sign up with no intentions of doing the podium, if you earn it, then that is kind of an affront to the organizers. I guess most of the top male racers are offenders then, based on the image shown here today. If that is correct, that is a sad state of affairs.

Personally, I think podium ceremonies are goofy and infinitely boring to attend, but I can see the other side. Those riders earned that privilege.  The recognition of their achievements by their colleagues can be very rewarding. The organization went out of their way to provide a venue and set up the physical podium, PA, obtained the services of an announcer, and publicized the hoopla to the masses. The Dirty Kanza has a history of doing this ceremony. Most premier races have such events. If not showing up when you were expected to isn't an affront to all of that, I guess I just don't get it.

The Tweeted response to the "no-show" Pro Men's podium from the DK200 organization.

 That the organization knew ahead of time that some "travel & accommodation nuances" were going to affect the participation on Sunday morning, and that they bothered to even have the announcement Sunday with no Pro Men there is , on one hand, bad optics. On the other hand, the announcer is there, so "why not?" Then again- why should everyone else be expected to show up Sunday? (All the Pro Women showed up, by the way.) This is a messy looking deal, from where I sit, and I expect it will get ironed out. That said, if you are having "early podium" availability for media and what not Saturday evening, (and the DK200 promotions team did actually announce this on social media), and then you have a Sunday deal "for everyone else", that doesn't look like "equal participation across the board".

Then yesterday this appeared from Peter Stetina's Twitter feed

Again- It looks bad when you don't show up, whatever your reasons are. It also seems rather incredible that not one person organizing the Saturday "podium shot", nor any of the photographers on hand, told any of the five podium guys on Saturday night that there was a Sunday morning gig. That seems.....unlikely. Especially when it was something I had seen announced on Twitter Saturday evening. It's hard to believe not one of the five was told, or more than one of the five, but whatever. It is what it is.

Like I said, podium ceremonies are goofy. But what do I know? I'm just some dude in Iowa who wasn't there. So, there's that.....

Messy Schedules

Due to the mayhem surrounding last week's events, this was all the cycling I got in.

Readers of the blog here know I value relationships with people to a high degree. That is most important when it comes to my family. Not much gets in the way of my cycling, but family trumps that every time.

So, last week, as you know, I had to forgo the DK200 trip since it was more than a stretch for me to get it in. In fact, it would have seriously encroached upon my enjoyment of another event, one far more important than any bicycle race. My only daughter graduated from high school.

So, besides the big commencement last week, I also ferried my daughter and Mrs. Guitar Ted to the airport, as I have written about, and then Wednesday was a wash since my schedule was waaaaay outta whack! Thursday I commuted to work and back on the Ti Muk 2. Friday- same. Friday night I figured on retiring early for a good night's rest and a Sunrise ramble on my gravel bike of choice. But.....I found out my son had a midnight football practice Friday night. 

Yes. Midnight.

See, according to Iowa High School Athletics' rules, no coach can hold an organized practice for the upcoming season of football until June 1st. That was Saturday. The date changed at midnight, so the coach of my son's team wanted West High to be of the first to hold organized practices for the 2019 season. Midnight to 2:00am!! 

So, I fetched my son at dark-thirty, took him home, and by the time I get to sleep the Dirty Kanza 200 riders were waking up to get ready for their day's ride. Uggh! I slept until 11:00am, then I had to leave at 2:30pm to get my wife and daughter at the Des Moines International Airport. Soooooo........

No gravel riding for me. 

Sunday was my daughter's graduation party. So......yeah. Not going to miss that either.

It's a new week. Glad that I spent the time doing the important things. That stuff you only get one chance at. Bicycle rides? They are a dime a dozen.

Messy Schedules

Due to the mayhem surrounding last week's events, this was all the cycling I got in.

Readers of the blog here know I value relationships with people to a high degree. That is most important when it comes to my family. Not much gets in the way of my cycling, but family trumps that every time.

So, last week, as you know, I had to forgo the DK200 trip since it was more than a stretch for me to get it in. In fact, it would have seriously encroached upon my enjoyment of another event, one far more important than any bicycle race. My only daughter graduated from high school.

So, besides the big commencement last week, I also ferried my daughter and Mrs. Guitar Ted to the airport, as I have written about, and then Wednesday was a wash since my schedule was waaaaay outta whack! Thursday I commuted to work and back on the Ti Muk 2. Friday- same. Friday night I figured on retiring early for a good night's rest and a Sunrise ramble on my gravel bike of choice. But.....I found out my son had a midnight football practice Friday night. 

Yes. Midnight.

See, according to Iowa High School Athletics' rules, no coach can hold an organized practice for the upcoming season of football until June 1st. That was Saturday. The date changed at midnight, so the coach of my son's team wanted West High to be of the first to hold organized practices for the 2019 season. Midnight to 2:00am!! 

So, I fetched my son at dark-thirty, took him home, and by the time I get to sleep the Dirty Kanza 200 riders were waking up to get ready for their day's ride. Uggh! I slept until 11:00am, then I had to leave at 2:30pm to get my wife and daughter at the Des Moines International Airport. Soooooo........

No gravel riding for me. 

Sunday was my daughter's graduation party. So......yeah. Not going to miss that either.

It's a new week. Glad that I spent the time doing the important things. That stuff you only get one chance at. Bicycle rides? They are a dime a dozen.

Trans Iowa Stories: Jeff Kerkove & Guitar Ted

He started on gravel and now he races on it again. (Image courtesy of the Spotted Horse)

Obviously there is no story to begin with without Jeff Kerkove. I've written about how he had the idea to start Trans Iowa, and in the process, he is really the one responsible for gravel/all road events as we know it today. Of course, he would never admit to that. 

But that alone speaks volumes to who Jeff Kerkove is. He never sought the spotlight, but he also never shied away from it when it was shone on him. I was lucky enough to work alongside of him for about four years. In that time, we became pretty good friends, even though I was just about old enough to be his father, and our common interests outside of cycling were few.

Jeff was a young man just out of college when I met him and he was a laser focused person. The most disciplined person I have ever gotten to know. He was going to be a really good solo 24hr endurance racer, and no one was going to get in his way. Nothing was worth going off the training program. So, socially, well........there was no social aspect to Jeff. He was either working at the shop, or working on his training. He always used to tell me, "Everything is training." he lived life that way 24-7, 365 days a year. He never let up.

Now, I was a beer drinkin' lackadaisical, goofy dude that was married, had two children, played guitar, and liked to ride bicycles. Why on Earth did Jeff want anything to do with me, or me with him, is anyone's guess, but I had more fun working with that man than I had a right to. We had the greatest times at work. 

Back in the days when I worked with Jeff, you'd never know he was such a serious young man.

We worked hard, for sure, but we had a LOT of memorable times and we took every opportunity to be silly, goof off, and lighten up the mood of the shop. In fact, it got to be such a tight bond that our own boss was jealous to the point he'd try to break it up when he heard us laughing and goofing off. Of course, we caught on to his ruses quickly. One of those that the old boss man would routinely use is that he would come out and start spinning yarns of the old days. The days when he raced criteriums in the 70's and early 80's, and especially about the time he and three other guys rode across Iowa in a day on road bikes.

Now, that is a feat and no one would argue that. Especially since, to anyone's knowledge today, it hadn't been done before these fellows did it in 1980. But after you've heard the story told for the 25th time, it gets a bit......well, it grates on the nerves. And we had been getting an earful one day in November 2004 to the point that eyeball rolling wasn't going to assuage our disdain for the story anymore.

So, a bit of frustration with that was all the fuel that was needed for bored minds to start going off on random ideas that might trump this story. A story that had worn out its welcome with us a long time before this. Besides, we knew it was a ruse to get us to pay attention to the boss, and to break up our fun and what little time we had to enjoy our relationship, such as it was then.

"How about if you tried to do it on a mountain bike on gravel roads?", or something to that effect, is what Jeff said. We were thinking of something that would be even tougher than this story of the roadie, fully supported deal we had been getting drilled with. I said we probably could do that, sure. Why not? I figured that gravel roads pretty much criss-crossed the state in a vast network. I had been all over in the country on gravel roads since I could remember. The vast amount of these gridded out, square mile gravel tracks was surely something that could be laced into a coherent gravel course that would traverse the state of Iowa. Those were my split second thoughts of that moment. I was sure I could pull off a course. But, you know......it was all just talk out of frustration. There was just no way it would........

"Let's do it!", Jeff immediately said as soon as I had answered.

Now, you all have no idea how shocked, how scared that answer made me feel in that moment. Right there and then, in late November of 2004, someone I knew only from work just pulled the rug out from under my feet. With the sound of those words, I was in a free-fall that I had no idea when, or if it would end, or if I would ever end up on my feet again. In the days and months afterward, my life was challenged, changed, and I became committed to something I had never thought I would ever be involved in. I was going to help put on an event that was unprecedented in cycling as far as I knew.

And believe me, I had no clue as to what it was I was in for.

Next: Jeff Kerkove & Guitar Ted- Part 2

Trans Iowa Stories: Jeff Kerkove & Guitar Ted

He started on gravel and now he races on it again. (Image courtesy of the Spotted Horse)

Obviously there is no story to begin with without Jeff Kerkove. I've written about how he had the idea to start Trans Iowa, and in the process, he is really the one responsible for gravel/all road events as we know it today. Of course, he would never admit to that. 

But that alone speaks volumes to who Jeff Kerkove is. He never sought the spotlight, but he also never shied away from it when it was shone on him. I was lucky enough to work alongside of him for about four years. In that time, we became pretty good friends, even though I was just about old enough to be his father, and our common interests outside of cycling were few.

Jeff was a young man just out of college when I met him and he was a laser focused person. The most disciplined person I have ever gotten to know. He was going to be a really good solo 24hr endurance racer, and no one was going to get in his way. Nothing was worth going off the training program. So, socially, well........there was no social aspect to Jeff. He was either working at the shop, or working on his training. He always used to tell me, "Everything is training." he lived life that way 24-7, 365 days a year. He never let up.

Now, I was a beer drinkin' lackadaisical, goofy dude that was married, had two children, played guitar, and liked to ride bicycles. Why on Earth did Jeff want anything to do with me, or me with him, is anyone's guess, but I had more fun working with that man than I had a right to. We had the greatest times at work. 

Back in the days when I worked with Jeff, you'd never know he was such a serious young man.

We worked hard, for sure, but we had a LOT of memorable times and we took every opportunity to be silly, goof off, and lighten up the mood of the shop. In fact, it got to be such a tight bond that our own boss was jealous to the point he'd try to break it up when he heard us laughing and goofing off. Of course, we caught on to his ruses quickly. One of those that the old boss man would routinely use is that he would come out and start spinning yarns of the old days. The days when he raced criteriums in the 70's and early 80's, and especially about the time he and three other guys rode across Iowa in a day on road bikes.

Now, that is a feat and no one would argue that. Especially since, to anyone's knowledge today, it hadn't been done before these fellows did it in 1980. But after you've heard the story told for the 25th time, it gets a bit......well, it grates on the nerves. And we had been getting an earful one day in November 2004 to the point that eyeball rolling wasn't going to assuage our disdain for the story anymore.

So, a bit of frustration with that was all the fuel that was needed for bored minds to start going off on random ideas that might trump this story. A story that had worn out its welcome with us a long time before this. Besides, we knew it was a ruse to get us to pay attention to the boss, and to break up our fun and what little time we had to enjoy our relationship, such as it was then.

"How about if you tried to do it on a mountain bike on gravel roads?", or something to that effect, is what Jeff said. We were thinking of something that would be even tougher than this story of the roadie, fully supported deal we had been getting drilled with. I said we probably could do that, sure. Why not? I figured that gravel roads pretty much criss-crossed the state in a vast network. I had been all over in the country on gravel roads since I could remember. The vast amount of these gridded out, square mile gravel tracks was surely something that could be laced into a coherent gravel course that would traverse the state of Iowa. Those were my split second thoughts of that moment. I was sure I could pull off a course. But, you know......it was all just talk out of frustration. There was just no way it would........

"Let's do it!", Jeff immediately said as soon as I had answered.

Now, you all have no idea how shocked, how scared that answer made me feel in that moment. Right there and then, in late November of 2004, someone I knew only from work just pulled the rug out from under my feet. With the sound of those words, I was in a free-fall that I had no idea when, or if it would end, or if I would ever end up on my feet again. In the days and months afterward, my life was challenged, changed, and I became committed to something I had never thought I would ever be involved in. I was going to help put on an event that was unprecedented in cycling as far as I knew.

And believe me, I had no clue as to what it was I was in for.

Next: Jeff Kerkove & Guitar Ted- Part 2

Minus Ten Review 2009-22

The Gen 1 Fargo as it was when I rode it at the DK200 in 2009

Ten Years ago this week on this here ol' blog I was yakkin' about the Dirty Kanza and, well........ There wasn't much content. 

Kind of like this past week, I had no way to post a story easily, or back then, at all. Here's a dirty little secret about blogging- They are called "Scheduled Posts". That's right! You can write up a ton of content and schedule it to post up whenever you want to in the future.

Wish I had figured that out ten years ago, but as I keep drilling into you here, I was a techno-rookie. I had pretty much no real expertise on the web other than henpecking at a keyboard and loading up images. Of course, by this time ten years ago I was getting a trial by fire, and I learned a ton in 2009-2010.

But anyway..... Back to the Dirty Kanza!

So, this soiree was still a small deal back in '09. I looked back and see I figured there were less than 100 people that showed up to ride that year. I also see that it was one of those "blow-torch" days on the bike down there when the temperatures reached into the upper 90's and the wind blew at a strong gale. Typical for the earlier DK's, actually. I made it to CP#1 and called it a day.

I had a bad head cold, as I recall, and I knew I was in for a weird ride. I was dizzy, then I'd be fine, then dizzy, and in the end, I got too dehydrated anyway. This was the year my family made the trip down with me and we ended up going to Council Grove and hanging out for the better part of the day. It was a memorable day with the family. 

Minus Ten Review 2009-22

The Gen 1 Fargo as it was when I rode it at the DK200 in 2009

Ten Years ago this week on this here ol' blog I was yakkin' about the Dirty Kanza and, well........ There wasn't much content. 

Kind of like this past week, I had no way to post a story easily, or back then, at all. Here's a dirty little secret about blogging- They are called "Scheduled Posts". That's right! You can write up a ton of content and schedule it to post up whenever you want to in the future.

Wish I had figured that out ten years ago, but as I keep drilling into you here, I was a techno-rookie. I had pretty much no real expertise on the web other than henpecking at a keyboard and loading up images. Of course, by this time ten years ago I was getting a trial by fire, and I learned a ton in 2009-2010.

But anyway..... Back to the Dirty Kanza!

So, this soiree was still a small deal back in '09. I looked back and see I figured there were less than 100 people that showed up to ride that year. I also see that it was one of those "blow-torch" days on the bike down there when the temperatures reached into the upper 90's and the wind blew at a strong gale. Typical for the earlier DK's, actually. I made it to CP#1 and called it a day.

I had a bad head cold, as I recall, and I knew I was in for a weird ride. I was dizzy, then I'd be fine, then dizzy, and in the end, I got too dehydrated anyway. This was the year my family made the trip down with me and we ended up going to Council Grove and hanging out for the better part of the day. It was a memorable day with the family.