PBP versus RAGBRAI

 

 

 

 

 

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I have completed 23 RAGBRAI’s and 2 PBP’s.  My wife has done 20 RAGBRAI’s and supported me on both my PBP rides. This is our brainstorming of a few ways that PBP is like and not like RAGBRAI.

PBP is like a longer version of RAGBRAI. Some of the similarities include: You are in rural areas passing through friendly little towns with residents standing by the road cheering as you ride by sometimes handing out free food and water. The ride is divided into smaller sections, PBP calls them controls, of 50-60 miles with the towns providing entertainment, and refreshments as well as a place for support vehicles to meet their rider. Bike shops are set up along the way to provide roadside assistance. Some of the major intersections are patrolled for traffic. There are great bake goods along the route to satisfy your sweet tooth. Some of the route is flat and some is hilly all though there are more hilly sections. It takes many volunteers to ensure the rides success. It will probably rain at some point during the ride. The rolling back country roads are lined with corn fields. If you have to use the bathroom there is probably a line although the corn fields provide ample stall space. You see all different types of bikes and riders of all shapes and ages. Most of the roads are in pretty good shape but on occasions you can get a really nasty section. There are racers, recreational riders and tourist. Both rides cost about $120 to enter. Sleeping arrangements can be rather crowded. There are plenty of rides to talk to as you ride down the road. Arrows are posted at intersections to guide you along the route. As the ride approaches the end there are a lot of riders who aren’t sitting on the saddle quite a comfortable as they were at the beginning.

The list of ways that PBP is not like RAGBRAI: There is a time limit to make it to each control or your ride is over. PBP is one and a half the distance of RAGBRAI half the number of days. RAGBRAI riding time is 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Riding in the dark at PBP is almost mandatory to finish in the allotted, time but you must have the proper lights and reflective gear. PBP is out and back so no bus ride is involved. If you can’t finish the ride PBP does not provide a sag wagon, you are on your own to find a ride back. For PBP there might be plenty of riders to talk to but you have to find a rider that speaks you language. In France some of the signs are a little hard to read. RAGBRAI takes a different route each year but the PBP route is basically the same every time. The country of France has fields of sunflowers along the route, although by August they don’t look as good as when the Tour-de-France goes by in July.

600K

On June 4th Mike Doyle and I made the journey, once again, to Eldridge Iowa to participate in the Ultra Midwest (Big Dog’s) 600 K brevet.  I needed to complete this last brevet in the 4 ride series to be eligible for Paris-Brest-Paris.  Mike was riding for the challenge to see how far he could push himself.

The time cut-off for a 600K is around 40 hours but our plan was to ride straight through the night. I have successfully complete two previous 600K’s, six 24 hour rides, a 33 hour ride and a 35 hour ride.  Mike had never ridden more the 12 hours and with a projected 24-26 hour finishing time this would take Mike into un-known areas of cycling.  I have been riding with Mike for many years and I had not doubt that he would be physically up to the task but all ultra-distance riders know the physical challenge of a 600K is not the hardest part.  A ride of this length is mentally challenging as you ride through the sleepy hours of the night knowing you have many miles to go before you can get off the bike.

Five other riders that started had the same game plan to ride through the night.  The group consisted of the same riders Mike and I rode with on the 200 and 300K as pictured above with the exception of the rider on the right Matt Levy.  Left to right Mike Doyle,Jim Yost, Larry Ide, Joe Mann, Jay Yost, Paul Carpenter, Doug McLerran.

The forecast for the day was light winds out of the south-west switching to west then north-west as evening approached and temperatures in the 90’s with over-night lows in the upper 60’s. With a route that headed southwest before the turn around the wind was going to be a factor during the ride.  I do not like riding in that kind of heat so getting through the middle of the day was also going to be quite the challenge.

  Control stops to get our brevet cards signed were Bennett, Wilton, Nichols, Morning Sun, West Point, Keosauqua the Bloomfield.  It would have been neat to drop down to Missouri.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we headed west-ward we had a little wind in our face but the group worked together to negate the effects and we pushed through the first 62 miles to Nichols with no problems.  With the wind more west and the temperatures approaching 90 the leg to the south proved to be a little more challenging. We kept the pace a little slower to make sure everybody stayed together.  We took an un-scheduled break in New London to cool off as the temperature was in the upper 90’s.  At the 100 mile mark my bike computer showed 100 degrees.  We still had many miles to go so it is better to spend a little time now to have the energy to make it through the next 18 hours.  With about 5 miles to go before our southern section ended the wind switch to the west-north-west.  It was the first, and last tail wind we would have for this ride.

While we were in New London Joe Jamison caught up with us in his van.  He is the organizer of the brevet series and many other rides promoted by the Big Dog’s.  Joe has been on two RAAM crews and been participating in ultra-cycling events for many years so he knows, first hand, what it takes to complete rides of this length.  The only outside support you can received during a brevet is at the control points and Joe’s plan was to meet us at the controls through the night to make sure we had food and drink and sign our cards. This route had no 24 hour convenience stores so between 11 pm and 6 am there would be no place to replenish supplies.  He also would provide a “safety net” if something happened and one of us could not continue.

Leaving West Point, heading into the wind, Mike and I got a little gap on the rest of the group and continued on our own for the next 30 miles. At the 140 mile mark the clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped and the wind quit as it started to rain.  Boy did the rain feel nice after being baked for the last 3 hours.  Mike and I rolled along enjoying the cool weather and the scenery of the Bonaparte, Bentonsport area.  We rode through this area on RAGBRAI several years back and I remember the nice river valley but also some big climbs.  This would prove to be the hilliest section of the otherwise flat route.

As we headed into Keosauqua Joe was on the side of the rode and told us there was a severe storm warning for the next 30 minutes and we needed to wait it out in town.  The longer then scheduled break at a nice c-store gave us time to have a nice meal and allowed Jay, Paul and Larry a chance to catch up.  Jim and Doug were a little further back and rolled into town as we rolled out after a 45 minute break.  This was our longest break of the day and Mike’s favorite and my least favorite.  Only 30 miles until the turn around and it looked like Keosauqua would be the last re-fuel stop before the night.

As the darkness rolled in the winds had quit and were not going to be a factor for the rest of the day/night back to Eldridge.  Doug re-joined us before dark but Jim was still back about an hour at the turn around.  We stocked up supplies for the long night of closed stores.  Larry purchased six 20 ounce Cokes.  One to drink, three for his pockets and two for the bottle cages.  To the left is a great picture. The overnight temperatures were mild in the upper 60’s but the humidity was very high.  It was foggy in some areas and the due dripped off your arms and helmet all night long.  The six of us rolled back to a closed up West Point at 11:00. Joe Jamison met us to sign our cards and offer us food and drink.  He mentioned that Jim was back about 60 minutes but was still moving along.  Joe said he was going to keep an eye on him and we might not see him a the next couple stops.  I had plenty of food and drink so was not too concerned.

Our next stop was Morning Sun.  Between West Point and Morning Sun a car pulled up next to us and asked if we needed a ride.  We of course said no and they informed us that it was dangerous to be out this late because there could be drunks on the road.  Somebody said something to the effect that we would be OK.  I guess the driver and passenger thought this was a smart aleck response as they roared ahead of us then slammed on their brakes in the middle of the road.  We split to go cautiously around the car as I took the shoulder.  Larry stopped to talk to them and discovered they were not happy that they would have to go around us when there could be a car coming the other way.  I think they were the drunks they were warning us about.  It really turned into a non-incident but gave us something to talk about and woke us up a little.  Joe was not in Morning Sun as we stopped at the closed Casey’s for a break.  Nichols was our next control point.

Before Nichols we had to go through Columbus Junction.  I knew there was pop machines at the grocery store that we could stop and buy pop or water to get us to Nichols.  If Joe did not meet us in Nichols then Wilton would be the next chance for an open store.  The pop machines were like an oasis during the night.  Many bottles of water and cans or pop were purchased before we continued our journey north to Nichols.

Arriving in Nichols we still did not see Joe.  We once again stopped at the Casey’s store to consume any food we were carrying. To any vehicle passing by it must have looked strange to see six cyclist, with red light flashing, sitting in front of a closed Casey’s store at 4:30 in the morning as the sun was coming up.  Joe showed up 15 minutes after we did with Jim sitting in the van with him.  It looked like he had decided to call it quits.  As he got out of the van we asked how he was and what caused him to call it quits and he calmly said he got hit by a car.  North of West Point a driver was answering a text message and ran into the back of him.  Luckily Jim was OK but his rear wheel was crushed and his ride was over.  Joe leap frogging and keeping an eye on us throughout the day proved really lucky otherwise I am not sure how Jim would have gotten back to Eldridge 120 miles away.  He lives in the Champaign Illinois area so calling home for a ride would have been a long wait.  This incident really makes you think about being out on the road with no support.  Last year when I did the 600K I was 230 miles from home at the turn around.  That “thrill” is what I like about unsupported rides. 

The Casey’s in Wilton was open as we rolled into town shortly after 6:00 am with lightning flashing off to the south.  Luckily it stayed to the south and we had smooth sailing all the way through Bennett and into Eldridge for a 8:43 finish for a total time of 26:43 with 22:15 riding time. Way to much time off the bike.  Mike will tell you we did not take long enough breaks.

Food and drink for 378 miles: 3 servings Perpetuam, 2 ham and cheese sandwiches, chicken wrap, piece of cheese pizza, Payday bar, Snickers, 2 orange Sobe's, Scotch-a-roo (Rice Krispie treat with peanut butter and Chocolate frosting), 3 chicken tenders, chocolate milk, 6 Fig Newton’s, Little Debbie Creme pie, cheese stick, ham and cheese breakfast sandwich, homemade apple pastry, hammer gel, ensure and only one 12oz Mt. Dew. Also a ton of water.

Larry’s diet is always interesting and quite a contrast to mine.  It just shows that diet for ultra events is very individual:  4 donuts, 2 beef jerky, 2 pieces pizza, 2 paydays, Ice cream nutty cone, Rice Krispy with chocolate on top, ham and cheese sub, few more donuts, 3 cans dew, four 24-oz cokes, around fifteen 20 ounce cokes, two 20 ounce orange juice, 2 twelve ounce kiwi-strawberry drinks and 1/2 bottle water. Other half went on head.

400K Brevet

I had to drive to Waterloo Iowa to complete the 400K Brevet. This was the third qualifier in the 4 ride series that are required to ride Paris-Brest-Paris in August. My goal for this ride was to complete it in under 15 hours. That allows for a 18MPH average on the bike and 5 minutes off the bike each hour.



When I arrived there were not many cars in the parking lot that had roof racks or trunk racks attached. There was a Team Bacchatta van with four recumbents leaned against it but I saw no other traditions bikes. Not a good sign. Rain was in the forecast for the morning with sunshine in the afternoon. The wind was to be south east at 10-15 switching to south as the day progressed. The route was an out and back to the north east. Not quite ideal conditions.

As we departed I was the only ride doing the 400K. The recumbents were doing the 200K route before heading home to Florida. I had ridden with one of the riders at Sebring and Metamora in 2009 and knew he was pretty strong. At least I would have some help for the first 60 miles.

The route starts pretty flat as you head through Olwein but nearing Volga the hills start. Not a lot of hills just really long ones. It seems like every town is at the bottom of a hill. As you start the long decent into town you know there will be a long accent leaving town. This always motivates me to limit my stopping so you don't hit the hills with stiff legs. Before the first big uphill outside of Volga I was on my own and it was going to be that way for the next 11-12 hours.

I don't mind riding by myself. I have found that on long rides it is better to go the pace that feels comfortable at the moment. During a long ride you will have ups and downs and if you ride with someone the odds of you both having the same good moments it slim. The results are rider A slowing for rider B then later rider B is slowing for rider A. This is not a problem if you are not in a hurry but I rarely find myself riding without a time goal in mind so I always seem to be in a hurry. Which is not necessarily a good thing. I also don't like to stop for extended breaks. A three to five minute break is all I need. Just enough time to top off water and grab something to eat. Usually whatever I grab gets consumed on the road.

With temperatures in the mid sixties, a nice tailwind, the off and on rain was not chilly enough to need a rain coat so I pushed on towards to turn around in Desoto, WI. Besides, stopping to put on the rain coat, then stop again to take it back off when I got too hot would slow down my pace. I was trying to bank as much time as I could before I had to turn around back into the wind.

After studying the profile map I was looking forward to the 500 foot decent to the Mississippi into Lansing at the 100 mile mark. Not really looking forward to the climb back up after the turnaround but this look to be one of the longer hills I have ever seen in Iowa. Fortunately the hill was every bit that it promised to be on paper. There was not any really steep sections just long and snaking as you got closer to the river.

This was my first visit to the river town of Lansing. My first thought was why hasn't RAGBRAI ever ended here? As I rolled thought this small town I could see why it was not a viable option for 10-15 thousand visitors in one day. The town was pretty small and there was limited access from major roads.

Crossing the bridge turned into an adventure. The Lansing bridge has a steel grated deck like the Mississippi bridge between Sabula, Ia and Savannah, Il. The same bridge that is used each year on TOMRV. I have ridden across that bridge at least 15 times with no problems and was not anticipating any problems with this bridge. As I turned on the bridge and started the slight rise me back wheel spun on the wet decking and my heart jumped. The rest of the ride across the bridge was taken at 10 mph and very cautiously. Especially on the last part that was a downward grade.

After the bridge only 5 miles to Desoto and the turn around. Since I had taken a longer break (10 minutes) in Monona 30 miles before the turnaround the plan was for a quick stop (3 minutes) in DeSoto and then back to Monona for another 10 minute break. I made the turn in less then seven hours so I was over 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Basically right where I wanted to be.

The rainy climb out of the river valley took 12 minutes to complete. The only other Iowa climb I have ridden that rivals this one is the TOMVR climb as you leave the Mines of Spain south of Dubuque on Sunday morning. At least the grade is not too steep and you can get into a rhythm. After the climb the sun came out for the remainder of the ride.

I pushed it through the check points and was able to keep 15-20 minutes ahead of the pace I wanted for the rest of the ride back to Waterloo. I arrived at the finish at 8:43 PM just as it was getting dark for a total time of 14:43. 14 hours of riding and 43 minutes of stopping. The 600K on June 4th will be a little more relaxed with more riders and some longer breaks so I was glad to have an opportunity to push myself through out the ride and was happy with my fitness at this time of the season.

The Trailer for "300 Miles of Gravel"

300 Miles of Gravel Trailer from Jeff Frings Photography on Vimeo.

400K Brevet Up next

Since I was riding Trans Iowa at the time of the Big Dog's 400K brevet I will have to make the journey to Waterloo and complete the required brevet in the PBP series on May 21st. The timing works out well by giving me a little break after the 200 and 300K back to back weekends and then the Trans Iowa ride.


I am not looking forward to the extra hour of driving each way. The more challenging terrain and roads I have not ridden will be a nice mental boost and should make for an enjoyable adventure. The route goes to De Soto Wisconsin and back and has over 15, 000 of climbing. I would like to complete this ride in 16 hours but the weather will play a big role. The profile looks scary so we will see how I handle the hills.


Since Trans Iowa I have taken a couple weeks off and cut back the miles as a mini-recovery phase. The time off has given me a chance to work in some family commitments as well as work on my yard. Starting this week it is back to normal as I prepare for the Paris-Brest-Paris later in the summer. Last year I was riding well in May and then tapered off in June and July but this year I want to continue to build on the early season fitness level.

Trans Iowa 7 report

After months of focused training, weeks of optimistically watching the weather forecast, days of frantic packing/repacking and tweaking the bike set-up, and hours of restless sleep, the time arrived for my second attempt at the epic race known as Trans Iowa. This time I had a better understanding of what I had gotten myself into but was still apprehensive about how the next 30+ hours would unfold. My goal was to finish, have a great time, push my self to the limit, lean on my faith in tough times and create some memories to last a lifetime. Mission accomplished!

The organizers strongly encourage you have a bail out plan. This would be someone staying in the start and finishing town of Grinnell that could be called to pick you up in case of a mechanical, physical or mental break down during the event. This race is not supported in any way. If you don’t have a bailout plan you are on your own. I was flying without a net because quitting was not an option. Last year I headed back to Grinnell on 40 miles of pavement knowing I would not make the next checkpoint. If I would have kept riding they would have stopped me 30 miles later and I would have been a finisher instead of a quitter. That was not going to happen this year. I was not stopping until I reach the finish line or somebody pulled me off the bike. My plan was that each time I wanted to quit I would say a quick prayer asking for the strength to continue. There would be times I was “tossing them up” quite regularly.

The race starts at 4:00 am and is located 3 miles from the hotel I was staying in. At 3:30 I rolled out of the hotel towards the start. It was 45 degrees, nice breeze out of the south and foggy. Almost a repeat of last years except there was no rain in the forecast. Temperatures were forecasted to be mid to upper 50’s, sunny and breezy out of the west. The night before we received the cue sheets to the first checkpoint 53 miles into the race in the town of Baxter. We would be going into the wind right away.

The opening pace over the slimy roads was controlled for the first hour and I was not having any problems hanging on. My plan was to stick with the lead group as long as I could and build a time cushion for cut-offs. I did not want to blowup so I would have to keep the ego in check and make sure I knew when to let them go. I had no aspirations of competing in this event just completing. Our first mud road came at the 12.5 mile mark. There was some navigation confusion already because the cue sheet said we had a left turn at mile 13 on 110th street and the intersection was 108th street. The group consensus was to continue on the mud road looking for 110th. This mile long mud road was not rideable so walking in the ditch was the only option. This would have made a really neat video with 40-50 red lights, single file, snaking through the pre-dawn darkness in the middle of no where. Looking the other directions would have shown the line of head lights. Once off mud we continued for about a mile before realizing we should have turned left BEFORE the mud road. 30 minutes of lost time. By the time we got back to the mud road the last riders we just finishing the section. Like lemmings everybody followed the leader. This would be costly for the over 30 riders not making the first time cut-off at 9:15.

30 miles into the race as the steepness of the hills increased along with the headwind I found myself drifting off the back. At this point I settled into a comfortable pace and was ready to be on my own for the rest of the ride if needed. A few miles later I was passed by Eric Brundt. We were soon joined by a few other riders including Jeremy Fry of Cedar Falls. Jeremy and I played leap frog last year during TI, rode last years moonlight madness ride in Iowa City, and completed a 200K together this year and last. I knew we were pretty even in strength so we would prove to be great riding partners for the next 30 hours. Our little group rolled into the first checkpoint in Baxter with 45 minutes to spare.

On long rides I like to minimize stopping by running through my stopping strategy in my head before I get there. I compare it to a pit stop in Nascar. Anybody that has ridden with me knows I am a splash-and-dash guy. My chain was screaming under pressure and skipping in most gears so working on the drive train was the first priority. We knew the next checkpoint was 120 miles away with the town of Norway noted on our cue sheets 115 miles away. I had plenty of food so water and bathroom break were the second priority. I filled up a the grocery store and was ready to go. Eight of us rolled out together for the next section of this great adventure. The race was now a ride. The wind was at our back, the roads were dry, the sun was shining, we had a nice group, so this was going to be a great section.

The second section had the most level B roads of the event. There was a stretch of road that it felt like every other mile was mud. The first couple were rideable then the mud just keep getting worse. At least they were flat and had good ditches for walking. As I walked I was able to eat a little and give my butt a break. One of the last mud section had a pretty flat ditch with tall grass and I was debating whether to try riding in the grass instead of walking. Just then a couple riders from a different group passed us riding in the grass. They were moving a little faster then us but it was rough going and they seemed to be using quite a bit of energy to keep moving. Before they reached the end of the mud road they had pulled over and we were overtaking them again. As we passed them we noticed that one of them had ripped his derailleur off his bike. The tall grass had gotten tangle in the chain and just pulled it right out of the hanger bracket. They were all going to call it quits and said they would be drinking beer before us. After that the walk or ride decision was easy. I seemed to be the slowest of our group on the mud sections. I had the widest tires and the least amount of mud clearance. I have a head light bracket mounted with the front brake that sits pretty close to the tire as well. It did not take much mud to force me to get out my tire lever and dig the mud away from the brake so I could continue pushing the bike. If there was no place to walk you had to carry your bike and with the mud plus the rack on the back full of clothing and food it was not the lightest.

Before the second checkpoint we hit two convenience stores. When I say we “hit” them that is what I mean. It was like piranha's and a feeding frenzy. Pizza slices, sandwich wraps, sub sandwiches, Gatorade, candy bars, cookies were flying off the shelves. Riders were eating plus stocking up. The store clerks are probably still telling stories about the starving, mud splattered, riders that overtook the store. At the Norway store I thought I would take care of some thing on the bike and give the line at the check out time to go down. Bad idea as all the real food, pizza and sandwiches, were gone and I was stuck with a Rice Krispy treat.

The eight of us arrived at the second check point as the sun was setting. It was 8:15 and we made the cutoff by 1:45. We were only halfway done with what had already been a really long day. Thoughts of how was I going to be able to ride for another 16 hours staring creeping into my head. The mind was now battling the flesh. The flesh says this is way too hard and you should quit. The mind says you knew this was going to be hard but this is what you want to do. This was the first of many me vs. me battles that would take place in the next 16 hours.

The hours before sunset our plan for our little group was to stay together and have numbers on our side through the night. With extra eyes to check for turns and review cue sheets this seemed like a pretty good strategy. The only draw back to that strategy is there are more stops and each stop takes longer. By midnight we had only covered 27 miles in the last four hours. We did have a really nasty mud road that provided little places to walk and two flat tires but still our forward progress was slow at best.

The darkness provided some interesting sections of road. The first was a bridge that was out. This was a wooden blanked bridge that was missing about three feet of planking on each end of the bridge. Once the road closed signs were successfully navigated you had to carry your bike and tight rope the 3” wide beam to cross the three foot gap. This process was repeated at the opposite end. The second “adventure” was a left on 78th street. A half mile before 78th St. was 78th St. Dr. We did not notice the “DR” on the sign so we turned left. The road was a level “C” road. These roads are gated and the farmers have taken them over. We were able to walk in the field next to the road and once at the other end realized we had made the wrong turn. There were enough mud roads on this course but now we had added two extras. Unfortunately for me there would be one more before I hit Grinnell.

The killing of the Easter Bunny at 11:00 PM by an owl, a 1:30 AM stop in Belle Plaine for water at the bar and a 4:00 AM discussion on whether to head towards a sign that looked like a Kum-n-Go a couple miles off the route were the only other eventful things that happened prior to the sun coming up at 6:00 AM. That is if you don’t count the endless hills and a few more missed turns as eventful.

We were headed towards a water tower as the sun was rising. As we got closer the words North English could be made out. Three of our group of eight had gotten a little gap on us and did not realize the gold mine that was in North English. A Casey’s store and they opened at 6:00 AM. Jeremy, Charlie, Jonathan, Mike and I took the opportunity for a breakfast stop and re-fuel before the final 65 mile push to Grinnell.

The hills continued to be relentless but the road surface was dry, fast, hard packed clay. If we had gotten any rain during the race this section would have been a nightmare. At one point someone looked back and noticed there were riders approaching in the distance. Jonathan picked it up a notch and I went with him. We thought we would keep the pace up to try to hold off the upcoming riders. We moved along pretty quickly for 4-5 miles on 100th St. Looking for a left on 500th Ave. We passed 520th, then 510th then took the next left for one mile before making a right on 90th street. Reaching 90th street we saw a road closed sign and the behind it the worst level B road you could imagine. They were in the process of digging the mud out of the ditches and building up the road. That meant there were no ditches to walk in. We looked for a re-route flag but did not see one. We checked to make sure this was 90th street and it was. Not 90th Dr. or Ave. just plain 90th street. Onward we pushed. We had to cross a little ravine and then over a barbed wire fence to get to a field to parallel the road. One mile later we were back on gravel. Up ahead we saw riders that had passed us by going around this road. That wasn’t fair we had to go on the road how come they didn’t. We found out later we turned on 505th St a half a mile too early.

Just down the road we stumble upon Jeremy and Charlie fixing Charlie's flat rear tire. Jonathan had the only tire lever that was able to get the tire off back on with out breaking so it was a good thing we took our detour or I am not sure they would have gotten the flat fixed. After the repair Jonathan pushed ahead and Jeremy, Charlie and I rode in together. It was demoralizing to see the hotel my van was park by and still have 10 miles until the finish. There were a few hills around Grinnell we did not hit on the way out of town and they wanted to make sure and include them before we finished. Left to right Charlie, Jeremy and me.

Finishing did not have the emotion I thought it would. I am not sure if I was just too tired or maybe it was because I was trying to hurry to make it home before my youngest Caleb headed back to college after the weekend at home. I only stuck around a couple minutes before riding the three miles back to the hotel. There was a pit stop on the way to the hotel at Taco Bell for some lunch. Before the tough drive home.

People seem to be amazed/impressed that I accomplished this feat. I am just a average guy who likes to ride my bike. I am not a super gifted athlete and never have been but I have chosen to use the talent God gave me to the fullest. Long distance cycling gives me a chance for solitude and an opportunity to enjoy His creation. When viewing a gorgeous sunrise, a picturesque sunset or climbing to the top of a hill overlooking a sundrenched valley it is easy to see there is a creator and all this is not by chance. On your next ride take a look around and you will know what I mean.

Trans Iowa V7 off the Bucket List

I am not in this picture but thought it showed how the riders looked early on in the race.

Well this time the weather did not kick my butt. The endless rolling Iowa hills and the too numerous to count mud roads did but I kicked it right back and in the end I came out on top. As a note to self I will not be giving TI the chance to break the tie.

Just a quick update then I will post pictures and the whole story later this week.

I tossed and turned all night stressing about every little thing from food, hydration, clothing, the bike you name it popped into my head. You know you are over stressed when you try to think about work just to calm you down. The race started pretty controlled as I rolled along with the lead group of about 40. The gravel was soupy from Friday's rain so the gravel slime was flying. No sense in wearing glasses. After just a few miles you could not find a clean area on your gloves or shirt to wipe the grit out of your eyes. Stayed with the group for 30 miles when the tempo up the hills started to catch up with me. Backed it off and rode with a couple other guys to check point 1, after 53 miles, at around 8:30 am with 45 minutes to spare. 8 of us rolled out together and stay as a group to the next check point at 8:15 pm after 177 miles total miles, 1:45 ahead of the cut-off. After that the speed dropped and it would take over 17 hours to cover the next 150 miles of the course. The nasty mud roads really slow you down. Three riders pushed on while 5 of us from the group stopped for breakfast at 6:00 am at the Casey's in North English and then the push to Grinnell for a 1:25 pm finish. 14th of the 18 finishers with a total time of 33:25.
The route went from Grinnell, Baxter, Montour, Treir, Dysert, Norway, Belle Plain, North English, Banes City and then Grinnell. Click here to view the map. There were a few other little towns along the way that I did not see the name and they were so small if you blinked you missed them, even on a bike. Go to http://www.g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/ for updates and some audio feeds from the race.