Day Thirty Three-Ridin' the Rails to Trails

Day 33- Friday, July 20, 2007- (92 Miles)- La Crosse, WI to Wisconsin Dells, WI (899')

Ride Stats: 2,452 miles ridden (77% completed), 76,592' climbed, 9 days/730 miles remaining.

The days are melting away and in a very short period of time I'll be sitting on my couch wondering what happened to June and July. In the meantime, when the alarm went off this morning at 5:00AM, I nearly jumped the fence and went AWOL. Did not want to ride. I felt OK, but the routine is starting to get a bit tedious. I'm sure you've all seen "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray- well I keep expecting to hear Sonny and Cher signing "I Got You Babe" every morning. This week has been a real grind for us as we've ridden 472 miles since Monday and thats an average of nearly 95 miles per day for five days in a row. While we didn't get our fourth consecutive century in today, you get the picture.

Today's ride was 92 miles long and the weather was beautiful (temps around 80, low humidity, blue skies) until about 2:00PM when the wind kicked up and about half the time it was running straight at us. We started the ride in very cool temps-low 50's- and clear skies and rolled over the farm country hills until about mile 30 when we dropped onto a very nice "Rails to Trails". For you non-riders this is a bike and running path that is a converted rail line. The surface was crushed limestone and it was in good condition. This surface is very ridable- not as nice as smooth asphalt- but it beats the hell out of some of the highways we've been on. The other benefits are that the grade rarely exceeds 3% and the path is usually shaded. So its a nice, albeit slow, way to cover some ground- about 30 miles in our case today.

Since trains don't do hills so well, they often are the beneficiaries of tunnels. We rode through three significant tunnels from .25 mile to .75 miles in length. We'd have to dismount and use flashlights to find our way thru the tunnels- thought my claustrophobia would turn me into a quivering mess, but I cowboyed up and walked on through. These tunnels were big enough for a single train- fairly wide, but really tall. The ceilings were dripping water continually and there were trenches on both sides of the path to channel the water out. They also had huge doors on the ends- for what reason I cannot say for sure, but I heard a local talking about how those doors used to be manned and opened when a train approached.

The local folks put on a sag for us at one of the depots still standing along the path. There was a guy named "Ben Bikin" dressed in period costume, riding a big wheeled bike than several riders got on and wheeled around. Theyy had a US map and invited us to stick a push pin in our hometowns. Got one dead centered on Toccoa, GA.


Our friend Gary's wife drove from their home in Madison to La Crosse last night. This morning she appeared at a road crossing on the trail at about mile 40 and we all stopped and had ice cream in various forms at a local sandwich shop. Gary had planned to ride a good bit further before heading home for a party. He got that far away look in his face as we were eating and I asked him if was planning to do what I would do in his place (bail out immediately) and he said, "Yeah, I think so". So Gary went AWOL and headed for civilization. I am very jealous. I don't think we'll ever see Gary again- man I miss him.

Day Thrity Two- A Triple Lindy

Day 32- (100 Miles)- Thursday, July 19, 2007- Rochester, MN to La Crosse, WI (640')

In the movie "Back to School", Rodney Dangerfield's character performs a dive from the 10 meter board he calls the "Triple Lindy". It's a thing of pure athletic beauty, the fans go wild and he wins the dive meet for his school.

Today, the ABB riders performed a similar feat by completing our third century ride in as many days- something this old boy has never done. Now, gentle readers, get this- tomorrow we have a ride scheduled for 92 miles. With the least little detour- and we've had those every day this week- we could rack up our fourth back to back century ride. You people who ride single centuries and metric centuries amuse me. Now get out of here.

Today's ride was incredible on so many levels. I could fill pages (and put you to sleep, I'm sure), but to summarize: wonderful weather again (blue skies, 70's, no humidity) except for a headwind throughout much of the day, a bike trail for 20 miles that was shaded, smooth and mostly flat, an encounter with a rattlesnake on that trail which two of our riders ran over, a one mile climb that ran 10-12% and featured a 20-30 MPH headwind the entire length, a bridge that took us over the Mississippi River and into our sixth state- Wisconsin and beautiful country roads through the Minnesota Bluffs country.

We rolled kinda late today- some time after 7:00AM I'd guess. The group was large (Millers, Gary, Max and Mark), as we zigged and zagged our way out of Rochester and onto various two lane county roads. Road surfaces were better than what we'd been experiencing, but we quickly found that the flat terrain was yielding to serious rollers. Many of these rollers were long and had faces that were 7-8%, so we began accumulating some vertical feet in excess of anything we'd seen since Mt. Rushmore- somewhere around 3,500-4,000 feet by day's end. By mid day we were really into some beautiful country- I saw it referred to as "Bluff Country" in one town- with lush green hill sides and very fertile valleys. Still a lot of corn being grown, but at least there was some relief from the laser leveled flatness of western Minnesota. We also gave thanks to the little baby Jesus for delivering us from the gaggingly evil odors of the hog farms or whatever the hell they had going on for the last two hundred miles. That stuff ain't funny. Smells so bad it hurts to breath it in.

One of our riders (he goes by Badger Bill in these here parts) had a visit from his wife yesterday and as a treat for the riders she brought three monstrous boxes of donuts, from a small, family owned bakery in Eau Claire, WI. These things were fantastic. I cannot describe how good they were. we had them after dinner, for breakfast and at two sags today. God almighty they were tasty. Thank you Mrs. Badger Bill- you're a good person.

Ride stats: I've now ridden nearly 2,400 miles (about 75% of the total). In the last four days I've ridden about 380 miles, an average of 95 miles per day. I have ten days of riding and about 800 miles remaining- it's going fast.

I'd like to write about the climb, the bike path and the rattlesnake, but it's getting late. Maybe I'll fill in the blanks on those gems later. For now- it's lights out.

Day Thirty One-Two Centuries in Two Days?? Impossible You Say??

Day 31- (103 Miles)- Wednesday, July 18, 2007- Mankato, MN to Rochester, MN (989')

Update: Today I passed the 11,000 mile mark since I started riding last May.

Today was the other bookend in our matching centuries- 102 yesterday and 103 today. It's a first for me, and in all likelihood, a last. Man (at least the ones built like me) were not meant to travel these distances while resting on 8 square inches of flesh evenly distributed between butt, feet and hands. Since Monday, we've covered about 280 miles, an average of over 90 miles per day and we'll continue that mark with a near century again tomorrow- I think the plan is 92 miles. The terrain in Minnesota is relatively flat, but these distances are strong.

We got an early start this morning- I think it was around 6:30AM and we stayed hard at it all day. The weather was fair- temps probably approached 90, with partially cloudy skies and a very light wind- never much of a factor- at least not for the CFS (Chief Wheel Sucker). Actually I did pull some today, though it was probably only 10 miles or so, while I was having a huge argument with Michael Miller and Max- more on this in a moment. The humidity was all encompassing though. It was "cut it with a knife" humidity. The day was one of those where you just know there's a T-storm just itching to get started-in fact, we had storm clouds on the horizon all afternoon and had a very light rain, I think it's referred to as "spitting"- but never did get the heavy stuff cooking.

After a tough century yesterday (tough for me and several others I spoke to- but tough because of what's come before- not because of the route itself) and a very early wake-up (4:30AM), I was really worried about pulling off a second 100 mile day. But, in spite of being somewhat slammed, I did pretty well today and as is common for me, the last 30 miles or so were probably the best part of the day. We did the first 70 miles or so- I guess through the second sag- as Millers plus Bob minus Derek (got sick- dehydrated??). After that we added Gary, the Paines, Mark and Max and sometimes Ernst and Lenny.

The argument I alluded to was a friendly spat between Michael and Max and me and it centered on trying to define the business model behind free web blogs, such as this one. Michael and Max claimed to understand it, but couldn't articulate how the revenue was generated and I tried to school them on what a business model is and why I thought Google had to have something more articulate than the jibberish I was getting out of them. They thought I was being "old school" and JUST DIDN'T GET IT. A good time was had by all, including those little twerps.

The terrain today was slightly more hilly than yesterday and in fact, the ride started immediately with a half mile climb that tipped the old inclinometer at about 13%. The fact that I both made the climb and held breakfast down gave me immense pleasure. But throughout the day, we had some big rollers with faces in the 7-8% range and those are what I refer to as "bitchy climbs". Not enough to require real big boy shoes, but enough to make you wish you were built like a whippet and not so much like a golden retriever.

We finished the day in Rochester, MN- home of the Mayo Clinic. The last few miles of the ride offered us a choice of staying on the main roads or hopping (sounds like a happy thing, doesn't it?) on a bike trail. Again, we made the wrong choice- going with the trail. Cost us 3-4 bonus miles (again, sounds like a good thing). Not a killer, but in the future how's about we save that for the shorter days, OK??

Day Thirty-Knocking A Dog Off A Gut Cart

Day 30-(102 Miles)- Tuesday, July 17, 2007- Worthington, MN to Mankato, MN

In an earlier post I referred to an expression that I once heard my aunt use. She was describing something that smelled bad enough to "knock a dog off a gut cart". Today, I experienced that smell repeatedly, apparently coming from some agricultural process. I suspect the smell had to do with the rearing of either hogs or turkeys. It was so stunningly awful, so achingly sour, so painfully potent that it nearly paralyzed this rider. Sometimes it seemed to come from an empty field, other times from what appeared to be a poultry house, and at times from passing trucks. Whatever the source, it was awful beyond belief. I pray that we have passed through the region in which it is produced.

This part of Minnesota is purely agricultural. And almost purely corn and what we believe to be soybeans. As you ride along you see either soybeans and corn, corn and corn or soybeans and soybeans. They are occasionally spiced up with a turkey house and maybe a windmill or two. That's about it.

Today's ride was a century and I joined the Miller Mob as our leader has called them. Mike Miller started at the front and lead at a brisk pace for the first 10-12 miles. I stayed with them, but I think the early pace set me back a bit as I spent the rest of the day trying to recover. The route today was flat, and the weather was warm, humid and we had a bit of a headwind all day.

By about mile 70, I was praying for help- and finally got it at mile 90, when we discovered our third sag was co-located with a Dairy Queen. We each took a private booth, slipped off our cycling shoes and stretched out our legs, and ate our cold, creamy treats in nearly total silence. There were a few locals who wanted to hear how far we'd come and Mike, always the cycling statesman, was happy to provide the details. I listened in, offered nothing-just focused on the next helping of my Chocolate Extreme Blizzard.

An update on my ride stats: Total miles completed are about 2,200 (69% of the total), remaining days 12 and remaining miles are 1,000. We'll ride another century tomorrow (my first back to back centuries) and have one more century after that. The ride is passing us by quickly and I have mixed emotions about the end. Part of me is ready to return to the real world and my family and farm-part of me wants the rolling circus to go on forever.

Day Twenty Nine-Rough Roads? You Betcha!

Day 29 (74 Miles)- Monday, July 16, 2007- Sioux Falls, SD to Worthington, MN

Today we eased back into our march across America (I think this qualifies as "March Madness"). Leaving the Super 8 Motel (clearly a misnomer- "Below Average 8" would have been a better fit) at around 7:00AM, we eased onto one of the busiest roads in SD, went a mile and then merged onto a pretty nifty bike path that I believe goes most of the way around Sioux Falls. We were on it for 8-10 miles and at it's end got a look at Sioux Falls- the falls. Gotta say it- wasn't impressed- not a bit. If it was in somebody's back yard- hell yeah, really cool. As a somewhat major city's namesake- c'mon guys-you can do better than this. Niagara's gonna crush you- won't even get to the sweet sixteens with this falls. Even Twin Falls, which was really "Solo Falls" had more going for it.

Shortly after the falls, we were dumped onto city streets and soon enough were on the outskirts of SF, heading east. The weather was poifect- 70's, clear skies, a bit humid, but very little wind. This pattern hung over us all morning and by lunch time, with one hideous detour(more to follow), we were in Worthington, MN.

We actually hit construction once or twice and just strapped on our big boy shoes on and rode through it. Our roads were at times painful (those freeze cracks or whatever they call them will be the death of me), and at other times sinfully smooth- almost made you feel guilty riding on them. In fact, it was a bit like sneaking into the living room and jumping on Ma's good furniture- Suh-weet!!! So unlike South Dakota's Highway Department, which only showed us its nasty side, Minnesota (we crossed into MN at about mile 25) flirted with us all day. First she'd pretend to like us, then she'd toss her hair back and slap us in the face. That is, until she went totally mental.

At mile 53, as we were about to enter the cuddly little town of Adrian, there was a sag van and a crowd of riders gathered on the roadside. Ever the curious ones, we pulled in and learned that we'd be facing a detour with details to follow (progressive disclosure is a hallmark of the ABB experience). After an ice cream break and a happy birthday song for the store's owner-Keith-we motored up the road. We soon learned that we had a choice (the answer to many questions out here is "it depends"- and that's a tightly controlled inside joke-right Mike?). We could ride pavement and add 10-12 miles to the day's total or we could take what was billed as a "dirt road" for 5-6 miles and maybe add 4 miles. We made the wrong choice.

The dirt road started out just fine and about the time we were out of shouting range of the staffer who gave us our choices, it turned to, pardon me, shit. The packed dirt turned to very loose, fine gravel. Now for my readers who've never ridden a lightweight road bike, here's the problem. I have tires with 120 pounds of air pressure (hard as a rock) that are less than an inch in diameter. When those hard, skinny tires hit 4-5 inches of soft gravel, they go just about wherever they want to go. Oh sure, I could make suggestions to the bike, but it was pretty much free to do about as it pleased. Now, to this troublesome situation, let's add copious amounts of dust so we really can't see very well and periodic semi's hauling the foulest smelling matter in the known universe. Oh yeah, we're also gonna throw in washboards on the road, so that your head is shaking hard enough to qualify under The Shaken Baby Protection Act. If we ride this way at 6 MPH and have to travel 6 miles, how long will we be punished? That's right, my little SAT Testers- about an hour. Well, we hung in there, nobody crashed in our group- though I know others did.

We did stop long enough to see some of the corn people coming out for some daylight- though as soon as they spotted us, they flung their tassles up and vanished.

Day Twenty Eight-I Spent a Week in Sioux Falls One Day

Day 28- (0 Miles)- Sunday, July 15, 2007- Rest Day in Sioux Falls, SD

Today is our third rest day and by all indications, a much needed one. I have stayed fairly busy with domestic issues- laundry, haircutting, shopping for a few things, repacking my bags, etc.
I also managed to wedge a nap in there- a sure indication that my bones were tired and needed a day off the bike. However, lest you think I've been idle, I will remind my kind readers that I am outfitted with only a bicycle for transportation and I had no plans to place my generously proportioned posterior upon that saddle until tomorrow morning. That meant I hoofed it- about two miles to do laundry and at least that- maybe three- to buy the supplies I needed for my bike. By 2:00PM, my dogs were barking and I took a two hour nap. Still need to hit Walgreens for some sun block, clean and lube my chain and cassette and then figure out something for dinner.

Our next leg will take us into Minnesota for three days and then into Wisconsin for four days. Over the next seven days (it is a shorter leg), we'll cover 593 miles and climb 12,070' or about half of the climbing we did in our first leg. That will set us up to take a ferry across Lake Michigan on our next rest day (July 23). So we're looking at much flatter terrain from here on out- we must only worry about heat, humidity and headwinds. Believe me, those three can have me whining like a baby just as fast as a mountain climb.

Just back from dinner and I'm ready for the rack. Will finish packing what I can tonight and then be ready for a good ride in the morning. The ride tomorrow is only 70 miles, but Tuesday and Wednesday are back-to-back centuries, so that will be a test for us. I've never done that, though I've done a 106 and a 92 miler, and a 117 and an 82 miler- so I should be OK. Still, it will be a couple of long days.

Day Twenty Seven- Dances with Horses

Day 27- (72 Miles)- Saturday, July 14, 2007, Mitchell, SD to Sioux Falls, SD

The day before a day off always has the feel of the day before the start of summer vacation. The riders moods were upbeat, especially since we didn't load until 6:45 and breakfast was at 7:00AM. Adding to our euphoria was a positive weather forecast (again) and a short ride- only 72 miles along a relatively flat route- with maybe a slight uphill trend, but nothing to get lathered up about.

Our destination was Sioux City, SD- our last stop in South Dakota. SD has been an interesting state- full of extremes. Extremely: beautiful (Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore), bad roads (every where), desolate and unpopulated. Though we didn't have much of it, it can also have otherworldly heat and winds. According to locals the heat has been right on our tails and next week we'll be dealing with triple digits. Guess we've had it coming and will have to get into survival mode to get through the hot days.
Our stats so far are starting to get impressive. Some fun facts: I am now 63% of the way along my route and will ride a total of 14 more days, with two more rest days. Since leaving Astoria, OR we've ridden for 25 of the last 27 days, have logged 1,988 miles and climbed 68,422 feet. We have crossed the Coastal Range, the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains. I've had five flats and have worn out one tire and one chain (the Habersham Bicycle Giant TCR has been running real fine). On Monday we'll enter our fifth state, with two more states and a Canadian province yet to go.

At this point, I am in good physical condition. I thought I was starting to develop a saddle sore a couple days ago, but the long distance cyclist's friend- Bag Balm, came to the rescue and I am pleased to report that I have weathered the storm. The contact points (butt, feet and hands) are all sound and although my legs feel like they need a day off, I have no injuries to worry about. I feel considerably stronger than when I started and notice a marked improvement in how I go over rolling hills- I'm much more comfortable staying in the big ring and powering up things. We are definitely starting to see injuries crop up- knees, backs, quads, hamstrings, achilles tendons. Seems like somebody is sagging everyday and several riders have bailed out due to backs or knees. Knock on wood, I'm holding together well. It could all turn to crap in a heartbeat, but for now-I'm solid.

As I mentioned, today's ride was pretty mild and the terrain has taken a decided turn from "western" to "mid-western". We are now cruising through corn and soybean fields and things are much greener than a week ago with increasing signs of civilization. We no longer have 100 mile stretches with only one gas station in between.

I joined forces with Big Ralph again this morning and we began slowly, but we were groovin' in no time. At about mile 11, Ralph hollered at me and looking back I saw that we had four horses galloping along a fence line to our right at full speed, apparently chasing us- just for the fun of it. It was very, very cool. We began yipping and yelping in cowboy fashion, whistling and slapping our spandex (cowboys would have slapped their spandex, just trust me)- encouraging the horses to stay with us- which they did for about a mile. Just as a tree line interrupted their ability to keep running with us, we heard one of our riders way behind us, yelling for us to stop- which we did. "You dorks missed the turn about a mile back" were his carefully chosen words. What a buzz kill.

With a slight headwind facing the riders, the two of us (remember, a big guy is more fun to draft behind than a little guy) soon collected an assortment of wheel suckers and we hammered along, pulling a double line down the country road and into the first sag at mile 40 or so. After the sag, our group split apart and Ralph and I went along, eventually picking Derek Miller up and the two of them tried their level best to kill me on the remaining 20 miles or so. They came close, but I kept finding excuses to stop for this and that and finally faked my way into Sioux Falls and the luxurious Super 8 Motel. Hey- decent bed and functioning AC- I ain't bitchin'.

This weekend there is some sort of bike (motorcycle) event in Sioux Falls and the place is overrun with Harleys and muscle cars. I'm begging you guys, go fast somewhere else- I want to sleep tonight.

Tomorrow, our third rest day, will be a day of exceptionally low expectations for me. My only to-do's are to find a washing machine and a barber. And if I can't find a barber, I'll be able live with that. BTW, thanks to Sherry and Joe for getting my care package sent to me. It had Chamois Butter, new cleats and cleat covers- golly, this is the best Christmas ever!!