Tag: cycling

Pandemic work-at-home started for me on March 17th.  I’d been spinning regularly at Lifetime Fitness 3-5 times per week riding 20 miles in each class.  So I woke up on March 17 at my usual 4:35am and told Deb since I am no longer going to the gym, I need to get my 20 miles in outside.  I put the lights on the bike and headed out at 5am. 

Little did I know I would miss only two days of riding between that day and the Trans Indiana 250 on September 26, 2020.  The Trans Indiana 250 was the inaugural ride across Indiana designed by Kyle Lagemann.  Deb and I saw it posted on Facebook in early 2020 and kicked around bikepacking it over two days.  As the year went by we mentioned it off and on, but never committed.  The first week of September Deb said she hadn’t been riding much and probably wasn’t going to do the ride, but since I had been riding every day, I should ride it. 

Well that was all the encouragement I needed.  I planned a 100 miler on September 12 and a 150 miler for September 19 to test my endurance and legs.  Of course they went just fine and it was time to plan for the September 26 weekend.  I was planning on riding self supported, but at the last minute Deb decided to SAG.  What a nice surprise 😊.

On Friday September 25, we packed up and headed to the start in Danville, IL.  We checked into our hotel and do what we always do before running marathons and riding bikes; find a local brewery for a couple of beers.  We lucked out with Vermillion River Beer Company just a couple of miles away.  It was a great evening with outdoor seating and live music playing.  Families with kids were enjoying the evening watching a man with a makeshift bubble machine.  Just a couple for us as we had a long day/night ahead of us.

I’d been riding my gravel bike, a Salsa Cutthroat, all year and was planning on riding it fully loaded for the ride prior to Deb deciding to SAG.  With her sagging, I just needed the bare essentials; head light, rear light, bike tools and my Garmin Edge 530 with the route loaded.

On September 26, at 6am, 14 riders showed up for the inaugural ride.  A group shot was taken and we were off.  Most riders were half my age and were obviously racing this ride.  My goal was just to finish 😊.

It started lightening up within the hour and we hit gravel roads early.  I met a couple of guys during that first 30 miles; Mark Carlson and Geoff Chandler and enjoyed getting to know them a bit.  Deb was up ahead at mile 30 and she had a hot breakfast sandwich with coffee waiting for me, and then I was off again.

Not too much farther down the road I came to a creek with the bridge out.  We got to hike-a-bike down one bank, cross the creek and hike up the other bank.  It was bit muddy, but no biggie.

I was looking forward to the next stop at mile 60 on the Purdue Campus at Harry’s Chocolate Shop.  No I wasn’t going to stop and have a cold one, but my sons Adam and Clayton and their friend Dylan were. They came up to root me on during the ride.  After a brief visit with them, I was off and next stop was Kokomo, mile 110. 

The day was going well with a favorable wind from S/SW.  The next couple of hours were just riding in the country.  I put the headphones in and enjoyed the ride.  I met Deb in Kokomo for a quick snack and Gatorade.  I then jumped on the Nickel Plate Trail heading north with a tailwind to Peru at mile 140.  Another quick stop and it was on to Salamonie single track at mile 160. 

My goal was to reach Salamonie before dark.  I almost timed it right but it was getting dark and difficult maneuvering on the single track.  Glad I had my head light to guide me.  Single track lasted about 5-7 miles and I got through it even though I am not much of a mountain biker without a mountain bike 😊. Another quick stop for food and I was off again. 

The plan for the remainder of the ride was to meet Deb about every 30 miles.  I was in virgin riding territory by this time.  The longest I had ever ridden before in one day was 163 miles at the RAIN ride.  I was amazed my legs were feeling so fresh and I really wasn’t tired at all.  That was the good news.  The bad news was the buns ☹.  They were in shape for the 30 milers I had been riding every day, but not this long of ride.  Just keep riding and suck it up!

I arrived in Ft. Wayne at mile 211 and met up with Deb.  My Garmin got a bit confused in Ft. Wayne. Gratefully, Kyle painted green Dan Henry’s to keep riders on course.  I knew I was in the home stretch now. 

A few miles out of Ft. Wayne at about 1am, I was riding out in the country along a non moving train.  Just then, my Garmin beeped for me to turn left on a road blocked by the train.  I called Deb and explained my situation and said “I think I can crawl under the train to get to the other side”.  Of course she talked some sense into me and I pulled out my phone and dialed up Google Maps to get around the stopped train. 

Just a short detour and I was back on track.  Next stop was New Haven at mile 235 and the last stop before the finish line.  I arrived to find Deb’s car running parked along the road and she had fallen asleep 😊.  After a quick stop, I gave her a kiss and said “see you at the finish line”. 

The finish line was the Indiana/Ohio state border.  With 15 miles to go, I headed out.  My mind said, “Enjoy This”.  My buns said “Hurry Up!”.  The last 10 miles was a gravel road riding between corn and soybean fields.  The finish line was uneventful with Deb sitting there in the parked car in the middle of nowhere. 

I finished and gave Deb a great big hug and kiss.  I noticed another biker was there who had finished just ahead of me.  Kimberly Byers lives in Ft. Wayne and was going to ride home on her bike from the finish line.  She gladly accepted a ride home so we loaded up both bikes and gave her a lift.  Although Fort Wayne to Indy is usually a two hour drive, this time it took a bit longer as we stopped three times for cat naps 😊.

It was a great day and it couldn’t have gone any better.  I finished the 250 miles in 20 hours and 11 mins at 3:11am. 

Will I do it again?  Deb and I are one-and-done-ers.  It’s off to the next adventure this summer, ride the Great Divide 2021!

A last minute (and I mean last minute) weekend getaway took us to clear and sunny Tucson, AZ to escape the cold, gray, rainy weather in Indy.  Tucson was everything we hoped for and more.

We opted out of the typical hotel accommodations and found two properties through Air BnB: both stellar, although both different.  The tiny trailer was, well… tiny, but well provisioned, immaculately clean and adorable.  The hosts even provided firewood for the fire pit, just past the compost toilet and outdoor shower, which also were immaculately clean.

The last two nights we stayed at an aptly named property, Serenity in the Saguaro Forest. Its peaceful location was close enough to the National Park to quickly get to a trail head or scenic sunset view yet close enough to town to explore the local restaurants and breweries, which we did. A few times.

After landing in Phoenix and renting a van that enabled us to transport rented road bikes, we headed south and within a little over two hours we were at the trail head ready to hike up tallest peak in the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park. There’s nothing like hiking to stretch and loosen up after flying in a plane all morning.

While hiking among the cacti, the most notable were the saguaro. These gentle giants are ancient and resilient.  And they all look different, kinda like us humans! It’s as if they will magically awaken, speak to one another and then begin spewing stories about the storms, drought, and invasive animals they’d survived.  We passed time on our hike up Wasson Peak imagining if the saguaro could talk what they might say.  Based on their unique postures, and the longer we hiked, the more creative and racy our musings. It’s a fun way to pass the time on an eight mile hike in the desert.

One of the biggest weekend surprises, however, was what Tucsonans call “The Loop.” It’s a paved dedicated bike, pedestrian trail that encircles Tucson. We’d rented road bikes for Saturday and Sunday and downloaded some decent routes on our Garmins but The Loop was just too good to pass up. And it was scenic, not crowded and easy to navigate.

I expected it to be similar to the Monon here in Indy: narrow, crowded, lots of stopping for traffic but not so.   The Loop is a gem.  We haven’t been riding much in 2020 but managed to squeeze in a 57 mile ride under smurf blue skies and pleasant temps. And we scouted out a brewery stop for a quick post ride bevvie.

We like to hit Mass up when we travel and Mission San Xavier del Bac was a short drive south so off we went before our Sunday morning bike ride.  The Mission exterior was imposing against the blue skies and gave me pause to think about the people, the mission, and all the prayers said since its beginning in 1700.

But, it’s when I entered this church that I experienced an overwhelming feeling of awe.  It was simple, yet ornate and majestic. There was remarkable detail in the walls, ceiling and statues, but I couldn’t help notice the simplicity of the worship space with its  wooden pews (no cushions or kneelers) and simple flooring.

 

During Mass an older gentleman, one of the ushers, would casually and inconspicuously walk over to the nativity scene and gently rock the Child Jesus’ cradle. This man emanated such love and devotion to the the Christ Child in this simple act. It made me smile.

Outside after Mass, local vendors were beginning to set up booths selling food and souvies.  Pretty sure we could have stayed all day to poke around the Mission. It was lovely and there was so much history, but other plans for the day beckoned.

We’d been told a visit to Arizona isn’t complete unless a cyclist hits some trails so our Air BnB host, Justin,  led us on a short mountain bike ride through scenic Sweetwater Preserve.  In the late afternoon, the sun was low and gave an even more interesting perspective to the giant saguaros.

I tried hard to remember what Sally, Liv and Nichole at Sundance Mountain Bike Clinic taught us a few months ago while riding: cover brakes, feet at 9 and 3 o’clock and be fluid and wide on the bike.  Those cacti though, positioned like sentinels along the trail. … with big thorns. I have run into trees before but I definitely didn’t want to run into a saguaro or even a teddy bear cholla. The mountain bike ride through Sweetwater Preserve was just about the best way I can think of to wrap up our short cycling weekend in Tucson. And, gratefully, there were no cacti collisions.

Just before driving back to Phoenix we snuck in one more short three mile hike and met a gentleman on our descent.  He was hiking the west side of the Hugh Norris Trail again, only 20 years later. He said the trail felt a little different now.  Go figure. I completely understand.  How about you?

We chatted for a while and he claimed to be more of a cyclist than a hiker and had come to Tucson from Colorado with his bike.  And darn if he didn’t share that he’d cycled on every continent. Even Antarctica! How cool is that?  You know how ideas for new adventures are born from adventures we are currently on. Maybe this is something to plan for someday. #bucketlist #gettingenormous

But at the end of the weekend, we did get to color in another state on our “Bike the US Map”.  So there’s that.

All we can say to Tucson is, this isn’t goodbye, it’s until next time.