Dave,
While my North Missouri riding weather is usually milder than Iowa's (and I should know since I grew up in Iowa Indianola HS-1977), getting in all 12 metrics has been a journey in itself. I have a lot of respect for you guys/gals up north.
From icy gravel to eating hot July dust, this challenge has been a blast. It's taken me all over North Missouri, and then some.
I never got in a true century which was disappointing, but I guess that's why we make goals.
Last July, I got in two metrics, which ended up being a good thing. During my cross
country season (I coach) I was diagnosed with a hernia. The doctor said he would do the procedure after the season was over. So, in November, two days after I rode my 12th metric, I had the procedure. Recovery was stupid slow, still is. I had my 12 metrics, but I was hoping to get in one every month (December). Time was running out.
I've had a few days off during Christmas Break and started thinking about trying to get the December one in. Local riders have told nothing but horror stories about our icy gravel we currently have. One buddy actually went to the doctor concerning injuries he sustained while riding our gravel. I didn't think trying to ride 62 miles on local icy gravel was a good idea. The last thing I wanted to do was crash and re-injure the hernia thingy.
Yesterday, I loaded up the bike and drove south. I went to the KATY trail down by the Missouri River. The KATY is a flat, 220+ mile crushed limestone trail. They had less snow there, but enough to make me to pull the plug.
The first 10 miles took me well over an hour... plus a lot of effort. I couldn't believe what was happening. Where I wasn't plowing through 2 inches of crusty snow, I would be on soft sandy-type gravel. The freeze/thaw cycle had already hit the surface making it like riding through sand. There was nothing easy about it. Surface conditions, plus the fact that I hadn't ridden in 7 weeks, took its toll. I got in another 8 miles and realized I wasn't' going to make it back to the truck if I kept going.
So I turned around. I think my total was around 36 miles. I'm glad I had the 12 metrics in, but I really wanted to get in that December one.
Since I've been riding MTBs, I've had a few DNF's due to equipment failure, or not making a cutoff time, but never have I had to DNF myself. Still, it was strangely one of my best rides. I saw awesome scenery, a bunch of bald eagles, zero cars, truck or tractors, and only a handful of people. When I rode up to the truck, I was much more tired than any other metric I've done.
Like they say, even a bad day on the bike is better than not riding.
Thanks again for putting on this challenge. I hope to get up to your CIRREM event...surly my hernia thingy will be totally mended.
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
"None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm."
Henry David Thoreau
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Cup O'the Day - Nick Wethington's Pursuit.
Dave,
Well, I set out at the beginning of this year with a dream of finishing all three of the available cups. My first ride for the cup was a long, single-speed slog out in hills of the Des Moines River valley, and the last one was at the Tuscobia Ultra, a 75-mile haul on nice loose snowmobile trail. I rolled over that last qualifying mile in the dark somewhere near Park Falls, Wisconsin, and it was quite a moment to realize that I had just finished my dream. So, yeah, that makes 12 metrics and 18 full dirty rides!
For posterity (and to remember how many I'd done), I kept a record of all the qualifying rides and their dates. Here's that for you:
January 18th - 62 miles
February 2nd - 135 miles
February 15th - 62 miles
February 22nd - 100 miles
March 8th - 62 miles
March 15th - 100 miles
March 29th - 115 miles
May 31st - 100 miles
June 11th - 62 miles
July 9th - 65 miles
July 13th - 110 miles - 6 Full
July 20th - 105 miles
July 27th - 100 miles
August 3rd - 165 miles - 6 Metric
August 9th - 100 miles
August 16th - 115 miles
September 17th - 65 miles
September 27th - 104 miles - 12 Full!
October 4th - 62 miles
October 17th - 210 miles
October 25th - 100 miles
November 1st - 65 miles
November 14th - 103miles
November 15th - 103 miles
November 29th - 63 miles
December 6th - 100 miles - 18 full centuries!
December 12th - 65 miles
December 19th - 78 miles - 12 Metrics!
I'd really like to receive all three cups, but I know that you're doing this all out of your own pocket and the kindness of your own heart, so let me know how much those cups cost and I will gladly tip you a few bucks to cover the cost of my three.
Thanks for putting this on - it really pushed me to add a lot more miles to my rides than I would have, and travel to some places that I normally wouldn't see. Plus, it was great training for my winter bike racing season.
~Nick Wethington
Ed: ROCK IT OUT NICK! Glad you enjoyed the chase - congratulations!
3 cups will be ordered (and delivered randomly throughout the year, right Grelk? #2 is here....) - or handed out at CIRREM?!?
And to the rest of you - watch for a new Cup O' The Day daily (or mostly, I hope!)
Well, I set out at the beginning of this year with a dream of finishing all three of the available cups. My first ride for the cup was a long, single-speed slog out in hills of the Des Moines River valley, and the last one was at the Tuscobia Ultra, a 75-mile haul on nice loose snowmobile trail. I rolled over that last qualifying mile in the dark somewhere near Park Falls, Wisconsin, and it was quite a moment to realize that I had just finished my dream. So, yeah, that makes 12 metrics and 18 full dirty rides!
For posterity (and to remember how many I'd done), I kept a record of all the qualifying rides and their dates. Here's that for you:
January 18th - 62 miles
February 2nd - 135 miles
February 15th - 62 miles
February 22nd - 100 miles
March 8th - 62 miles
March 15th - 100 miles
March 29th - 115 miles
May 31st - 100 miles
June 11th - 62 miles
July 9th - 65 miles
July 13th - 110 miles - 6 Full
July 20th - 105 miles
July 27th - 100 miles
August 3rd - 165 miles - 6 Metric
August 9th - 100 miles
August 16th - 115 miles
September 17th - 65 miles
September 27th - 104 miles - 12 Full!
October 4th - 62 miles
October 17th - 210 miles
October 25th - 100 miles
November 1st - 65 miles
November 14th - 103miles
November 15th - 103 miles
November 29th - 63 miles
December 6th - 100 miles - 18 full centuries!
December 12th - 65 miles
December 19th - 78 miles - 12 Metrics!
I'd really like to receive all three cups, but I know that you're doing this all out of your own pocket and the kindness of your own heart, so let me know how much those cups cost and I will gladly tip you a few bucks to cover the cost of my three.
Thanks for putting this on - it really pushed me to add a lot more miles to my rides than I would have, and travel to some places that I normally wouldn't see. Plus, it was great training for my winter bike racing season.
~Nick Wethington
Ed: ROCK IT OUT NICK! Glad you enjoyed the chase - congratulations!
3 cups will be ordered (and delivered randomly throughout the year, right Grelk? #2 is here....) - or handed out at CIRREM?!?
And to the rest of you - watch for a new Cup O' The Day daily (or mostly, I hope!)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
It may be quiet... but I am watching!
So, send my your stuff - Cups will be ordered by mid Jan - and presented in the snow and rain at CIRREM!
dave@bikeworldiowa.com
Peace! - Dave
dave@bikeworldiowa.com
Peace! - Dave
Thursday, August 06, 2009
18?! At one time?!? Are You CRAZY?
Yep.
Here's a little note from Joe Meiser - Trans-Iowa veteran... and now Trans United-freakin-States-via-the-freakin-Continental-Divide veteran - congrats Joe! Dave,
Completed the Tour Divide Race on July 3rd. It's hard to say how many
centuries were in there for the 21.5 days that I rode. I know there
were at least three days under 100 miles, somewhere in the 50-85 mile
range. So I'll call it 18 centuries for the whole event, most of them
120+ mile days with some in the 140+ and three 170+ days. I guess I've
hit the goal...
Photos and info here: www.eojmeiser.blogspot.com
Feel free to use/post any of the Flickr photos that can be accesed via
the sidebar on my blog.
Thanks for putting this good fun on!
Joe
And this is from Nick in Ames:
Dave,
I saw you updated the site. It's good to know that there are other
crazy people out there trying for the cup! I did a sweet 165 miles on
Sunday last, riding up to Mallard, Iowa to see some family, then back
down to Humboldt along part of the Three Rivers trail. My girlfriend
thankfully picked me up in Humboldt so I didn't have to camp, but it
was a gorgeous day for such a long ride. That puts me at 9 full and 6
metric, exactly halfway for my projected three cup goal. I'm hoping
to get a full at the 24-hour race this year. Are you gonna be there
again for the fun? (maybe!-ed)
~Nick
Here's a little note from Joe Meiser - Trans-Iowa veteran... and now Trans United-freakin-States-via-the-freakin-Continental-Divide veteran - congrats Joe! Dave,
Completed the Tour Divide Race on July 3rd. It's hard to say how many
centuries were in there for the 21.5 days that I rode. I know there
were at least three days under 100 miles, somewhere in the 50-85 mile
range. So I'll call it 18 centuries for the whole event, most of them
120+ mile days with some in the 140+ and three 170+ days. I guess I've
hit the goal...
Photos and info here: www.eojmeiser.blogspot.com
Feel free to use/post any of the Flickr photos that can be accesed via
the sidebar on my blog.
Thanks for putting this good fun on!
Joe
And this is from Nick in Ames:
Dave,
I saw you updated the site. It's good to know that there are other
crazy people out there trying for the cup! I did a sweet 165 miles on
Sunday last, riding up to Mallard, Iowa to see some family, then back
down to Humboldt along part of the Three Rivers trail. My girlfriend
thankfully picked me up in Humboldt so I didn't have to camp, but it
was a gorgeous day for such a long ride. That puts me at 9 full and 6
metric, exactly halfway for my projected three cup goal. I'm hoping
to get a full at the 24-hour race this year. Are you gonna be there
again for the fun? (maybe!-ed)
~Nick
Saturday, August 01, 2009
July Cup' Dates
I've been lurking - reading your email entries - and waiting for a little computer time to update the site - and as that little ride across Iowa came and went - I decided to do a cumulative update for July -there's been alot of riding going on!
Nick Wethington is A) enjoying his Cup (read on)and B) enjoying his bike. He's now racked up 8 full and 5 metric centuries - and only has a little road rash to show for it! He's been riding with Matt Maxwell and the two are exploring every dirty little nook and cranny of Story and Boone counties!
Dave,
Well, I just got my 2008 cup, and let me tell you, coffee tastes much
better from a mug earned than one bought. It's also inspired me to
continue my quest for at least two but hopefully three cups in 2009.
I got another century in three weeks ago. I rode out to Seven Oaks
from Ames, met up with some friends there and did a lap, then rode
back, switched to my gravel bike and rode down to Big Creek. I took a
short nap at Big Creek by the lake, then rode back to Ames to get
about 102 miles. It seemed more like a series of shorter rides than a
century, and the nap in the middle made it feel like little work at
all! I've also done two metrics since I last wrote, so that puts me
at 5 full and 5 metric. Now that summer is in full swing I expect to
get a few more under my belt before the weather turns cold again.
Thanks, as always, for inspiring to ride just a little bit more.
~Nick Wethington
From our friend in Mizzou: (this is an early entry - but I liked the story!)
Dave,
Put me down for another metric.
Last Saturday I raced in the Lumberjack 100, except for me it ended up the Lumberjack 50. I broke not one, but two spokes on my second 25-mile lap. I decided to DNF the race, but was still able to get in a total of 62 miles by riding service roads in the park. Plus I had five hours to kill waiting for by buddies to finish.
This wasn't the century I was looking for, but it was the most fun so far.
Have a great day,
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
And from Colorado, as Drew prepares to battle a 'race ready' Lance Armstrong:
Did my third metric of the year last Friday....a pre-ride on the Leadville 100 course from Leadville to Twin Lakes Dam and back. Eighty miles total, but 10-15 on pavement. A legit 62 or more on the dirt though...will try to post to my blog soon!?
Did it solo in about 7.5 hours....too bad those fast guys do the whole hundred in that time or less! Rain threatened most of the day but never materialized in any major way. Should be stacking them up with a bit more regularity through the rest of the year between events and training.
Hope everyone is well in Dirty Cup land. Would love the opportunity to hook up at Cheq if the schedules permit!
Drew Miller
Buena Vista, CO
And Pete Lira is knocking off centuries left and right down in the heat and hills of Kansas:
Hey Dave,
Had some great fun this weekend in Madison Kansas. The Flint hills Deathride was 81 mile this year. What is great about this ride is that it is different each year. This was my 6th trip down and I still found myself on new gravel.
Pete Lira
Up in NE Iowa - David G is cranking out mile after mile - and kilometer after kilometer - he's up to 20 metrics this year - I'm so proud of that boy!!!!
Ben Shocky isn't asleep either - as he's taking advantage of a broken frame and getting a full hundy in. (what? His race bike broke - so he decided to ride a long gravel ride since he couldn't race... - We're sorry to hear about your bike!)
And a whole group from Des Moines had fun on the chase:
Dave,
Congrats on the tri yesterday! Still, you missed out on a pretty fun ride. Sedore, Oakley Rob, Kurt Benson, Fuller, Joe from BW West, and myself took off from Legends on 60th and Ashworth and the crack of dark Saturday night which equates to roughly 10:20 PM after some food and liquid fueling. Heading west on EP True we went baja style riding through the dead end past Jordan Creek and eventually worked our way down to Booneville road and over to Booneville proper by 11. We briefly debated the first beer stop of the evening, but eventually bypassed the Waveland in favor of heading to the Cumming Tap for our first round of the evening. We hit the tap somewhere need midnight and split a pitcher between us while Kurt also thought it was necessary to bolster our spirits with a round of Red Bulls as well. Most everyone chugged theirs down, but I wisely packed away that gem for a later pick me up.
From Cumming we decided to try for last call in Martensdale. A mile or so out of town we had our first flat of the evening on Joe’s trusty La Cruz. Now here’s how you can tell you’re in Iowa. Here we were at 1ish in the morning, a group of 6 guys standing around working on a bike and 2 separate cars happened to roll by, both checking to make sure we were good to go and offering to shine their headlights on the situation to help. We got the flat repaired in time to make last call. After another pitched split, we headed back from whence we came. Somewhere about halfway back to Cumming we decided to stop and break out some food. I think we were all feeling a bit punchy at the time as the stop also included a rousing game of duck-duck goose played in the midst of the gravel road in the wee hours of Sunday morning. We wound our way back through the Booneville loop and made our final break at the Waveland west where we enjoyed their great hospitality. Of course they weren’t actually open at 4 in the morning (who knew?), but we did find the patio furniture to be quite inviting. After a bit more snacking on processed meat sticks aka Slim Jim’s, we headed back towards town only to stop for the 2nd flat of the evening.
Rather than run through the bigger rollers on Booneville road, we opted to head back out to Grand and roll it double file paceline style clear down to Raccoon River Park to let the heckling and shananigans begin for the Hy-Vee Tri. All told, I showed 68 miles and change with 3000’ of climbing for our overnighter along with more laughing, fun, and folly than I can remember having for a long time. One punctuation to the evening was experiencing flying down the various hills at 25+ mph in the pitch of night which was thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I finally rolled back home and to bed around 10:30 after having eclipsed the 26th hour of awake time before dropping like a ton of bricks for a few hours nap.
Thanks,
Rick
Adding to that - Fuller wandered around with some friends for dirty hundy with some friends while the rest of the state was gathering in Council Bluffs for RAGBRAI -
Went on a little Death Ride with Guitar Ted, David Pals, Jeremy Fry,
Craig and Doug on Saturday morning. Left West Union around 7:00 AM.
Got back quite a while later. Camped out, drank some beers, rode some
flats, climbed a few hills, enjoyed the conversation and scenery, and
had damn good time. 118 miles, 9994 feet of climb. Route link: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9148382
Steve Fuller
Finally - one thing I suck at is mailing stuff - I've got Cups headed to Cedar Falls via the State Road Race, Dubuque via the mail and to Mr. Never Rest via the mail - sorry it takes so danged long - but the Cups are like a fine wine - better aged!
Peace all and safe riding! - Dave
Nick Wethington is A) enjoying his Cup (read on)and B) enjoying his bike. He's now racked up 8 full and 5 metric centuries - and only has a little road rash to show for it! He's been riding with Matt Maxwell and the two are exploring every dirty little nook and cranny of Story and Boone counties!
Dave,
Well, I just got my 2008 cup, and let me tell you, coffee tastes much
better from a mug earned than one bought. It's also inspired me to
continue my quest for at least two but hopefully three cups in 2009.
I got another century in three weeks ago. I rode out to Seven Oaks
from Ames, met up with some friends there and did a lap, then rode
back, switched to my gravel bike and rode down to Big Creek. I took a
short nap at Big Creek by the lake, then rode back to Ames to get
about 102 miles. It seemed more like a series of shorter rides than a
century, and the nap in the middle made it feel like little work at
all! I've also done two metrics since I last wrote, so that puts me
at 5 full and 5 metric. Now that summer is in full swing I expect to
get a few more under my belt before the weather turns cold again.
Thanks, as always, for inspiring to ride just a little bit more.
~Nick Wethington
From our friend in Mizzou: (this is an early entry - but I liked the story!)
Dave,
Put me down for another metric.
Last Saturday I raced in the Lumberjack 100, except for me it ended up the Lumberjack 50. I broke not one, but two spokes on my second 25-mile lap. I decided to DNF the race, but was still able to get in a total of 62 miles by riding service roads in the park. Plus I had five hours to kill waiting for by buddies to finish.
This wasn't the century I was looking for, but it was the most fun so far.
Have a great day,
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
And from Colorado, as Drew prepares to battle a 'race ready' Lance Armstrong:
Did my third metric of the year last Friday....a pre-ride on the Leadville 100 course from Leadville to Twin Lakes Dam and back. Eighty miles total, but 10-15 on pavement. A legit 62 or more on the dirt though...will try to post to my blog soon!?
Did it solo in about 7.5 hours....too bad those fast guys do the whole hundred in that time or less! Rain threatened most of the day but never materialized in any major way. Should be stacking them up with a bit more regularity through the rest of the year between events and training.
Hope everyone is well in Dirty Cup land. Would love the opportunity to hook up at Cheq if the schedules permit!
Drew Miller
Buena Vista, CO
And Pete Lira is knocking off centuries left and right down in the heat and hills of Kansas:
Hey Dave,
Had some great fun this weekend in Madison Kansas. The Flint hills Deathride was 81 mile this year. What is great about this ride is that it is different each year. This was my 6th trip down and I still found myself on new gravel.
Pete Lira
Up in NE Iowa - David G is cranking out mile after mile - and kilometer after kilometer - he's up to 20 metrics this year - I'm so proud of that boy!!!!
Ben Shocky isn't asleep either - as he's taking advantage of a broken frame and getting a full hundy in. (what? His race bike broke - so he decided to ride a long gravel ride since he couldn't race... - We're sorry to hear about your bike!)
And a whole group from Des Moines had fun on the chase:
Dave,
Congrats on the tri yesterday! Still, you missed out on a pretty fun ride. Sedore, Oakley Rob, Kurt Benson, Fuller, Joe from BW West, and myself took off from Legends on 60th and Ashworth and the crack of dark Saturday night which equates to roughly 10:20 PM after some food and liquid fueling. Heading west on EP True we went baja style riding through the dead end past Jordan Creek and eventually worked our way down to Booneville road and over to Booneville proper by 11. We briefly debated the first beer stop of the evening, but eventually bypassed the Waveland in favor of heading to the Cumming Tap for our first round of the evening. We hit the tap somewhere need midnight and split a pitcher between us while Kurt also thought it was necessary to bolster our spirits with a round of Red Bulls as well. Most everyone chugged theirs down, but I wisely packed away that gem for a later pick me up.
From Cumming we decided to try for last call in Martensdale. A mile or so out of town we had our first flat of the evening on Joe’s trusty La Cruz. Now here’s how you can tell you’re in Iowa. Here we were at 1ish in the morning, a group of 6 guys standing around working on a bike and 2 separate cars happened to roll by, both checking to make sure we were good to go and offering to shine their headlights on the situation to help. We got the flat repaired in time to make last call. After another pitched split, we headed back from whence we came. Somewhere about halfway back to Cumming we decided to stop and break out some food. I think we were all feeling a bit punchy at the time as the stop also included a rousing game of duck-duck goose played in the midst of the gravel road in the wee hours of Sunday morning. We wound our way back through the Booneville loop and made our final break at the Waveland west where we enjoyed their great hospitality. Of course they weren’t actually open at 4 in the morning (who knew?), but we did find the patio furniture to be quite inviting. After a bit more snacking on processed meat sticks aka Slim Jim’s, we headed back towards town only to stop for the 2nd flat of the evening.
Rather than run through the bigger rollers on Booneville road, we opted to head back out to Grand and roll it double file paceline style clear down to Raccoon River Park to let the heckling and shananigans begin for the Hy-Vee Tri. All told, I showed 68 miles and change with 3000’ of climbing for our overnighter along with more laughing, fun, and folly than I can remember having for a long time. One punctuation to the evening was experiencing flying down the various hills at 25+ mph in the pitch of night which was thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I finally rolled back home and to bed around 10:30 after having eclipsed the 26th hour of awake time before dropping like a ton of bricks for a few hours nap.
Thanks,
Rick
Adding to that - Fuller wandered around with some friends for dirty hundy with some friends while the rest of the state was gathering in Council Bluffs for RAGBRAI -
Went on a little Death Ride with Guitar Ted, David Pals, Jeremy Fry,
Craig and Doug on Saturday morning. Left West Union around 7:00 AM.
Got back quite a while later. Camped out, drank some beers, rode some
flats, climbed a few hills, enjoyed the conversation and scenery, and
had damn good time. 118 miles, 9994 feet of climb. Route link: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9148382
Steve Fuller
Finally - one thing I suck at is mailing stuff - I've got Cups headed to Cedar Falls via the State Road Race, Dubuque via the mail and to Mr. Never Rest via the mail - sorry it takes so danged long - but the Cups are like a fine wine - better aged!
Peace all and safe riding! - Dave
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
New Guy
Let's all welcome the new guy, Pete Liera, to the chase! He's got a few in already, and had this to say:
"Thanks Dave,
So far this year I have one full century and 4 metrics. I have been planninig a route between the Illinois and missisippi rivers,but the bridge is out to get there.
Ill let you know how it goes.
Pete"
On a side note - we're getting jazzed about the Honey Creek Fall Cycling Festival - and plan on calling the gravel road races (100m and 100k) the Midwest 100 mile Champships - a real midwest throwdown!
Info here: www.tworiverstouringco.com
I hope to see you all there!
Peace - Dave
"Thanks Dave,
So far this year I have one full century and 4 metrics. I have been planninig a route between the Illinois and missisippi rivers,but the bridge is out to get there.
Ill let you know how it goes.
Pete"
On a side note - we're getting jazzed about the Honey Creek Fall Cycling Festival - and plan on calling the gravel road races (100m and 100k) the Midwest 100 mile Champships - a real midwest throwdown!
Info here: www.tworiverstouringco.com
I hope to see you all there!
Peace - Dave
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Anutha full hundy for DaveyG!
Hi Dave,
Well, last Saturday I wrote you and stated I was headed to a 100 miler the following day. I waffled. I didn't do. Didn't even make 30 miles. However!! :-) Today I rode 107 miles. My most ever in a single ride. 95% on dirt. I want thee "CUP" It is a long ways away. We shall see. Pictures of the ride attached.
Thanks for the chase.
Dave Giegerich
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Send Me Your Addresses!
Cup earners from afar.... - send your shipping address to dave@bikeworldiowa.com
I am sending the Ames Cups to the Ames Bike World for you to pick up - and I'm hoping to get to CF for the TTT next weekend and deliver that crews Cups up there.
Fuller, stop in the shop - I've got yours there - and it's always good to see you.
If you ain't among those 3 groups - send me your address!
Peace - and happy riding!
Dave
PS - I'm thinking maybe I should be going for a real Cup this year... hard to smack-talk without putting up myself, eh?
I am sending the Ames Cups to the Ames Bike World for you to pick up - and I'm hoping to get to CF for the TTT next weekend and deliver that crews Cups up there.
Fuller, stop in the shop - I've got yours there - and it's always good to see you.
If you ain't among those 3 groups - send me your address!
Peace - and happy riding!
Dave
PS - I'm thinking maybe I should be going for a real Cup this year... hard to smack-talk without putting up myself, eh?
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Lessons On Modern Cycling, A DK Top 10, and other fun stories from around the World
Shockey's old bike
Shocky had this to say:
"hey dave,
got out for my harmony-and-back metric yesterday and ended up finishing a metric in under 4 hours for the first time. i think people might be onto something with these "freewheel" things. they're kinda fast and kinda fun. weird.
shockey"
Shockey and his newest bike:
First of all, Mr. Shock-meister - that's pretty quick - nice ride... secondly - you'd be shocked (pun intended) at all the new-fangled developments since man first stepped off the Ordinary! All kinds of sweet stuff - gears, pnumatic tires, frames made out of stuff other than iron - bikes these days rock! Ya should check into em!
Fuller rocked out a 10th place finish at Dirty Kanza - a HOT Dirty Kanza too! You should read his write-up - but for those who have full time jobs, I'll summarize: Early morning, Flint Hills, Kansas - a whole herd'o folks take off for this crazy, hilly, dirty 200 mile race. It gets hot - real hot (like - 94!). A whole herd'o folks call it a day, cept for our own, intrepid traveler, Mr. Steve Fuller - He plugs on to the finish line some 20 hourse later - in an impressive 10th place! Great job Fuller!!!
A DK fan from Tennessee stumbled upon our little Cup chase and decided to throw his hat in the ring:
"Just found this website after looking for post write ups on dirty kanza. This is an awesome idea and I want to join in on the fun! My name is Scott McConnell. I am from Nashville, Tn and ride with a group of gravel grinder enthusiasts here. We hit the gravel a lot more last year, but hoping to get back at it more throughout the remaining part of the year. My new ride is a Moots Mooto-x Slider that is set up to run single speed. Thus far this year, I have completed the Cohutta 100, and 104 miles of Dirty Kanza. I also have the Shenadoah 100 on the agenda this year as well as a 24 hr race. I'll work on getting you some pics and forward your website to the rest of the crew. This will give me a target to shoot for. Let me know if you need anything else from me.
Scott"
Welcome aboard Scott!
And from Mizzu:
"Dave,
Got in another metric yesterday, May 30. Nothing too spectacular, but once again, got to see some country side that didn't know existed.
Headed southeast out of Chillicothe, Mo and shot straight north to meet up with a buddy in Laredo. We got in another 25 together and then we headed back in his truck. Kinda a neat way to get in some miles.
Total mileage was 62 and average was 11.8 mph.
Tim R."
Meanwhile, in northern Iowa, David G. is racking up the metrics - maybe on his way to a couple of 1/2 Liters??? Maybe on his way to a Cup O' Mississippi Mud? We shall see! We shall see!
Keep em rolling!
Peace -Dave
Shocky had this to say:
"hey dave,
got out for my harmony-and-back metric yesterday and ended up finishing a metric in under 4 hours for the first time. i think people might be onto something with these "freewheel" things. they're kinda fast and kinda fun. weird.
shockey"
Shockey and his newest bike:
First of all, Mr. Shock-meister - that's pretty quick - nice ride... secondly - you'd be shocked (pun intended) at all the new-fangled developments since man first stepped off the Ordinary! All kinds of sweet stuff - gears, pnumatic tires, frames made out of stuff other than iron - bikes these days rock! Ya should check into em!
Fuller rocked out a 10th place finish at Dirty Kanza - a HOT Dirty Kanza too! You should read his write-up - but for those who have full time jobs, I'll summarize: Early morning, Flint Hills, Kansas - a whole herd'o folks take off for this crazy, hilly, dirty 200 mile race. It gets hot - real hot (like - 94!). A whole herd'o folks call it a day, cept for our own, intrepid traveler, Mr. Steve Fuller - He plugs on to the finish line some 20 hourse later - in an impressive 10th place! Great job Fuller!!!
A DK fan from Tennessee stumbled upon our little Cup chase and decided to throw his hat in the ring:
"Just found this website after looking for post write ups on dirty kanza. This is an awesome idea and I want to join in on the fun! My name is Scott McConnell. I am from Nashville, Tn and ride with a group of gravel grinder enthusiasts here. We hit the gravel a lot more last year, but hoping to get back at it more throughout the remaining part of the year. My new ride is a Moots Mooto-x Slider that is set up to run single speed. Thus far this year, I have completed the Cohutta 100, and 104 miles of Dirty Kanza. I also have the Shenadoah 100 on the agenda this year as well as a 24 hr race. I'll work on getting you some pics and forward your website to the rest of the crew. This will give me a target to shoot for. Let me know if you need anything else from me.
Scott"
Welcome aboard Scott!
And from Mizzu:
"Dave,
Got in another metric yesterday, May 30. Nothing too spectacular, but once again, got to see some country side that didn't know existed.
Headed southeast out of Chillicothe, Mo and shot straight north to meet up with a buddy in Laredo. We got in another 25 together and then we headed back in his truck. Kinda a neat way to get in some miles.
Total mileage was 62 and average was 11.8 mph.
Tim R."
Meanwhile, in northern Iowa, David G. is racking up the metrics - maybe on his way to a couple of 1/2 Liters??? Maybe on his way to a Cup O' Mississippi Mud? We shall see! We shall see!
Keep em rolling!
Peace -Dave
Friday, May 29, 2009
Att'a Boy!
"Mr D. Mable,
Well once again you have been an inspiration to me to go past my "norm" "What will you do? What will you do?" Had the day off to ride. Rode 40 miles out from house on Trek XO2 riding gravel and dirt trail. Realizing that I had 40 miles to get home, making it 80 miles. Made it home, had a coffee and some home made breads for carbs. Back on the bike again, back to the "trails" for another 20. That would be my 4th life time 100 miler ever. The previous three were 12 years ago on pavement, younger man, on a road bike. Feels good. Hope do some more. Had great energy levels today, it has been 2 weeks since my last metric.
Thanks again
Dave Giegerich"
Way to go Dave! And best of luck to all those taking on the back roads of the Flint Hills of Kansas this weekend! May the wind be at your back, and your bikes behave flawlessly!
- Dave
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
New guy... and I love the title of his most recent blog post!
Dave,
My name is Drew Miller and I live in Buena Vista, CO. I'd like to throw my hat in the ring for this thing. I've got two metrics this year so far:
12 Hours of Mesa Verde: 80 Miles all dirt (mostly singletrack)
Original Growler: 65 Miles (60 on dirt)
My blog site is www.millersmile.blogspot.com.
I'll let you know when I have pics/updates for you to post.
Cool idea...Thanks for doing this!
Drew
My name is Drew Miller and I live in Buena Vista, CO. I'd like to throw my hat in the ring for this thing. I've got two metrics this year so far:
12 Hours of Mesa Verde: 80 Miles all dirt (mostly singletrack)
Original Growler: 65 Miles (60 on dirt)
My blog site is www.millersmile.blogspot.com.
I'll let you know when I have pics/updates for you to post.
Cool idea...Thanks for doing this!
Drew
Monday, May 25, 2009
Some New Players! (and Dave G & Shockey get a Mug!)
All kinds of going's on this month, kids. Where do I even start?
Well, for one, David G. nailed his 12th metric to earn his 1/2 Litor O' Dirt! Congratulations Dave... there's alot of year left! What will you do? What will you do?!
Shockey's got his 1/2 Liter O' Dirt too - with 9 metrics and 3 full centuries - that's a total of 12 - unless, of course, he wants to separate them and get the 1/2 Liter AND either some Mud or go for a full Cup! (???)
Fuller completed the Almanzo 100, getting a full century in as he continues his preparation for the Dirty Kanza (a 200 mile beauty in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Kansas ain't flat, Dorothy!)
Rick Blackford is back at it- actually enjoying the CIRREM course in the warmth of May! (Hmmm - now THERE'S and idea, Jed)
And O'l Robert Campbell has rejoined the chase: Read up on his report:
"Hello!
It's been a long time since I first attempted this way back on
January 31st. Yesterday, it all started when I changed my front
rubber from knobby trail thing to Vulpine gravel thing. The mercury
was nudging north to the eighties for the first time all year, and it
would be in the nineties before the day was done. I had no idea I
would ride sixty-two miles before it was over, and while there were
lengthy stops for various good reasons, in a stretch of twelve hours
with various other tasks thrown in, I'd logged 64.5 miles,
predominantly gravel even when I had to ride the shoulder...
here's the write-up, you decide if it qualifies for my first:
http://bandersandbruises.blogspot.com/
I figure I had ten blacktop miles; six during the first stretch when
I didn't know I was started a dirty 100km, and four more in/around
town the few times I needed to start/do another loop after eating,
meeting friends, etc. It could have pushed twelve, not sure.
Robert Campbell"
Matt Maxwell is adding to his quest - with a whole bunch o' riding during the Trans-Iowa weekend and a couple O' others, he's added 2 metrics and a full to his tally - and he's on his way to Dirty Kanza next weekend too -
And finally, Joe Meiser, of Trans-Iowa fame, has thrown his hat into the ring.. read his report and watch for his stories about the GDR in June. All goes well, he'll have a few Cups under his belt by June 30th!
"Dave,
What a great idea! I'd love to get in on this. I'm up to 5 so far
including: Ragnarok, Almanzo, and TransIowa (How many for this event?
I assumed 3). I'm fairly certain I'll hit the quota. I head for
Banff and the Tour Divide on the 10th of June!
Joe"
Yes, Joe - I, too, am fairly certain you'll hit the quota!
So, what'r you all chasing? I dunno - why don't you ask the poor schmucks who chased these Cups down last year? After all, they'll be sipping some sweet coffee from their hard earned mugs shortly... assuming, of course, they re-send me their shipping address - dave@bikeworldiowa.com (Cups are done and will be shipped asap!)
Keep riding!
Peace - Dave
Well, for one, David G. nailed his 12th metric to earn his 1/2 Litor O' Dirt! Congratulations Dave... there's alot of year left! What will you do? What will you do?!
Shockey's got his 1/2 Liter O' Dirt too - with 9 metrics and 3 full centuries - that's a total of 12 - unless, of course, he wants to separate them and get the 1/2 Liter AND either some Mud or go for a full Cup! (???)
Fuller completed the Almanzo 100, getting a full century in as he continues his preparation for the Dirty Kanza (a 200 mile beauty in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Kansas ain't flat, Dorothy!)
Rick Blackford is back at it- actually enjoying the CIRREM course in the warmth of May! (Hmmm - now THERE'S and idea, Jed)
And O'l Robert Campbell has rejoined the chase: Read up on his report:
"Hello!
It's been a long time since I first attempted this way back on
January 31st. Yesterday, it all started when I changed my front
rubber from knobby trail thing to Vulpine gravel thing. The mercury
was nudging north to the eighties for the first time all year, and it
would be in the nineties before the day was done. I had no idea I
would ride sixty-two miles before it was over, and while there were
lengthy stops for various good reasons, in a stretch of twelve hours
with various other tasks thrown in, I'd logged 64.5 miles,
predominantly gravel even when I had to ride the shoulder...
here's the write-up, you decide if it qualifies for my first:
http://bandersandbruises.blogspot.com/
I figure I had ten blacktop miles; six during the first stretch when
I didn't know I was started a dirty 100km, and four more in/around
town the few times I needed to start/do another loop after eating,
meeting friends, etc. It could have pushed twelve, not sure.
Robert Campbell"
Matt Maxwell is adding to his quest - with a whole bunch o' riding during the Trans-Iowa weekend and a couple O' others, he's added 2 metrics and a full to his tally - and he's on his way to Dirty Kanza next weekend too -
And finally, Joe Meiser, of Trans-Iowa fame, has thrown his hat into the ring.. read his report and watch for his stories about the GDR in June. All goes well, he'll have a few Cups under his belt by June 30th!
"Dave,
What a great idea! I'd love to get in on this. I'm up to 5 so far
including: Ragnarok, Almanzo, and TransIowa (How many for this event?
I assumed 3). I'm fairly certain I'll hit the quota. I head for
Banff and the Tour Divide on the 10th of June!
Joe"
Yes, Joe - I, too, am fairly certain you'll hit the quota!
So, what'r you all chasing? I dunno - why don't you ask the poor schmucks who chased these Cups down last year? After all, they'll be sipping some sweet coffee from their hard earned mugs shortly... assuming, of course, they re-send me their shipping address - dave@bikeworldiowa.com (Cups are done and will be shipped asap!)
Keep riding!
Peace - Dave
Thursday, May 07, 2009
I'm Back... Finally!
Sorry for the dirth of postings - time has been unkind to me lately.. anyway - Your centuries have not gone un-noticed - and you all have been racking them up like cord-wood in the fine Spring weather we've been having!
Most notably, Cup Chasers Paul Jacobson, Ben Shockey and Steve Fuller toe'd the line at Trans-Iowa last weekend for a glorious 300plus mile non-stop dirt-fest. Shockey never quit pedaling for the entire event - and as such, became the 2nd person to finsih the event on a fixed gear bike. Crazy.
Paul Jacobson stuck out the hills, headwinds and dark of night to become the 15th and final finisher of this years event. He must have liked it... "Dave, you really need to sign up for TI. It rocked this year!" Paul
Steve Fuller found his way to the check point at 150 and and was done. Luckily, that counts for 2 metrics - so his efforts were not in vain - that and the fact that he's signed up for the Almanzo 100 and Dirty Kanza, both later this month. (Note to self: If Fuller asks if I wanna go for a ride, say 'no' cuz it will be an 8 hour gravel ride.... and a short day for him!)
Congrats to all who dared toe the line at this annual ritual called Trans-Iowa. With Pauls urging... maybe I will rethink my "NEVER AGAIN" attitude and get up the guts to sign up for next years event... maybe. (Hey Guitar... can you guarantee no rain next year??? I still have nightmare from TI2!!)
Meanwhile, David Gie has been just enjoying the dirty trails in NE Iowa and has posted another 3 metrics since our last update. I tell ya - when this dude applies for a job with any of you readers out there - hire him. When he decides he's gunna do something... he does it!!!
In central Iowa, Tim B. got to it at the end of April, " A combination of drizzle, rain, mud, wind and soft gravel made for a very long day. I finally got home with 110 km." - A long day indeed.
Down south, Mr. Rienka got some riding in - here's his note:
Dave,
Yesterday, (April 28) I got in another Dirty Metric. I'm still chasing that "real" century, but had to get creative just to get in 62 miles.
I took off from Chillicothe, Mo and headed mostly north. I didn't get started until after school let out, so I knew I needed my lights. When it got dark, and I still had 40+ miles to go, I just kept riding back and forth on a 6 mile strech until I had enough to head home. I was a little worried about getting too far from home.
I probably confused the dogs on that strech because not only did I do an out-and-back, I did an out-and-back, out-and-back and out-and-back. They seemed pretty organized on my last pass.
I finished after 10:30 PM. My speed was 11.7 MPH and my overall milage was 64 miles.
Have a great day!
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
Keep up the riding - I appreciate your efforts and stories!
And I promise the Cups are on thier way!!!!
Peace - Dave
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Giegerich Nails #5
Hello Dave,
I took advantage of gf at work, and took a day off from work and rode Dirt Metric Century #5. Pushed the pace after a faster rider passed me and I tried to hang with him. Needed that. Notice picture of mother cow, dead, with head trauma laying on her mutilated calf. I don't know what happened here it was eerie to say the least.
Dave Giegerich
Yikes!
Blog http://mrdaveygie.blogspot.com/
ed. Keep rolling Dave!
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Shockey Shocks Ouachita!
hey dave
had a great time down in arkansas with a very successul finish at the ouachita challenge. ended up 1st ss and 19th overall. 63 miles (race total, more counting warm-up) and a finishing time of 5 hours and 44 minutes. great weather, awesome trails, good results...not a bad weekend to pick up my 9th metric. only the second one so far not fixed. like the shirt idea but i'd vote dirt=brown and go with a brown shirt. but i don't mind rocking pink occasionally.
thanks again!
shockey
ed: All of us, here at Cup O' Dirt HQ, chasers past and present, would like to congratulate Mr. Shockey on his great ride to single speed victory!!! We'd also like to recognize, and congratulate Mr. 24, Jeff Kerkove, on his overall victory in the Ouachita 60 this past weekend. I'm sure it's his Iowa roots, not his high altitude training of Colorado, that helped him to victory!!! ;)
had a great time down in arkansas with a very successul finish at the ouachita challenge. ended up 1st ss and 19th overall. 63 miles (race total, more counting warm-up) and a finishing time of 5 hours and 44 minutes. great weather, awesome trails, good results...not a bad weekend to pick up my 9th metric. only the second one so far not fixed. like the shirt idea but i'd vote dirt=brown and go with a brown shirt. but i don't mind rocking pink occasionally.
thanks again!
shockey
ed: All of us, here at Cup O' Dirt HQ, chasers past and present, would like to congratulate Mr. Shockey on his great ride to single speed victory!!! We'd also like to recognize, and congratulate Mr. 24, Jeff Kerkove, on his overall victory in the Ouachita 60 this past weekend. I'm sure it's his Iowa roots, not his high altitude training of Colorado, that helped him to victory!!! ;)
Saturday, April 04, 2009
March Cup'dates
News from the dirty world of Cup O' Dirt Chasers!
Dave,
After a month layoff, I finally hit the gravel for my fifth metric.
Since my last one, I've been sick, spent a couple weekends doing trail work,(earn your dirt) and even raced in Kansas one Saturday. This past month has really flown by.
I went out yesterday (March 21) and headed straight south into the wind for 31 miles and then turned around with the wind at my back. I went south of Chillicothe, MO and eventually made the Bogard area. Very hilly most of the way. I'm hoping the hills will prepare me better for the Lumberjack 100. I just missed the 75mile cutoff last year by a few minutes.
My speed was right at 10 MPH.
This friendly Cup O Dirt of yours is making me explore new parts of the area I've lived in for nearly 30 years. Every time I go out for a gravel road ride, I find more interesting things. Yesterday, I saw a bald eagle flying low toward me. Very awesome. The gravel roads often turn to dirt/mud. I rarely get passed by a vehicle in these remote areas.
Still looking to get in a true century.
Thanks again,
Tim Riekena
Dave G. is in the chase for 2009!
Hello Dave,
Dirty Metric Century #3. Beautiful day, happy to be out there. I hope for many more. Enjoy the pictures in my blog.
Thanks for the challenge.
Dave
Blog http://mrdaveygie.blogspot.com/
And from the Ames crew:
I believe it was March 14th Stephen Carney and I took off on a beautiful day to accomplish a metric century. We left Ames and headed over to Colo and back hitting up some pretty decent size hills around Indian Creek. It was a great trip and Stephen and I were pushing each other pretty good. This was the first metric I have ever average over 14 mph on the gravel.
Then on March 29th Nick Wethington, Matt Maxwell and I took off for a full century ride going from Ames to Eldora and back. While the sun was out the wind continued to pick up and we had a pretty tough day. The gravel was in good shape other than the frost boils coming out so that helped. I believe I completed the century in just under 10 hours so not blazing, but considering the wind I was very happy to get my first full century in this year.
Thanks again for the opportunity to shoot for the cup!
Paul Jacobson
And on March 29th
Hi Dave, I got in another metric today. I went out late this morning and had planned on heading south. Once I got out riding, I decided a better idea would be to head out west. I always like a nice tailwind blowing me home. I took some little side trips to add in some extra miles and turned around at the Casey's in De Soto. On the way home, I had something happen that has never happened to me on a gravel ride. I ran into some other bikers! I was going to join them for a while, but then it became apparent that we were heading in opposite directions. Not wanted to head back into the wind, I continued on home. My total for the day ended up at 105 km.
(This is in addition to another couple o' metrics that Tim got in earlier in March! Keep rolling Tim! - ed)
Tim
And Shocking news: Shockey had Trans-Iowa on the brain.
hey dave,
not sure if this one counts with all the pavement...your call.
took off yesterday and rode up to rochester to pick up the vue with her newly replaced tranny. it was a good day/excuse for doing some gear testing for transiowa. cold, rain, wind and a good mix of all kinds of gravel conditions. 92 miles total with somewhere around 50-55 of it on gravel.
longer story and pics here.
thanks,
shockey
And finally, I'm hoping to pick up the Cups at Easter when I see my sis next weekend! Stay tuned!
Would you guys buy a sweet Cup O'Dirt t-shirt if I made em? Thinking like, $15 plus a couple bucks for shipping? whadaya think? I'm thinking a pink t-shirt with the cup logo in purple - you know, to match your tights and leg warmers. I'd consider some other color scheme, if you insisted. Like maybe browns. maybe.
Dave,
After a month layoff, I finally hit the gravel for my fifth metric.
Since my last one, I've been sick, spent a couple weekends doing trail work,(earn your dirt) and even raced in Kansas one Saturday. This past month has really flown by.
I went out yesterday (March 21) and headed straight south into the wind for 31 miles and then turned around with the wind at my back. I went south of Chillicothe, MO and eventually made the Bogard area. Very hilly most of the way. I'm hoping the hills will prepare me better for the Lumberjack 100. I just missed the 75mile cutoff last year by a few minutes.
My speed was right at 10 MPH.
This friendly Cup O Dirt of yours is making me explore new parts of the area I've lived in for nearly 30 years. Every time I go out for a gravel road ride, I find more interesting things. Yesterday, I saw a bald eagle flying low toward me. Very awesome. The gravel roads often turn to dirt/mud. I rarely get passed by a vehicle in these remote areas.
Still looking to get in a true century.
Thanks again,
Tim Riekena
Dave G. is in the chase for 2009!
Hello Dave,
Dirty Metric Century #3. Beautiful day, happy to be out there. I hope for many more. Enjoy the pictures in my blog.
Thanks for the challenge.
Dave
Blog http://mrdaveygie.blogspot.com/
And from the Ames crew:
I believe it was March 14th Stephen Carney and I took off on a beautiful day to accomplish a metric century. We left Ames and headed over to Colo and back hitting up some pretty decent size hills around Indian Creek. It was a great trip and Stephen and I were pushing each other pretty good. This was the first metric I have ever average over 14 mph on the gravel.
Then on March 29th Nick Wethington, Matt Maxwell and I took off for a full century ride going from Ames to Eldora and back. While the sun was out the wind continued to pick up and we had a pretty tough day. The gravel was in good shape other than the frost boils coming out so that helped. I believe I completed the century in just under 10 hours so not blazing, but considering the wind I was very happy to get my first full century in this year.
Thanks again for the opportunity to shoot for the cup!
Paul Jacobson
And on March 29th
Hi Dave, I got in another metric today. I went out late this morning and had planned on heading south. Once I got out riding, I decided a better idea would be to head out west. I always like a nice tailwind blowing me home. I took some little side trips to add in some extra miles and turned around at the Casey's in De Soto. On the way home, I had something happen that has never happened to me on a gravel ride. I ran into some other bikers! I was going to join them for a while, but then it became apparent that we were heading in opposite directions. Not wanted to head back into the wind, I continued on home. My total for the day ended up at 105 km.
(This is in addition to another couple o' metrics that Tim got in earlier in March! Keep rolling Tim! - ed)
Tim
And Shocking news: Shockey had Trans-Iowa on the brain.
hey dave,
not sure if this one counts with all the pavement...your call.
took off yesterday and rode up to rochester to pick up the vue with her newly replaced tranny. it was a good day/excuse for doing some gear testing for transiowa. cold, rain, wind and a good mix of all kinds of gravel conditions. 92 miles total with somewhere around 50-55 of it on gravel.
longer story and pics here.
thanks,
shockey
And finally, I'm hoping to pick up the Cups at Easter when I see my sis next weekend! Stay tuned!
Would you guys buy a sweet Cup O'Dirt t-shirt if I made em? Thinking like, $15 plus a couple bucks for shipping? whadaya think? I'm thinking a pink t-shirt with the cup logo in purple - you know, to match your tights and leg warmers. I'd consider some other color scheme, if you insisted. Like maybe browns. maybe.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Oakley Rob's Great Big Day Out
THIS SATURDAY, april 4, there is a CITA trailwork day happening at Banner pits (Summerset State Park) near summerset. It is being sponsored by me, Oakley Rob. I am hopeful to solicit the help of a bunch of folks that USE the trails that CITA works so hard to build. Will you help?
We have, in an effort to get participants, made this on a weekend with no MTB races on the calendar. For you folks that 'have to train'...perfect! A group will be riding down on gravel roads (35 miles), working, then riding home, so you can get 70 miles on the bike and 3 hours of cross training. There is an IMBCS race scheduled to be held at Banner later this summer, so it's in ALL of our best interests to get it looking and riding nice this spring.
The ride down will start between 6:30 and 7 AM with a leaving destination TBD. TRAIL WORK goes from 9 to noon regardless of if you drive or ride. Â for those that work, LUNCH will be provided by ME. We'll also give away some OAKLEY glasses, and we'll all help CITA build trails we can all enjoy, which is really the point of this.
PLEASE RSVP to me if you can come. I want to have enough food there for folks who come out. IF it is raining the day of, we'll probably have to reschedule. I'll send a mass email if that happens.
Additional information you need can be found at http://www.centraliowatrails.org
THANKS in advance, i look forward to seeing you on Saturday.
oh, and if you're NOT a CITA member, please consider it!
pass it on-
Rob V.
We have, in an effort to get participants, made this on a weekend with no MTB races on the calendar. For you folks that 'have to train'...perfect! A group will be riding down on gravel roads (35 miles), working, then riding home, so you can get 70 miles on the bike and 3 hours of cross training. There is an IMBCS race scheduled to be held at Banner later this summer, so it's in ALL of our best interests to get it looking and riding nice this spring.
The ride down will start between 6:30 and 7 AM with a leaving destination TBD. TRAIL WORK goes from 9 to noon regardless of if you drive or ride. Â for those that work, LUNCH will be provided by ME. We'll also give away some OAKLEY glasses, and we'll all help CITA build trails we can all enjoy, which is really the point of this.
PLEASE RSVP to me if you can come. I want to have enough food there for folks who come out. IF it is raining the day of, we'll probably have to reschedule. I'll send a mass email if that happens.
Additional information you need can be found at http://www.centraliowatrails.org
THANKS in advance, i look forward to seeing you on Saturday.
oh, and if you're NOT a CITA member, please consider it!
pass it on-
Rob V.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Spring is HERE!
These dirty rides all happened before Spring - but we'll celebrate the changing of the season with them anyway!!!
Dave - my man
Here we go for another 12!
Paul Meyermann, Robert Fry, Kathleen Porter and I went out for our first
100K of the year. Robert Fry just completed another 100K checking out a route for one of his Iowa Randonneurs events. He is going to run this event on the same
weekend as the Gravel State Champs that we are promoting September 12th near Cedar Falls!
John Adamson
Dave,
Well, since yesterday (March 15th) was the nicest weather we've had since about
November, Maxwell and I went ahead and got a full hundy in. It was so
very nice to be able to enjoy the riding without 3 or 4 layers on
every square inch of skin.That puts him at 3 metrics and a full, and
me at 3 metrics and 3 full. We'll be keeping them coming!
~Nick Wethington
hey dave,
shook off the lingering effects of st. paddy's day and took off about 8:15 this morning. cool temps to start but a calm wind made for an amazing morning. did my harmony and back route that is barely over the 62 miles. the cool temps warmed a bit and the day just got better. time to rest and eat a bit before heading in to work.
-shockey
Well, that makes 7 more this past week - I can't imagine that there weren't more garnered in yesteredays 70 degree sun! Personally, we're heading off to Mitchellville for the Dirty Road Race promoted by the All9Yards crew. It's not a metric, but it'll still feel good to get out on the gravel on a dry day that's above 34 degrees!!
A couple more things -
First, Oakley Rob is hosting the first of several "Great Big Day Out" rides on April 4th. Meet at El Bait in Des Moines, ride gravel to Sommerset St. Park to do a few hours of trail work (he'll provide food), ride back to DSM and he's having beer and food back at El Bait - sounds like a great day for riding and giving back - and thanks to Oakley and Rob - It won't cost you a thing! So, hike on your sweet Radars, and c'mon down!
Secondly, I'm hosting the first ever, hopefully annual, Honey Creek Fall Cycling Festival on the weekend of October 9-11 down at the Honey Creek Resort on Lake Rathbun. The main event will be a 100 miler or 100k gravel RR on Saturday. In addition, we'll have all kinds of great stuff going on, like campfire parties, a banquet with entertainment and speakers, an XC race, kids races - and for your roadie friends, we'll have some long, scenic and supported road rides too! Check out the details www.tworiverstouringco.com - I hope to see you all there!
Happy riding - Dave
Dave - my man
Here we go for another 12!
Paul Meyermann, Robert Fry, Kathleen Porter and I went out for our first
100K of the year. Robert Fry just completed another 100K checking out a route for one of his Iowa Randonneurs events. He is going to run this event on the same
weekend as the Gravel State Champs that we are promoting September 12th near Cedar Falls!
John Adamson
Dave,
Well, since yesterday (March 15th) was the nicest weather we've had since about
November, Maxwell and I went ahead and got a full hundy in. It was so
very nice to be able to enjoy the riding without 3 or 4 layers on
every square inch of skin.That puts him at 3 metrics and a full, and
me at 3 metrics and 3 full. We'll be keeping them coming!
~Nick Wethington
hey dave,
shook off the lingering effects of st. paddy's day and took off about 8:15 this morning. cool temps to start but a calm wind made for an amazing morning. did my harmony and back route that is barely over the 62 miles. the cool temps warmed a bit and the day just got better. time to rest and eat a bit before heading in to work.
-shockey
Well, that makes 7 more this past week - I can't imagine that there weren't more garnered in yesteredays 70 degree sun! Personally, we're heading off to Mitchellville for the Dirty Road Race promoted by the All9Yards crew. It's not a metric, but it'll still feel good to get out on the gravel on a dry day that's above 34 degrees!!
A couple more things -
First, Oakley Rob is hosting the first of several "Great Big Day Out" rides on April 4th. Meet at El Bait in Des Moines, ride gravel to Sommerset St. Park to do a few hours of trail work (he'll provide food), ride back to DSM and he's having beer and food back at El Bait - sounds like a great day for riding and giving back - and thanks to Oakley and Rob - It won't cost you a thing! So, hike on your sweet Radars, and c'mon down!
Secondly, I'm hosting the first ever, hopefully annual, Honey Creek Fall Cycling Festival on the weekend of October 9-11 down at the Honey Creek Resort on Lake Rathbun. The main event will be a 100 miler or 100k gravel RR on Saturday. In addition, we'll have all kinds of great stuff going on, like campfire parties, a banquet with entertainment and speakers, an XC race, kids races - and for your roadie friends, we'll have some long, scenic and supported road rides too! Check out the details www.tworiverstouringco.com - I hope to see you all there!
Happy riding - Dave
Saturday, March 14, 2009
'Cup'dates
Yep - there's been lots goin' on. Lot's o'ridin. And it's still early Spring! Gunna be a busy summer!! Here's what we've missed this past month:
From Mr. Shockey: (starting with # 6, then 4 and finally #5)
#6 Metric;
hey dave,
cirrem actually made metric #6 for me this year and was hands down the most difficult by far. anyone who was there knows, anyone who wasn't might be able to sympathize with past experiences of their own but we all know that's not the same. huge congrats to anyone willing to start that thing. i think my face is still stinging from the driving hail/sleet/whatever that was coming out of the sky. might still have the write-ups from metrics 4 and 5 and i'll try to send those over. hope everyone's enjoying this slap-in-the-face reminder that its still winter out there.
#4 Metric:
took advantage of sunday's warm temps to get in another metric. headed straight west into the wind and passed just north of ridgeway then just south of cresco. turned back eventually and paused at vernon springs for a quick snack then flew with the tailwind just south of ridgeway and back to town. highlight of the trip: scaring up a herd of buffalo and watching them run. just over 62 miles when i was done. gravels were just starting to get sloppy from the thaw as i was getting done so timing was good.
#5 Metric:
headed out sunday with scotty who used to live here in decorah and is now just visiting from the milwaukee area. a year and a half ago he was my main training partner for my first attempt at transiowa. his visit and some warm temps made the decision to do a metric on sunday a no-brainer. headed out of town kinda northish up through bluffton then headed east through locust and sattre, dipped into allamakee county just a bit and circled back around to town. somewhere around 64 miles with gravel conditions far less sloppy than the day before and a pretty mild wind made for a great day of riding.
shockey
Nick Wethington & Co. have been busy too:
Dave,
Well, February turned out to be a great month for Matt, Paul and I. A
few weeks ago, Matt Maxwell and I both got a metric century in. We
rode with Paul Jacobson and a couple of other guys for a while, but
our ride up to Gilbert and back rounded it off to a complete 62. Two
weeks ago Sunday I did 20 miles in the morning, met up with Matt and
Paul and did about 60 miles with them (they both got a metric, which
puts Matt at 2 for the year and Paul at 1). After riding with them I
did another 20 to round it off to a complete century, putting me at 2
full and 3 metric (after completing Cirrem) for the year and leaving
me in a good place to get 12 apiece! It's supposed to be kinda nice
this Sunday, so I might try to get my full in for March and possibly
another to start up my Cup o Mississippi Mud chasing. Dennis Grelk
has inspired me to try for all three, but we'll see how good I feel
about that come December.
I hope you had fun at Cirrem yesterday, and got all dried off and
picked the gravel bits out of your teeth. It was a great ride, if not
a little sloppy.
Cheers,
~Nick Wethington
And Buckshot Blackford is in the chase;
Dave,
Throw me in for a metric as of yesterday.
Regardless of the suffering throughout the course, the real fun was the last half hour. Kurt Benson (aka Kyle’s Uncle) and I duked it out for a semi-climactic finish. I caught him a couple miles out of town and rather than attempt to kill each other pushing the pace we reached a gentleman’s agreement to find a suitable sprint point close to town and go from there. Kurt, ever the showman, decided to make it more interesting by wiping out hard not once, but twice inside the last 3 miles. He dropped a wheel off into a crack on a nasty wooden bridge flipping over the bars and apparently didn’t think he’d done enough damage at that point and opted to have me roll over a couple various body parts as I attempted to miss him. Holding to the agreement, I waited while he got himself back together and we let that sneaky Ben Shockey slide past us. From there we determined the turn onto 25th street would be the start of the sprint (if you can call 7 tenths of a mile a “sprint”). I did my best to drop him off my wheel as we headed up a slight incline since that seemed to be my strong point of the day. Alas, I had nothing left in the tank and he gritted his teeth determined we would be sprinting it out across the Cumming Highway to the tap. As we both stood up to hammer the last hundred yards he later told me he was attempting to give me the old slide job and cut me off. A slight miscalculation on his part (only by 5 feet or so) had him bouncing off my back wheel and skidding across the highway leaving me to finish out the sprint wondering what the hell just happened. We finished close enough to DFL to taste it, but alas, we weren’t quite that lucky.
Thanks,
Rick Blackford (www.buckshotsblog.com)
As is Tim Bierbaum:
Hi Dave. I was able to take advantage of the nice weather we had back on Feb 8th. I headed south past Bevington until road construction forced me west. Then I just wandered around a while until heading back. I ended up with 105 km for the
Thanks,
Tim
I know the Cedar Falls crew has been riding - send me a note at dave@bikeworldiowa.com and I'll get it all updated!
Happy riding!
Peace -Dave
From Mr. Shockey: (starting with # 6, then 4 and finally #5)
#6 Metric;
hey dave,
cirrem actually made metric #6 for me this year and was hands down the most difficult by far. anyone who was there knows, anyone who wasn't might be able to sympathize with past experiences of their own but we all know that's not the same. huge congrats to anyone willing to start that thing. i think my face is still stinging from the driving hail/sleet/whatever that was coming out of the sky. might still have the write-ups from metrics 4 and 5 and i'll try to send those over. hope everyone's enjoying this slap-in-the-face reminder that its still winter out there.
#4 Metric:
took advantage of sunday's warm temps to get in another metric. headed straight west into the wind and passed just north of ridgeway then just south of cresco. turned back eventually and paused at vernon springs for a quick snack then flew with the tailwind just south of ridgeway and back to town. highlight of the trip: scaring up a herd of buffalo and watching them run. just over 62 miles when i was done. gravels were just starting to get sloppy from the thaw as i was getting done so timing was good.
#5 Metric:
headed out sunday with scotty who used to live here in decorah and is now just visiting from the milwaukee area. a year and a half ago he was my main training partner for my first attempt at transiowa. his visit and some warm temps made the decision to do a metric on sunday a no-brainer. headed out of town kinda northish up through bluffton then headed east through locust and sattre, dipped into allamakee county just a bit and circled back around to town. somewhere around 64 miles with gravel conditions far less sloppy than the day before and a pretty mild wind made for a great day of riding.
shockey
Nick Wethington & Co. have been busy too:
Dave,
Well, February turned out to be a great month for Matt, Paul and I. A
few weeks ago, Matt Maxwell and I both got a metric century in. We
rode with Paul Jacobson and a couple of other guys for a while, but
our ride up to Gilbert and back rounded it off to a complete 62. Two
weeks ago Sunday I did 20 miles in the morning, met up with Matt and
Paul and did about 60 miles with them (they both got a metric, which
puts Matt at 2 for the year and Paul at 1). After riding with them I
did another 20 to round it off to a complete century, putting me at 2
full and 3 metric (after completing Cirrem) for the year and leaving
me in a good place to get 12 apiece! It's supposed to be kinda nice
this Sunday, so I might try to get my full in for March and possibly
another to start up my Cup o Mississippi Mud chasing. Dennis Grelk
has inspired me to try for all three, but we'll see how good I feel
about that come December.
I hope you had fun at Cirrem yesterday, and got all dried off and
picked the gravel bits out of your teeth. It was a great ride, if not
a little sloppy.
Cheers,
~Nick Wethington
And Buckshot Blackford is in the chase;
Dave,
Throw me in for a metric as of yesterday.
Regardless of the suffering throughout the course, the real fun was the last half hour. Kurt Benson (aka Kyle’s Uncle) and I duked it out for a semi-climactic finish. I caught him a couple miles out of town and rather than attempt to kill each other pushing the pace we reached a gentleman’s agreement to find a suitable sprint point close to town and go from there. Kurt, ever the showman, decided to make it more interesting by wiping out hard not once, but twice inside the last 3 miles. He dropped a wheel off into a crack on a nasty wooden bridge flipping over the bars and apparently didn’t think he’d done enough damage at that point and opted to have me roll over a couple various body parts as I attempted to miss him. Holding to the agreement, I waited while he got himself back together and we let that sneaky Ben Shockey slide past us. From there we determined the turn onto 25th street would be the start of the sprint (if you can call 7 tenths of a mile a “sprint”). I did my best to drop him off my wheel as we headed up a slight incline since that seemed to be my strong point of the day. Alas, I had nothing left in the tank and he gritted his teeth determined we would be sprinting it out across the Cumming Highway to the tap. As we both stood up to hammer the last hundred yards he later told me he was attempting to give me the old slide job and cut me off. A slight miscalculation on his part (only by 5 feet or so) had him bouncing off my back wheel and skidding across the highway leaving me to finish out the sprint wondering what the hell just happened. We finished close enough to DFL to taste it, but alas, we weren’t quite that lucky.
Thanks,
Rick Blackford (www.buckshotsblog.com)
As is Tim Bierbaum:
Hi Dave. I was able to take advantage of the nice weather we had back on Feb 8th. I headed south past Bevington until road construction forced me west. Then I just wandered around a while until heading back. I ended up with 105 km for the
Thanks,
Tim
I know the Cedar Falls crew has been riding - send me a note at dave@bikeworldiowa.com and I'll get it all updated!
Happy riding!
Peace -Dave
Sunday, March 08, 2009
I wondered.....
...just why it's been so quiet out there! Seem's though my email box is messed up - from now on, email info on your rides to dave@bikeworldiowa.com with the heading "Cup O Dirt" - and if you have some older stuff that you haven't seen posted... I'd ask you to resend it. Also - I've gotten 2 cups so far... with 13 more on the way... they're coming!
Now that we've gotten the business out of the way - It was an honor to present Mr. One-A-Month Club sole member, Tom Anderson, with his hard earned Cup prior to todays 100k. Congratulations, again, to Tom - his tenacity was inspiring!
Speaking of todays 100k - Looks like maybe 8 or 9 folks finished todays ride... and only a few are serious Cup chasers, Ben Shockey, Nick Wethington and Matt Maxwell. Grelk had a bad day with his crank... and the rest of us... well... it was freakin' cold, wet, windy and, of course... muddy! A hard day indeed! It was agreed (in the warmth of the Cumming Tap) that we nailed a 50k - and that Sumpter is hosting the "Thimble O'Dirt" this year.
Many thanks to Jed and Kent for hosting the event and congrats to those who dared brave the bitter elements (rain, wind (from every freakn' direction!)sleet, snow and hail!) - and a hearty congratulations, a pat on the back... and a long, hot shower to those few that finished. At this time, I belive the finishers were: Jed Gammell, Jared Osterloh, Sean 'Wrong-Way' Walker, Kent Carlson, Matt Maxwell, Nick Wethington, Ben Shockey, Aaron (something from Iowa City), and Kyle Sedor's Uncle. (and not in that order)
The pre-race Cup distribution seemed like a good thing - and, should Jed and Kent host this event next year (in July!!!), we'll do the Cup passing out there next year!
Happy riding - Peace, Dave
Now that we've gotten the business out of the way - It was an honor to present Mr. One-A-Month Club sole member, Tom Anderson, with his hard earned Cup prior to todays 100k. Congratulations, again, to Tom - his tenacity was inspiring!
Speaking of todays 100k - Looks like maybe 8 or 9 folks finished todays ride... and only a few are serious Cup chasers, Ben Shockey, Nick Wethington and Matt Maxwell. Grelk had a bad day with his crank... and the rest of us... well... it was freakin' cold, wet, windy and, of course... muddy! A hard day indeed! It was agreed (in the warmth of the Cumming Tap) that we nailed a 50k - and that Sumpter is hosting the "Thimble O'Dirt" this year.
Many thanks to Jed and Kent for hosting the event and congrats to those who dared brave the bitter elements (rain, wind (from every freakn' direction!)sleet, snow and hail!) - and a hearty congratulations, a pat on the back... and a long, hot shower to those few that finished. At this time, I belive the finishers were: Jed Gammell, Jared Osterloh, Sean 'Wrong-Way' Walker, Kent Carlson, Matt Maxwell, Nick Wethington, Ben Shockey, Aaron (something from Iowa City), and Kyle Sedor's Uncle. (and not in that order)
The pre-race Cup distribution seemed like a good thing - and, should Jed and Kent host this event next year (in July!!!), we'll do the Cup passing out there next year!
Happy riding - Peace, Dave
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Cup Chasers Finish A COLD Arrowhead 135!
Congratulations to multiple Cup earner, Dennis Grelk, for his 3rd place finish in a VERY cold Arrowhead 135 Ultra Marathon Bike Race! We're looking forward to his report when his fingers thaw!
And Ames ultra-cyclist, Nick Wethington finished an incredible 18th! His brief report is below. Congratulations to Nick and Dennis for finishing this grueling event - as well as Iowan Lance Andre for his efforts in the Arrowhead - made even more difficult by his moving to Florida for some "cold weather" training! While he finished, enduring the -34 degree temps, he was disqualified for 'ride' (??) We'll look forward to an explenation from him on that one... anyway - congrats to them all!!
Now for Nick's report:
Dave,
I finished the Arrowhead 135, making that my first of hopefully many
centuries this year. That puts me at one metric and one full for the
year. The Arrowhead was great, and even though it took me forever I'm
so excited to go next year I want to start getting my gear ready
right now. Camped out one night when it was below -30 degrees F, and
that put cold in perspective for me. It was about 35 degrees
yesterday, and I rode home from work with no gloves or hat, feeling
like it was a balmy day in summer.
Anyway, I hope to get another metric and full this month after a
little bit of recovery time, so I'll keep you posted. Thanks!
~Nick Wethington
and from Tim Reikena:
Dave,
Got in another metric yesterday along with 20+ riders. Not sure how many riders went the full 62 miles, but there were quite a few. The ride was the "Chucky's Challenge - Groundhog Ride" and started/finished in Jamesport, MO.
The weather was perfect with temperatures past 65 degrees. A little windy, but not bad. The figure-8 route was hilly, flat, and then really hilly. Most of the roads were dusty-dry, but one hill was so steep, the angle of the sun never got to it. Soft and muddy. Rumor was that only one Expert rider rode up it.
A unique aspect of this ride was that it took us deep into Amish country. Many homes were passed that didn't have electricity running to the house. Everyone waved and were friendly. Horses and buggies everywhere. The group I was riding with actually had to pass a horse drawn wagon at mile 10. Everyone was cool with it and made sure the horses didn't get spooked.
The most intriguing part of the ride were the "Amish" dogs. I've ridden
thousands of road/gravel miles here in North Missouri and I know how dogs can be. At times, they can be aggressive and cause accidents. Most riders I know have been bit at least once.
Any dog (and there were many) on an Amish farm showed interest in us, but was friendly. They never once barked in a threatening manner, or looked at our spinning feet like they were trying to judge when to take a bite. It made the ride even more enjoyable.
Riding with a group must have helped me sustain a better effort because my average was 11.5 MPH - faster than the other metrics I've done this year.
Thanks again,
Tim Riekena
And Ames ultra-cyclist, Nick Wethington finished an incredible 18th! His brief report is below. Congratulations to Nick and Dennis for finishing this grueling event - as well as Iowan Lance Andre for his efforts in the Arrowhead - made even more difficult by his moving to Florida for some "cold weather" training! While he finished, enduring the -34 degree temps, he was disqualified for 'ride' (??) We'll look forward to an explenation from him on that one... anyway - congrats to them all!!
Now for Nick's report:
Dave,
I finished the Arrowhead 135, making that my first of hopefully many
centuries this year. That puts me at one metric and one full for the
year. The Arrowhead was great, and even though it took me forever I'm
so excited to go next year I want to start getting my gear ready
right now. Camped out one night when it was below -30 degrees F, and
that put cold in perspective for me. It was about 35 degrees
yesterday, and I rode home from work with no gloves or hat, feeling
like it was a balmy day in summer.
Anyway, I hope to get another metric and full this month after a
little bit of recovery time, so I'll keep you posted. Thanks!
~Nick Wethington
and from Tim Reikena:
Dave,
Got in another metric yesterday along with 20+ riders. Not sure how many riders went the full 62 miles, but there were quite a few. The ride was the "Chucky's Challenge - Groundhog Ride" and started/finished in Jamesport, MO.
The weather was perfect with temperatures past 65 degrees. A little windy, but not bad. The figure-8 route was hilly, flat, and then really hilly. Most of the roads were dusty-dry, but one hill was so steep, the angle of the sun never got to it. Soft and muddy. Rumor was that only one Expert rider rode up it.
A unique aspect of this ride was that it took us deep into Amish country. Many homes were passed that didn't have electricity running to the house. Everyone waved and were friendly. Horses and buggies everywhere. The group I was riding with actually had to pass a horse drawn wagon at mile 10. Everyone was cool with it and made sure the horses didn't get spooked.
The most intriguing part of the ride were the "Amish" dogs. I've ridden
thousands of road/gravel miles here in North Missouri and I know how dogs can be. At times, they can be aggressive and cause accidents. Most riders I know have been bit at least once.
Any dog (and there were many) on an Amish farm showed interest in us, but was friendly. They never once barked in a threatening manner, or looked at our spinning feet like they were trying to judge when to take a bite. It made the ride even more enjoyable.
Riding with a group must have helped me sustain a better effort because my average was 11.5 MPH - faster than the other metrics I've done this year.
Thanks again,
Tim Riekena
Monday, February 02, 2009
Gosh, Lots Goin' On!!!
Dave,
Okay, so I'll try for the half liter, but I need to crack one metric century first. I enjoyed the ride very much but changed my route as I mentioned due to wind and pending darkness. By the time I hit mile 46, I was back in Decorah and unwilling to do two more hours in the dark alone. I hope to organize the next attempt better... and apply some things I learned. My road bike is really old, and my good bike is my mountain bike. I think I'd like a cross bike for stuff like this. Here's a photo at mile ten and thanks for inspiring me to ride distances I'd probably not do otherwise!
Robert Campbell (future Cup sipper-fromer)
From Shockey:
hey dave,
took advantage of sunday's warm temps to get in another metric. headed straight west into the wind and passed just north of ridgeway then just south of cresco. turned back eventually and paused at vernon springs for a quick snack then flew with the tailwind just south of ridgeway and back to town. highlight of the trip: scaring up a herd of buffalo and watching them run. just over 62 miles when i was done. gravels were just starting to get sloppy from the thaw as i was getting done so timing was good.
shockey
and from our friends in Cedar Falls...
Dave - my man
Here we go for another 12
Paul Meyermann, Robert Fry, Kathleen Porter and I went out for our first
100K of the year. The roads were most clear, dry and smooth. Looking
forward to many more miles of dirt this year. Your Cup of Dirt is a
very nice inspiration/carrot for us and we certainly appreciate the work
you do to make this happen.
John
An invitation from Mr. Fuller:
That's Gravel Road Ride 2 BRR.
The weather is supposed to be fan-FREAKING-tastic on Saturday. We've
been discussing this, so I'm going to start the organization now to
avoid some of the keystone cop-esque changes we normally have when
trying to organize one of these rides.
Any route that I've mapped out has Perry at about 30 miles from my
house in Johnston. Winds are supposed to be out of the south most of
the day. I'm thinking of leaving around 6:30 - 6:45 (AM) to head up to
Perry via gravel roads. Ride BRR. Have a beverage (or two, or three,
or...) and then figure out the route home. I'm open to riding back, or
getting a ride. If you don't want to ride BRR, you'll still get in
60ish miles of gravel for the day. I'll offer my place in Johnston up
as a meeting point. I'm about a mile and a half from gravel that will
take us either over to Dallas Center, or north towards Woodward.
Anyone else? Feel free to pass this along to anyone else you know that
might be interested.
And from Dave:
Good luck on your chase Mr. Campbell, welcome to the insanity!
Way to go Shockey! 4 in a month. You'll break Grelks record!
and Johnny and the CF Crew - Rock out! You guys make me smile!
Makes me kinda wanna ride!
Peace - Dave
Okay, so I'll try for the half liter, but I need to crack one metric century first. I enjoyed the ride very much but changed my route as I mentioned due to wind and pending darkness. By the time I hit mile 46, I was back in Decorah and unwilling to do two more hours in the dark alone. I hope to organize the next attempt better... and apply some things I learned. My road bike is really old, and my good bike is my mountain bike. I think I'd like a cross bike for stuff like this. Here's a photo at mile ten and thanks for inspiring me to ride distances I'd probably not do otherwise!
Robert Campbell (future Cup sipper-fromer)
From Shockey:
hey dave,
took advantage of sunday's warm temps to get in another metric. headed straight west into the wind and passed just north of ridgeway then just south of cresco. turned back eventually and paused at vernon springs for a quick snack then flew with the tailwind just south of ridgeway and back to town. highlight of the trip: scaring up a herd of buffalo and watching them run. just over 62 miles when i was done. gravels were just starting to get sloppy from the thaw as i was getting done so timing was good.
shockey
and from our friends in Cedar Falls...
Dave - my man
Here we go for another 12
Paul Meyermann, Robert Fry, Kathleen Porter and I went out for our first
100K of the year. The roads were most clear, dry and smooth. Looking
forward to many more miles of dirt this year. Your Cup of Dirt is a
very nice inspiration/carrot for us and we certainly appreciate the work
you do to make this happen.
John
An invitation from Mr. Fuller:
That's Gravel Road Ride 2 BRR.
The weather is supposed to be fan-FREAKING-tastic on Saturday. We've
been discussing this, so I'm going to start the organization now to
avoid some of the keystone cop-esque changes we normally have when
trying to organize one of these rides.
Any route that I've mapped out has Perry at about 30 miles from my
house in Johnston. Winds are supposed to be out of the south most of
the day. I'm thinking of leaving around 6:30 - 6:45 (AM) to head up to
Perry via gravel roads. Ride BRR. Have a beverage (or two, or three,
or...) and then figure out the route home. I'm open to riding back, or
getting a ride. If you don't want to ride BRR, you'll still get in
60ish miles of gravel for the day. I'll offer my place in Johnston up
as a meeting point. I'm about a mile and a half from gravel that will
take us either over to Dallas Center, or north towards Woodward.
Anyone else? Feel free to pass this along to anyone else you know that
might be interested.
And from Dave:
Good luck on your chase Mr. Campbell, welcome to the insanity!
Way to go Shockey! 4 in a month. You'll break Grelks record!
and Johnny and the CF Crew - Rock out! You guys make me smile!
Makes me kinda wanna ride!
Peace - Dave
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Mr. Mizzu get's one more than two*
(*that was kinda cute, huh?)
Dave,
I was able to get in a 64 miler yesterday. My plan was to go 100 miles and end up in
Kirksville, MO where my daughter (who just graduated from Truman University), has an
apartment. We needed to move some stuff back home. Still need to.
Anyway, I got to the 50 mile mark and realized the sun would set long before I got there. I had made a big loop southwest of Chillicothe, MO before heading NE toward Kirksville (much of it into the wind)and was only averaging 10 MPH. I don't mind riding in the dark, but without any lights, I thought it would be a bad idea. I called my wife and told her to pick me up in Brookfield. It was a great metric, but a DNF century.
Bottom line is that I started way too late in the morning to have gotten in a century during the daylight hours. Unless I get faster, I better allow 10 hours (at least) of sun to make a daylight century.
This Saturday, a group of us are riding in the 2nd annual "Chucky's Challenge-
Groundhog Ride" being held in Jamesport, MO. There will be a 40 mile and a 62 mile
option - all on gravel/dirt roads in the area. It's a show and go which I think starts around 10AM. Jamesport is a small north central Missouri town 40ish miles from Iowa.
The area is known for the Amish that populate the scenic countryside. Very, very hilly with some flat, flat bottom ground thown in.
Thanks again,
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
ed. Anyone wanna head down for the MO Century???
Dave,
I was able to get in a 64 miler yesterday. My plan was to go 100 miles and end up in
Kirksville, MO where my daughter (who just graduated from Truman University), has an
apartment. We needed to move some stuff back home. Still need to.
Anyway, I got to the 50 mile mark and realized the sun would set long before I got there. I had made a big loop southwest of Chillicothe, MO before heading NE toward Kirksville (much of it into the wind)and was only averaging 10 MPH. I don't mind riding in the dark, but without any lights, I thought it would be a bad idea. I called my wife and told her to pick me up in Brookfield. It was a great metric, but a DNF century.
Bottom line is that I started way too late in the morning to have gotten in a century during the daylight hours. Unless I get faster, I better allow 10 hours (at least) of sun to make a daylight century.
This Saturday, a group of us are riding in the 2nd annual "Chucky's Challenge-
Groundhog Ride" being held in Jamesport, MO. There will be a 40 mile and a 62 mile
option - all on gravel/dirt roads in the area. It's a show and go which I think starts around 10AM. Jamesport is a small north central Missouri town 40ish miles from Iowa.
The area is known for the Amish that populate the scenic countryside. Very, very hilly with some flat, flat bottom ground thown in.
Thanks again,
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
ed. Anyone wanna head down for the MO Century???
Mr. Bikeiowa.com in for a full Cup O' Hurt!
Don't ever let anyone tell ya that a 40 degree day in Jan is a good day for a gravel ride.
Sat Jan 31st - 2 3/4 Booneville loops and a 20 miles out and back loop north of Ankeny and I turned triple digits shortly after dark.
7am - Met Fuller and Will at Tom Andserson's house, then met Squirrel and Blackford as we hit gravel toward Boonville.
course was frozen and fast. Rode loop to Rassy's to do another loop with 10am crowd (West, Matt M, Kurt, Lou, Chad V, Courtney)
rode 2nd loop not near as fast... things were thawing out. before heading back into WDM, West, Courtney and myself turned around and rode back to Boonville in revserse.
It was very sloppy and I was starting to bonk. We made it to Boonville where Countney and I needed food. West kept going. After food we rode back toward DM. Courtney and I split off and I rode back to Tom's house to pick up my car (mile 80).
I decided to drive north of Ankeny with the hopes of higher ground might no be so soupy. that was a farst! The last 20 miles were has at only 8-10 mph...
Like ridin' through sand...
Either way check me off for a full hundy in Jan 09.
Thanks for using BikeIowa!!
Scott Sumpter
Sat Jan 31st - 2 3/4 Booneville loops and a 20 miles out and back loop north of Ankeny and I turned triple digits shortly after dark.
7am - Met Fuller and Will at Tom Andserson's house, then met Squirrel and Blackford as we hit gravel toward Boonville.
course was frozen and fast. Rode loop to Rassy's to do another loop with 10am crowd (West, Matt M, Kurt, Lou, Chad V, Courtney)
rode 2nd loop not near as fast... things were thawing out. before heading back into WDM, West, Courtney and myself turned around and rode back to Boonville in revserse.
It was very sloppy and I was starting to bonk. We made it to Boonville where Countney and I needed food. West kept going. After food we rode back toward DM. Courtney and I split off and I rode back to Tom's house to pick up my car (mile 80).
I decided to drive north of Ankeny with the hopes of higher ground might no be so soupy. that was a farst! The last 20 miles were has at only 8-10 mph...
Like ridin' through sand...
Either way check me off for a full hundy in Jan 09.
Thanks for using BikeIowa!!
Scott Sumpter
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Shockey lands on #3
From Ben:
"left this morning just before 9 a.m. with an actual temp somewhere around -4* so i headed north with a gentle tail wind hoping that by the time i turned around the temp would have risen some. made it up to hesper then headed west til i was north of bluffton. came south through bluffton and continued south just a bit before heading west toward ridgeway. when i turned south just before ridgeway the temp had come up but unfortunately the wind had as well. had enough miles to go south til i was just below highway 9 that the wind really beat me up. headed back east then and got to finish with a handful of miles going north/northeast so the wind kinda blew me home. ended up around 66 miles (fixed). now its off to the bar for the next 8 hours (unfortunately just to work)."
shockey
"left this morning just before 9 a.m. with an actual temp somewhere around -4* so i headed north with a gentle tail wind hoping that by the time i turned around the temp would have risen some. made it up to hesper then headed west til i was north of bluffton. came south through bluffton and continued south just a bit before heading west toward ridgeway. when i turned south just before ridgeway the temp had come up but unfortunately the wind had as well. had enough miles to go south til i was just below highway 9 that the wind really beat me up. headed back east then and got to finish with a handful of miles going north/northeast so the wind kinda blew me home. ended up around 66 miles (fixed). now its off to the bar for the next 8 hours (unfortunately just to work)."
shockey
Monday, January 26, 2009
Cups......
In case you think that there are Cups running around the neighborhood willy-nilly - think again. To this point there have been exactly 2 Cups that have been in the hands of people who did not earn them by riding the required centuries. Myself and Brian Duffy. Me? Well, I have the prototype. #1. It had some flaws and served as the model for the REAL Cups. And Duffy? Well, he designed the logo - that's only fair, wouldn't you agree?
That's been it.... until now.
I thought it only fitting, as this weekend ticked by, that the one who laid the ground work for our humble sport, the one who coined the term "mountain bike", the one who sweats a passion for this great sport from his pores... should have a Cup.
Saturday, while he was signing pictures, drawings and bikes at Bike World, I presented Mr. Gary Fisher with a Cup O' Dirt! I gave him the link to our little blog, inviting him to read up on your adventures across this great land. He was impressed by the stories I regaled upon him of your pursuits to earn the Cup.
So, this Cup just became a little more storied - and, as you continue to turn the pedals over dirt and dale across the country-side - it shall become even more storied - Keep on plugging on - and enjoy the fact that you can share a Cup of joe with one of our fore-fathers!
In the mean time... Mr. Shockey has been riding:
hey dave,
spent most sunday afternoon on a fixed gear tour of the gravel roads north and east of decorah. a quick weather check before i left predicted a -5* windchill but the bright sun and mild breeze certainly didn't seem quite that cold. finished the ride at 64 miles just before the sun (and temps) started to drop. aboslutely gorgeous day out there.
shockey
That's been it.... until now.
I thought it only fitting, as this weekend ticked by, that the one who laid the ground work for our humble sport, the one who coined the term "mountain bike", the one who sweats a passion for this great sport from his pores... should have a Cup.
Saturday, while he was signing pictures, drawings and bikes at Bike World, I presented Mr. Gary Fisher with a Cup O' Dirt! I gave him the link to our little blog, inviting him to read up on your adventures across this great land. He was impressed by the stories I regaled upon him of your pursuits to earn the Cup.
So, this Cup just became a little more storied - and, as you continue to turn the pedals over dirt and dale across the country-side - it shall become even more storied - Keep on plugging on - and enjoy the fact that you can share a Cup of joe with one of our fore-fathers!
In the mean time... Mr. Shockey has been riding:
hey dave,
spent most sunday afternoon on a fixed gear tour of the gravel roads north and east of decorah. a quick weather check before i left predicted a -5* windchill but the bright sun and mild breeze certainly didn't seem quite that cold. finished the ride at 64 miles just before the sun (and temps) started to drop. aboslutely gorgeous day out there.
shockey
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
It's An Adventure Out There....
I decided to go out for a gravel road ride today while it was warm. I came across several large dogs...all friendly. One encounter was with a rather massive, scraggly St. Bernard that was chowing down on the remains of a deer carcass!!! I was unsure if he killed it himself, if it was road kill or if it was some hunters discard...the blood on his face indicated he was enjoying it though. He tensed up briefly when I rode right by him, but he went back to business when he realized I had no interest in his meal.
It is always an adventure out there.
John Newell
It is always an adventure out there.
John Newell
Iowa is in the Chase!!
From Ben Shockey:
if i remember right from my days of high school cross country...
5k=3.1miles
10k=6.2miles
so...i'm assuming a metric is 62?
hit just over 62 this last sunday. gravels from decorah through bluffton up to harmony, mn and back. got a brief write up on the blog. www.theshockstar.blogspot.com
let me know if i'm off on my metric conversions :)
thanks again,
shockey
if i remember right from my days of high school cross country...
5k=3.1miles
10k=6.2miles
so...i'm assuming a metric is 62?
hit just over 62 this last sunday. gravels from decorah through bluffton up to harmony, mn and back. got a brief write up on the blog. www.theshockstar.blogspot.com
let me know if i'm off on my metric conversions :)
thanks again,
shockey
Monday, January 19, 2009
Mr. Mizzou Gets Two!
Dave,
I was able to get in another metric yesterday. I'm fortunate that the winter weather is probably better than most of Iowa. I grew up in Iowa and know for a fact that Missouri gets a lot less snow than Iowa, and what snow we do get doesn't stick atound. The weather was 30 degrees with NW winds 15 to 20 MPH.
I headed north-northeast out of Chillicothe until I made my way up to a little town of Galt. From there I turn southeast and rode to Laclede where my wife and daughter picked me up. Overall there were many hills and few flat sections. The worse part was the intermitant fresh gravel laid down. Total milage was 64. My average was 10.6 MPH.
The ride was extremely uneventful except that I broke a rear spoke on my Niner. First time I've ever broke a spoke off singletrack. Must have been the fresh gravel!
Thanks again,
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
On some other notes:
1. Don't forget to come to Bike World West (60th and Ashworth in West Des Moines) on Saturday afternoon to meet the one, the only, Gary Fisher! 11am- 2:30pm or something like that.
2. Cups have been ordered from New Harmony Pottery - what with all the great advertising I've been giving them from this Cup O' Dirt thing, they've got some good orders going - so our precious cups will be a few weeks - but hey - we've been waiting all year, huh?
Thanks! Dave
I was able to get in another metric yesterday. I'm fortunate that the winter weather is probably better than most of Iowa. I grew up in Iowa and know for a fact that Missouri gets a lot less snow than Iowa, and what snow we do get doesn't stick atound. The weather was 30 degrees with NW winds 15 to 20 MPH.
I headed north-northeast out of Chillicothe until I made my way up to a little town of Galt. From there I turn southeast and rode to Laclede where my wife and daughter picked me up. Overall there were many hills and few flat sections. The worse part was the intermitant fresh gravel laid down. Total milage was 64. My average was 10.6 MPH.
The ride was extremely uneventful except that I broke a rear spoke on my Niner. First time I've ever broke a spoke off singletrack. Must have been the fresh gravel!
Thanks again,
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
On some other notes:
1. Don't forget to come to Bike World West (60th and Ashworth in West Des Moines) on Saturday afternoon to meet the one, the only, Gary Fisher! 11am- 2:30pm or something like that.
2. Cups have been ordered from New Harmony Pottery - what with all the great advertising I've been giving them from this Cup O' Dirt thing, they've got some good orders going - so our precious cups will be a few weeks - but hey - we've been waiting all year, huh?
Thanks! Dave
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Mizzu Leads the 2009 Chase!
Dave,
I'm a Missouri rider throwing my hat in the ring. Got in a dirty metric yesterday.
Left Chillicothe, MO and headed north for just a couple of miles and then headed back to the southwest. I had to pick up a blacktop to cross the Thompson River and then headed off on some very hilly gravel that took me to the Grand River Bottoms (as we say around here). Eventually it headed north and west. Flat, flat, flat gravel and eventually flat, flat dirt. I rode around on the bottoms for a total of 25 miles. Luckily it was frozen as I followed the dirt lane up river. After the 31 mile mark, I turned around and headed home the same route.
It was in the low 30s and very windy. The strong wind was out of the northwest which made the flat bottom riding very frustrating. There were times where I struggled just to get 7 MPH. After I turned around it was a different story! I flew most the way back home which was good because I hadn't started my ride until noon. I only averaged a 10.4 MPH which meant I finished around 6:00PM ....well after the sun went down.
I've followed your website for the last two years and this is the year I'm hoping to go the distance.
Thanks for doing such a interesting competition. Great training! I'm talking with a few other riders down here that might have an interest.
Hope to get in a true century this month.
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
I'm a Missouri rider throwing my hat in the ring. Got in a dirty metric yesterday.
Left Chillicothe, MO and headed north for just a couple of miles and then headed back to the southwest. I had to pick up a blacktop to cross the Thompson River and then headed off on some very hilly gravel that took me to the Grand River Bottoms (as we say around here). Eventually it headed north and west. Flat, flat, flat gravel and eventually flat, flat dirt. I rode around on the bottoms for a total of 25 miles. Luckily it was frozen as I followed the dirt lane up river. After the 31 mile mark, I turned around and headed home the same route.
It was in the low 30s and very windy. The strong wind was out of the northwest which made the flat bottom riding very frustrating. There were times where I struggled just to get 7 MPH. After I turned around it was a different story! I flew most the way back home which was good because I hadn't started my ride until noon. I only averaged a 10.4 MPH which meant I finished around 6:00PM ....well after the sun went down.
I've followed your website for the last two years and this is the year I'm hoping to go the distance.
Thanks for doing such a interesting competition. Great training! I'm talking with a few other riders down here that might have an interest.
Hope to get in a true century this month.
Tim Riekena
Chillicothe, MO
Saturday, January 10, 2009
That Must Be It!
A week into 2009, and I haven't heard of any additional hundies logged by anyone - which means that we have our final tally!
Here's the breakdown of 2008 Cup Earners:
Cup O' Dirt (12 full centuries)
Tom Anderson, One-A-Month Club!
Dennis Grelk
Cup O' Mississippi Mud (6 full centuries)
Dennis Grelk
Matt Maxwell
Steve Fuller
Norbert Koenigsfeld
Scott Sumpter
Mike Johnson
Paul Meyerman
Nick Wethington
1/2 Liter O' Dirt (12 metric centuries)
Dennis Grelk (yep, all three!!)
John Adamson
Kat Porter
Dave Geigerrich
Tim Bierbaum
Congratulations to one and all for taking on this challenge - That was so fun... let's do it again! (it will probly continue until I get a freakin Cup of some sort! - maybe this is the year!!)
I'll be ordering the Cups next week from New Harmony Pottery - creators of hand-thrown stoneware pottery. They can create custom pieces to mark special occasions - great baby gifts (how's a small plate and cup with the baby's name on them?!) Wedding gifts (pie-sized plates with the couple's name and date) Dinner sets, awards... all kinds of cool stuff - Jugs, bowls, plates, mugs, saucers, crocks...
You can see their work at the FolkArt Shop -333 5th Street in Valley Junction.
enough of the plug - send me the address you want it shipped to - or otherwise coordinate the Cup delivery. dmable@juno.com
Thanks for playing!
Peace - Dave
Here's the breakdown of 2008 Cup Earners:
Cup O' Dirt (12 full centuries)
Tom Anderson, One-A-Month Club!
Dennis Grelk
Cup O' Mississippi Mud (6 full centuries)
Dennis Grelk
Matt Maxwell
Steve Fuller
Norbert Koenigsfeld
Scott Sumpter
Mike Johnson
Paul Meyerman
Nick Wethington
1/2 Liter O' Dirt (12 metric centuries)
Dennis Grelk (yep, all three!!)
John Adamson
Kat Porter
Dave Geigerrich
Tim Bierbaum
Congratulations to one and all for taking on this challenge - That was so fun... let's do it again! (it will probly continue until I get a freakin Cup of some sort! - maybe this is the year!!)
I'll be ordering the Cups next week from New Harmony Pottery - creators of hand-thrown stoneware pottery. They can create custom pieces to mark special occasions - great baby gifts (how's a small plate and cup with the baby's name on them?!) Wedding gifts (pie-sized plates with the couple's name and date) Dinner sets, awards... all kinds of cool stuff - Jugs, bowls, plates, mugs, saucers, crocks...
You can see their work at the FolkArt Shop -333 5th Street in Valley Junction.
enough of the plug - send me the address you want it shipped to - or otherwise coordinate the Cup delivery. dmable@juno.com
Thanks for playing!
Peace - Dave
Thursday, January 01, 2009
One-A-Month!
In January, 6 began a journey that only one could finish.
It took discipline, patience, commitment, perseverance and time, lots and lots of time!
My hearty congratulations goes out to Mr. Iowa Griz, Tom Anderson, for completing a dirty century each month of 2008. It took several tries in December, but on the last day, with only 17 hours of the year left, he ventured out into a cold and windy Iowa day for his last 100 miler of the year. (maybe ever??!!)
I don't have details of his ride yet - but I do know his toes were cold. Maybe he'll be kind enough to send us a little report of his day, and perhaps a reflection on the year. Suffice it to say, that he's gunna have some stories for the grand-kids from his monthly 100mile jaunts in 2008!
This little Cup O' Dirt thing has been interesting to watch - I've been surprised and a bit amazed at the lengths that chasers have gone to earn a Cup. From Dave G. simply deciding to start riding just to get the Half Liter O' Dirt, and ending up buying a new cross bike and completing 18 metric centuries, to Matt and Nick nailing a 200 mile ride to get their last 2 centuries in... and of course, Mr. Grelk earning all 3 Cups so his friends and neighbors will have a nice mug to drink from when they stop over for a cup o' joe.
I've enjoyed the fact that you crazy folks have taken it seriously - seriously enough to go out of your way to earn some form of the Cup. It's pretty cool, actually. I will be the first to attest that earning a Cup - any Cup - is a difficult challenge, an endeavor that takes a real commitment. You don't just "happen to earn" a Cup. You must seek the cup. (a little Monte Python here?)
Again - congratulations to all the folks that got in the miles - I believe there are 12 of you earning 15 Cups. (though it's not too late to submit rides... the deadline for completing the rides is December 31... the deadline for submitting rides is, well, before I place the final order!)If you look at the list and are not on it, and should be - just let me know. I've done this whole thing on the honor system, so I trust ya!
I'm going to continue this little challenge - and, as today is the 1st of January, it's a great day for you to decide. You've got 365 days to get in a dozen rides... that doesn't sound so bad, does it? Take the challenge. See if you've got what it takes for the Cup O' Dirt!
Peace - Dave
It took discipline, patience, commitment, perseverance and time, lots and lots of time!
My hearty congratulations goes out to Mr. Iowa Griz, Tom Anderson, for completing a dirty century each month of 2008. It took several tries in December, but on the last day, with only 17 hours of the year left, he ventured out into a cold and windy Iowa day for his last 100 miler of the year. (maybe ever??!!)
I don't have details of his ride yet - but I do know his toes were cold. Maybe he'll be kind enough to send us a little report of his day, and perhaps a reflection on the year. Suffice it to say, that he's gunna have some stories for the grand-kids from his monthly 100mile jaunts in 2008!
This little Cup O' Dirt thing has been interesting to watch - I've been surprised and a bit amazed at the lengths that chasers have gone to earn a Cup. From Dave G. simply deciding to start riding just to get the Half Liter O' Dirt, and ending up buying a new cross bike and completing 18 metric centuries, to Matt and Nick nailing a 200 mile ride to get their last 2 centuries in... and of course, Mr. Grelk earning all 3 Cups so his friends and neighbors will have a nice mug to drink from when they stop over for a cup o' joe.
I've enjoyed the fact that you crazy folks have taken it seriously - seriously enough to go out of your way to earn some form of the Cup. It's pretty cool, actually. I will be the first to attest that earning a Cup - any Cup - is a difficult challenge, an endeavor that takes a real commitment. You don't just "happen to earn" a Cup. You must seek the cup. (a little Monte Python here?)
Again - congratulations to all the folks that got in the miles - I believe there are 12 of you earning 15 Cups. (though it's not too late to submit rides... the deadline for completing the rides is December 31... the deadline for submitting rides is, well, before I place the final order!)If you look at the list and are not on it, and should be - just let me know. I've done this whole thing on the honor system, so I trust ya!
I'm going to continue this little challenge - and, as today is the 1st of January, it's a great day for you to decide. You've got 365 days to get in a dozen rides... that doesn't sound so bad, does it? Take the challenge. See if you've got what it takes for the Cup O' Dirt!
Peace - Dave
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