We left Indiana around 10am. Thanks to Mom for a great dinner at the Olive Garden the night before we left; however, the heavy dinner made it impossible to do any late night packing. Once on the road we remembered what we forgot, which included the tent rain cover in SC, the bike pump, laundry detergent, and my rain jacket. NICE! The miles went fast and we decided to try to hit a group ride in Iowa City, the home of the University of Iowa. It was a typical group ride with about 30 guys, no girls, and a lot of testosterone. We started the ride with dark clouds looming above. The group rode away from the storm in an attempt to stay dry, but to no avail. We turned out of town on a country road straight into a head wind with sheets of rain drenching us. Unfortunately, I got dropped and Sean had to come back and drag me in. We met a guy who had lived in Carbondale during the 1908s and was friendly enough to direct us back to our car. I find cyclist in the back of the pack to be the friendliest and most helpful, a scenario Sean has never had to experience. Needless to say it was a rough ride! Iowa City is very progressive with sidewalks and bike paths laced throughout the city. Iowa is a smoke free state and has wireless at all rest stops. Beautiful country with progressive ideas…a nice surprise! We stopped at a Lowe’s to pick up a tarp in case another storm rolled in overnight. We camped at a roadside RV park, happy to have a shower and laundry area considering we were covered in road dirt and looked like salt licks. We head to the Badlands in South Dakota next. It will be a long day of driving, but the good news is gas is around $3.78 for super unleaded due to higher ethanol content. The money we save on gas will wash out considering the drag of 4 bikes on the roof.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
1517 Miles Day 1
We left Indiana around 10am. Thanks to Mom for a great dinner at the Olive Garden the night before we left; however, the heavy dinner made it impossible to do any late night packing. Once on the road we remembered what we forgot, which included the tent rain cover in SC, the bike pump, laundry detergent, and my rain jacket. NICE! The miles went fast and we decided to try to hit a group ride in Iowa City, the home of the University of Iowa. It was a typical group ride with about 30 guys, no girls, and a lot of testosterone. We started the ride with dark clouds looming above. The group rode away from the storm in an attempt to stay dry, but to no avail. We turned out of town on a country road straight into a head wind with sheets of rain drenching us. Unfortunately, I got dropped and Sean had to come back and drag me in. We met a guy who had lived in Carbondale during the 1908s and was friendly enough to direct us back to our car. I find cyclist in the back of the pack to be the friendliest and most helpful, a scenario Sean has never had to experience. Needless to say it was a rough ride! Iowa City is very progressive with sidewalks and bike paths laced throughout the city. Iowa is a smoke free state and has wireless at all rest stops. Beautiful country with progressive ideas…a nice surprise! We stopped at a Lowe’s to pick up a tarp in case another storm rolled in overnight. We camped at a roadside RV park, happy to have a shower and laundry area considering we were covered in road dirt and looked like salt licks. We head to the Badlands in South Dakota next. It will be a long day of driving, but the good news is gas is around $3.78 for super unleaded due to higher ethanol content. The money we save on gas will wash out considering the drag of 4 bikes on the roof.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Heading West
We head out for our trip West today. We will be staying outside of Iowa City tonight then arriving in the Badlands for a few days of mtn biking. We leave SD and will stay in Glacier NP over the weekend. Sean returned from Masters in KY. He didn't have the race he wanted, but was able to help Jim deliver the goods. Jim finished 6th in the criterium for Team CTM. Stayed posted on the the teams blog for race reports. Great racing guys! Time for a little R & R now.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Mile 1078
This weekend Sean and I took separate paths as he headed South to visit his family in Columbus, IN and race Masters in Louisville, while I went with my family to our lake home on the Michigan/Indiana border. Locals creatively call it "Michiana." We had great weather and I was able to meet my nephew, Grayson, for the first time. We leave for the West on Tuesday. Sean races Sunday morning so stay tuned for the race report.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Masters Road Race
Sean competed this morning in the Masters Road Race, which was 60 miles. He was in a break for over half the race and towards the end of the race was caught. Another break took off and he wasn't in it. Sunday is the criterium. Check out his new bike from AeroCat! You don't need to make your legs look any bigger Sean...nice try!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Don't Do It!
Out of respect for the cycling community at large don't ever wear neon knee socks, especially to a race!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Mile 958
We spent the weekend in Grandview, Ohio a suburb of Columbus. The Tour of Grandview Cycling Classic is a great event in the streets of 1960's neighborhoods with sidewalks, friendly people, and small cafes. We stayed with a great host family, Steve and Scotty, who Sean, Weaver, and Rodney stayed with last year. Team CTM raced well and enjoyed the local race scene. I decided to sit this race out due to lack of training time although I enjoyed watching the Women's races and new teams that have formed in the North. We borrowed a cool chopper bike from our host family to pedal around town-I felt so Euro! I miss the North in the summer...like the cool breezes, lush greenery, and establishments that are open on Sunday mornings. Sean heads to Louisville, KY on Wednesday for Masters Nationals and I travel to our lake home in Northern Indiana to stay with family over the 4th. Wish him luck!
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