Ralph's Ozark Bike Blog

Another Windy Day in Southwest Missouri

2012-01-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

Dan and I hit the road at 8:00 this morning to ride the Hound Dog 123K to Aurora and back. It was chilly (34 degrees) with a strong SSE wind (25+ mph). It was a little slow going out, particularly since we stopped in Billings to use the restroom. The sun came out while we were in Aurora, but it did not last long. The clouds rolled back in, and it seemed chilly on the way back, particularly on the crosswind segments. We made it back (14:21) right around our average time for this route.

I can only take these pictures with my mouth open.

Wind Blown to Golden City

2012-01-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Dan and I rode the Route 66 & Cooky's Pie 205K permanent to Golden City. We left at 6:30, hoping to get back before dark. It was a nice, but cool, ride out with clear skies and a strong south southeast wind (20+ mph, gusting to 30+). The most excitement was when we watched three deer race across a field and the road in front of us.The wind shifted slightly to the south heading back, so it was mainly a problem on the south legs when we were only able to pedal 7 to 8 miles per hour. We did not make it back until 18:50 and were worn out.

Halltown, MO, on Historic Route 66

Pie selection at Cooky's

Spencer, MO, on Historic Route 66

Heading back with the setting sun

Mt. Mitchell Short Changed Permanent #1379

2012-01-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

RUSA has approved a new permanent I submitted. It is on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina where we have family and spend a lot of time. There is 11,000 feet of climbing over 98 miles (157 Km). It can be ridden from April to October when the Parkway is open. Hope to ride it this summer. Here is the info on my web page.

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Riding the North County

2012-01-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Starting at 8:30 on Saturday, Dan Pfaff and I rode the Bolton's 115K Permanent. The route is Central Springfield to Fair Grove to Bolton's General Store (north of Willard and east of Walnut Grove on Hwy BB) and back. The segment between Fair Grove and Bolton's is on the Trans-America Bicycle route. We don't ride this permanent as much as we should. There are plenty of hills that would help keep us in shape. Highways CC and BB that run east-west across the county pretty much follow the hill contours with few cuts and fills. The most common sign is "IMPASSABLE DURING HIGH WATER". Fortunately, we did not have any high water. There are also usually a number of dogs along the route, but most seemed to have been hunkered down trying to stay warm on Saturday. The only dog that gave us any trouble was on a downhill, so we were able to zip past him. The weather was nice. It was sunny most of the day with a slight wind out of the north to northeast. The high was in the low fifties.

Dan heading north out of Springfield

Bank of Fair Grove

Bolton's

Little Sac River


Impassable During High Water

Low-water crossing

Historic Wommack Mill in Fair Grove

RUSA 5000Km Award

2012-01-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

My goal for 2011 was to ride at least 5,000Km of RUSA-sanctioned rides. I completed 5,162Km. The 5000Km award (below) is the greatest annual cumulative distance award RUSA has established. There are lifetime distance awards: Mondial (40,000Km) and Galaxy (100,000Km). Mondial is a French adjective meaning worldwide or global. The name of the award relates to the fact that the circumference of the Earth is approximately 40,000Km. I have a lifetime total of 15,283Km, so I have a ways to go for the Mondial.

Ash Grove

2011-12-31T18:25:00.000-08:00

I rode to Ash Grove today with Rae, Doug and Tom for the final ride of the year. It was a little chilly when we started, but the sun was out. We planned to stop at Willy B's in Ash Grove for pancakes. Unfortunately, Willy B's has closed down. We went to Mama Loca's on Main Street instead. They don't have pancakes. They do have a a couple of traditional Mexican-style breakfasts, biscuits and gravy, eggs and muffins. The food was good. They are only open Thursday through Sunday. One of the owners said a lot of Trans-America riders stop in during the cycling season.

It was warmer on the ride back, and we had to deal with a strong south wind (20-25 mph, gusting to 30-35 mph). Seems like there is a strong wind blowing most days of late. Overall it was a good ride to close out the year.

Ash Grove Main Street

Ash Grove store front

Mama Loca's

Old building on FR 76

Tom

Rae & Doug

PARIS BREST PARIS The long ride toward a distant dawn

2011-12-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

This is a French documentary with subtitles. It is about 46 minutes. It has some historical footage, but focuses on the 2011 event. They talk about PBP being a race, which is how it started. I think the rider with the best time is still recognized, but most are just trying to make the 90-hour time limit. Another film is available HERE.

PARIS BREST PARIS The long ride toward a distant dawn from Poisson Lune Films on Vimeo.

1x1 to Aurora

2011-12-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

James Doggett and I took advantage of the great weather on Sunday and rode the Hound Dog permanent to Aurora. I rode the Quickbeam as a single-speed. This 77 miles is the furthest I have ridden it. I did not have any mechanical problems. The narrow tires (25mm) were a little harsher than I am accustom to on longer rides. It was partly cloudy with a generally south wind when we started at 9:00, and it became mostly clear later in the morning. Unfortunately, the wind shifted to the southeast on the way back, so we had a head wind on some legs both going and coming back. The traffic was extremely light, even in the afternoon. Everyone must have been home watching football or out shopping. I was surprised not to see any other cyclists. I got back at 3:10.

Christmas tree hay bales

Stone house west of Springfield on FR 115

Port-A-Potty at Republic Park on FR 156

Stone barn with fish-scale siding on FR 168

Stone store front in Marionville on Western Ave.

Rivendell Quickbeam

2011-12-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

I bought a Quickbeam frame on eBay recently. The frame is from the last production run with silver paint and blue decals. The seller stated there were a number of scratches on the frame. He had pictures of the scratches, but the pictures were not real sharp. I was surprised when I received the frame because the scratches were not in places I expected from normal use, and they looked like they were made by a knife or other sharp-edged tool. Maybe it was revenge by a jilted lover. So I decided to have the frame powdercoated GM engine orange. Some paint suppliers call it red, but it sure looks orange to me. I called Rivendell to get replacement decals. I told them I had the silver paint scheme, but they sent me the earlier decals when the Quickbeams were painted orange or green. I am glad now that I did not stick with silver because the decals look better with orange. I currently have it setup with a 45-tooth crank and 18-tooth freewheel and fixed cog. I could go with a slightly smaller cog in the back, but will probably ride this setup for a while.


I did not think to take a photo of the frame before I had it powdercoated. This photo is from the auction.

Cork wrapped and shellacked bars.

Metropolis 45-tooth crank.

I have had the banana seat bag for some time.

2012 Brevet Schedule Posted

2011-10-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

The RUSA brevet schedule is posted HERE. The Springfield brevets, which are run through the St. Louis region, will be:

200K - March 24
300K - April 14

The routes will be the same as last year. There is some interest in riding a Flèche from Republic to Grain Valley, MO, on April 20 or 21. A Flèche is a 24-hour, team ride of 360K (224 miles). A team is composed of three to five riders. A tandem counts as one rider. The rules are available HERE. Getting everyone back to Springfield is usually the biggest problem, although I can setup a permanent (about 200K) so we can get credit for riding back. Let me know if you are interested.

Flint Hills 225K Revisited

2011-10-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

I last rode this permanent in August 2009. Like that time, Spencer Klaassen (#1989) got the riders together for Saturday's ride. On the drive up Friday evening, I went through the roundabout north of Paola, KS, where we almost made a wrong turn on the 400K brevet in the Spring. When I arrived at the US Corp campground on Council Grove Lake, a bald eagle flew off from a tree along the lake. After I set up my tent, I went to eat at the Hays House in Council Grove because I was not expecting Spencer and Terry Beasley (#7067) until after dark. When I got back, I read a book until the sun set as the quarter moon rose over the lake. Spencer and Terry arrived about 20:30. It was a clear, cool night-great for camping out.

We started breaking camp about 5:00 Saturday and stopped at a bakery cafe for breakfast. I told the waitress we were in a hurry, but the cook burnt part of our breakfast and had to make it again, so we were running late. Mike Myers (#413) called my cell phone while we were still at the cafe to make sure he and his wife Nancy (#414) were at the right start time and location. I told him we would be there shortly. Mike said that he was told a bridge was being replaced near Strong City. A patron at the cafe told us KDOT had been working on the bridge for some time and should be pretty well along, but there was just a short detour if we could not get across.

We were scheduled to start the permanent at 6:30, but I think it was about 6:50 before we actually got away with the clear sky beginning to brighten. I was a little cool at the start with a short-sleeve wool jersey, wool knee and arm warmers, RUSA wind vest and a balaclava. The first eight or ten miles of the route on K177 is a series of hills, and I warmed up quickly from the climbs.

The bridge was still being replaced north of Strong City, but we were able to walk across. South of Cottonwood Falls, KDOT was also replacing a couple of culverts. Signs said "Pavement Ends", but the temporary bypasses were roughly paved and we were able to ride through. It was game day in Manhattan, and we were passed by a number of cars heading north with their Wildcat flags flying. We were also passed by numerous trains along the tracks that paralleled and crossed the route.

The wind began to pick up after we left Matfield Green. It was generally out of the southeast and mostly a cross wind until we turned west into El Dorado. On the way down, we stopped at the c-store in Cassoday where a man rode up on a bicycle he had converted to run on a gas engine. He said it was his second conversion, and while we were talking another man rode up on the first one he had built. We arrived in El Dorado about noon. We had a short break at the Casey's General Store before heading back.

North of Matfield Green, Spencer had problems with one of his pedals and lost several of the bearings. He squeezed a bunch of grease around the pedal spindle to replace the bearings and was able to get back to Council Grove without further problems. We took the detour out of Strong City to miss the bridge work. It was probably quicker riding the detour than walking through the bridge construction earlier. Even though I had taken off most of my extra clothes, I began to overheat after Strong City and slowed down somewhat. I made it back to Council Grove at 17:19, about ten minutes behind the others.

Flint Hills 225K Route

Camp site at Council Grove Lake

Moon over Council Grove Lake

At the start in Council Grove

Mike & Nancy Myers

Spencer & Terry passing a historic school house

Bridge construction

Railroad bridge

Pavement Ends (Not really)

Passing under another rail bridge

The long & winding road

Bazaar cemetery & school

Spencer chasing a train

Cassoday, Prairie Chicken Capital of the World

Motorized bike with its owner and Spencer in Cassoday

Former railroad bunkhouse

South Fork (ranch?)

Cottonwood Falls

Strong City church

Mashed O Ranch

Division Ranch

Back in Council Grove

Hays House in Council Grove

Springfield, MO, ALS Walk-September 17, 2011

2011-08-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

I am fundraising for the ALS Walk this year rather than the MS150. Click HERE if you would like to donate to the cause. Thanks.

Cycling on the Blue Ridge Parkway & the Zuma Coffee Jam

2011-07-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

We took a short vacation to Asheville, NC, this past week. On the way out, the bridges across the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers were closed at Cairo, IL, and we had to detour through Metropolis, IL, where Judy took my picture with the Superman statue. I took the Rambouillet and was able to get in one ten-mile ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I rode for about 1.5 hours because it was mostly uphill and I stopped to take pictures.

Judy dropped me off at the Ox Creek Road intersection and planned to meet me at Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. Another cyclist, Gary, parked and unloaded his recumbent at the same time. He and his wife both own Rambouillets and he owns a Saluki. He was also riding up to Craggy Gardens, so we rode together except when I stopped to take pictures at the tunnels and overlooks. The climb over the ten miles was at least 2,000 feet because the elevation at the Bull Creek overlook is 3,483 feet, and the Craggy Gardens overlook is 5,500 feet. I do not know the elevation at Ox Creek Road, which comes up out of Weaverville near Bull Gap.

A highlight of the trip was the Thursday evening jam at Zuma Coffee in Marshall, NC. This is a regular event, but there was a large number of musicians this past week because they were celebrating Bobby Hicks' 78^th birthday. Bobby joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys when he was just 21, and he played with the Ricky Skaggs band for over 20 years. Bobby now lives in Marshall. I have included a 3-minute video from the jam (The text that fades in and out of the video is from the video-conversion software test version). Bobby is on the left at the beginning of the video. He plays at about 0:52. I hope you enjoy it.

Metropolis, IL

One of two tunnels I rode through

Bull Creek Valley overlook

Lane Pinnacle is the far peak washed out by the sun

Gary climbing with Craggy Dome in the background

Gary at the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center

Me at the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center

Zuma Coffee jam musicians

Four Rivendells

2011-07-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

This morning, I rode to Ozark with Doug and Rae Nickell, Tom Barnett and John Dilsaver for pancakes at the Belgian Waffle House. We had four Rivendells on the ride: my Rambouilett, John's custom, Doug's Atlantis and Rae's Saluki as shown in the photo below taken by Tom.

Four Rivendells

Related to my Rambouilett, Robert Earl Keen sings of Chief Detective Rambouilett in "Mr Wolf and Momma Bear".

Historic Midtown's 21st Annual Old Fashion 4th of July Parade

2011-07-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

The parade included penny farthings ridden by Jason and Isaac from The Hub Coffee and Bike Shop and James Allen. Looked like fun but treacherous. James has ridden a penny farthing across the United States and has a bike museum on Commercial Street. I am not sure if it is open yet.

Jason, Isaac (in the rear) & James Allen

Jason & James

James & Issac


Isaac

Hot! Hot! Hot!

2011-07-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Dan Pfaff and I rode our July populaire permanent, the Marshfield Mash 112K. It was an evening (17:00) start again, and it was hot: still 97 degrees, only one degree below the record high set in 1931. The wind was out of the south to SSE at about 10 miles per hour, which did not help us much until we headed north out of Rogersville. The tall trees along White Oak Road and KK Highway also provided some shade. At the intersection of KK Highway and PP Highway, there was a barricade saying KK Highway was closed a mile further. We rode on, and MoDOT had been working on the bridge over Panther Creek, but the bridge was open. We made it to Marshfield at about 20:50. We were almost back to Panther Creek before it really got dark, although we had our lights on since we turned on to KK Highway. As we were riding down a hill on White Oak Road, I experience a weird effect of seeming to be falling into a bottomless pit. The road surface was very uniform with no center broken line, and there was tall vegetation growing right up to the edge of the road. It was apparent that the vegetation was moving, but the road did not seem to be moving at all. Very disorienting and weird. We made it back to Springfield a few minutes before 23:00. It was still 82 degrees.


White barn on KK Highway

Dan heading east on KK Highway

Red barn on A Highway south of Marshfield

Night Riding

2011-06-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Dan and I rode the Hound Dog 124K permanent to Aurora on Friday evening starting at 18:00. The wind was out of the southeast, and there was a chance of thunderstorms, although the sky was clear. After working all day at my desk, I was a little stiff and it took a little while to get in the rhythm of the ride.The wind died as the evening progressed, and we made it to Aurora just before 21:00. The southeast wind picked up on the return, so we had a good push on the north legs. We made it back to Springfield just before 24:00. While it seemed like I was dragging at the beginning of the ride, we completed it with the same time as most of our prior rides.

Heading west near Republic, MO

Cows


Marionville, MO, cemetery

Dan

Setting sun outside Aurora, MO

Aurora, MO, control

Edwardsville Again

2011-06-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

There was another full brevet series in Edwardsville, IL, last weekend. Dan Pfaff and I drove up Friday evening and stayed at the Innkeeper Motel in Hamel. A storm came through during the night, and we hoped the rain and lightning were done for the weekend.

There was quite a crowd when we arrived at 3:30 for the 4:00 start. Most were riding the 600K. John and I were only riding the 200K that I needed to complete the Super Randonneur series and John needed to complete his first R-12. Most of the riders took off at a fairly fast pace. The bike trail out of town was sprinkled with debris and there was a fallen tree from the storm, so we took it a little slower. The tail lights of the front group continued to pull away as we headed east on Fruit Road. We began to see lightning, and the rain caught up with us just before we got to Grandfork. The rain drops were big and cold and made quite a sound as they approached us from the west.

The rain stopped by the time we got to Pocahontas where we stopped to use the restroom and get some chocolate milk. John Jost (St. Louis Region RBA) and Randy Johnson caught up with us there and so did another major storm cell. A driver who stopped had driven through it and said there was also hail. We decided to wait it out, and since the c-store had a grill, we decided to have breakfast. We spent about an hour in Pocahontas.

We got to the first control in Breese at 8:30 (51 miles). Scott Thompson, who was making the bag drop in Vienna for the 600K riders, stopped to see how we were doing. While we were there one of the 600K riders, Rudy from Florida, pulled in having stopped at a church to sit out the storm.

We were in Okawville at 11:00 (78 miles), and John, Randy and Rudy arrived shortly after we did. As we were leaving, Dan commented to John that we were heading back with a tailwind. Unfortunately the tailwind only lasted until New Baden where we stopped at McDonald's for yogurt parfait and frozen strawberry lemonade. We also stopped in St. Jacob to make sure we had enough water to finish the ride. The sky was pretty much overcast by then so it seemed cooler.

There was a large snapping turtle in the middle of the Fruit Road being harassed by a dog. I tried to move it off, but it spun around too fast when I got near it and we ended up just dancing in the middle of the road. Since there was not much traffic, I just left it. It was big enough that most drivers would see it from quite a distance.

We finished up in Edwardsville (126 miles) at 16:04. Not one of our faster times.

Getting instructions at the start

Water off my front wheel in the crosswind

John and Randy arriving at Pocahontas

Storm approaching Pocahontas

John, Dan and Randy preparing to leave Pocahontas

One-lane bridge on the road to Breese

Randy, Scott, John and Dan at the Breese control

Lunch time outside Breese

Retro McDonald's in New Baden

View from the St. Jacob c-store

The water tower is 10 miles from the finish

Yucca in bloom

Dan signing in at the finish

Strafford VFW & Bolton's

2011-06-07T05:23:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I rode with Rae, Doug, Neil, Steve and Tom to the VFW in Strafford for pancakes. It had been a while since I had been out there. We had to slow for a Canada geese family crossing Catalpa east of Springfield. It was nice and cool riding through the valley. The VFW guys were glad to see us as usual. One of them had a nice Victory motorcycle parked outside.

On Sunday, I rode the Bolton's 115K permanent with Dan. We left at 6:00. We hoped to see some trans-continental riders along the section between Fair Grove and Bolton's and were not disappointed. We saw one couple eastbound as we were heading west. They seemed lightly loaded with just small backpacks. They may have been credit card tourers. On the way out, we ran into some aggressive dogs between US 13 and H Highway. They were still aggressive on the return, and I had to get off my bike to keep them at bay. Naturally, they lived at the top of a hill, so we were going slow both ways. The next hill over we ran into a couple from Oregon heading west. They had flown out to Virginia for the ride back. We warned them of the dogs. Another hill later. we ran into a single rider heading west and warned him of the dogs. Just before H Highway we saw a second single rider westbound and again warned him of the dogs. It was pretty hot when we got back to Springfield about 12:30. We were both glad we were not riding a 200K that day.

Geese crossing Catalpa

Doug, Steve and Tom at the VFW

Victory Motorcycle

Tom took this picture

Farmhouse and barn

Oregon Trans-America riders heading west-What loads!

Single rider heading west

2nd single rider heading west & Dan heading east

Aurora & Pancakes

2011-05-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

I drug myself out of bed at 4:00 on Saturday to ride the Hound Dog 124K with James Doggett at 5:00. I am not sure why James wanted to ride so early. I would have preferred a little later start and not have to have lights and reflective gear. I got to the Fast-N-Friendly a little late. James was ready to go and headed out while I went in to get my card signed. I caught up with James before Kansas Expressway and rode with him until Hazeltine Road (FR 115) when I pulled away with the first hills.

The ride out was uneventful. I did not even get stopped by any trains on the multiple rail line crossings. There was still water flowing across the low-water crossing on FR 178 from the recent rains. There was also water encroaching on the edges of Zell Road, which had recently been chip and sealed. About the time I got to Billings, I began to think about breakfast. Usually I do not stop to eat on these short permanents, but I needed a reward for getting up so early. I did not know of a breakfast place in Aurora, but thought I would ask the clerk at the Casey's. Then I remember R & K Smoked Meats in Billings and planned to stop when I got back.

I passed James about 15 minutes out of Aurora, so I was about 30 to 40 minutes ahead of him depending on how long he stopped in Aurora. I had been pretty quick because I would be stopping longer for breakfast. When I got to Billings, I stopped to take pictures of three former gas stations along the street northwest of the rail line. The rail line bisects Billings from northeast to southwest, and US 60 parallels on the southeast side of the rail line. US 60 is where all the business activity is now located in Billings. It appears that US 60, MO 14 or both may have been located on the northwest side of the rail line at one time because of the former gas stations.

I found that R & K was closed, so I went to Petros Family Restaurant instead. Unfortunately, Petros allows smoking throughout the restaurant. They have a pretty good ventilation system, and there were not many smokers, so it was no too bad. They have killer cinnamon and raisin pancakes which is what I ordered. I had hoped to see James ride by while I ate breakfast, but I was only there about 25 minutes. As I left Petros, I saw a new sign for R & K further south on US 60. Looks like they moved. I was so distracted trying to cross US 60 to Petros that I missed the sign earlier.

As I was riding north on FR 57, I was passed by about 15 cyclists heading south. I said hi to several I knew. I was back in Springfield at 11:24, which let me stop by the farmers market on Commercial Street before it closed at 13:00. I bought some broccoli and patty pan summer squash.

James heading into Aurora

Former Gas Station #1 in Billings

Former Gas Station #2 in Billings

Former Gas Station #3 in Billings

Leaving Petros; R & K across US 60

Flooding and Chip & Seal on Zell Road


Low Water Crossing on FR 178

BNSF Train at FR 156

Edwardsville, IL, 600K: Continuous Forward Motion

2011-05-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

John Jost, the St. Louis Region RBA, offered a full brevet series last weekend starting in Edwardsville, IL. I still needed a 200K and 600K brevet to complete the series for the year, so I drove up there Friday evening with the idea of riding one of those two events depending on the weather and who was riding. John had told me earlier he was only going to ride a 200K because he had to do the bag drop for the 600K. He had also told me there should be four or five 600K riders.

A storm front came through Springfield before I left, and I caught up with it around Rolla. There was no rain after Rolla, but I expected it to come through during the night while I was sleeping at the Innkeeper Motel in Hamel, IL. However, it never did having stalled out west of the Mississippi River.

The ride started at 4:00, so I got a 2:45 wake-up call. I was on schedule until I decided to stop at McDonald's to get some breakfast. They were not serving breakfast yet, but since I was there, I decided to get a milkshake. I ordered and then waited in line behind another car for almost ten minutes until I bolted because it was getting late.

When I got to the start, I learned that John had decided not to ride the 200K and was only going to take a short spin. There were two riders signed up for the 400K and four riders for the 600K. John said one 600K rider was pretty fast, two were methodical and one, Toshiyuki Nemoto (RUSA #1918), might ride through the night. I was hoping someone was planning to ride through the night because that had been a successful strategy for me last year on the Rochester, MN, 600K. Based on my familiarity with the route, my plan for the 600K was to ride the first 200K in ten to 11 hours; the second 200K in 12 to 13 hours; get a couple hours sleep in a motel or along the road at a store; and finish up with the time remaining, hopefully between 35 and 37 hours. Talking to Toshi, he told me he was a slow rider and would ride through the night if necessary. Although I was concerned about the weather (potential for rain and a strong south wind), I decided to ride the 600K. Then I had to hurry to get ready to leave. I started shortly after the other riders, and in the rush I forgot my camera, riding gloves and cap. I only regretted not having the camera.

Shortly after we started, it began to rain, but the rain only lasted until Pocahontas (24 miles). The wind had also picked up from the south to SSE, but not enough to cause much delay. I was a little concerned that I had not seen Toshi who was still ahead of me. Maybe he was not that slow. I knew that the two methodical riders were behind me because they pulled into the c-store at Pocahontas as I was leaving. The c-store is not a control, but I always stop to pee. Both riders were long-time randonneurs: Johnny Bertrand (RUSA# 2) and Steve Wyatt (RUSA# 747).

I rode solo to the first control in Breeze (51 miles) arriving at 7:51 and the second control in Okawville (78 miles) arriving at 9:50. Both times were well within the pace I set for riding the first 200K. I caught up with Toshi in Okawville. George Jarad, who was riding the 400K, was just leaving as I arrived. I left Okawville before Toshi, but he caught up with me when I stopped at the c-store where the route crosses US 57 (111 miles). I left before him again, and he came in right behind me at Markham Lane c-store (132 miles) where the route begins the long pull south to Vienna, IL. We bought water and ice at the c-store and rode together down to Belle Rive where John had arranged for Miles Stoneman, the Marion Illinois Region RBA, to have food and water next to Wilkey's Cafe, which was usually the control but was closed for remodeling under new ownership. Miles took some photos of me and Toshi that are included at the end of the post. After a short break to eat and drink, we headed out again. This is the toughest time of the day for me because it is the warmest time. I perceived I was slowing down, and my stomach was bothering me. However, we made it down to the control at Thompsonville (166 miles) in good time (17:33). We were still on a 5-hour pace for the third 100K.

John had set up a detour out of Creal Springs because the usual route involves riding about 15 miles on a gravel bike trail that was too soft because of the recent rains. The detour was on roads that Toshi had ridden several years ago when the overnight control for the 600K was in Anna, IL, rather than Vienna, IL. We put on our night riding gear, turned on our lights and headed out of Creal Springs. I followed Toshi since he seemed to know where he was going. About half way to Vienna and just before I-24, Toshi suddenly made a left turn, and I asked if this was our turn. He said “I think so.” I hoped he was right because we dove down a big hill. This was the toughest part of the detour because it was mostly big rollers, and the road was really crappy with potholes and poor patch jobs. It is tough to build up speed to mount the next hill when you are trying yo avoid the pot holes and raised pavement. We made it to the control in Vienna (211 miles at 22:09) in one piece and decided to get a room there for showers and a couple of hours sleep. We had been talking about stopping in Anna (233 miles) or Murphysboro (258 miles), but we were tired and had made good time. We were only slightly under a 12 mph pace, so I felt good about a longer stop even though we had not ridden at least 400K.

While I went to the motel to get a room, Toshi stopped at the McDonald's next door. Just before I got back to the McDonald's a tour bus had disgorged all its passengers, so I went back to the room and got my bike ready to leave after we slept. I then went back to McDonald's, ate, took a shower and went to bed. We had asked for a 1:00 wake-up call which would allow about two hours of sleep. I laid awake for a while waiting for some indication of cramping in my legs from the loss of too many electrolytes. The cramps never came, and I fell asleep. We rolled out of bed when the alarm went off at 1:00. The wake-up call was about ten minutes late. We rode away from the motel about 1:30. There were some good climbs on the way to Anna, and when the few cars and semi trucks passed us from behind, we always seemed to be on an up hill with a car coming the other way. How does that happen?

After we passed through Anna and began the climb to Alto Pass, Toshi told me he was getting sleepy again. I told him I was doing fine because I had taken a caffeine tablet. We stopped while he dug a tablet out of his bike bag. After we began climbing again, I slowly pulled away from Toshi until I could no longer see his headlight because of the curve in the road. As I was climbing the steepest part, I saw a bike headlight coming up behind me fairly quickly. I thought maybe the caffeine had kicked in and Toshi was reinvigorated, but it end up being Tom Gee (RUSA #246) who had been ahead of us the entire previous day and had slept in Anna. After saying good morning, Tom continued on his way.

When I got to the top where it was flatter, I started running into clouds of bugs that were swarming over the warmer asphalt in the cool morning air. I had to breath through my nose so I did not swallow them. A few larger ones found their way into my helmet, and I had to shake it to dislodge them. I made it to the Pinkneyville control (283 miles) at 7:29 and had breakfast at McDonald's. I began to get sleepy as I left town, and I stopped at the Mueller Hill Cemetery (285 miles) for a nap. There were only two trees in the cemetery, but they provided a nice shade. The wind was blowing quite strongly so it was cool in the shade. I tried to sleep, but a bird started scolding me from the tree. After about 20 minutes I got up just as Toshi rode into the cemetery.

The road out of the cemetery headed east, and the strong cross wind slowed us down. After about 15 miles, we turned to the northeast, which was much easier riding. In Coulterville (305 miles), we stopped at a c-store and ran into John Jost, his wife and Johnny Bertrand who had abandoned because of the heat. It did seem hot, particularly when the wind was at our back pushing us along. I mentioned I was having trouble with my stomach, and Johnny suggested I try eating yogurt, which the c-store did not have.

The road out of Coulterville headed due north, and we really took off with the wind at our back. On the flats I was doing 18+ mph without pedaling. If there had been the same 30+ mph south wind (gusts up to 56 mph) on Saturday as we headed south, I would have packed it in and gone home! I stopped at a small grocery in Lively Grove to see if they had some yogurt, but they did not. We arrived at the Okawville control (326 miles) at 11:58. Our slowest pace at 9.5 mph was along the section between Pinkneyville and Okawville. I was trying to figure out what to eat when I saw that Toshi had some Ramen soup. That sounded good, so I bought some, and it settled well in my stomach. Steve caught up with us just as we were getting ready to depart.

The first section out of Okawville was a little slow because of the cross wind, and it was getting hotter. Once we turned north again, our pace picked up. We stopped at the McDonald's in New Baden for a yogurt parfait. It did seem to help my stomach. I will have to remember that remedy on future rides.

We ran into two vicious dogs after Summerfield. Toshi was ahead of me and they chased him and then me. One of them got close enough that I sprayed it with Halt! to no effect. Finally, I outran it. We stopped again at the c-store in St. Jacob (355 miles) for another short break. The sky had begun to cloud up, and it looked like it could rain but never did.

The final seven road miles west into Edwardsville on Fruit Road were slow again because of the strong cross wind. The sun had also come out again. I arrived at the Edwardsville control (375 mile) at 16:55, a few minutes after Toshi. I was still bummed about forgetting my camera. I got a motel room a few exits west of Edwardsville on I-270, ate dinner and slept until 4:00 before driving back to Springfield. I was only an hour late getting to work, and it was a long day.

Overall, the ride went very well. I planned the pace of the ride and was able to stick to it so that I was not totally exhausted at the end. I also left enough buffer time (3 hours) that I could have dealt with unforeseen problems like flat tires. It was a big help to be able to ride with Toshi during the night from Creal Springs to Vienna and then from Vienna to Alto Pass. Not only is it safer to have a riding partner at night, it provides me a psychological boost to keep up the pace. Some day I hope to make it over to Ohio, where Toshi lives, to ride a brevet or two. Now all I have left is a 200K to complete this year's Super Randonneur series.

Toshi provided me a link to his photos. The following photos were taken by Miles Stoneman at Belle Rive.

Ralph arriving at Belle Rive, IL

Toshi and Ralph taking a break at Belle Rive, IL

Riding a 400K Through the Night

2011-05-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

The brevet season is well under way with many randonneurs now riding 400K and 600K brevets to qualify for the Paris-Brest Paris (PBP) 1200K Randonnée this fall. On Friday, Dan Pfaff and I drove up to Grandview, MO, for the 400K that started at 20:00 that evening. There was also a 600K brevet that started at 18:00. Bob Burns, the KC Region RBA, scheduled the evening start so that the 600K riders could experience a start time like the 90- and 84-hour riders at PBP. We got there too late to see the four 600K riders off. There were two other riders for the 400K: John Grunzke from Arkansas and Gary McDaniel from Kansas City, MO.

It was cool and damp with a fairly strong north to NNE wind, so I put on almost all the clothes I had: wool jersey, arm warmers, knee warmers, and gloves; RUSA wind vest; cotton jacket; cap; and wool and gortex socks. After Bob sent us off at 20:00, we were soon delayed by a train about two miles out. We crossed lots of rail lines getting out of the metro area and a few scattered throughout the countryside, but this was the only time we had to stop for a train. We did have several near misses by a minute or less when trains passed behind us. The hills soon warmed us, and I shed my arm warmers and fingered gloves.

Just before Spring Hill, KS, we stopped by the side of the road to pee. If we had ridden two more miles we could have done it the civilized way at a c-store where the route crossed K-7 Highway. We almost missed the turn at the roundabout where the route crossed K-68 Highway. It is a five-legged roundabout, and the first turn after K-68 was marked “Paolo”, which was out destination. Gary, John and Dan turned. As I started to follow them, a car headlight flashed on the sign at the next street that said “Hedge Ln”. I turned back to check it out, but only Dan turned around when I yelled out to stop. We waited for the other two and then discussed which way to go. We headed down the road marked “Hedge Ln”. The other road would have gotten us to Paolo, but it would have added about a mile to the route and there was more traffic on the other road. Also by the rules, we would have had to turn around and re-enter the official route where we left it. One reason I was able to verify the correct route was because I had prepared a map, using Microsoft Streets & Trips, that had more detail than the que sheet. We arrived a Paolo just after 23:00, about three hours after the 600K riders.

When we left Paolo, we had some problems getting back on Hedge Lane because it does not cross US 169/K-7. We had to pick it up on the other side of the US 169/K-7/Baptiste Drive interchange, and one of the street signs was not the same as the que sheet. Later, we also missed the turn onto East K-152. There was a stop sign, but the road continued on straight. The street sign was on the left-hand side of the road and was much more obvious when we got back to the intersection after riding about a mile south. The La Cygne (pronounced “luh seen” by the locals) Generating Station on K-152 was well lighted as we crossed the reservoir dam in the dark. It was very obvious when we crossed back into Missouri because the road pavement was really crappy compared to the Kansas pavement.

We got to the Butler, MO, control at 3:46. As we were riding through town we saw a rider with taillight ahead of us. We thought maybe we had caught one of the 600K riders, but the rider turned off the route before the control. The 600K riders had been at the control a little more than three hours ahead of us. We stopped for breakfast at the McDonald's in Butler, but had to sit outside on the downwind side because only the drive thru was open. We had some problems getting our order through because the clerk did not understand there were four customers.

Between Butler and Appleton City, MO, the sun came up. Because the sky was overcast, it just gradually got lighter. Unfortunately, there was not the spectacular sunrise we deserved after riding the entire night. We reached the Appleton City control at 6:02. The 600K riders did not pass through Appleton City on their way to the Weaubleau, MO, control, so we could not ask about them. We headed back to Butler arriving at 8:41 and had another breakfast at McDonald's. We were able to sit down inside this time.

When we headed back, the wind was still out of the north to NNE, so we knew we would have a tougher time with the mostly west and north route. The low point of the ride for me was when we crossed the dam at the La Cygne Generating Station. The dam is about two miles long, and the wind was howling across the reservoir. By this time, the lack of sleep was also catching up with me. I began to drag behind the others, and it seemed to take forever to get across the dam and then climb a steep grade before swooping down a long hill into La Cygne. I needed to rest a while, so John and Gary went on.

After we left La Cygne, I kept falling asleep. I figured out that I should not stare at the road ahead. I needed to be constantly looking around to stay awake. I also ate some Clif Bloks with caffeine which helped. After we turned north again off of K-152, we encountered several hills we did not remember riding south in the dark. With the wind at our back during the night, that part of the route seemed fairly flat. The same was true for some of the sections north of Paolo we would ride again later. We got to the Paolo control just after 16:00 and ate at the Taco Bell where I slept for about ½ hour. Dan woke me up, or I probably would have slept for hours. I found some expired caffeine tablets in my bag before we left Paolo and took one even though it expired June 2010. I think the expiration dates are mostly advisory.

We arrived at the Grandview control a few minutes after 21:00, and called Bob so he knew we had made it back. We got something to eat a couple of exits down US 71 and drove to Clinton where we slept in the car in the Wal-Mart parking lot until about 4:00. Unfortunately, we hit a deer after we resumed driving, and it damaged the grill and front right lights on Dan's SUV. We assume the deer was killed, but we did not go back and try to find it.

Overall, it was a good learning experience riding a route at night that I had not ridden before. We got misplaced a few times, but by paying attention to the que sheet and map, we got back on track fairly quickly. I also learned some lessons for dealing with sleep deprivation.

Dan getting his bike ready

Bob Burns, KC RBA, & John Grunzke

Gary & John into the wind & fading light

Dan riding out of Grandview, MO

Waiting for a train in Grandview, MO

Appleton City, MO, control

Dan riding through Appleton City, MO

Barn north of Appleton City, MO

Missouri barn

Butler, MO, birthplace of science fiction writer Robert Heinlein

Butler, MO, control

La Cygne Generating Station & reservoir

Welcome to La Cygne sign at the top of the hill

Sun broke through about two hours from the end of the ride

Afternoon Mash to Marshfield

2011-05-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

Due to other commitments, Dan Pfaff and I altered our normal morning ride routine and rode the Marshfield Mash 112K permanent on Saturday afternoon. We left the Kum & Go across from Sam's on East Sunshine at 13:00 with a slight wind out of the south. We were making good time until we got to the rail crossing on Farm Road 253, which was blocked by a train on the siding. We waited about 10 minutes, and one train passed headed for Springfield. We could not hear the locomotives on the siding start up, so we assumed the training was waiting for another train out of Memphis. With the recent flooding along the Mississippi, the rail traffic is probably backed up. Since we were running out of time to get to the control in Rogersville, we decided to take an alternate route that is about 3.5 miles longer. We got to the Rogersville control right at the closing time. It is only 14.1 miles to the Rogersville control. The time limit is one hour and 32 minutes, which does not leave much time for delays.

The remainder of the ride was uneventful. It got hotter as we rode out, but began to cool on the way back. The big climbs were mostly in the shade, which was nice. The wind also died, so we did not have a headwind. The animals were enjoying the sunny day, and the wildflowers were in bloom.

Heading back on Hwy KK

Alpacas

Llamas

Panther Valley

White Oak School: seems to have been converted to a barn

Neither Rain Nor Hail, Etc., Etc.

2011-05-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Dan Pfaff and I skipped the nice weather on Saturday and rode the Hound Dog 124K permanent on Sunday. It was the first day of May and time to ride our monthly 100K in pursuit of the RUSA P-12 award. The sky was clear when we left Springfield at 7:00. I was concerned about flooding in some of the low areas because of the recent heavy rains, so I brought a map in case we had to find a detour or two. The low-water crossing on Farm Road 178, west of Republic, did have about two inches of water flowing over it, but we had no trouble riding across it. Overflow from the pond and drainage ditch on Mill Street, east of Billings, covered all but about a foot of pavement on the crown of the road. We had a north wind that helped push us over the hills on the southbound segments.

The sky was completely overcast by the time we reached the Aurora control, and rain started to fall just as we were leaving. Soon, we were also being pelted by raindrop-size hail that pinged on my steel bike frame. The hail only fell for about 10 minutes. We made a stop in Billings for hot chocolate. We were fortunate in that the north wind stopped blowing for much of the ride north between Billings and MO Highway TT. The rain continued until we reached the control in Springfield. A good training ride for adverse weather conditions.

Dan at the Aurora control unpacking his rain jacket

Dan riding into Springfield

Springfield 300K Pre-ride

2011-04-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Wayne Hanno, Dan Pfaff and I set out Saturday morning to pre-ride the 300K brevet scheduled for next Saturday, April 16. Wayne and Dan made it, but I was blown out by the heat and wind, mostly the heat. I tried to stay hydrated by drinking a bottle of water an hour on the bike plus what I could at the controls. I was too dehydrated to go on by the time I made it to the Pierce City control. The temperature got up to 86 degrees, although it never seemed that hot because the wind caused the sweat to evaporate immediately. I was encrusted with salt by the time I quit, and I weighed six pounds less than when I started that morning. It probably also did not help that I have not been riding much because I was sick for a week in late March. The heat has been a recurring problem for me, particularly when I don't have time to acclimatize. The weekend before we were bundled up at the start of the ride. In contrast, I started this ride in just my shorts, short-sleeve jersey and cap. My loving wife drove out and picked me up.

Wayne heading out with SW Power Plant on the horizon

MO 96 at sunrise (Historic Route 66 on the left)

Historic Route 66 at Spencer, MO

Control at Jasper, MO

Late in the day heading east on my own

Marionville White Squirrel

2011-04-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

James Doggett, Wayne Hanno, Dan Pfaff and I rode the Hound Dog 124K to Aurora on Saturday. It was the best weather we have had for a ride this year. It started out a little chilly, but with clear skies it warmed up quickly. There was not much wind outbound, but it pickup out of the West-NW on the way back so we got a little push. The highlight of the trip was the white squirrel we saw in Marionville. Wayne almost ran over it when it raced across the street into the woods. We have ridden through Marionville so many times I was beginning to think the white squirrels were just a myth. Unfortunately, it happened so fast I did not get a picture.

The Southwest Missouri 300K brevet is April 16. There is information on the Southwest Missouri Randonneuring web site. Hope to see you there.

Wayne & Dan East of Marionville

Marshfield Mash 112K Permanent

2011-03-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

I rode this permanent today with Wayne Hanno and Cliff Jacobs. The day started out a little cool, but it warmed up nicely. We had a tailwind most of the way back and saw a number of other riders taking advantage of the warm weather. Next Sunday, March 20, is the 200K brevet in Springfield. More info on my web site.

Trains outside Rogersville

Wayne, Cliff and Ralph in Marshfield

Bolton's 115K Permanent

2011-02-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Wayne Hanno, Brian Hawkins, Dave Nelson and I were the first to ride the Bolton's 115K permanent. The route heads northeast out of Springfield to Fair Grove and then directly west on Highways CC and BB to Bolton's General Store, which is located about 6 miles east of Walnut Grove. The route between Fair Grove and Bolton's is on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. We had a South to SE wind that gave us a good push to Fair Grove. Highways CC and BB were continuous hills and dogs. Even with the slight head wind, we returned in about the same time as outbound.

All photos by Dave Nelson.

Racing past Fellows Lake

Sometimes it pays to check the map

Downtown Fair Grove
Odd Fellows Cafe is good for breakfast or a beer

At Bolton's looking like desperadoes waiting
for a train (Ralph, Wayne, Dave & Brian)

Recharging back at the Fast & Friendly in Springfield

The Rigors of Winter Randonneuring

2011-02-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

Dan Pfaff and I rode Route 66 & Cooky's Pie 205K on Saturday. The sun was just coming up when I left the house. It was still a cold 18 degrees. We left Autotronics at 7:00 hoping that the roads would be clear of ice and snow.

The roads were clear until we reached Paris Springs on Old Route 66. We ended up walking at least a half mile between Paris Springs and where we crossed MO 96 west of Spencer. We also ran into a few spots between M Highway and Miller. We were about an hour behind when we reached the control in Miller. We made good time to Golden City because we had a south to SW wind to push us along.

We were hoping the wind would stay out of the SW when we headed back so we would get a push on the east legs, but it moved back to the south and picked up to 13-15 mph. There is a pit bull east of Miller that was running loose. Last time he was loose, he barked at us but stayed in his yard. This time he was in the middle of the road as we approached. We dismounted and kept our bikes between him and us. I sprayed him in the face with Halt!, but it just seem to make him madder. When we were past his property, he lost interest.

Fortunately, the snow and ice we encountered out bound was pretty much gone on the way back. We got back in the dark just before 19:00. Slower than usual, but a successful ride. This gives both Dan and I eight months towards the RUSA R-12 award.

Heading out

Paris Springs

Ducks

Frozen creek

Historic Route 66 at Spencer

Golden City

Cooky's

Flatlands

Llamas enjoying the warming weather

Only 20 more miles

Willy B's

2011-02-01T06:53:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Doug, Rae, Tom, Steve and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and rode to Ash Grove. As we passed north of the airport, several deer crossed the road in front of us. One of the deer decided jumping over the fence onto the road was not a good idea and crawled under the fence instead. We ate a late breakfast at Willy B's in Ash Grove. In Willard, we jumped on the Frisco Highline Trail and rode it back to Springfield. The trail is now paved from Springfield to just north of Willard.

Deer crossing

Willy B's

Frisco Highline Trail

OK is OK 300K Brevet

2011-01-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

I drove down to San Antonio and Round Rock to visit family last week and stopped on the way back in Greenville, TX, to ride with the Lone Star Randonneurs on Saturday. There were about 30 riders for the 200K and 300K ACP brevets. I rode out of Greenville at 7:00 with a fairly fast group. There was a group ahead of us and at least one group behind soon after we left town. The routes for both brevets were the same until Control #3 in Achille, OK (67 miles), where the 200K riders began the trip back south. The route to Achille crossed the Red River on an old railroad bridge that had been converted to a single-lane motor vehicle roadway. At some point in the past, a motor vehicle roadway had been cantilevered from the side of the railroad bridge but it was no longer in use. The cantilevered bridge did not look like it could support much more than a Model T even when it was first built.

We were in Caddo, OK (Control #4, 91.5 miles) at about 13:30. I had visions of getting back to Greenville by 21:00, but it wasn't going to happen. We picked up a head wind as we headed south, and our speed dropped several mph. I also began to run out of steam after we left Control #5 in Bennington, OK (112 miles). The group I was riding with pulled ahead of me, but I passed them a few miles later when one of the riders had a flat. They passed me again about eight miles further down the road, and I did not expect to see them again. I was also passed by some guys in a pickup truck, pulling a horse trailer, who offered me a beer as they passed. I said it looked good, but maybe later. I caught up with the group again at Control #6 in Bonham, TX (151 miles), just after sunset. One of the riders was sick and had decided to abandon.

We left the control at Bonham with the intent of riding the rest of the way together. About a mile down the road, another rider had a flat that required replacing the tire. The first tube would not inflate and had to be replaced. Two of the riders decided to head on because it was taking too much time to make the repair. After we got going again, three riders pulled away and we (me and two other riders) never saw them again. We stopped at a convenience store in Wolfe Creek (172 miles) for coffee, and I ate a pizza. It was the first store where we stopped that had pizza, which is a regular staple for me on brevets. I was getting tired of subsisting just on energy bars and chocolate milk.

After dark, the head wind died down and we made pretty good time on the predominately flat section. It was a chore to climb the few hills we encountered. We also slowed for the final four miles through Greenville because we did not want to miss our turns. We got into Control #7 (192 miles) just after 23:00. I appreciated that Charlie Fenske from Arlington, TX, and the other rider, who's name I have forgotten, finished the ride with me. In retrospect, even though I finished, I should have ridden the 200K because a stomach ailment I had on Monday and Tuesday and the 1,100 miles of driving the following three days probably contributed to my running out of steam after the first 100 miles.

North from Greenville, TX

Freshly tilled fields

Entering Ector, TX

Waiting for traffic on the Red River bridge

Crossing the Red River into Oklahoma

Durant, TX

Control in Caddo, TX

Crossing the Red River at sunset

Welcome to Texas

Texas antique truck

Twice Riding the Hound Dog

2011-01-09T08:13:00.001-08:00

The Hound Dog 124K to Aurora has quickly become one of our most popular routes. I rode it last Sunday, Jan. 2, with Dan Pfaff and yesterday with Tamara Mitchell. The Sunday ride was chilly, but nothing like yesterday, it was 22 degrees at the 7:30 start and 25 degrees when I got home a little after 14:00. Fortunately, the sun was out the entire time. There is not intermediate control between Springfield and Aurora, but we stopped at the Casey's in Billings for hot chocolate and to warm up. In Aurora, a local church group was at the Casey's filling gas tanks and buying coffee and hot chocolate. So we got free hot chocolate. Unfortunately, it looks like there may be a lot of cold rides this winter.

Dan in Aurora

Dan heading back

Probably the Last Ride of the Year

2010-12-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

Tuesday looked to be the last great day (partly cloudy, no rain) of the year, so James Doggett and I rode the Hound Dog 124K to Aurora. It was a little chilly, and we had to bundle up. James rode his new Lynskey bicycle. It is a beautiful green color. We had a light headwind outbound which unfortunately faded shortly after we turned around. James just joined RUSA this year, and this ride was his first randonneuring event. This sub-200K ride makes 3 months in a row for me in pursuit of the new R USA P-12 award.

James outbound

James' Lynskey

Lynskey detail

Train in Marionville

2011 Southwest Missouri Brevets

2010-12-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

The Southwest Missouri brevets will again be run through the St. Louis region for 2011. The 200K brevet is on Sunday, March 20, 2011, and the 300K on Saturday, April 16, 2011. Both brevets will start in Springfield and follow the same routes as 2010 with a small modification to the 300K that makes it shorter by 0.7 mile. Both events are sanctioned by Audax Club Parisien (ACP). More info on the web page.

Hound Dog 124K & Cooky's

2010-12-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

I have been a little slack blogging. Tamara Mitchell, David Nelson and I rode the Hound Dog 124K permanent on November 27. This was the inaugural ride for this permanent populaire. It was a little chilly at the start, but sunny and little wind.

Good thing it was too cold for bugs to be out

Ozark riding lawn mower in Marionville (Photo by David Nelson)

Former service station in Billings

Everyone enjoying a ride

Back in Springfield (Photo by David Nelson's camera)

Dan Pfaff and I played hooky from work on Friday, December 10, to get in our 200K for the month. We were concerned about the cold weather moving in and when it would warm up again. On Saturday, winds were up to 29 mph with gusts to 44 mph. It snowed over night. Current temperature on Sunday morning is 16.9 degrees.

Tamara rode her 200K on Thursday. R-12 tally:
Tamara-10 months
Dan-6 months
Ralph-6 months

'Tis the season

Sunset outside Springfield

First snow Saturday night

Another New Permanent Populaire

2010-11-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

A new Permanent Populaire has been approved by RUSA. The Bolton's 115K starts and ends in Springfield with the turnaround at Bolton's General Store, north of Willard. There is an intermediate control in Fair Grove. The section between Fair Grove and Bolton's is on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. More details on my web site.

Two New Permanent Populaires

2010-11-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Two new Permanent Populaires have been approved for Southwest Missouri by RUSA. The Taillight 134K starts in Mt. Vernon with the turnaround in Joplin. There is an intermediate control in Sarcoxie. The Hound Dog 124K starts in Springfield with the turnaround in Aurora. There is no intermediate control. There is more information on the Southwest Missouri Randonneuring web site.

1950 Cyclocross Race

2010-10-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

I think I will stick to randonneuring.

Marshfield Mash 112K

2010-10-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Dan and I christened this permanent. It was a great day to ride: sunny, cool and just a little wind out of the south. We saw alpacas and an elephant, as well as other animals, made from old horseshoes. The horseshoe animals were on KK at Turnbo Road. This puts me officially at 3,600K for the year and on track to ride 4,000K for the year with at least two more 200K rides to go.

Alpacas

Horseshoe elephant

Other horseshoe animals

Hard to see, but looks like a T Rex

Another Month, Another 200K Permanent

2010-10-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Tamara, Dan and I rode the old standby, Route 66 & Cooky's Pie, to Golden City. The route overlapped with the Springbike Fall Metric Century, and Dave Nelson took a photo of us as we passed him. It was a great Fall day to ride except for a good headwind out of the north.
R-12 tally:
Tamara-8 months
Dan-4 months
Ralph-4 months

Tamara, Ralph & Dan by Dave Nelson

Longhorns west of Miller

Golden City, MO

Wild flowers still in bloom in October

Precious Moments 202K

2010-09-06T18:46:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, I rode the Precious Moments 202K permanent with Tamara Mitchell and Dan Pfaff. This was the inaugural ride for Precious Moments. The weather was great with little wind and a high temperature of 76 degrees. There were plenty of hills and the usual Ozark dogs. There was very little traffic the entire route. While we had to get up early to drive to Carthage, it was worth it because the biggest hills are on the east end of the route. We were glad to get them out of the way before we were tired at the end of the ride. R-12 tally:
Tamara-7 months
Dan-3 months
Ralph-3 months

Carthage, MO, control

Leaving Carthage

More hills, F Hwy, Jasper County

Miller, MO, control

Willard, MO, control

Dade County, MM Hwy & FR 185

Crossing the Spring River into La Russell

La Russell, MO

Goss Cemetery, FR 1085, Lawrence County

Harvey Cemetery, E Hwy, Jasper County

Tom's New Bent

2010-08-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

Rode to Fordland today with Rae, Doug and Tom. It was a lovely day to ride, although there was a brisk south wind. Tom was on his new recumbent, a Bacchetta. He has only had it a few weeks and is already speeding along on strong legs. Saw plenty of other riders, animals and nice scenery. We stopped for breakfast at the Fountain Cafe. I asked about the soda fountain, and unfortunately it is just for show.

Doug, Tom & Rae

Llamas

Barn

Farmhouse

Barn made into a house

Big spider

Goats

Fountain Cafe

2010-08-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I rode over to Fordland with Doug and Rae. We had breakfast at the Fountain Cafe. There is an old soda fountain counter at the cafe. No one ordered a soda while we were there, so it may only be for looks. The pancakes were okay, but not on our top ten list. As Doug said: "It looks more like a biscuit and gravy place". They did have a good crowd. We skipped getting our hair done at the Kurl-up & Dye, which I thought might be a joint venture with an undertaker. We did buy snickerdoodle and peanut butter cookies from the bakery next to the cafe. It was already too hot by the time we got back. I was glad we left early.

Doug at the Fountain Cafe

Kurl-up & Dye

Rae & Doug heading home

Rochester, MN, 600K Brevet

2010-07-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Judy and I drove up to Rochester on Friday so I could ride the 600K starting on Saturday. Judy was just going to hang out and help with the driving back to Springfield because I had to be back at work Monday afternoon. It took about 9.5 hours to get to Rochester. We had a motel room just across US 52 from the start so I could ride over with my drop bag in the morning. I was not planning to stay at the West Union motel on Saturday night, but I was hoping to be able to change my clothes and resupply. As it turned out, I also got to take a shower. We drove a few miles of the route to the edge of town; ate dinner; and went back to the motel where I loaded up the bike bags, laid out my riding clothes and went to bed.

The brevet started at 6:00. There was a total of 12 riders. We broke into two groups pretty quickly as we rode the hills out of Rochester. I was in the second group with four other riders. Two of them, Paul Osika and Michele Brougher, were planning to ride straight through. Bob Booth had a room in West Union but was not sure if he would stop to sleep. We thought Ken Priddy was planning to stop, but he apparently rode through the night ahead of us.

When we left, the sky appeared to be clearing but it soon clouded up. It looked like it could start raining at any time, but other than a little mist it never did where we were riding. It helped keep us cool until it cleared away in mid-afternoon. I was quickly reintroduced to the rumble strips that a characteristic of stop signs in the country throughout Minnesota and Iowa. I remembered them from when I rode RAGBRAI in 2003, but they continually surprised me throughout the ride. RAGBRAI started on Saturday as well. The route was through northern Iowa about 30 miles west and south of Elkader, the turnaround control. Several people in Iowa shout: “RAGBRAI!”, as we passed. Apparently, they thought we were riding RAGBRAI.

The terrain to the first control in Chatfield was rolling hills filled with cornfields. We encountered the biggest hills on the road to the second control in Rushford. They were mostly downhill, so we knew what would be in for some good climbs on the return trip. This part of Minnesota is rolling plains with deep valleys cut by the streams and rivers. Many of the towns are down along the streams and rivers, so we were usually charging downhill at 35 mph, or more, into town and then chugging back out of town at about 7 to 8 mph. Many of the roads had a seam about every 20 feet, and it was quite a bumpy ride down some of the hills. The big downhill into Rushford had some tree branches down in the road and the branches had been broken up by motor vehicles. We had to carefully pick our way through the debris as we sped down. The overnight storm that had knocked down the tree branches had also knocked out the power in Rushford, and as a result, the control was not open. There was a store across the street that was open even without power. We had our cards signed there and bought some water and other supplies.

The next control was Harmony followed by Decorah. They were having a Nordic Festival right in the middle of the route in Decorah. Ken and I rode down the alley to avoid the festivities. The others rode through the festival because Michele was looking for a drug store. I left Ken behind as we climbed the hill out of Decorah, and rode the leg to West Union on my own. I was riding slower than the earlier legs. When we headed out for Elkader, the pace was noticeably faster, but I was able to keep up. I was concerned that I would fall behind as the ride progressed, but the pace slowed after we turned around in Elkader and it got dark. Between Elkader and West Union, we passed through Gunder, home of the Gunderburger, which is made of one pound of freshly ground beef. We did not stop for a Gunderburger either time we were in town. The moon was covered by a thin layer of clouds when the sun went down, but it was shining brightly by the time we reached West Union. Michele, Bob, Paul and I took a shower at the motel in West Union, and I was able to lay down for about 45 minutes.

We got back in Decorah about the time the bars closed. There were a lot of students from Luther College milling around, and the police were out with their lights on. We were a little concerned about leaving our bikes outside while we went into the control, so I waited with them while the others got their cards signed and bought supplies. We encounter some racoons in the road as we left Decorah, and I missed running over a skunk by about a foot. It would have been a long ride back to Springfield on my bike if I had been sprayed by a skunk.

At the Cresco control, we stopped long enough to take a nap. I slept for about an hour wrapped in my emergency blanket and was woken when the compressor for the air hose came on for someone inflating their tires. The others were getting ready to leave. I was not ready to go and told them to leave without me. I was only 200K from the end and had 15.5 hours to finish, so I was not going to push it. I tried to nap a little longer, but the sun was coming up. I headed out about a half hour after the others. As I was leaving town, Kelly Hines passed me headed into town to the control. He passed me again a few miles outside of town and we rode together for a few minutes.

I stopped in Harmony for about 20 minutes even though it was not a control. At the Rushford control, I decided to take a nap, so I called Judy and told her to call me in about an hour so that I did not over sleep. I sat at a counter, put my head down and fell asleep. About 30 minutes later, one of the clerks woke me up because they were concerned I was having problems. I assured them I was fine, called Judy to tell her I was heading out and I took off. While I was chugging up the hill on MN 30 out of Rushford, there were motorcycles roaring down. The motorcycle traffic continued almost all the way to Chatfield. Every motorcycle within 500 miles of Rushford must have been on MN 30 that day. When I got to the top of the climb, I stopped to rest. Based on the USGS topo map, the climb appears to be an average of an 8% grade for about 4/5s of a mile. While I was stopped another cyclist, not riding the brevet, stopped to see if I was alright. After a few miles of rolling hills, I dove down into and climbed back out of Pilot Mound, followed by the same routine in Bucksnort.

At the Chatfield control, I had the urge for a Subway cold-cut sub on flat bread, so I called Judy and asked her to meet me at the Stewartville control with a sub. She was there when I arrived, and the sub was great, even though it was on wholewheat bread because they did not have flat bread. It helped to eat something that resembled real food. I had been consuming mostly chocolate milk and Dr. Peppers. While we were sitting in the shade away from the control, another rider came in who I believe was Richard Soderberg. He apparently never saw me, and I was not going to expend the energy to walk over to talk to him. Stewartsville was only 21 miles from the finish, and after a few more hills and a stop at the control in Byron, I pulled into the final control in Rochester at 19:15. I got a plate of pasta for dinner and ate while Judy drove south to Des Moines where we spent the night. We were back in Springfield in time for me to go to work Monday afternoon.

Finally after seven attempts, three of them this year, I finished a 600K. It might be some type of record. The biggest contributing factor to completing the ride was the moderate temperatures. The high in Rochester was 80 degrees on Saturday and 81 on Sunday. Usually, I have attempted to ride the 600K with temperatures in the low to mid-90s. Riding with a good group; the minimal winds; and riding through the night and at my own pace also helped. On other 600Ks, I have left controls just because everyone else was leaving and I paid for it later.

Michele's ride report is HERE.

At the start in Rochester

On the road to Rushford

Bob, Michele, Paul & Ken in the distance

Paul in Harmony
(Love the loon on the MN Randonneurs jersey)

Michele, Ken, Ken's wife & Bob

Nordic festival in Decorah

One of many Lutheran churches

Outbound between West Union and Elkader
Photo by Michele Brougher

Back in Minnesota

Still smiling at the end
Photo by Judy

Edwardsville, IL, 600K Brevet

2010-07-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

I drove up to Edwardsville last Friday to ride the 600K. It was already in the mid-seventies when I left the motel, so I packed my water bottles with ice. The ride started at 4:00, and I was surprised that there were about 15 riders, but there was an entire series of events, and only 9 rode the 600K. I got off to a good start and stayed with the lead group for about 10 miles before I settled into a slower 600K pace with John Shelso. John was riding the 400K. We made good time to the first two controls, and I was still dealing with the heat pretty well when John turned south at Hoyleton (93 miles), on the 400K route, while I continued east.

The heat began to get to me when I turned south at Harmony Lane (121 miles). I stopped for an extended period in the store at Markham Lane (132 miles). John Jost and Dennis Smith caught up with me there, and I left the store when they did. At Wilkey's Cafe (Control 4), I tried to eat some but my appetite was not very good due to the heat. I left with Dennis, John and Miles Stoneman after about 45 minutes. In retrospect, I should have stayed longer and recovered more.

A bridge was being replaced on the route, and we had to half carry our bikes down and up the stone riprap that had been placed in the channel. It was quite a chore. Not long after the bridge,I began to fall behind, and I stopped to rest a couple times in the shade. I did not stop long because I would be attacked by giant horseflies. I ran out of water about three miles from Thompsonville and abandoned the ride in Thompsonville (166 miles).

John Jost providing instructions at the start

Breese control

Okawville control

Randy & Dennis at Okawville

Bridge replacement

Queen City Century, 6/19/10

2010-06-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

Doug, Rae & Ralph
Photo by David Nelson

Quest for the R-12

2010-06-13T08:15:00.001-07:00

I began and ended my quest for the RUSA R-12 award riding the Munger Moss Route 66 permanent. Tamara Mitchell and I headed out Saturday morning from the Travel America in Strafford. We had a south wind that helped push us along. The sky was mostly cloudy, so it was not too hot. The ride was uneventful until we got to the Oasis Truck Stop, the turn-around control, and it was closed. It was not just closed for the day but actually out of business. Fortunately, Grumpy's Outback had opened on the other side of the interchange, so we were able to get our cards validated. The clerk said the Oasis had been closed about a month and someone was trying to reopen it. Hopefully, they do because the Oasis was right at 200K. Grumpy's is to close. If it does not reopen, I will have to modify the permanent route to add some extra distance.

The clouds had cleared somewhat, and it was hot, particularly on the pavement, as we headed back. We did have a short rain shower that was a welcome relief.

We were climbing the hills back into Lebanon when we were passed by about 100 motorcycles headed the other way. Earlier, I had seen a number of motorcycles heading southwest as we were heading northeast out of Lebanon. They must have rendezvoused there. It was an impressive sight. I should have stopped to take a picture, but I kept thinking the parade would end. We did stop briefly after the motorcycles passed because we had quite a few cars backed up behind us.

We stopped in Lebanon to eat at Britts Route 66 Grill, which is in the former Wrink's Market. Wrink's was a long-time, main stay on Route 66 that closed a few years ago. The sandwiches and fries at Britts were really tasty.

About five miles out from Strafford, the temperature suddenly dropped and the wind shifted out of the north. I could see rain to the north, but it was really localized. It made the last few miles of the ride much more enjoyable.

I purchased a Carradice Nelson Longflap saddlebag and saddlebag support that I used on the ride. I packed a lot more into it than I needed for the 200K, and it rode real well. I will have plenty of cargo space for the longer rides.

So ends the quest for the R-12, but why stop now. There is always another 12 months of riding.

Tamara outbound on Historic Route 66

Tamara crossing the Gasconade

Grumpy's Outback

Britts Route 66 Grill (former Wrinks Market)

It was a nice day for a ride

2010-05-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Whether by bike...

or wagon.

Blown Away on the 600K

2010-05-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

I went up to Kansas City, KS, with Dan Pfaff to ride the 600K on May 22. We got blown out by the wind. The heat did not help either, although it only seemed hot because it has been so cool. The first 100K went well except that Dan got a slow flat before Wellsville. He pumped it up several times and fixed it in Wellsville. The tire was slit, so we put a boot in it. The 2nd 100K out of Ottawa was into and across a 25 mph wind with 35 mph gusts. We had to ride near the middle of the road to not get blown off the road by the crosswind. I got to the Emporia control 30 minutes before the close and realized I would have to ride the remaining 400K without stopping to sleep. I was exhausted. There was a tailwind out of Emporia, but it would be headwind on the way back. The wind was predicted to blow pretty strong all night. I decided to get a motel room in Emporia. Dan went on but turned back in Council Grove when he realized he also could not make the time limits if he stopped to sleep. He got back to Emporia about 1:00. We rode the 200K back on Sunday, so I got in two good training rides.

Bob Burns conducting the rider meeting

Heading out on KS 32

Dan Pfaff

Stout's Corner Control

Crossing the Kansas River outbound

Ottawa Control

Guy & Mae's Tavern in Williamsburg:
A/C and cold water

The turn west out of the headwind

Dan & Doug leaving De Soto

Edwardsville, IL, 400K Brevet

2010-05-11T04:44:00.001-07:00

Dan Pfaff and I drove up to Edwardsville on Friday evening for the 400K brevet that started at 5:00 on Saturday, May 8. There was about 10 riders for the 400K. There was also a 200K starting at the same time.

We left Edwardsville under clear skies and a strong west wind (about 14 mph). The temperature was about 46 degrees, so I was a little chilly until we started riding. I hooked up with the front group of riders, but lost them before we reach Pocahontas because I ran out of gears. Regardless, I was in Pocahontas (24.4 miles) in 1.25 hours even though 3.5 of the miles was on city streets and the bicycle trail out of Edwardsville. I hit the bathroom, grabbed a chocolate milk and waited about 10 minutes for Dan to catch up.

We made good time to the controls in Breeze and Okawville and stopped to eat at a McDonald's in Pinkneyville. The temperature reached a comfortable 60 degrees in the afternoon. We really slowed when we made the turn west at Stein Road. Not only were we back into the wind, but there are a number of short, steep hills that appear to be the result of surface mining of the area.

I took a short nap at the control in Ava before we continued the leg west into the wind that was still blowing about 15 mph out of the WNW with gusts up to 25 mph. From Ava, I finished the ride with Dan and Andrew Radford. Andrew stopped to lay down when we finally turned north at Chester Road, but he caught up with us at the Sparta control. We left Sparta as it was beginning to get dark. Fortunately, the wind died down as the sun set, but it also began to get cooler. We stopped again in Coulterville after eight miles because there are no more stores until New Baden, about 30 miles further on.

As we continued north, we had several downhills that allowed Dan and Andrew to get some distance ahead of me. I finally caught up to Dan and told him that if they were going to rely on me to navigate the turns (neither of them had ridden this section in the dark), they were going to have to slow a bit, which they did. My main concern was the west turn at Stone Church Road, but we had no problems locating it. I had a little problem in Venedy when I was trying to watch a pickup truck approaching an intersection while making sure it was our turn. I plowed right into some gravel that pitched me sideways, but some how I unclipped and had my foot down before I fell. The near fall and the 6 miles on SR-160 got my adrenaline up (SR-160 is the last section of relatively fast traffic), so I picked up the speed the rest of the way into New Baden. Dan made a comment about how much I had recovered after complaining about leaving me behind earlier.

John Jost, the RBA, and Dennis Smith were still in New Baden when we arrived. Dennis was wrapping newspaper around his mid-section for more protection from the cold, and then they left. We stayed at New Baden for over an hour, napping some and steeling ourselves to go back into the cold. The temperature was about 45 degrees at midnight with a low of 42 degrees around 2:00. It probably seemed a lot colder because we were tired. For me, the demands of the ride were now more mental then physical. Eventually, we pushed on, winding our way in the cold through Summerfield, St. Jacob and Marine. In St. Jacob, I thought about trying to find a post office where we might take a break in some warmth, but the light in the lobby was off as we passed by, so I assumed it was locked up.

We pulled into the final control in Edwardsville at 3:50. We slept a couple hours in the car before Dan was ready to drive back. We were hoping to trade off driving, but I kept nodding off while Dan was driving, so we stopped at a rest stop so we could take another nap.

Now, I only need a 200K in June to achieve the RUSA R-12 award.

Riders meeting before 5:00 start

Taking a break in Okawville

Miles Stoneman, John Jost & Dan Pfaff

Southern extent of the route

Leaving the Sparta control

Dan taking a break in Coulterville

Flèche Lives

2010-04-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

I rode my first Flèche on April 23 and 24. The route went from St. Joe to Grain Valley, MO (about 228 miles). The name of the team was "Flèche Lives", and the other riders were: Spencer Klaassen, Bob Burns (KC RBA) and Brian Bettis. Spencer organized the team.

A Flèche is a 24-hour ride held in the spring. The traditional event date is Easter weekend, but it can be held from one week before Easter until seven weeks after. Flèches are regional events where teams of cyclists all head to a common destination from various starting points. No individual entries are allowed. The RBA in each region establishes the finishing destination each year. Each team must start its ride between noon Thursday and 10:00 AM on Saturday. The minimum distance required for the 24-hour period is 360K (224 miles). No rest stop may exceed two hours in any one location. Each team is limited to a maximum of five and a minimum of three members. The ride is patterned after the Flèche Vélocio held by the Audax Club Parisien (ACP) in France.

We left St. Joe in the rain, which continued until just before we crossed the Missouri River into Leavenworth, KS (2nd control). We also had an 8 to 10 mph wind out of the SSE. Spencer had three flats just before the river. They appeared to be caused by road debris.

Brian began to slow on the hills between Eudora and Wellsville because of knee pain. He decided to abandon in Wellsville. He made a wise decision because even though we soon turned east and only had a crosswind, there were several long, uphill pulls. This was the toughest part of the ride for me. The sky was completely clear, and the temperature had risen to about 76 degrees. While that temperature will not seem very hot later in the summer, it was too hot for me on Friday. I was glad when we pulled into Louisburg, KS for a break.

We made good time the rest of the evening and into the morning. The temperature stayed in the 60s the remainder of the ride, but whenever we stopped I would get chilled and bundled up in all the clothes I had. Of course, I would warm up again when we started riding and had to take clothes off. We pulled into the 22-hour control in Odessa just after 2:00, which gave us to two hours to rest before riding the final 25K (about 17 miles) into Grain Valley. Spencer had a pinch flat that he fixed before we left. We pulled into the Casey's at Grain Valley about 5:30. Brian and Arlys Minear showed up a short time later, but we had to wait until 6:00, when the Casey's open, before we could go to breakfast at IHOP, complements of Bob Burns.

I did not have any mechanical problems the entire ride, and my new, homemade LED light worked great.

More pictures and video from the ride taken by Spencer.

Flèche Lives at the start:
Spencer, Brian, Bob & Ralph
Photo by Arlys Minear

Brian & Spencer heading south out of St. Joe

Fixing one of Spencer's flat tires

Crossing the Missouri at Leavenworth, KS

Drexel control

Heading east out of Drexel

Springfield, MO, 300K Brevet

2010-04-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Nine riders started the 300K brevet from York Elementary School at 6:00 on April 17. This was four more riders than last year. Skies were partly cloudy with a NE wind. The wind got us off to a good start, and I rode the first 100K in just over four hours. I started out with two of the faster riders, but they pulled ahead before we got to Hood's on I-44. One of the riders needed to get home for his wedding anniversary.

I had to alter the route from last year due to a road closure between Alba and Webb City. The new route was slightly longer, but much more enjoyable because it followed lower-traffic-volume roads, including portions of Historic Route 66. An interesting sight between Carterville and Webb City was the old bridge retaining walls for Route 66 where the road bridged a former rail yard. The bridges and tracks are all gone, and so is the dirt, leaving just the retaining walls.

All of the riders, except one, caught up with me at the control in Pierce City, so I waited and left with three of them. One of the riders stopped on MO 14, but he said he was okay so Dan Pfaff and I went on. We stopped and waited for a while at the turn onto MM Hwy. They did not show up, and we went on. Apparently one rider had a tire problem, and while they were working on it, the last rider caught up with them.

I completed the brevet just before 22:00. This gives me ten months towards the RUSA R-12 award.

Rae and Doug Nickell and Tom Barnett were at the final control again this year to greet and sign in riders. Much thanks to them.

Rail trestle along Historic Route 66

Former Route 66 bridge retaining wall

Brian Hawkins & Wayne Hanno

Dan Pfaff

The following photos by Doug Nickell

Rae & friend at last control

Mike & Nancy Meyers

Ralph checking Dan's brevet card

Springfield, MO, 200K Brevet

2010-03-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

After a week delay due to icy weather, the 200K brevet was held. Eleven riders started at 7:00 under partly-cloudy skies and a strong wind out of the southeast (25 mph, gusts to 30 mph). The forecast was for a 60% chance of rain.

By the time we were leaving Republic, we had broken into several groups. I rode with Cliff Jacobs, a PBP ancien, to Miller (35.9 miles). We got there at 9:10 as the three lead riders were getting ready to leave the control. Cliff left with them, and I was about ten minutes behind. As I was approaching the turn north at MO 37, about four miles outside of Golden City, four riders rode north on MO 37. At first I thought the lead group had gotten lost, but then I saw more riders further south. At MO 37 and MO 126 I passed a rest stop for the ride. I got to the control at 10:28 (62.9 miles) as the lead riders were getting ready to leave.

I passed the other six riders strung out on MO 37, just south of Golden City and about 20 to 25 minutes behind me. As I was still heading south calculating how long it would take to get back to Springfield at seven to eight mph, a car slowed down next to me, and a woman asked if I was on the Maple Leaf (AKA Spring Fling Century) since I was obviously going the wrong direction. I responded no. So you are just riding on your own? Yes. Are you okay? Yes, which was not the complete truth. If I was okay, I would be at home reading a book. She said she was just checking and drove on.

About four miles outside Miller, on UU Highway, my rear tire started going flat. As I was pumping it up, I noticed the rim was cracked around one of the spoke holes. The cracks were new because I had checked the rims after my last ride. Something to repair later. I pumped the tire up after another two miles. In Miller, I changed the tube and several riders caught up with me. It had taken as long to ride from Golden City to Miller (26.9 miles) as it had taken to ride from Springfield to Golden City (62.9 miles). We all left Miller together but were soon separated, with the tandem recumbent ahead of me and the recumbent behind.

As I crossed I-44, I was hit by a brief downpour of pea-size hail. I quickly pulled into an abandoned gas station. There were four SUVs in the parking lot with electronic and weather equipment hanging off of them and signed: Tornado Chasers. Fortunately, I did not see any tornadoes. I put my rain gear back on and headed out. I had worn my rain gear from the start until Miller on the return and took it off when it got warmer and it looked like we had avoided the storms. It was noticeably cooler after the hail storm.

The remainder of the route was east bound and the wind had shifted to the south, so it was easier going. I rode into the final control at 17:45. The toughest 100K I have ever ridden. The last two riders came in at 18:39, and the sky immediately busted open with a mix of rain and hail. One rider abandoned in Miller, exhausted from fighting the wind.

Riders getting ready at the start

Mike & Nancy Myers and Dan Pfaff
in Miller on the return

March 20th Springfield 200K Brevet Postponed

2010-03-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

The 200K brevet has been postponed until Saturday, March 27, because the forecast has changed from snow to ice pellets. Thunderstorms are also in the forecast.

The brevet will still be ACP sanctioned and will be treated as if it were held on March 20. The start time is still 7:00, with registration from 6:00 to 6:45.

Route 66 & Cooky's Pie 205K Permanent

2010-03-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

I rode this permanent last weekend with Tamara Mitchell and Nancy and Mike Myers. The brevets start this month, but the first one is not until March 20th, and I wanted to make sure I got a 200K in this month. There is always a chance of snow in late March and even early April. Tamara recently joined RUSA, and this was her first event. It was a lovely day to ride even with the strong wind out of the south. Fortunately, it did not shift to the southeast as had been predicted. Once we got to Miller on the return, it was not much of a problem. The Myers had a flat just west of Miller on the outbound. Otherwise, the ride went well. The most remarkable sight was the number of robins throughout the country side. If there had been an equal number of other species of birds, it would have looked like a scene out of the movie The Birds. This gives me nine months of 200Ks or better. Only three more months for the RUSA R-12 award. It is good to get the winter months out of the way and to have 600K in events before starting the brevet season.

Tamara inbound just west of Miller

New LED Headlight

2010-02-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I started to build a LED headlight to run off my Schmidt generator hub. I have been running two Busch and Muller Lumotec halogen headlights wired in series. Most of the time I only have one turned on. For backup, I have a battery-powered Cateye HL-EL500. I primarily use the Cateye in town when I have to stop frequently because the Lumotecs do not have a stand light and require a little speed to begin to illuminate. I also have a small white LED button light affixed to the front of the trunk that I run at night to make me more visible from the front when I am stopped. I have a Princeton helmet light that I wear at night as well, but I usually only have it on to read the que sheet or street signs.

The design I started with was based on the Joe Gross Special, but I lost interest in the project when I ran into some problems understanding the schematics for the nFlex board. I do not know anything about electronics. I recently ran across a simpler design (Circuit 2), which got me interested again. I intended to go back to the Joe Gross Special, but I did not have all the electrical parts. I went to Radio Shack, and they did not have the parts I needed. They did have the parts to build Circuit 2, although the silicon diodes are 1N4005 rather than 1N4007. The capaciter is 1,000uF, 35V, which is the largest they had. Radio Shack is no longer the goto place for electronic components.

The light went together without any problems, and I rode around for about 10 minutes before I glued the back plate on with J-B Weld. I could not feel any heat on the outside of the light, so I assume it will continue to work without melting down. I intend to test it for an extended period of time before I ride a 300K brevet scheduled for April. When I did the test ride, I had both lighting systems on the bike and was able to compare them. The LED light beam is not as focused as the halogen, but it is a lot brighter. The halogen bulb has a few hours on it, so a new bulb would probably be brighter, but with the LED, I do not have to worry about the bulb browning out and having to be replaced. The LED beam also seems to falloff quicker than the halogen, but it may just appear that way because the beam is wider. The light does flicker at walking speed, but as soon as I start pedaling the beam is steady.

I do not think I saved any money building the light, in part because I bought some extra parts that I had to mail order because I did not want to have to order again if I screwed something up. If the first light continues to work, I will use the extra parts to build another one.

Old lighting system on the Romulus
(button LED is partially behind the left headlight)

New LED light

New lighting system

Side view

L'Eroica 2009

2010-02-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Bianchi Eros

2010-02-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention in my last post that I rode the Apple Butter permanent on a new bike. The seat stays on my commuter bike frame (Fuji Sagres) developed cracks, so I replaced it with my Raleigh Gran Sport frame that was my club ride/short brevet bike. I had wanted to replace the Raleigh because it did not have any bottle cage bosses or a head tube frame peg for a frame pump. I had one cage clamped to the down tube. I did not put a cage on the seat tube because that was where I put the frame pump. The rear dropout spacing is also only 126mm, and I was tired of trying to cram in a 130mm wheel. I could have cold set the frame to 130mm, but it is perfect for the 8-speed Nexus red band hub I had on the Sagres.

I bought a Bianchi Eros on eBay in December and built it up using parts from the Raleigh and my parts bin. The bike came with the headset and seat post. There was also a stem and handlebar that I resold on eBay. The "only" new parts are: a Sugino compact double crank (34x50), a Shimano cassette (12x28), a Rivendell V Brand handlebar bag, two Spanninga RL-1 taillights and a second King bottle cage. I also have a new Selle An-Atomica Titanico saddle I plan to put on after I lace it.

The frame is steel, but not lugged. It appears to be a 2002 model. Other than not being lugged, the only downside is that the fork, with the fenders, will not let me run more than about a 25mm tire. I was a little concerned about the narrower tires not absorbing the road vibrations, but I did not have any problems this weekend. I may look for a replacement fork, but for now I plan to leave it as is. On rides where I know there are particularly rough roads, I can always ride my Rivendell Canti Rom with 28-32mm tires. The setup is pretty well tuned in except for the stem. I would prefer a stem about 2cm shorter. The problem is that I have already shellacked the cork bar tape, so the stem will be a hassle to replace.

Shellacked cork bar tape looks good with the blue frame

Rivendell V Brand handlebar bag

Rivendell Little Joe saddle bag (no longer available)

Hard to believe we were riding a 200K two days ago.

More Cold Apple Butter

2010-02-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

I went to Baxter Springs again to ride the Apple Butter 200K on Saturday with Mike and Nancy Myers. It was cloudy and about 32 degrees when we left at 7:00. We had a southeast wind that swung to the southwest about Noon, so we had a five to 12 mph headwind most of the day. The Myers had a flat tire just south of Galena, KS, about five miles from the start. That was the only mechanical problem the entire day.

East of Joplin, we rode by a field where there was a mare and recently born foal. The mare still had blood stains on her hind legs. As we approached, the stallion charged up to the fence between us and the mare and foal, the mare and foal started running, but the foal got tangled in its legs and fell. It quickly got up and headed off after the mare. A little further along, we were passing a field with goats when the herd dogs in the field beyond started barking. The goats looked at the dogs, then at us, then back at the dogs and then again at us before they decided the silly dogs were making much ado about nothing. The goats went back to grazing. The sun broke out after we left the control in Sarcoxie. It finally began to warm up, but I don't think it got much above 40 degrees the entire day.

The most excitement of the day was when I lost my Permanent card. I forgot to zip the pocket in my reflective vest where I keep my card. I realized the card was gone about a half mile after leaving the control in Mount Vernon. I told the Myers to go on, and I headed back towards the control. I checked the trash can at the control to make sure I did not accidentally toss it. Then I headed back along the route. Luckily, I found it about 5 feet off the road just a few hundred feet from where I realized it was gone. I did not see it when I first went back because there were ditches on both sides of the road. Good thing it was not at night, but having ridden half the distance, I was prepared to spend as much time a s necessary to find the card. With the headwind, I did not push it, so I did not catch up with the Myers until the control in Sarcoxie. I also saw former Missouri US Senator Jim Talent at the control in Sarcoxie. We got back to Baxter Springs just before 18:00.

Eight rides complete and four to go. The rest should be brevets, although I may ride a permanent in early March because the first brevet is not until March 20. Last year's brevet, there was snow on the ground, so the weather can still be a problem.

Fixing a flat

Mike & Nancy

Springbike Super Bowl Ride

2010-02-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

The ride started at 1:30 PM at the James River Assembly of God Church, just north of Ozark. There were about 25 riders. The skies were overcast, and the temperature about 33 degrees, but the roads were dry. Dave Christiano, club president, started us off and provided SAG. It was good to get out on the road because the weather has been to wet and cold to ride. I rode the longer route (32 miles). The sun broke out on the way back from Rogersville, and it warmed up to a toasty 38 degrees. There is snow in the forecast for tomorrow, but hopefully, the weather will start getting better.

Getting ready to start

Crossing the Finley River at Riverside

Precious Moments 202K Permanent

2010-01-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

A new Permanent has been approved by RUSA. The Precious Moments 202K starts in Carthage with the turnaround in Willard. There is an intermediate control in Miller. There is about 8,000 feet of climbing. Let me know if you want to ride it. You must be a member of RUSA to ride.

Cooky's Solo

2010-01-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

The cold, snowy weather finally broke and with the month winding down, it was time to ride a 200k. No one I knew could ride this past weekend, so I took off on the Route 66 & Cooky's Pie Permanent on Sunday morning at 6:30 in a heavy fog. Rail traffic has been down, but I had to wait for a train at Nichols Junction. Fortunately, it was a short train. I had already gotten damp from the fog and would chill quickly whenever I stopped for any length of time. The ride outbound was uneventful, and the fog held up all the way to Golden City. Riding in the fog is almost like riding at night. Many of the landmarks disappear, so that the sense of time and distance is lost. Judy, my wife, met me at Cooky's for a leisurely lunch, and the fog had broken when I left a little after Noon.

The Cooky's route has a number of dogs that usually aren't much of a problem, but this time there were some new ones. I was chased by two large dogs at one time on the way out, but easily pulled away. Fortunately, they were not around on the way back. Inbound, there was a large German Shepard, with a cowbell tied to its neck, that charged about a hundred yards across his yard. Now why would anyone tie a cowbell to a dog unless it is to warn of your imminent demise. The Shepard stopped about 10 feet away after four or five sharp NOs, although he may have also recognized the can of Halt! I had in my hand.

As I was passing the Springfield airport, I heard the train whistle behind me and I was glad I beat it to the crossing on FR 124. I then heard the whistle ahead of me at Nichols Junction, so I expected it to be clear when I got there, but it was a coal train that was still adding cars in Wyoming. I made it back a minute after 17:00. That makes at least one 200k each of the last seven months.

Waiting for the train in the damp dark

Still foggy in Halltown

About 1/2-mile visibility

Ready to head back

New signs on Historic Route 66

End of the coal train

Cycling in the Netherlands in the 1950s

2010-01-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

I particularly like the family out for a ride in their cycle car.

First Ride of the Year

2010-01-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

Springbike Bicycle Club held their annual New Year's Day ride even though the temperature was about 10 degrees below the 30 degree cutoff. The sky was clear, so once we got going I was not cold. The ride started from the Logan Elementary School, east of Springfield, at 11:00 a.m. There were 22.5 and 30 mile options. About 15 riders showed up. The four cyclists I rode with rode the 30-mile route.

Not a very good self portrait

Bundled up for the cold

RUSA 2000K Medal

2009-12-29T08:26:00.001-08:00

Randonneurs USA members who ride at least 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, or 5,000K in qualifying events during a calendar year receive a medal. I rode 2,342K this year.

Marshfield Mash 112K Permanent Populaire

2009-12-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

A new Permanent Populaire has been approved by Randonneurs USA. The Marshfield Mash 112K starts at the Kum & Go across from Sam's on East Sunshine, heads southeast to Rogersville and then northeast to Marshfield. It is an out-and-back. Let me know if you want to ride it. You must be a member of RUSA to ride.

Frozen Apple Butter

2009-12-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

I went to Baxter Springs again on Saturday, December 5, to ride the Apple Butter 200K permanent with Nancy and Mike Myers. We started the ride at 7:00AM and 24 degrees. The high for the day was only about 42 degrees, so we were bundled up all day. I started with four layers (all long sleeve): a silk T, a synthetic T, a smartwool jersey and a cotton jacket. I removed the synthetic T in Sarcoxie and my helmet cover in Mt. Vernon. I was a little chilled on the return after the sun went down. This was the first 200K I have ridden where I never really sweated. On the way to Mt Vernon, we had a little bit of a push from the 12 to 20 mph wind that started out from the south but then shifted to the SSW. Fortunately, it shifted back to the south as the afternoon progressed so that we did not have to push against it all the way back to Baxter Springs. The skies were mostly clear all day, which helped make for a relatively pleasant ride in the cold. I did not take many pictures because it is too hard to handle the camera while riding with my winter gloves.

Congratulations to Nancy and Mike for completing a 200K, or further, each month over the past 12 months, qualifying them for RUSA's R-12 award. I am now halfway to the R-12.

At the control in Mount Vernon

Black Friday on the Frisco Highline Trail

2009-12-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

I am a little late on this post. Rae, Doug, Tom and I rode up to Bolivar on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We rode the Frisco Highline Trail to Bolivar and a combination of the trail and road on the way back. I hope to establish a RUSA permanent populaire on the route, and the ride provided mileage and feet of climb for the application.

We left the Kearney Street trailhead at 8:00AM when the temperature was predicted to be just above freezing. We started out on packed gravel until about half way to Willard where we hit the new pavement that has lately raised some controversy with the running community. The pavement continues through Willard where it changes back to packed gravel. We saw a bald eagle in a field near the trail between Willard and Walnut Grove. It flew off when we came close.

After the Willard Trailhead, the quality of the trail surface is not as good. There are a number of locations where the trail has washed out in the past, so the surface is not packed. There was only one little place where we actually had to dismount because of a washout, which was pretty good considering I was only running 28mm tires. The trail did not match up well with some of the bridge surfaces, and we had to dismount rather than risk a pinch flat. We rode and carried the bikes across Missouri Highway 13 rather than take the streets into town. On the north side of Highway 13, the trail turns into a single track for about 1/2 mile. We arrived at the trailhead about 11:00AM. Total climb was 1,030 feet.

We had a late breakfast at Norma's Restaurant on East Maupin. The pancakes were so big they almost hung over the edge of the plates.

We rode the trail back south to U Highway where we took to the road. We stopped at Bolton's General Store on BB Highway, and got back on the trail in Willard. Total feet of climb for the return was 1,630 feet. Most of the additional climbing was on the hill coming into Morrisville and the climb out of the Little Sac River valley.

The ride was a much better way than shopping to spend Black Friday. We hope to make it an annual tradition.

Heading out from the Kearney Street trailhead

Walnut Grove trailhead

Doug on the Little Sac River bridge

Passing under the trail on the ride back

Apple Butter 200K

2009-11-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was another great day to ride a 200K. I joined Nancy and Mike Myers for the inaugural run of their Apple Butter 200K permanent from Baxter Springs, KS, to Mt. Vernon, MO. Mt. Vernon has an annual apple butter festival. With the change from daylight savings time, we planned to leave at 6:30AM. We ran into a glitch when the first control was not open, but we were able to get a gas receipt. The time switch was a problem at several of the controls because their cash register clocks had not been reset. The temperature at the start was 48 degrees, slightly warmer than predicted, and the wind was out of the south. The route goes right through Joplin on 20th Street, but traffic was light both outbound and inbound. It probably helped that it was a Sunday. The temperature was close to 60 degrees when we got to the second control in Sarcoxie, MO, so we shed most of our outerwear. The south wind held until we started back from Mt. Vernon when it shifted to the southwest. It was stronger than predicted, at 14 to 19 miles per hour. To keep up with the low-profile recumbent, I drafted quite a bit on the way back. An interesting feature of the route is that there is a significant hill as you enter almost every city or town. There is a fair amount of climbing on the route. Overall, I measured 4,500 feet, and at the turnaround in Mt. Vernon, it was 2,130 feet. This gets me through five of the 12 months I need for the RUSA R-12 award. Nancy and Mike will have 12 months when they complete a 200K in December.

Sunrise in Galena

Nancy & Mike outbound

Getting ready to leave Mt. Vernon

The wind shifted to the southwest

2010 Southwest Missouri Brevets

2009-10-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Southwest Missouri brevets will again be run through the St. Louis region for 2010. The 200K brevet is on March 20, 2010 and the 300K on April 17, 2010. Both brevets will start in Springfield and follow the same routes as last year. Both events are sanctioned by Audax Club Parisien (ACP). Additional brevets can be found on the RUSA web site.

To Err Again

2009-10-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

John Dilsaver and I had planned to ride the Route 66 & Cooky's Pie Permanent on Saturday, but John was not feeling well. Mike and Nancy Myers were riding the To Err is Humansville Permanent, so I decided to ride with them with some apprehension. The Myers ride a recumbent tandem and I have not been riding much, so I was not sure I could keep up with them. We left Strafford at 7:00 AM with the temperature a chilly 34 degrees but no wind. We hit the first control in Buffalo just after 9:00 AM. The wind began to blow out of the southwest at 6-8 miles per hour, but we made good time to Humansville, getting to the control right at noon. The temperature had warmed to a toasty 60 degrees, and the wind picked up to about 14 miles per hour giving us a good push back to Buffalo. Unfortunately, it shifted out of the south as we were leaving Buffalo and I began to tire. The Myers built a lead on me, although they stopped once because they were unsure of a turn. They were soon ahead of me again and were topping the route's biggest and steepest hill on Farm Road 223 as I came off of MO 125. I pulled into the Travel America in Strafford at 5:45 PM, 15 minutes after the Myers. The constant hills helped me generally stay with the Myers because while they were faster on the flats and downhills, I was able to catch up on the climbs. My higher profile into the wind contributed to my slower pace on the last leg south out of Buffalo. I am glad I went because it preserves my string of 200K rides in pursuit of the RUSA R-12 award.

Nancy & Mike Myers

Winter Riding in October

2009-10-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

It is already getting too cold for most cyclists to ride in this area. Doug, Rae, Tom, Neil and I headed out this morning at 7:30AM for pancakes at the VFW in Strafford. The temperature was about 40 degrees, and it had rained during the night, so the roads were wet. It looked like the sun was going to breakout on the way to Strafford, but more clouds moved in while we were eating breakfast. As usual, the vets bent over backwards to make sure we got enough pancakes, juice and coffee. We left the VFW just after 9:00AM for Fair Grove, We were going to turn back towards Springfield short of Fair Grove, but we missed the turn and headed on into town rather than backtrack. We had a tailwind on the way back to Springfield, so we made good time. The County paved several of the farm roads this past summer, making for a smooth ride. The sun never came out, but then it never rained either. Hopefully, we will see a warming trend soon. John and I still have a 200K permanent to ride this month.

Kum & Go in Fair Grove

To Err is Humansville 205K

2009-09-07T12:33:00.001-07:00

John Dilsaver and I rode this permanent on Saturday. It is the toughest local permanent with 8,930 feet of climb. Fortunately, we picked a great day to ride. It was mostly overcast with no wind. We managed to avoid the rain that was predicted. It was a pretty unremarkable ride. We were chased by a few dogs and saw historic buildings; Texas longhorns; mules; great blue herons as we crossed Pomme de Terre Lake; a bevy of quail in the road and lots of goldfinches feeding along the road. As we were pulling into Humansville on Business MO Highway 13, a couple of ambulances came screaming the other way. When we got into town, we saw a van that had slammed into a telephone pole. We heard later at Nana's Country Cafe that the driver was a local and had a heart attack. Nana's was decorated with a John Deer theme.

John at the 6:00AM start

Control in Buffalo

We saw mules

Lunch stop in Humansville

We saw Texas longhorns, but they stampeded
away when they saw the camera

Log one-room schoolhouse just north of
Fair Grove in Dallas County

Log cabin next to the school house

W.C. Potter House (circa 1888) north of
Fair Grove on FR 221

Flint Hills 225K Permanent

2009-08-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

John Dilsaver and I drove out to Council Grove, KS, on Friday to ride the permanent on Saturday with Spencer Klaassen, Kent Fulton, Jack Romans, Arlys Minear and Brian Bettis from the KC area. The route is an out-and-back to El Dorado primarily on KS Highway 177. We met up with everyone, except Kent, a little after 8PM at the Corp of Engineers campground along the lake north of town. It took a while to get to sleep with the bright moon shining down and the occasional vehicle roaring down the highway about 1/4-mile to the east. I was concerned about mosquitoes because we were right on the lake and they have been so bad in Springfield, but they were not a problem.

We were up by 5AM and headed into town to the start at the Short Stop c-store. Kent arrived shortly after we got there, and we were soon off into the dark.

The route took us through the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve just north of Cottonwood Falls. There was a large stone house and barn that now serve as the visitor center. On the way back, we saw quite a few visitors.

With a slight tailwind, we made good time and arrived at the control in El Dorado at about 10:30AM. The only delay along the way was when Spencer had a blow out in Cassoday and had to replace his tube and tire. Most of the group bought lunch at a Dillon's grocery store in El Dorado, while I went across the street to Taco Bell and John started back straight from the control because he did not want to tighten up during lunch.

The ride back took a little longer. The headwind picked up to 12 miles per hour with gusts to 20. We rode in a pace line, but I started to slow down, which I typically do after lunch. My rear tire also began to go flat just south of Cassoday (a popular place for tire problems). I pumped it up a bit and eased into town. The tire was in pretty bad shape. The thread was thin, and there was a groove down to the casing along one side as if something had rubbed against it. Fortunately, Brian had a spare tire to replace it, and we were back on our way. I was riding better with a fully-inflated tire, but I began to feel extremely sleepy after we left Cottonwood Falls. This is a re-occurring problem that I have not been able to solve. We got a little strung out towards the end, and I rode into the Council Grove control with Brian and Arlys about 5:30PM. We had a good dinner with the group at the Hays House restaurant before driving back to Springfield.

Overall it was a great ride. We got to see some different scenery and ride with a great group of randonneurs who worked together to make the ride successful.

Getting ready to ride

Heading out of town in the dark

One of 3 Rivendells on the ride

Stone one-room school house

Stone barn at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Cottonwood Falls

Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls

Me, John and Arlys taken by Spencer

Lunch outside the Dillon's in El Dorado

Pace line against the wind on the return

The Pie is the Prize

2009-08-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, John Dilsaver and I were back out on the Mother Road (Route 66) riding west to Golden City for pie at Cooky's. Actually, only about 11 miles of the Route 66 & Cooky's Pie 206K permanent are on old Route 66. We headed out about 5AM with a slight south wind. Since I set up the route in 2007, Springfield built a new airport terminal and the route goes right by the entrance at a new roundabout. I was concerned about the amount of airport traffic we might encounter, but there was no problem that early in the morning, and the afternoon traffic was not bad either.

We were not really pushing the pace, and we made it to the first control in Miller (37.5 miles, 1,910 feet of total climb) just before 8AM. With the wind at our back most of the way, we reached Golden City (64.4 miles, 2,820 feet of total climb) just before 10AM, and Cooky's was still serving breakfast. Cooky's is a popular stop for riders on the Trans-American bike route, but the 10 or so riders eating breakfast this time were all from Mt. Vernon, about 35 miles southeast of Golden City.

We left Cooky's about 11AM. The south wind had picked up (23 mph with gusts to 28 mph), and it seemed a lot warmer. The wind hammered us on the south legs back to Miller (5,520 feet of total climb). The same clerk who had validated our permanent cards was still there. She told John that the Mt. Vernon group had come through earlier, but they did not have cards. We wondered if she had asked for their cards, and we invented stories we should have told her like: only card-carrying cyclists are real cyclists; or that we were on release for good behavior from the Green County jail, but the ankle bracelets did not transmit that far, so we needed to document where we had been.

The route is pretty much east-west after Miller, but we were both pretty tired from fighting the headwinds. Fortunately, we had good cloud cover from M Highway (98 miles) on into Springfield, so the temperature did not continue to climb. At about M Highway, I also began to get extremely sleepy. I finally stopped to take a caffeine pill, which began to kick in about the time we stopped at a church in Elwood (9 miles from the finish) to fill our water bottles. We made it back into Springfield shortly after 5PM (5,250 feet of total climb). John and I were both surprised there is that much climbing in comparison to the Munger Moss Route 66 200K we rode July 31, but there are some good hills on the east half of this route.

Golden City

John's half-eaten blueberry pie

My Dutch apple pie

New Roundabout at the Springfield Regional Airport entrance

Riding the Mother Road

2009-08-01T17:50:00.001-07:00

I took off from work on Friday so I could ride the Munger Moss Route 66 200K permanent with John Dilsaver. This was the first time the permanent had been ridden. The route follows old Route 66 from Strafford, MO, east to the Oasis Truck Stop near Richland, MO. It was a great day to ride. The skies were clear, there was little wind and the maximum temperature was only 79 degrees. We took our time along the route and stopped often to take pictures. There are still a number of landmarks from the halcyon days of Route 66. The Munger Moss Motel, in Lebanon, is still in operation. I had hoped to have lunch at Wrink's Market on the return, but it is closed "until further notice". Wrink's was a fixture on the Road since June 10, 1950, when it opened. It closed March 16, 2005, when longtime operator, Glenn Wrinkle, died. Terry Wrinkle, Glenn's son, re-opened the store in July 2007, but apparently was not able to make a go of it.

For the most part, there was not much traffic along the route except on the return in Lebanon and on CC highway between Conway and Marshfield. I was concerned about the route through Lebanon because the road is being expanded to 4 lanes. There was no construction on Friday, but there are still a couple of 2-lane sections were we backed up traffic. There were quite a few trucks westbound on CC, which may have been an indication of traffic problems on I-44. As expected in the Ozarks, we were also chased by a couple of dogs.

On the ride out, we talked to a couple of old timers at Hannah's General Store, which is the control in Conway. They were back there for lunch when we stopped again, and they would not believe we had ridden to Richland and back so quickly until I showed them the receipt from the Oasis Truck Stop.

Tom Barnett loaned me his altimeter for the ride, and the total amount of climbing was 6,920 feet. The climb was about 3,190 feet outbound and 3,730 feet inbound. Most of the route is rolling hills, but there a few good hills westbound into Lebanon, Marshfield and Northview. I really enjoyed the route because of the scenery and the variation of small town and rural riding.

John in front of the route's namesake

Me coming off the Gasconade River bridge
(a triple truss)

Home-made pie and fried chicken are long gone

Wrink's is closed again

Upper reaches of the Niangua River

John climbing the Northview hill on OO Highway,
the last climb of the day

June & July Ride Roundup

2009-06-30T19:37:00.001-07:00

Rode a lot of miles in June and went on vacation for 2 weeks in July, so I had little time to work on the Blog.

Nixa St. John's Clinic Ride on June 6

Tom and I rode the 70-mile route out to Aurora and back. It was a pretty challenging ride. Fortunately, we had a tailwind for the big hills on the way back. The ride was free and the support was great!

Tom Leaving a Rest Stop

Edwardsville, IL, 600K on June 13
I went up to Edwardsville with Judy, and we stayed at a motel close enough to the start so I could ride over while she slept in. The ride went pretty well until after we left Belle Rive. I became extremely sleepy and began taking some caffeine pills to stay awake. I was riding with John Jost, Dennis Smith and Scott Thompson, but I could not keep up with them as we left Thompsonville. I caught up with them just as they were about to leave Creal Springs. They waited while I bought a bottle of chocolate milk. We rode six miles of big hills to the bike path that would take us to Vienna. It was almost dark as we started down the bike path, and it seemed like it took forever to ride the 15 miles of gravel trail sprinkled with twigs. I stopped a couple of times to get a drink because it was too difficult to try to drink while riding. I was exhausted when I pulled into the motel about 10:00PM, and went to bed after a shower and part of a salad from MacDonald's. Unfortunately, I had stopped taking electrolyte tablets on the trail, and I woke up with severe cramps. I took a couple tablets and went back to sleep. When the alarm went off at 2:00AM, I turned it off and laid there with the intent of getting up, but I went back to sleep. Judy woke me up again at 2:30AM, and I went down to the motel lobby, where John, Dennis and Scott were ready to go. I told them, I just didn't have it in me to go on, and I went back to bed. I think the problem was that I had not gotten enough sleep going into the ride. For a variety of reasons, I only got about 5-6 hours of sleep the three nights before the ride.

John Jost giving instructions at the 4:00AM start

Dennis Smith and John outside Breese

Dennis and me on the Loafers Bench near Bluford

Scott Thompson, Dennis and John at Wilkey's Cafe in Belle Rive

Edwardsville, IL, 600K on June 27
I went back up to Edwardsville to try the 600K again. I made sure I had plenty of rest, but no other riders showed up because of the predicted high temperatures, so I just rode a 106 miles with John Jost, the RBA, and headed home. I tried using Sustained Energy to keep me going and it was working pretty well until about the last 30 miles when I began to feel bloated. I ate a sandwich when we stopped in New Baden, so that may have contributed. I have tried Spiz and Perpetuem in the past, and I always became sick to my stomach after a few bottles. I am going to try a lower concentration of Sustained Energy, and if that does not work, go back to solid food and chocolate milk, which worked well for the 210 miles of the earlier 600K I rode.

I spent Friday night at The Innkeeper Motel in
Hamlin, IL, and even the motel had a garden.

MS Pancake Ride on July 25
Tom and I rode the 52-mile route. I rode 12 miles to the start in Battlefield. It looked like a rain cell was moving in, so Tom and I left about 15 minutes before the ride was suppose to start. It started raining, with some lightning, shortly after we left, and we were some of the first riders to arrive at the pancake breakfast in Republic (10 miles). One of the staff told us that they had held up the riders at the start because of the weather and told the riders they could drive to the breakfast if they preferred. We continued on as more people started showing up in cars and on bikes. It pretty much stopped raining after the third rest stop, and we saw very few riders along the route. It appears most riders either did not ride or they rode the 30-mile route. We made it back to Battlefield about 10:30AM. I got a free massage and chiropractic adjustment, before riding the 12 miles home. Unfortunately, it started raining again couple miles from the house.

Tokyo's Robotic Bike Parking

2009-05-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Not something we will see in Springfield anytime soon, but it is a cool idea. To deal with overflowing bike garages, the Tokyo subway system has spent $67 million on an underground bike garage managed and operated by a robot. With the swipe of a card, robotic arms grab bikes and place them in a spot underground. At the end of the day, the robot retrieves bikes in a matter of seconds.

The high-tech service is $18 a month for any of the 700,000 or so Japanese transit riders who bike to train stations daily. No need for locks or worries.

The robot garages are nearly full every day and neighborhood biking has spiked 20 percent since they were installed.

Springfield, MO, Ride of Silence

2009-05-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

Twelve cyclists rode the 13-mile route through central Springfield. Dave Christiano, the ride leader, read the Ride of Silence... poem prior to the ride. Coy Hart provided SAG, which fortunately was not needed.

The Ride of Silence...

Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low,
We ride in silence, cautious and slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight's ride is to make others aware
The road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side,
May God be your partner on your final ride

- Mike Murgas