The day started with dense wet fog, but no rain, thankfully! It had rained non stop all night, and all the tents were soaked. Not nice to pack up! Best to put it in a big garbage bag and let it dry when we pitch it in the afternoon. I met up with Jane Brouwer on the road and I was pleased since she is fast and fit, nice to ride with, and possesses a great sense of humour. Shortly out the main gate we found much confusion as some cyclists came out the back gate and lost their way. Fortunately we met ip with two very strong guys, Len Kooy and Harold Veldman, our bike mechanic, who saved my back wheel by truing it excellently after I hit a bad pothole some days ago. Our bikes get badly beaten up by the rough roads. One must keep an eagles' eye out for holes and broad cracks, especially the parallel wide cracks that can grab one's front wheel! Especially when riding a fast pace line with your tire 12 inches or less from the back wheel of your friend in front! One can not afford to lose concentration at all, for risking a bad fall when touching wheels, as happened to Katie Ryzebol. One of our guys had a bad fall today, after hitting a pothole, hit his head and shoulder, and spent all day at the emerg to get stitched up and checked for head injury. He seems to be ok but won't ride for a day or two. His bike had much damage and the handlebar is totalled.
So we rode pace line for most of the day with Len Kooy pulling 5 of us at 30kph or more - like a locomotive engine he doesn't slow down up the hills, so we had to dig deep to keep up. He and Harold are very strong guys for sure. At times I had to use my monster gear to make up lost ground and catch up again. at third SAG they left before me and I had to chase so hard to catch them again - mostly doing 35 kph or more fighting the wind. Barb Mellema also rode with us. She is so delightful and waves to and greets every person along the road. Very funny too, and we had lots of laughs. The way was very hard to navigate today and many got lost. Fortunately our group did not. Half the way went on rail trails, where we had to look out for other trail users. Still we kept up a furious pace and was therefore the first to arrive at camp - 150 km in 6 hours including stop time. We are sleeping in the gym of the Illiana Christian High School - all of us. Gonna be interesting with all the snoring going on! :-). Lovely huge building they have. Had a very good supper catered for us by the parents of the school, and a nice ice cream social afterwards. So nice to have good internet here, the first in 3 days that I could use, so I had to catch up. i feel quite tired and sore in the quads because of lactic acid build up. Only my fourth day - should be ok by next week. Had a leisurely hot shower since I was earliest back in camp with the first group - felt fabulous!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Fulton to Shabonna State Park
When we woke up the sky was overcast. During breakfast the rain started, and never really let up except for half an hour sometime mid day. I could not find my rain jacket! So I had to make do with my light jacket that is not rain proof. At first SAG I was wet and chilled to the skin and asked for a garbage bag to wear over, but dear Dave lent me his cycling rain jacket - a real life saver! After first SAG I cycled on my own, till the point where Doug Lutke's chain and derailler had badly broken down. The miracle is that he did not fall in the process. Cost almost $300 to get it on the road again! High end bike parts don't come cheap!
From that point I rode with George Vanderkeur - a real power house of a puller! The day would have been way worse for me if he did not help me move fast in the cold and wet and wind! At the second last SAG we were blessed with a complimentary coffee/hot chocolate from the owner of the gas station. angels come in all forms, and I am sure she's one! We were all so cold and wet like rats, and the hot drink was divine! 40 miles from the end I met Claire Elgersma and Betty, who had a flat tire. Rod fixed that for her and then Rod and I took turns to pull the ladies into camp, as the rain started anew and the splatter and grit that the wheels kicked up had us all dirty in the face, with skunk tails up our backsides. Our fingers felt cold and numb around the handlebars. When I took my shower later, the water was coldish, but I realized it is so much warmer than the chilly wet we rode in all day that it actually felt warm! :-) The day felt really long because of the cold wind and rain, and we were very relieved to reach camp after 90 miles. The Shabonna State Park is beautifully lush with a lake and nice camp sites. Lots of very vocl birds made the welcome complete. Kobie is such a blessing to me on this tour, since he has everything already set up when I get to camp, tent pitched, etc. It is so nice to cuddle up against a warm person when one's body is so exhausted and beaten up by the long hours in the saddle. I will miss him dearly the last couple of weeks!
Our bikes were filthy and we cleaned the drive trains properly, and Claire's bike as well.
Our very capable kitchen staff made us a first class dinner - real comfort food - meat loaf and baked 'taters and corn on the cob, and lots more. We were ravenous, since we use about 500 calories per hour on the bike, and even more when we ride hard in the cold. That makes about three to five thousand calories burned a day, or more. We had a nice camp fire and people sat around it drinking coffee and hot chocolate.
From that point I rode with George Vanderkeur - a real power house of a puller! The day would have been way worse for me if he did not help me move fast in the cold and wet and wind! At the second last SAG we were blessed with a complimentary coffee/hot chocolate from the owner of the gas station. angels come in all forms, and I am sure she's one! We were all so cold and wet like rats, and the hot drink was divine! 40 miles from the end I met Claire Elgersma and Betty, who had a flat tire. Rod fixed that for her and then Rod and I took turns to pull the ladies into camp, as the rain started anew and the splatter and grit that the wheels kicked up had us all dirty in the face, with skunk tails up our backsides. Our fingers felt cold and numb around the handlebars. When I took my shower later, the water was coldish, but I realized it is so much warmer than the chilly wet we rode in all day that it actually felt warm! :-) The day felt really long because of the cold wind and rain, and we were very relieved to reach camp after 90 miles. The Shabonna State Park is beautifully lush with a lake and nice camp sites. Lots of very vocl birds made the welcome complete. Kobie is such a blessing to me on this tour, since he has everything already set up when I get to camp, tent pitched, etc. It is so nice to cuddle up against a warm person when one's body is so exhausted and beaten up by the long hours in the saddle. I will miss him dearly the last couple of weeks!
Our bikes were filthy and we cleaned the drive trains properly, and Claire's bike as well.
Our very capable kitchen staff made us a first class dinner - real comfort food - meat loaf and baked 'taters and corn on the cob, and lots more. We were ravenous, since we use about 500 calories per hour on the bike, and even more when we ride hard in the cold. That makes about three to five thousand calories burned a day, or more. We had a nice camp fire and people sat around it drinking coffee and hot chocolate.
Restful weekend at Coralville,IA and rollers for Monday
We arrived around one at the camp, on a nice pond next to the municipal swimming pool. We found a fairly shady spot for our tent close to an electrical outlet, to charge all the digital stuff and our powered cooler in the car overnight. Sitting on our camp chairs with a cup of coffee, with a view over the pond, kitchen truck and tent camp, the world felt like it's turning right again, especially after the nice hot shower we could enjoy at the city rec centre. Did some shopping for small essentials and washed my sweaty cycling gear. It was nice to just relax and recover - we were still tired of the 16 hour drive the previous day. Went to bed early as there were no meetings and slept a solid 11 hours - that never happened for many years for sure! Saturday was a beautiful mild day and everybody enjoyed it in different ways. The Pella churches served us a nice lunch. Spent some time in MacDonalds enjoying their ice cold sweet tea, aircon and free wifi. We just love the sweet tea, so sad we can't have that from Micky D's in Canada! Another treat we love is enjoying the homestyle soul food at Cracker Barrel, which we did on the long drive to the tour.
Monday's ride was similar to Saturday's but with less wind and hilly for only the first half. We had last minute route changes because of construction where the vehicles could not cross a big bridge. It confused many of us and lead to me missing turns twice, adding another 16 km to my ride, which caused it to be another century ride. Before the second SAG I got overtaken by a fast train of riders, some young ones half my age, Amanda and Derek, Peter Wong and Steve that did the previous tours. They invited me to join them as it took them a while to catch up to me as I playfully tried to stay away in front for as long as I could. We rode a fast paceline for the rest of the way, nearly 100 km, taking turns pulling at 28 to 32 km/h, switching every 5 km. This made the road fly by, as the profile flattened out and I could push my big gear for long distances. Again endless corn fields and the inevitable wind generators. The last little hill up to the Unity Christian school in Fulton just had to be 16% grade - and the young guns raced each other up it!! Wonderful what 5 weeks of full time cycling can do for the legs....and I am trying to hang on to them on my second day! Well I just about managed. :-)
That evening we were entertained by an unusual worship band. Three guys, in their fifties or sixties, told us they used to be a bar band for many years, met the Lord and became part of a church, and now plays praise & worship songs in all kinds of interesting styles - mainly from sixties, seventies and eighties. It is evident they love every minute of it, and technically they are very good instrumentalists. We were treated to a hearty meal by the local chamber of commerce, and I will always remember the corn on the cob - most delicious I've ever tasted!
We also visited the lovely replica of a real windmill that the city built on the banks of the "Mighty Muddy", the Mississippi. Fulton is surrounded by dykes, because of the flood danger always present when you live next to a mighty river. About 35% of the town is Dutch heritage.
Monday's ride was similar to Saturday's but with less wind and hilly for only the first half. We had last minute route changes because of construction where the vehicles could not cross a big bridge. It confused many of us and lead to me missing turns twice, adding another 16 km to my ride, which caused it to be another century ride. Before the second SAG I got overtaken by a fast train of riders, some young ones half my age, Amanda and Derek, Peter Wong and Steve that did the previous tours. They invited me to join them as it took them a while to catch up to me as I playfully tried to stay away in front for as long as I could. We rode a fast paceline for the rest of the way, nearly 100 km, taking turns pulling at 28 to 32 km/h, switching every 5 km. This made the road fly by, as the profile flattened out and I could push my big gear for long distances. Again endless corn fields and the inevitable wind generators. The last little hill up to the Unity Christian school in Fulton just had to be 16% grade - and the young guns raced each other up it!! Wonderful what 5 weeks of full time cycling can do for the legs....and I am trying to hang on to them on my second day! Well I just about managed. :-)
That evening we were entertained by an unusual worship band. Three guys, in their fifties or sixties, told us they used to be a bar band for many years, met the Lord and became part of a church, and now plays praise & worship songs in all kinds of interesting styles - mainly from sixties, seventies and eighties. It is evident they love every minute of it, and technically they are very good instrumentalists. We were treated to a hearty meal by the local chamber of commerce, and I will always remember the corn on the cob - most delicious I've ever tasted!
We also visited the lovely replica of a real windmill that the city built on the banks of the "Mighty Muddy", the Mississippi. Fulton is surrounded by dykes, because of the flood danger always present when you live next to a mighty river. About 35% of the town is Dutch heritage.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Joining the Tour in Pella and our first day of cycling to Iowa City.
We're here folks! Great to see the big trucks with the Sea to Sea logo on the side, many familiar faces, old friends from the previous tours, and many new ones! There is a positive and upbeat atmosphere here, and an enthusiasm to ride, even halfway through the tour and after living through so much difficulty, from extreme heat to wind and rainstorms. Many falls, from serious to scrapes and bruises, and almost 150 flat tires happened in these 5 weeks. Katie Ryzebol and her best friend took each other out by accidentally touching tires, and we thank the Lord they were not more seriously hurt. Both are back cycling again, looking sleek and fit!
It was a 16 hour drive from home, delayed by traffic backups at road construction sites and a heavy rainstorm that had us pull over along with a dozen other cars because we couldn't see the road! The Rav got a good wash though!
At Pella we got to sleep in the dorms at Central College. bunk beds, so we promptly put both matresses on the carpet so to create a kingsize bed for Kobie and I. :-). Nice not to have to put up a tent.
Got to start around 7am at Pella. Jane Brouwer was so kind to ride with me for my first day. She is very strong, fit and fast, and we had a good ride, at times keeping around 35km/h. The ride was very hilly with about 3,800 feet of climbing. Long rolling hills with some steep 8% ones in between. We even had a 12% one going straight into a whipping head wind. That felt a bit unfair to handle both steepness and a strong headwind - that is two to one to a cyclist. The only worse scenario is three to one: steepness, headwind and heat ( and throw in leg cramps for good measure! ). During the last 40km of the ride I experienced significant trouble with cramps in my calves, due to dehydration I think, and having had to drive a monster gear of 53 - 11 for most of the way except for hills more than 3%. Yesterday was unusually cool around 16C, but the strong head and crosswinds made the 151 km ride a great workout. Due to the cooler weather cyclists easily omits to hydrate enough, resulting in cramps. The big gear thing is here to stay with me for the 3 weeks unfortunately. I had to change the chain as recommended by my LBS bike mechanic as the old one was almost too worn out. It is best to also change the cassette at the same time, but there was no time to get hold of another 11 - 36 tooth high end cassette before we left, not to mention that those sets one back a solid $300 which doesn't fit in my budget right now. So yesterday I found out that my two favourite high speed gears skip and can't be used so what I have is the hard fast gear, and the fourth gear down that is too slow unless you have a roaring cadence like a machine. That one climbs well on slight hills and dealing with wind. So I will just have to make the best of it. the big gear will make me strong and the small gear will up my cadence significantly!
It was all joy to ride in cool crisp air with lovely green crops and meadows covering the rolling hills. Fat horses and cattle dotted along the road. Sme really welcoming looking farmsteads too. Thousands of acres of lush cornfields attest to many hardworking farmers out here. Some great hospitality from the local CRC church treated us to a great pancake breakfast with bacon and fruit. Much appreciated by all the cyclists! The SAG stops this time has fruit and electrolyte fortified water and lemonade, not just water like in the past. Great stuff! Thanks to all the SAG volunteers who spend their days in blazing heat to look after the cyclists!
We pitched camp at Morrison park in Coralville. Beautiful setting around a pond and swimming pool.
The night was cold at 11C and we brought only one blanket, expecting hot weather, but survived by sleeping with our jackets on and huddling together. Bought a second blanket today. The cooler weather is just so much better and enjoyable for cycling than the heat, so nobody is complaining after having lived through 50C out west in the desert!
It was a 16 hour drive from home, delayed by traffic backups at road construction sites and a heavy rainstorm that had us pull over along with a dozen other cars because we couldn't see the road! The Rav got a good wash though!
At Pella we got to sleep in the dorms at Central College. bunk beds, so we promptly put both matresses on the carpet so to create a kingsize bed for Kobie and I. :-). Nice not to have to put up a tent.
Got to start around 7am at Pella. Jane Brouwer was so kind to ride with me for my first day. She is very strong, fit and fast, and we had a good ride, at times keeping around 35km/h. The ride was very hilly with about 3,800 feet of climbing. Long rolling hills with some steep 8% ones in between. We even had a 12% one going straight into a whipping head wind. That felt a bit unfair to handle both steepness and a strong headwind - that is two to one to a cyclist. The only worse scenario is three to one: steepness, headwind and heat ( and throw in leg cramps for good measure! ). During the last 40km of the ride I experienced significant trouble with cramps in my calves, due to dehydration I think, and having had to drive a monster gear of 53 - 11 for most of the way except for hills more than 3%. Yesterday was unusually cool around 16C, but the strong head and crosswinds made the 151 km ride a great workout. Due to the cooler weather cyclists easily omits to hydrate enough, resulting in cramps. The big gear thing is here to stay with me for the 3 weeks unfortunately. I had to change the chain as recommended by my LBS bike mechanic as the old one was almost too worn out. It is best to also change the cassette at the same time, but there was no time to get hold of another 11 - 36 tooth high end cassette before we left, not to mention that those sets one back a solid $300 which doesn't fit in my budget right now. So yesterday I found out that my two favourite high speed gears skip and can't be used so what I have is the hard fast gear, and the fourth gear down that is too slow unless you have a roaring cadence like a machine. That one climbs well on slight hills and dealing with wind. So I will just have to make the best of it. the big gear will make me strong and the small gear will up my cadence significantly!
It was all joy to ride in cool crisp air with lovely green crops and meadows covering the rolling hills. Fat horses and cattle dotted along the road. Sme really welcoming looking farmsteads too. Thousands of acres of lush cornfields attest to many hardworking farmers out here. Some great hospitality from the local CRC church treated us to a great pancake breakfast with bacon and fruit. Much appreciated by all the cyclists! The SAG stops this time has fruit and electrolyte fortified water and lemonade, not just water like in the past. Great stuff! Thanks to all the SAG volunteers who spend their days in blazing heat to look after the cyclists!
We pitched camp at Morrison park in Coralville. Beautiful setting around a pond and swimming pool.
The night was cold at 11C and we brought only one blanket, expecting hot weather, but survived by sleeping with our jackets on and huddling together. Bought a second blanket today. The cooler weather is just so much better and enjoyable for cycling than the heat, so nobody is complaining after having lived through 50C out west in the desert!
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