Andrea let me down. Friday night at 22:00 she said cloudy but no rain till Saturday night. I look at the radar Saturday morning - looks clear for 100's of miles.
Headed out for Tranquility and I can feel micro rain (less than mist) in the air. Met Mike, Ryan, and Munsoned for a lap. Boy Scouts were planting more trees in TP. I'll post on the THOR blog later about a problem to fix there.
Headed down Fort St about 09:00 to L&C. I see those three for about a mile and they're gone. I didn't have much legs - had to push up the sidewalk on Military east of 72nd. Stopped at Jane's healthfood in Benson at 09:30 for a ginger cookie, lemonade, and reapplication of assos. Pavement is wet now so I don the rainjacket.
By the time a get to the riverfront, cement is dry.
Get to L&C at 11:00 just in time to see the three finishing their lap. I walked a lot, but the trail was in great shape, looked like someone had raked it.
Left for Manawa at 11:50. Ate at the Wabash-Trace trailhead at 12:30. Two hot dogs, a soda, and reapplication of assos. Felt a little achey afterwards.
Started Manawa at 13:05. While riding, light rain gave dust enough cohesion to stick and start flying off the tires. But hardly leaving evidence I was on the trail.
Got back on the paved trail about 13:50. Hit north wind head on for first time. While heading west along 92, mist had been going long enough for road/path to be wet. Somewhere along the line it turned into a rain and I realized Jewell and Swanson were not going to be rideable, assuming they were being rained on.
Wife called at 14:20 asking where she should pick me up since it was raining at home. I was at the hotel just east of S. Omaha bridge.
Decided to ride across the bridge while she drove down and I got picked up at Zestos on 13th.
Feet were cold and wet, butt and shoulders sore, not enough physical and mental energy to finish. Glad I tried. Thought with the spotty rain that the 5 trails might be doable weatherwise. But even with good weather, I don't think my body was up to the challenge. After 7 hours, with two trails and maybe another 4 hours to go, I wrote a check my body couldn't cash.
Headed out for Tranquility and I can feel micro rain (less than mist) in the air. Met Mike, Ryan, and Munsoned for a lap. Boy Scouts were planting more trees in TP. I'll post on the THOR blog later about a problem to fix there.
Headed down Fort St about 09:00 to L&C. I see those three for about a mile and they're gone. I didn't have much legs - had to push up the sidewalk on Military east of 72nd. Stopped at Jane's healthfood in Benson at 09:30 for a ginger cookie, lemonade, and reapplication of assos. Pavement is wet now so I don the rainjacket.
By the time a get to the riverfront, cement is dry.
Get to L&C at 11:00 just in time to see the three finishing their lap. I walked a lot, but the trail was in great shape, looked like someone had raked it.
Left for Manawa at 11:50. Ate at the Wabash-Trace trailhead at 12:30. Two hot dogs, a soda, and reapplication of assos. Felt a little achey afterwards.
Started Manawa at 13:05. While riding, light rain gave dust enough cohesion to stick and start flying off the tires. But hardly leaving evidence I was on the trail.
Got back on the paved trail about 13:50. Hit north wind head on for first time. While heading west along 92, mist had been going long enough for road/path to be wet. Somewhere along the line it turned into a rain and I realized Jewell and Swanson were not going to be rideable, assuming they were being rained on.
Wife called at 14:20 asking where she should pick me up since it was raining at home. I was at the hotel just east of S. Omaha bridge.
Decided to ride across the bridge while she drove down and I got picked up at Zestos on 13th.
Feet were cold and wet, butt and shoulders sore, not enough physical and mental energy to finish. Glad I tried. Thought with the spotty rain that the 5 trails might be doable weatherwise. But even with good weather, I don't think my body was up to the challenge. After 7 hours, with two trails and maybe another 4 hours to go, I wrote a check my body couldn't cash.
7 comments:
Zesto's sounds awesome! Except for the cold.
Of course I started riding just after 7am wearing every layer I thought necessary with the plans of peeling them off as sun came up. No dice. In retrospect my kit was about perfect. It is very hard to dress for pavement AND singetrack.
My kit: bib shorts over a Craft proZeroExtreme shortsleeve baselayer (worth its weight in GOLD), knee warmers, arm warmers, shortsleeve green jersey, arm warmers, pearl izumi vest, sugoi headband to cover the ears, icebreaker merino glove liners (incredible!), typical summer XC gloves, lightweight tall wool socks from the Hot Tomato cafe.
I took the headband off after the first hour, and for most of the singletrack portions would just unzip the vest. I never felt sweaty or clammy, and didn't get too cold until the final leg when I was just too wet.
There were some descents where a long sleeve rain jacket would've been nice, but would've been immediately too hot on the flat or uphill.
Dale, thanks for setting out a great idea and challenging others to do it, even after conditions looked less than stellar. Let's do it again before the season's over.
I also appreciate that in every instance, you mention the food you eat BEFORE re-application of assos. This gives me the confidence that your not handling food or money with assos on your hands. I'm sure the cashier appreciates that as well.
Of course, if the cashier were to look at the wrong time, he/she might believe you were stuffing your food into your bike shorts.
Sorry guys, I wimped out in favor of lawn work. Dale, you ARE the man. 7 hours in the cold & rain on a single - with pink bar tape no less! What gearing did you use?
Yeah, that weather sure put a damper on things. (HA!)
Dale, I don't know how you do it. Drop bars that were unfortunately to low for ya, skinny tires, and a fixie 32x16(?). I wouldn't have made it to LnC on that ride. Yet you made Tranquility look easy.
Maybe the next time this trip comes up, it won't be bad weather and we'll all have our bike stuff figured out. I know I'll be joining up again if I can.
I need a comment edit button until I learn to write more precisely.
Temperature wise, I was ok except for the feet getting wet and cold. If I'd known it would stay in the 40's and rain as much as it did, I would have worn my boots.
Busy year but may be able to do it again, depending on me being in better shape.
Things will only get more complicated when I have to apply sunscreen and assos to the correct areas.
I had a 32x18. With so much flat riding and walking singletrack hills anyway, a 2:1 would have made better time but I bent my 36t at Manawa Wednesday night. I didn't push into the red much. Cold feet; sore butt, shoulders, and arms were not use to so much time in the saddle.
Yes, until I can get the drop bars up and back via a longer steer tube, I will put the marybar back on.
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