Pelican ride

I meant to post these pictures last week. I rode about 80 miles out & back to Watertown on Saturday last & caught a some great pictures of American Pelicans. I stuck to the Luce Line trail so the course was flat & on crushed limestone. The limestone is nice & smooth, but sometimes is still feels a little heavy to me. But a nice ride.

About 20 - 30 lbs each.

Up to 10 ft wingspan. 2nd largest Wingspan in N America.

Beautiful road - but I had to pass. I was on the Luce Line for the day . . .

The Luce Line wasn't too bad either.

It's spelled w-a-r-b-i-r-d. Warbird.

Bird is the word.

Did the Dickie

The Dickie Scramble is in the books. Thanks to Drew for hosting such a fine event.

In the alley behind Tailgators in Elgin, MN getting ready for the Dickie Scramble 2014.

I seem to struggle with appropriate clothing / layers when the temps are cool. The weather for the Dickie was a challenge for me - the temps were supposedly in the 50s (felt more like 40s) plus the wind was blowing pretty strong at 15-20 mph. I opted for shorts and a light jacket to hold against the wind, but the price I paid was a sweaty jersey on my skin all day. I have to believe that other people had a better performing outfit, but so it goes.

We rolled out of Elgin at 9:30 sharp and headed north as a group on pavement. After about 4 miles the course dove West & straight downhill on gravel and the race was on. The next 75 miles were a mix of gravel, pavement and a little stretch of trail more suitable to mountain biking than gravel grinding.

The scenery was beautiful all day and the gravel was for the most part fast.

Overall the route was more pavement than I expected. The mile or so of off-road riding was clearly a stand out section - rough & rocky downhill where you really had to be careful on our skinny tires followed by a fun, long & technical climb. I channeled my inner Fire Tower and managed to clean my way up & out - one of the day's highlights for me.

The wind was a challenge all day. It was blowing pretty steady at about 15 MPH out of the east and felt like it was carrying a bite. I was fortunate to find a group of about 12 -15 riders for the 1st half of the race which was huge - I didn't want to be out there fighting the wind alone. The second half was predominantly downwind, which was lucky for me, because I rode most of it alone.

As good as the riding was I would be lying if I didn't suggest that the ribs at JJ Tailgators in Elgin may have been the highlight of the whole day. Well done JJ - the ribs are awesome.

So with the 80 miles from the Dickie our total to date for the Dirty Millennium 2014 is up to 160. And the grand-daddy of the all is next, bring on the Almanzo!

Burleigh County Cup or Fulton Gran Fondo?

Looks like the Mammoth got shut down again this year by mother nature - too much snow fell this week on the gravel roads in Northern Wisconsin. There is still a ride, but not the dirty kind. Bummer.

Forest service road on the Mammoth course. Looks kind of slow.

It seems like every week I am finding new rides - I just found the Burleigh County Cup this week (May 10 in Bismarck, ND) and with the changes to Mammoth I'm now looking at the Dickie Scramble next week in Elgin, MN.

I am very conflicted about the BCC because it is on the same day as the more local Fulton Gran Fondo, which isn't dirty, but has the distinct advantages associated with events sponsored by a brewery.

Course maps for the Kanza

Only 6 weeks to go . . .

http://www.dirtykanza200.com/new-dirt/official-2014-course-maps/

Ready for Mammoth

I'm getting fired up for the Mammoth Gravel Classic this weekend - the second leg of our Dirty Millennium quest. Training has been sporadic, but we managed an 80 mile ride last weekend following a circuitous route to & from Stillwater.

East on Gateway Trail

We were both on new bikes so the day was as much about feeling our way around our rides as it was about getting time in the saddle. Heading East to Stillwater we followed the Gateway trail to the end & then rode South on 55 into Stillwater. The outbound trip was upwind, but we rode pretty hard and felt the benefits of our new bikes. 

The ride home was downwind and super easy - I barely even remember pedaling. We rode straight West on 12 out of Stillwater, connected up with the Gateway trail then took the Bruce Vento trail into St Paul. The Vento trail was a nice surprise and a route I'm sure we'll follow again.

As usual our trip was punctuated by stops at preferred watering holes: this time we chose Whitey's in Stillwater and the Summit Brewery in St Paul. Another nice day on the bike.  

Headed back to Mpls