the 101

We've been chasing this 1 mile since the 99er back in June. If we wanted to get to 1000 miles we had to find an extra mile somewhere or we'd likely have to go over - way over. So we penciled in the Filthy 50 and the Dirtbag (85) to get us to 1034. Going over 1000 wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, so we resigned ourselves to these few remaining events.

But then a conflict came up that was gonna keep me from riding the Filthy 50. Now I was in trouble. I'm tired and it's getting cold, the weather would be less predictable and I was looking at the real possibility of finishing the year that just a few miles short of the Millennium. After enduring the Kanza and the Maah Daah Hey this potential was very depressing. Riding 984 miles was never the goal.

On a whim I checked in with Gravel Grinder News again on Thursday morning and like magic a new 101 mile event appeared. Why hadn't we seen it before?! But there it was, in 2 days, the 101 in Perry, IA. Bring it.

The drill was familiar. Leave after work on Friday, drive 4 hours to a small town in the rural Midwest, drink a few beers, get up early & ride. So that's what we did.

The 101 was a great event. Flat, no wind, totally blue-bird sky and 101 miles.  Personally I didn't have a great day, but that hardly mattered. It was nice to be out. The hardest thing about the 101 was the route. Not hills or wind or cold, but the straights. Several stretches of 5 plus miles with no turns. Your future laid right out in front of you - and it wasn't pretty.

The pics look familiar by now, but just to prove we were there.

Directions at the start.

Hmmm, where have I seen this before?

When people say Iowa is hilly they must be talking about somewhere other than here.

The intrepid author. Looking a little weathered and not particularly fast.