Distance: 63.5 mi / 102.1 km
Time: 5 hours 25 minutes
Route Taken: North Riverside, Cedar Valley Nature Trail
I tried to be a bit more prepared than last time I took a long ride. It appears that I'm not quite there yet, but I certainly did better this time.
I brought a peanut butter and honey (spun clover, mmmm) sandwich, some pretzels/honey roasted peanuts, 3 granola bars, a banana, two 32oz bottles of gatorade, and my two 20oz bottles full of water. One of the gatorade bottles had been shoved to the back of the fridge, so it was frozen. I figured it would melt by the time I got to it, so I took it with me anyway. I had a bowl of cereal before I left. For next time, I think another sandwich would be great, more to eat beforehand would be better, and I definitely need some more fluids. Well, one more water bottle anyway. My bottle of gatorade never did thaw out, so I bought another smaller one on the way home.
I took the same route that I did last time, I just went further along the trail. I wanted to make it to La Porte City this time, so I set that as my goal. The wind wasn't bad, but it was a headwind, so I got tired kind of quickly. I got warmed up ok though, after about 5 miles, and then was able to pedal without many problems.
I got to La Porte City and decided, for some reason, to keep going. I had heard that the trail bridge was still washed out over the Cedar River between La Porte and the town of Brandon, so I guess I wanted to see this for myself. I'm honestly a bit surprised that they haven't rebuilt it in the 4 years after the flood that destroyed it, but I suppose that a bridge wasn't their biggest priority. I plan on riding to Marion on Monday, so I will need to take a detour on a few county roads.
I really don't have much else to note about the trip, honestly. I was kind of light-headed but it didn't get as bad as last time, at least. As I said, I will likely need to eat/drink more, and just get used to the distance.
I did buy a new saddle a few days ago, just to test it out and see. It isn't molded up in the back like the other one is, but the part near the nose is wider so it still digs into my butt, just in a different place. It hurt quite a bit today by the end of the ride. I still haven't decided if its any better or any worse. I can return it within 30 days though, so I'll give it another week or two.
I might ride tomorrow if I have time, but not far. I need to get used to getting back on the bike after a long ride. My first big trip to Marion/Cedar Rapids on Monday, hopefully I make it with no problems!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Backbone State Park
Oh look, a non-biking post! (mostly)
I love Backbone State Park. I've been there several times, and the scenery is always gorgeous. This time, my family was camping there for a week, so I popped over there for a night. I brought my bike but only rode about 10 miles, so not much to say on that. Pictures are worth more anyway, so, here we go:
The rest of the pictures (along with previous trips) are here: Backbone State Park
I love Backbone State Park. I've been there several times, and the scenery is always gorgeous. This time, my family was camping there for a week, so I popped over there for a night. I brought my bike but only rode about 10 miles, so not much to say on that. Pictures are worth more anyway, so, here we go:
The rest of the pictures (along with previous trips) are here: Backbone State Park
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Road to RAGBRAI: Drained and Unraveled
Distance: 52.5 mi / 84.5 km
Time: 4 hours 32 minutes
Route Taken: North Riverside, Cedar Valley Nature Trail
The post title is more of a description of events than it is my mental state. But more on that in a bit.
The weather website promised good cycling weather; sunny, warm, small wind from the south. While it was right on most of those, it was at no point blowing from the south. It blew from the east, actually, which is the direction I decided to go. The wind wasn't strong enough to really make a difference, so I wasn't too worried about it.
I thought about taking my usual loop, but I ultimately decided on going straight through Waterloo down the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. This trail ends up in Cedar Rapids (an hour drive away, or 62 miles to the very north part of town according to Google). Of course I wasn't going to go quite that far, but as this is a ride I'm planning on making, I figured it would be a good idea to scout out the northern leg of the trip.
I left pretty early, as I knew this ride would take me 6 or so hours to complete. It turned out to be pretty hot out today, so I probably should start leaving even earlier than that. The trails were pretty much deserted for the first hour or two of my trip. I took the trail on the northern side of the Cedar River, as opposed to the southern side as I usually do. Everything past Highway 218 was going to be new to me. I found the first part of the trip nice and relaxing, as it was mostly shaded by trees. I could tell that this area was one that would be under water when we get floods every few years. The trail ran alongside a lake at one point, and it was only about 2 feet above the waterline. My theory was proven when the trail ramped up onto the levee. Someone had drawn lines where the flood had reached previous years. The highest, of course, was in 2008, when we had a pretty nasty flood through the entire area. I don't think we'll really have to worry about it much this year, however, as it has been pretty dry this whole summer so far.
The trail ran down by the river once again when I reached downtown Waterloo, and I reached what looked like orange construction barriers in my path. I was circling back around to find a detour when a man in construction clothes came up to me and said "It's not actually blocked off, the fences are staggered." The gap between the two was pretty tight, but not so bad that I had to get off my bike. It did feel sort of like an obstacle course, though.
There was another one of these kinds of gates a bit further down the trail, at a railroad crossing. I did have to get off my bike for this one, which I think was by design. There was a train, but it was so far down the tracks that I didn't really have much to worry about.
I was still in Waterloo when I noticed that both my handlebar tape and my bandage on my finger (a burn) were both starting to come undone. The bandage was under my gloves, so it wouldn't have flown off or anything, but the handlebar tape was starting bug me. I had to stop for a few minutes and attempt to re-wrap it. I will have to do a better job later, but my patch job held, at least.
The trail took me next through Evansdale. It ran along a pretty busy road for about a mile, which made me a bit nervous. The drivers seemed to be pretty used to cyclists though. I never get entirely comfortable riding on the street, however, since there are some drivers that are oblivious, or malicious, or just completely incapable of driving period. As I would come out the loser in a fight between car and bike, I try to pay attention to what is going on.
South of Evansdale, the trail began to go through typical Iowa wilderness. By that, I mean cornfields. Sometimes there was a narrow band of trees on either side of the trail, but you could still see the fields through them. There were enough trees around to house plenty of bugs, though, and a lot of them seemed suicidal enough to dive in front of me. I had to wipe bug guts off of my sunglasses a couple times, and spit out a couple of them too. At least I didn't swallow any.
My next town I reached was Gilbertville, which I passed through in a matter of 10 seconds. One of those little Iowa towns that has about 10 streets total. After that, it was pure cornfields again.
I had been thinking about where to turn around, whether it was at 25 miles in, or at the next town (La Porte City). I wasn't sure when the town would be, so I decided to go a certain distance past 25 miles on my odometer. If I reached the town first, I would turn around, if I reached the number first, I would turn around then. It happened that I reached the number of miles first, so I took a U-turn and headed back towards home. After looking at the map when I got back, I was only about a mile and a half out from La Porte City. I suppose I'll get there next time, then.
The trip back to civilization was pretty uneventful, aside from my butt starting to hurt a lot, and an increasing desire to urinate. I knew there wasn't a gas station close to the trail in Gilbertville, so I had to make it back to Evansdale. It wasn't really an emergency, though, and I stopped for a break at a gazebo on the river. My mom happened to call me while I was resting, so the break stretched to about half an hour long, which was probably good. I don't think I take long enough breaks sometimes.
I was just south of Highway 20 when I started to feel really lightheaded. As I had drank a lot of water and Gatorade, I knew it was because I hadn't eaten enough. This event turned the "stop to pee" break into "stop to pee, eat, rest, walk around, and get out of the sun". I stopped at a Caseys General store, took care of business, filled up my water bottle (from the faucet, not myself), and bought another bottle of Gatorade. There wasn't much option for food, though. I settled on a bacon cheeseburger, although I would have preferred something that wasn't hot. After I started to eat it, though, it was utterly delicious. I could have probably eaten two or three of them, I was so hungry. I stuck with one, though, as I didn't feel like paying restaurant prices at a gas station more than I had to.
I set off on the way home again and only had to stop one more time. The wind was at my back for a lot of the trip home, which was a relief, and a pretty welcome change from last time I rode a long distance. I stopped because of my butt (again!) and because I figured I should at least drink more fluids as it was getting pretty hot outside.
Aside from nearly hit by a turning car on Main Street (stupid college girls), I made it home alright. My legs seem fine, but my butt still hurts a bit. I know it's the saddle, because the back of it digs into my rear end pretty hard. I will try to adjust it a bit before investing in a new one (as this one cost me a lot of money), but I might have to do just that. I also have realized that I need to take in a bit more food before and during the rides. I also went through three 20oz bottles of water and about 50oz of Gatorade. I would have ran out, had I not stopped at the store. I guess I also need to re-think how much fluids I take, as well, as my rides will just get longer. It's good to work these issues out now, however, instead of realizing this all on RAGBRAI and being in major trouble.
I may ride tomorrow, I'm not sure yet. I'm pretty happy with how today went, as I can tell I'm getting stronger, and the issues are starting to work themselves out (or at least present themselves so I can fix them)
This was my route today:
Time: 4 hours 32 minutes
Route Taken: North Riverside, Cedar Valley Nature Trail
The post title is more of a description of events than it is my mental state. But more on that in a bit.
The weather website promised good cycling weather; sunny, warm, small wind from the south. While it was right on most of those, it was at no point blowing from the south. It blew from the east, actually, which is the direction I decided to go. The wind wasn't strong enough to really make a difference, so I wasn't too worried about it.
I thought about taking my usual loop, but I ultimately decided on going straight through Waterloo down the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. This trail ends up in Cedar Rapids (an hour drive away, or 62 miles to the very north part of town according to Google). Of course I wasn't going to go quite that far, but as this is a ride I'm planning on making, I figured it would be a good idea to scout out the northern leg of the trip.
I left pretty early, as I knew this ride would take me 6 or so hours to complete. It turned out to be pretty hot out today, so I probably should start leaving even earlier than that. The trails were pretty much deserted for the first hour or two of my trip. I took the trail on the northern side of the Cedar River, as opposed to the southern side as I usually do. Everything past Highway 218 was going to be new to me. I found the first part of the trip nice and relaxing, as it was mostly shaded by trees. I could tell that this area was one that would be under water when we get floods every few years. The trail ran alongside a lake at one point, and it was only about 2 feet above the waterline. My theory was proven when the trail ramped up onto the levee. Someone had drawn lines where the flood had reached previous years. The highest, of course, was in 2008, when we had a pretty nasty flood through the entire area. I don't think we'll really have to worry about it much this year, however, as it has been pretty dry this whole summer so far.
The trail ran down by the river once again when I reached downtown Waterloo, and I reached what looked like orange construction barriers in my path. I was circling back around to find a detour when a man in construction clothes came up to me and said "It's not actually blocked off, the fences are staggered." The gap between the two was pretty tight, but not so bad that I had to get off my bike. It did feel sort of like an obstacle course, though.
There was another one of these kinds of gates a bit further down the trail, at a railroad crossing. I did have to get off my bike for this one, which I think was by design. There was a train, but it was so far down the tracks that I didn't really have much to worry about.
I was still in Waterloo when I noticed that both my handlebar tape and my bandage on my finger (a burn) were both starting to come undone. The bandage was under my gloves, so it wouldn't have flown off or anything, but the handlebar tape was starting bug me. I had to stop for a few minutes and attempt to re-wrap it. I will have to do a better job later, but my patch job held, at least.
The trail took me next through Evansdale. It ran along a pretty busy road for about a mile, which made me a bit nervous. The drivers seemed to be pretty used to cyclists though. I never get entirely comfortable riding on the street, however, since there are some drivers that are oblivious, or malicious, or just completely incapable of driving period. As I would come out the loser in a fight between car and bike, I try to pay attention to what is going on.
South of Evansdale, the trail began to go through typical Iowa wilderness. By that, I mean cornfields. Sometimes there was a narrow band of trees on either side of the trail, but you could still see the fields through them. There were enough trees around to house plenty of bugs, though, and a lot of them seemed suicidal enough to dive in front of me. I had to wipe bug guts off of my sunglasses a couple times, and spit out a couple of them too. At least I didn't swallow any.
My next town I reached was Gilbertville, which I passed through in a matter of 10 seconds. One of those little Iowa towns that has about 10 streets total. After that, it was pure cornfields again.
I had been thinking about where to turn around, whether it was at 25 miles in, or at the next town (La Porte City). I wasn't sure when the town would be, so I decided to go a certain distance past 25 miles on my odometer. If I reached the town first, I would turn around, if I reached the number first, I would turn around then. It happened that I reached the number of miles first, so I took a U-turn and headed back towards home. After looking at the map when I got back, I was only about a mile and a half out from La Porte City. I suppose I'll get there next time, then.
The trip back to civilization was pretty uneventful, aside from my butt starting to hurt a lot, and an increasing desire to urinate. I knew there wasn't a gas station close to the trail in Gilbertville, so I had to make it back to Evansdale. It wasn't really an emergency, though, and I stopped for a break at a gazebo on the river. My mom happened to call me while I was resting, so the break stretched to about half an hour long, which was probably good. I don't think I take long enough breaks sometimes.
I was just south of Highway 20 when I started to feel really lightheaded. As I had drank a lot of water and Gatorade, I knew it was because I hadn't eaten enough. This event turned the "stop to pee" break into "stop to pee, eat, rest, walk around, and get out of the sun". I stopped at a Caseys General store, took care of business, filled up my water bottle (from the faucet, not myself), and bought another bottle of Gatorade. There wasn't much option for food, though. I settled on a bacon cheeseburger, although I would have preferred something that wasn't hot. After I started to eat it, though, it was utterly delicious. I could have probably eaten two or three of them, I was so hungry. I stuck with one, though, as I didn't feel like paying restaurant prices at a gas station more than I had to.
I set off on the way home again and only had to stop one more time. The wind was at my back for a lot of the trip home, which was a relief, and a pretty welcome change from last time I rode a long distance. I stopped because of my butt (again!) and because I figured I should at least drink more fluids as it was getting pretty hot outside.
Aside from nearly hit by a turning car on Main Street (stupid college girls), I made it home alright. My legs seem fine, but my butt still hurts a bit. I know it's the saddle, because the back of it digs into my rear end pretty hard. I will try to adjust it a bit before investing in a new one (as this one cost me a lot of money), but I might have to do just that. I also have realized that I need to take in a bit more food before and during the rides. I also went through three 20oz bottles of water and about 50oz of Gatorade. I would have ran out, had I not stopped at the store. I guess I also need to re-think how much fluids I take, as well, as my rides will just get longer. It's good to work these issues out now, however, instead of realizing this all on RAGBRAI and being in major trouble.
I may ride tomorrow, I'm not sure yet. I'm pretty happy with how today went, as I can tell I'm getting stronger, and the issues are starting to work themselves out (or at least present themselves so I can fix them)
This was my route today:
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