Faulters & GeoBike
The snow is gone - time to get rolling on down the road !!!
The snow is gone - time to get rolling on down the road !!!
Gone are the white flakes of winter (and it's about time....), the flowers are starting to take center stage (yea!!), and biking season is in the wings. Sorry about the delay in posting the GeoBIke goodies. I was on vacation last week discovering beautiful Belize on a sail boat and was without an internet connection the whole time. Boy did that feel good! But, I'm back home now to time to roll out the goods. And like our little friends on the poster, don't forget the bikes.....
T.J. and Wes have been hard at work on RAGBRAI XXXVIII and if you've tuned into the RAGBRAI site, you know that the ride is across northern Iowa. Weather conditions aside, this should be an easy ride. This year we launch from Sioux City. Our overnight host towns are Storm Lake, Algona, Clear Lake, Charles City, Waterloo, and Manchester. We end the ride in Dubuque. The ride will can best be described as "Easy", so if you're harboring any thoughts of doing the ride, this would be an ideal year to "test the waters".
Day 1 is from Sioux City to Storm Lake and will be the most difficult in terms of climb. After an relatively flat start going northeast out of town, the route turns eastward and will traverse the Loess Hills. The big rollers last for about 15 miles then settle down a bit. Besides, once you get to Storm Lake, you can take a nice dip in the lake! We do almost 69 miles and have 3691 feet of climb.
Day 2 is from Storm Lake to Algona. For those of you who want to bag a century, be sure and follow the signs for the Karras Loop. This day will be the exact opposite from the day 1 - Flat!!. We do almost 80 miles but only 1083 feet of climb.
Day 3 is from Algona to Clear Lake. Wonder what the Surf ballroom has in store? Make sure to enjoy a dip in the lake. This day will be flat like day 2 only shorter. We only do 63 miles and 1007 feet of climb.
Day 4 is from Clear Lake to Charles City. This day is like a carbon copy of day 3. We only do 51 miles and 1180 feet of climb.
Day 5 is from Charles City to Waterloo. Unlike most of the ride, this day is primarily to the south. We're scheduled to go through Parkersburg. For those of you who don't know, Parkersburg was severely damaged by an F5 tornado last year. At 77 miles, this will be another long day. Our climb picks up also with 2603 feet of climb.
Day 6 is from Waterloo to Manchester. The twin spires of the St. Francis Xavier Basilica are an impressive sight coming into Manchester. We throttle back the mileage to 62 miles. The climb eases off a little at 2292 feet of climb.
Day 7 is from Manchester to Dubuque. Just outside of Dyersville, the route goes by the "Field of Dreams" movie site. Baseball anyone? This is a short day at only 47 miles. The climb picks back up with 2566 feet of climb.
As I previously mentioned, weather conditions aside, this should be an easy ride. There are plenty of short days for those of you who want to try the ride for a day or two. Please do! My hope is that with the easier ride, you'll be able to soak up more of the countryside. In Sioux City take some time to explore their network of bike trails that shadow the Missouri River and take in the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. In Dubuque check out the Mississippi River Museum. Of course, there are tons of things to see and do everyday on the route and I hope you take some time to enjoy them. One of the things you'll see that may be new to some of you are the many wind turbines that now decorate the landscape.
Well, the trainer is beckoning to me. Got to keep racking up the miles. Hope you can too. I hope to see you all out on the road. Cheers everyone!
Ketch