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I've Got Something to Say
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| Ride Stats |
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Time: 05:30:21
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Distance:
75.69 miles
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Max Speed:
40.70 mph
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Avg Speed:
13.70 mph
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Altitude Gain:
0 ft
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Route:
WT - New Glarus to Beloit
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Weight:
0
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Category: training: general -
solo
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Terrain: Road: Hills
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Bike: Fuji Newest Road
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Club: None |
| Weather Conditions: rolled through a thunder storm te 3-5 miles before the first rest stop |
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During the night there were a couple thunder storms that rolled through the area – some bright lightening and loud thunder. When I got up, a little after 6:00 AM, it was still raining pretty steadily. The first thing to do every morning on a tour like this is to turn on The Weather Channel, or local news broadcast, to get the forecast for the day. Radar was showing the thunder cell moving out of our area and that it should be a pretty clear day the rest of the way. Today’s route also provided a ‘short route’ option. This option would be to follow the bike trail that passed directly behind our hotel and would take us to the town for Brodhead, the lunch stop for the day, and make it a 25 mile ride to lunch, instead of 52 miles. Since lunch was at a restaurant, getting there ‘earlier’ would not be a problem – the restaurant is open all day. However, the trail is not a paved path; it is packed limestone, like the KATY trail. Two things to consider on taking the short route is a) its flat, but that means pedaling practically the whole way since there is no downhill to coast down, and b) with the rain the trail could be a little soft in places requiring more pedaling to keep rolling, on top of all that slop being flung by the tires and getting all over the bike, legs, etc. I pondered the short route option, because the quicker I got done with today’s ride the sooner I would be in my truck heading home – the sooner I would be home. But the thought of the sloppy trail, and the shorter route would only save me about an hour and half of riding, plus the fact I do not have to ride my bike tomorrow (Saturday) means I don’t need to leave anything in the tank today – the 75 mile route from New Glarus to Beloit would be the way for me to go. Just so I didn’t feel rushed all day, the time table I was shooting for would be to roll into lunch by 12 noon and leave it by 1:00, to get into Beloit by 3:00 PM so I could cleanup, pack up and be on the road by 4:00 PM which would put me into my driveway at home right around 9:00 PM.
By time we started rolling out of the hotel around 7:45 AM, the sky was partly cloudy (clearing) and the roads were drying up pretty good – which means less road spray from the tires and getting less dirt & grime on the shoes & legs. I knew the day would be challenging – the terrain around New Glarus is very hilly – thus my mindset that I don’t have to worry about saving anything for tomorrow. I hit a nice downhill and started thinking that these roads/surroundings looked really familiar, then as I made the next turn I realized that I was on the road that Peggy & I got ‘lost’ on during Sunday’s ride – I was following the arrows correctly this time  ! About another mile down the road I started feel some drops of rain, then there was some lightening and thunder, and the rain started coming down harder. I was passed by three stronger riders and felt if they keep riding, I’ll keep riding. Eventually, after they were a couple hills ahead of me, I pulled under a clump of trees, pulled out my rain jacket and put it on to keep from getting to cold, as the rain continued to pour down. Surmising that it was just a few more miles to the rest stop and I was already soaking wet (couldn’t get much wetter), I rolled on, hoping that those riders that just passed me would be under some shelter (a barn, porch or something) and holler for me to stop & wait with them. No such luck, however, the rest stop was moved up a couple miles, thus appearing almost out of nowhere like an oasis in the desert. About that time the rain was letting up, the sky was clearing in the west and the birds were starting to sing – someone pointed out that as a sign of the weather turning more favorable.
Going south most of the morning put us into the wind, so soon after the rest stop we turned east and the average speed picked up – not having to fight the wind as much. I rolled into the Sand Burr Restaurant, just southeast of Brodhead at a couple minutes past twelve. I went in and joined Mike & Nancy Myers and George for lunch. After our delicious meal, we left with Pam (who lingered around from her lunch to socialize as much as possible) right around 1:00. As we made our way toward Beloit, we were heading back on the same roads that lead us out of Beloit (through Brodhead) last Sunday morning. I knew we’d be passing by that little white church – the sign caught my eye on Sunday but I didn’t bother to take a picture of it, I did today. The idea of an outside service is quite a curious concept to me – sometimes we need to think ‘outside of the box’. Since I stopped to take those pictures, I was a ways behind Pam, George, Mike & Nancy, so it was time to play ‘catch up’ – a ‘game within the game’ to challenge myself and help make the miles go by quicker. Well, I did catch them, about 12 miles later, just inside the Beloit city limits at a stop light, and rode the last couple miles with them to the hotel at 2:40 PM.
After cleaning the bike, and showering in an extra hotel room, my truck was loaded up and I hit the road for home right at 4:00 PM. Not long after stopping in Ogleby, IL to grab some dinner, I crossed paths with a thunderstorm. This was so intense – I turned off the cruise control, and eyeballed the car behind me in my rearview mirror; he slowed down too. I then proceeded straining to keep an eye on the taillights of the 18-wheeler 40-50 yards ahead of me, and watching to make sure no cars came plowing into my backside – especially during the brief moments where the rain was heavy and horizontal. That lasted for several minutes/miles before getting to just dark skies and dry roads. Then a few minutes later there was another thunder cell – not quite as bad but, still a little unnerving. After getting through that storm, it was time to call my mother and wish her a happy birthday, and finish the last couple hours of my drive home. I pulled into my driveway at 9:15 PM.
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