Dork?

My kids say I look dorklike in my new Walz cycling cap.

Pipes

"So I took off my hat and said "Imagine That!""

Many thanks to Mike and Tom at BRAMPTON BIKE & SKI in Gladstone, Michigan.

Lauren and Mike

Mike's a great guy, has a great shop . . . and directed us on a great ride!

Thanks Man . . . 

(and thanks to the Five Man Electrical Band)

On the other hand . . .

He did not warn us about the wild animals

or possible stray nuclear bombers

Who knew the UP was so dangerous?

It's a good thing this place has maps

Not that they did me any good, I somehow managed 19 miles on the East side of the park.

I have absolutely no idea where I was!

But . . . it was a blast . . .

Not so random photos

Between them, Lauren and Shanie have no idea what Dave is talking about!

I knew there had to be a way from Pioneer Rd to Ryan Rd!

HOLD ON TIGHT!

It's great to ride with your daughter!

Even if she looks like and Android . . . 

oops . . . after crash #1

good thing we had trained medical personnel

oops . . . after crash #2

(sorry Deb . . . )

By Random Chance

Style points are the most sought after of all

For those who can not tell (read:  men (!))

Note the remarkable, coincidental color coordination

As the others kept to the pavement

Lauren and I headed for gravel

Where else would you find this many geese?

Or scenery like this?

It was a great ride!

Spare parts

I don't think this is supposed to happen:

In short:  operator error!  These crank arms seem to have torque values

which I summarily ignored.

Fortunately, Pedro came to the rescue, and I was back on the road in two minutes

Just a little further up the road, and seven days earlier:

Have you ever tried to move a snapping turtle?

It might be easier to move a battleship . . . It ain't happenin'

Seems my intended good deed angered her.  As I circled around, she spun her body with me.  It was pretty cool to watch . . . she kept her head pointed straight at me.

If you think turtles are slow:  wrong . . . 

Every blogpost needs a couple of things:

First, photos of food and beer:

(from My last night in Rwanda)

And of course, a photo of a giant!

Six extra miles

OK, so here I am in Rwanda . . . taking a beautiful Saturday to do nothing (except work), figurin' I might as well write something about last week's Dirty Benjamin . . . 

and my time with John and Dan and Dan.

A BIG thanks to John for driving (to whom I still owe $20)

A BIG thanks to Dan for hosting us

and absolutely nothing to (the other) Dan 

To be fair, I would get a big nothing too (but what of that)

Weather was fabulous . . .  perhaps too nice for a bike race

(sorry for makin' a mess of your car)

Many of the local Duluth boys were in attendance

(pay attention now, this is serious business!)

From the look on John's face, he was payin' attention

Charlie on the other hand, well . . . he's just Charlie

(by the way Sir Charles, I picked up the Nut Goodie wrapper somewhere around mile 20)
Dan went the stealth route, trying to hide in the crowd

Since I was leaving for Africa shortly after the race, I decide to ride ORANGE 
and wear my old Wheaties jersey . . . and promised myself: "I will not race!"

(faked . . . not actual photo)
A BIG THANKS to Martin and Jason for organizing the event

and for keepin' us behind the green line . . . 
The morning could not have been finer (even if we were in Carolina)
 (feeble reference to old song)
And now . . . for a few random action photos . . .
ready . . . set . . . go!

I really shouldn't be takin' pics as I ride . . .

but it is kinda fun . . .

(I just like the photo)
I said goodbye to her at this point, more later . . . 
This guy . . . I just love his kit:

Who woulda' thought your could find an orange bike, and orange and lime green  jersey
with matching socks . . . 
OK . . . I really behaved myself, and did not race . . . it was just a bike ride
with a few new friends . . . At about mile 35ish, I was leading ten or so of these new friends up one of the only hills, when I heard my name shouted . . . loudly . . . 
Seems I missed a turn by a few hundred meters;  Since I was not racing, of course I was not looking at the cue cards so carefully stowed in my pocket.  Did my new friends wait for me, of course not!  Fast forward five miles, hard right turn . . . ride two miles up some road (with Rich not leading) . . . oops . . . we were supposed to have made an immediate left ...
back two miles we go . . . back on course . . . 
Mile 61, the checkpoint

refuel, and hang with Pete, my new best - best friend for 70 miles

Little did I know that even when reading cue cards
 Pete is prone to gettin' a bit off course  . . . 
(he might even have been involved in our four mile foray)
No worries . . . not racin' today anyway, and he's a great gut to spend time with
oops . . . another of those missed turns . . . a bit of work to catch up (again)
and who do we find?  Patti and company

who proceeds to tell me two things;
1) she doesn't even like pink
2) she won't even try to keep up to us, because she knows we'll make a few more wrong turns anyway . . . damn, the woman was right on . . .
When Pete and I do roll into the finish . . . Patti and company are right there
(it's amazing what eight wrong turns will do)
 . . . and explain this to me
How come if I wasn't racin'
Jeremiah (who at 6'7" makes big John look small)

and Farrow (winner of the OLD MAN CLASS)

look so good, while I look so wasted?

(that's my oldest daughter Lauren, who surprised me at the finish line!)
Can we blame it on my old, advanced age . . . or my 'cause I rode my single speed,
or even because I rode six extra miles?
I think not . . . 
Thanks Boys . . . It was a blast!

Riding Rwanda . . . day One

Many of you know I am travelling in Rwanda this week and next.

  Quite an interesting couple of projects.

Of course some of it will be bike related.

Ronald riding a Project Rwanda coffee bike
PROJECT RWANDA

more details and photos later . . .

The Best Thing

One of the best things about being old and feeble . . . 

Is your Friends let you ride in the Easy Chair all day . . .  

Thanks guys!

Waitin' for the team car

It was a beautiful morning

In spite of a double flat (2 torn valve stems) at mile 13

"Mile 13" I think . . . hmmm . . . can't be, it's Sunday

Of course I'm ridin' solo

So, if I'm a gonna wait on the team car

It might as well be someplace nice.  Only a 1/4 mile hike

Funny . . . this place has given me trouble before:

Exact same place, six months earlier

Today's wait was nicer

All I saw . . .

For the final 30 miles of a 100+ mile ride

all I saw was:

A BIG THANKS TO JIM MURRAY from ST LOUIS for haulin' my sorry butt home

I owe you big time man . . .