the silo...

Sunday, the day after. GLGA hangover for sure. Got up yesterday @ 3 a.m., rode to D St. at 4:30 a.m., rode to the Mopac Trailhead, raced 141.5 miles & then rode home. Gathered downtown @ 9:00 p.m. but still managed to get to bed by 11:30 p.m. I'm old, I'm feeling it today. Cornbread, Skip, & myself rallied at noon today for a 3 hour journey up to the silo, NW 12th & Little Salt. Pace was subdued, just what the doctor ordered. Below: C-bread stops to remove a bee from inside his jersey...

The silo. This is a bizarre place, it looks like someone lives here. The gate is chained & locked, the guard shack has a satellite dish & christmas lights on it?
Looking south from the gate, gorgeous day...
Later,

TK

lets do it...

bike's dialed, see all you fools in the morning:)

tuesday nighter...

I had nothing for this week's TNC session, found myself mostly TT-ing off the back. I did notice the dumpster on the course smelled like Dr. Pepper.

I like Dr. Pepper...
later,

TK

grasshopper & arm warmer hundee...

5:30 am at D st, I confessed to Cornbread..."I can only ride for 12 hours today, sorry". Sounds funny, but we had big plans. Pre-ride the whole GLGA course to verify the cue sheets & look for any problems was the mission. Other fools in attendance: FOB, JB, M-dub, & MG. Ride started out in the low 50's, arm warmers were out. It's August right?

crazy dawn lowland fog...
First issue, actually the second, C-bread flatted right before this. Bridge is done just not officially open yet. Some friendly construction type guys gave us the green light...
beautiful out...
More trouble, pinch flat time. His 2nd flat of the day & we're only about 30 miles in...
BO Rd. behind us, but NW 40th alps ahead...
"Lincoln is that way". Not yet man, 10 more miles to Valpo...
FOB arrives...
New look RC...
chillaxin', Saunders Co. style...
visiting with one of the locals...
Our party divided at Valpo. I decided if I was going to be able to ride the whole course & still make my 12 hour deadline (home by 5:30 pm) I needed to start pushing the pace. C-bread & I rolled off heading to Malcolm & then Denton for our next 2 stops. Below: always a friendly face in Denton...
unsure...
a classic...
I must be having fun...
We made it to Cortland, 33 miles to go. This is the section that has eluded us due to darkness & disaster on our two previous attempts. Below: tunnel of corn, a newly discovered MMR section...
BTW - C-bread's tire has had a slow leak since before Malcolm. He's been airing it up every so often, bad tire-luck day is an understatement. We had to get out of this guy's way while pumping up his rear tire, we later passed him back. Friendly local for sure, waving & smiling.
Wrap up. We crushed the last hundee of the ride, 17.1 avg. back to the Mopac Trailhead. I rolled into my driveway at 5:46, 16 minutes late. Pretty good. Showered & sitting down at The Oven downtown at 6:15.

156.6 for the day, not bad. Good folks, good day.

Oh yeah...grasshoppers. They were everywhere today. Had one catch a ride on my front straddle cable & another hitched a ride on my shoulder for a few miles.

Later,

TK

thank god its friday, didn't think I'd make it...

a dump...

not the only Jetta with issues...

big bumble bee in there somewhere...
Coach & I got out for a 50 mile BO loop Sunday afternoon, very nice...
tucked in behind Butch on the way to the bank yesterday afternoon...
garden is winding down, but still producing...
good news...new phones on the horizon at work, better camera I hope...

Have a good week:)

Later,

TK

day 3...

http://www.history.com/content/woodstock/august-17-1969

Tonight: http://www.history.com/content/woodstock

day 2...

huge day: http://www.history.com/content/woodstock/august-16-1969

Day one bike adventure ended up being an expensive one. New RD & free hub body for sure. Otherwise...all good, the rain made getting out at all iffy.

64.5

Later,

TK

day 1...

for those of you who can...tune in, turn on to XM 40 for the 40th anniversary. I plan on letting my freak flag fly all weekend!

History Channel website has complete set lists.

I'll admit I've never seen this dude before, but he's got some great hair & he was part of Day 1. The crowd shots are always great.

love one another:)

TK

recovery...?

silo? sw72nd & HWY33-ish...

a classic...
giant candles...

attempted shadows on the corn, not quite...

dusk, beautiful out...
2o miles of tailwind home...
the sun sets on the glga southern recon ride...
I never get home after dark...

60.8

recovered? after a tough TNC, nope. I'm hurting this morning, it was worth it.

Later,

TK

platte...

Somehow I always have plans on Sundays & the "bacon ride" was never a part of those plans. Don't get me wrong, my plans always involved riding my bike just not up to Platte. Maybe it was the fact that I had to roll out at 5:20am on the one day the dogs let me sleep past 4:00am-ish or maybe it was just because the ride had the word "bacon" in it (I'm vegetarian). Who knows? Hooked up with C-bread @ 5:30 & headed for the Mopac Trailhead. As we road we discussed who may or may not be there, MW was on our list of no-shows. Wrong! The only person there was MW, sorry we doubted you. He was on a shorter one today but road with the two of us to the Church Rd MMR. Great riding with you man...

Dawn on the Mopac. Should have smiled, it was beautiful out...
Thanks for the introduction to this themed ride & the stories of its history, I think we've seen this cheesy pose before...
On the return trip we found some rain, not a downpour but enough to make our drive trains suffer...
Back in Lincoln. The reward...
Spent some time cleaning up myself, my shoes, & the bike upon my return...

So...my bacon ride review: I've ridden to Platte plenty of times but never had a meal as the central theme. It was fun. Ran into Ryan, Roxy, & some other off-roaders finishing there pre-9:00am laps heading in for some grub. I'd do it again...just don't know when.

For CD...we detoured briefly to the Eagle Atlas missle site, our journey ended here...

Later,

TK

denouement...

The family birthday season ends today...with mine. My dad's the oddball, mid-July. I tried to keep it under the radar at work, it being on a Saturday & all, but a big cookie showed up after lunch. I love big cookies.

My wife rallied my bike riding crew(s) last night for a great time at Yia Yia's, man...I love her. I ate & drank until I felt sick, 2 quarts of root beer out of a mason jar. Munson you would of been proud of me. Vibe was awesome, thanks everyone!

Headed out at 7:00am this morning with MW, JB, MT, DK & new guy Kip for some birthday gravel, actually birthday Jamaica. Fought the wind out to Princeton & then MT & I motorpaced it back in with the tailwind, 40 miles all smiles:)

A wedding today & Bacon ride tomorrow (my first). No meat products for me but I'm sure I'll stuff myself on everything else, eating until I hurt is my m.o.

No TofKC for me, wierd. I've been down there for the last 5 years. There's always next year, no worries.

BTW - I'm 45. I feel great...and old.

Later,

TK

thinking of you, part 2...

Today is my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday! we love you...

thinking of you, part 1...

My brother's birthday today, Happy Birthday man!

Photo's relevance...my bro's a car guy, saw this classic about a month ago at a local repair shop. Other than that...not relevant.

later,

TK

pilgrimage...

Each year we gather forces & make the journey South, our destination...Czech Fest. Below: I wait patiently for my traveling companions, "cool, that cloud looks like a bunny".

kickin' it...
Jamaica out...
JT was rockin' the road bike w/ the skinnies for this gravelly adventure...
Gage Rd. misfire...
The Carmichaels were in the house...Dad, TJ, & Trevis. Below: Senior grinding it out into the crosswind, the beard flowing, magestic...
MT, JT, & Craigio enjoying this beautiful first day of August...
A little nibble of MMR...
Multiple rides departed Lincoln this morning. The two groups joined forces a couple miles shy of Wilber...
My new BFF's. They made the pilgrimage from Ogallala, she stated she was part Bohemian & had always wanted to make this journey. Here we are enjoying rasberry kolaches in front of my favorite Czech boulangerie. Her advice..."take advantage of life while your young, old age sneaks up on you". Nice folks.
boing, boing, boing. Kid on a pogo stick...
Ran into another group from Lincoln that came down on the road. Teammate Chet shows us his guns, 5 pull-ups at the Marines display won him a Marine hand towel...
So 4 kolaches wasn't enough & I found myself at the "free-will" cub scout breakfast. A $2 donation landed me 2 panckakes, "eggs", & an orange colored beverage...
The rest of the Lincoln gravel crew had the same breakfast plans...
MT explains our presence to a local...
The groups split up after breakfast, some wandered over to a local pub for some a.m. beer & we began our journey North. Below: Gage Rd. misfire going the other direction, we hooked up with Aaron G. for the journey home, not pictured, whoops...
Ahhhh...Gage Rd. MMR...
6+ hours...slow rollin' on soft gravel, my legs are tired. No hundee, just good times with some good people.

Later,

TK