march madness, day 2...

Yesterday escaped work early for an adventure, plan was to head somewhere I hadn't been before. With a strong SSW my direction was sort of determined for me. As I cleared town I remembered the water bottle I had jettisoned in my first crash on SW 40th on the snowy day that I later crashed & hurt my wrist which was like 5 weeks ago & it's still a bit sore. I scanned the roadway & ditches as I passed the crash site, yep there it is! Kind of amazing I found it, no lid though. I didn't grab it, I'll get it when I'm coming in from a ride some day.

The wind...oh the wind. I decided Wilber would be my first stop, that was a seriously tough 36 miles. White rock, dried ruts, deep gravel, & the wind made it a super-grind. This barren section of MMR @ SW 114th & Olive Creek looked inviting...why not?
Looking back on the just traveled section, not bad. That low portion was soft & I had to ride the edge...
As I remounted I looked down, no freakin' way! So I'm on my first section of dirt in 2010 & I spy a fiver, suh-weet! I spent a couple minutes scanning the surrounding area for more of the same, nothing. Anyway...I parlayed the five into some powerball & pick-5's in Wilber.
Ok, new territory. Headed South out of Wilber working my way down to Dewitt. Now, officially, I have no plan. I stopped & paid homage to this jumbo cottonwood, rolled through what's left of Dewitt & headed SSE along a road skirting the tracks which I assumed would end up in Beatrice. This area is flat as flat can be, I might of enjoyed the flats a little more but that damn wind was pounding me from the right side. This diagonal was fittingly called Railroad St. or Rd. & eventually merged into North Blue Ridge Rd. Yep, new territory.
50 miles in I arrived at what I decided would be "the turn", SW 103rd & Hickory. By the turn I mean, now I will have the wind at my back as I head East. The push felt good but I soon encountered some of the deepest white rock thus far compounded with heavy truck traffic from a refinery (I think). I wanted to get over to the gas station on Hickory & HWY 77 on the North end of Beatrice but after getting buzzed by multiple semi's kicking up dust & rock I bailed at SW 45th to begin my race North. SW 45th jogged & became SW 42nd, all of sudden this started to look familiar. C-bread, Coach & I had traveled this road going the other direction a few winter's ago. Actually that was the ride that C-bread told me about DK & I decided that a ride of that distance was ridiculous:) Below: SW 42nd MMR, another gentle giant...
It wasn't until HWY 41 that the roads went from a technical challenge to something I could really open up the legs up on with the help of the tailwind. I was in Cortland before I knew it. This is the first picture I've had the chance to take while moving, until yesterday I have always had a coat or vest on & I can't get at my camera on the fly...

To wrap things up...hit S. 25th, in great shape by the way, caught the Jamaica along the way, also in great shape, & cruised back into the capitol city. I had the hammer down & I didn't even acknowledge the spot where I trashed my wrist on that snowy day.

It was the classic " a few miles short" ride & had to "get creative" once I hit town which involved a buzz through the Haymarket. Rolled into my drive with the odometer showing 100.0 miles. Looking back...I earned that one, that first 50 was a bitch.

So yesterday 60 something degrees, a hint of sunburn on my left arm. Right now as I look out the window, heavy snow. See some of you tomorrow...

Later,

TK