a little something like this...

I had told Dennis this was to be my first foray into the realm of the overnight ride. It wasn't really that cold, wind had died down, & as complete darkness set in we clicked on our lights. I can do this!? It wasn't long before we made our first wrong turn & from that point on we jointly navigated. Dennis went from good to bad in a matter of no time, he was tired (no shit) & still feeling the effects of his earlier dehydration. Benton-Iowa Rd. alps, are you kidding me! Huge gravel walls, one after another. I was feeling really good while he was at his lowest, probably a good balance, helluva a lot better than both of us in a dark place simultaneously.

We clawed, crawled, poured ourselves into Belle Plaine. I'm not sure but I feel like it was well past midnight, doesn't matter much now. I sat on the pavement outside the convenience store, peeled off my tattered Defeet shoe covers (had those babies for many years) & threw them in the trash. I pulled out my thermal shoe covers & I was good to go. Nothing really happened but Dennis seemed a bit more motivated after our pitstop. We rolled out & it was a just a few minutes later that we ran into Mr. Ek & Mr. Farrow. Hey guys! The power of four rallied Dennis's spirits, mine as well.

Dennis took back the primary navigational role & set a pace that Tim, Charlie, & I would find challenging to say the least. He was killing the hills & we were scrambling to follow. He wasn't trying to drop us he was just riding his ass off & as a result we were pushed to our limits but covering a bunch of ground. The night was flying by! Huge climbs followed by 30+ mph descents, over & over again.

Then...bam! There they were, John & Sean. We had been hauling ass but John had been battling flats. Dennis gave John his pump & we rolled on, we all knew once they got that tire fixed we would see that freight train go whistling by again. Prior to running into the two leaders I had rolled up to Dennis & told him that we wished him well & wanted him to leave us if he wanted. He was riding way stronger & we didn't want to hold him back, we could find our way. Plus he was killing us. He said he would stay with us but seeing Sean & John changed the game. Dennis lit the afterburner & disappeared into the night.

What time did all this happen? 4am-ish? Not long after, I began to have trouble keeping my focus. Oh shit, sleepy time. Drifting off. I shook my head, coherent for a few seconds then nearly nodding off the next. A few light slaps to the face proved to be the best medicine. It was the gentle glow of the dawn that revived me, that & a 1 mile hike of a sloppy B Rd., our last I believe. I failed to mention that Sean & John did blow by us after their repairs, "where's Dennis?" John asked. "Up the road" we responded.

It was our 2nd sunrise of the event. Tim, Charlie, & I had become a team. Our mission was to get to the finish. My motivation...if I can finish this event, I won't have to come back! We were all hurting, tired, but driven. Charlie had been suffering through the night, but the warrior that he is kept him in the fight, unable to succumb. DBD for F^%#'s sake. I had been reading this crew's motto on the back of Tim's Camelback all night, "death before dishonor".

I was doing "ok", at first my right knee was starting to bother me but it ended up being my left that gave me the most trouble. My quads aching from pedaling for how many hours? Rider up the road...it's Sean, he's cooked. Now it's us three with John & Dennis somewhere ahead, 40 to go? I have no idea. 20 to go, it's John. Another flat! Now its us three with just Dennis up the road. Remember he gave John his pump, hope that doesn't bite him in the ass.

Tim & I can smell the finish. We see Charlie drop back & we push on. He's not done, just burying himself to turn over the pedals, pushing through the pain. That 14 was a blur. We traded pulls for the first 4-5 & then Tim took the front for the remainder. "I'm barely hanging on man" I told Tim, he was counting down the miles for me, willing me in. Grinnell was right there!

We made it, Charlie was less than 10 minutes behind us. Tim took the well deserved 2nd, me 3rd, & Charlie 4th. Gravel glory!

Dennis had soloed for the win, so sweet. Congratulations and thanks for riding with me. I've known Dennis for years, just never knew what an animal he can be. You earned it buddy.

Tim, Charlie...we'll always have TIv7. Friends for life.

Later,

TK