cheap...

5:34am flight-time.  Like last Saturday, fully loaded.  Destination...?  My loose plan was just to head west, then NW, then make an in-ride decision as to what to do next.  I considered Stromsburg, but made it to just outside Shelby where I made "the turn".  I was having computer difficulties, partly self-inflicted, so my mileage was in question.  I was guessing I made the turn at around 70, but I think it was more like 65ish.

thick Seward Co. white rock...

Skirted Rising City & David City just to the South, then the Southern edge of Brainard and into the Bohemian Alps.  Working my way in, trying to stay West of Valpo to avoid coming into Lincoln by Kawasaki.  I hate ending a ride with that buzzkill approach to town.  Ended up coming in on W. VanDorn, it worked.

gravelly double-track freeway...

Mentioned I was fully loaded.  With the exception of 4 "natural" breaks in the first 4 hours (guess I was hydrated, huh), I didn't make any refuel stops.  Had everything I needed on board.  Ate three PowerBar Triple Threat's, 4 Hammer Solids, 2 GU's, a bagel with peanut butter, & a little over 100 oz. of water.  Convenience stores are time/avg. killers, you think your just there for a couple minutes & before you know it 20 has gone by.  So I'm going to call this, and last Saturday's jam, self-supported outings. 8 hours 26 minutes door to door.  8 hours 16 minutes (guessing) was spent riding, oh yeah!  Money spent while on the ride...zero dollars.  Cheap.  Did I want a soda & chips from a convenience store from hour 6 on?  Hell yeah I did!

some exposed B's were dry & fast...

I had sort of planned, sort of, to loop around and try to cross paths with those on the "bang a gong" ride.  By 10:00ish though I was way up by Shelby & it it was obvious it just wasn't happening.  Bet it was a good time, what a beautiful day.  I've got the sunburn to prove it...

hey guys!  btw - there is a thin wire fence on the side of the road...

Later,

tk

the hole...

last weekend felt a lot like summer, hot & humid.  like we skipped spring, but since Monday it was pretty much all rain & clouds.  felt like spring.  the trails & B roads are going to take a few days to dry out again, assuming the rain subsides.  Looks like we had a wee bit more last night...

gravel though, that's another story.  wet roads, packed in by vehicular traffic have left the surface pavement like. dust free as well...

 last night was a hole in the gloomy weather. 60's, partly cloudy, lower humidity.  felt good...

 ode to spring-bar wrap...

bring on the weekend, couldn't come soon enough...

have fun,

tk

worked...

business trip on saturday.  5:40 am out the door, wind blowing but forecast to get even worse as the day warmed up.  I needed to see if the 42x18 with full TI load was going to fly.  It was very manageable.  110 oz. of water, some food, lights, & bags.  what you see is what I'm calling the fair weather TI setup, hope this will be the case...

 i'm still looking for those damn jackrabbits I saw on this stretch 3 years ago, no luck...

this is one of 5 stops I made in my 6 hour jam. I was planning on no stops but I had to pee right after sun-up (2 cups of coffee related), then I made these two brief picture stops, later I saw Ron & Mike Marsh, & then I saw Scott Noel.  like I said bid-ness trip...

so basically 50 straight into it & 50 straight back. simple. ok, say farewell to Strava.  killed my phone battery again, probably more battery related than anything.  I rode way further last year with strava running & had plenty of battery left.  also with at&t's shitty coverage in our area, my phone is probably searching for a signal half the time which would explain sketchy stats. once I plugged my phone in when I got home, strava editorialized the ride & drew a straight line from 14th & Yankee Hill back to the house.  the jam ended up just breaking a dollar, but I had to do a 3.5 mile Lincoln loop to get there. I'm calling the trip a success.

oh yeah...I forgot to mention I'm a mtb'r now, surprised ya didn't know that.  hell I think I'm even going to buy a NORBA license this week.  yesterday wood-nuts & myself headed out to Platte & put in 3 laps. trails are in great shape, good time.  I've ridden there before, once was on my road bike with KB.  we did a partial lap.  another was on my CX bike, I did a full lap which included going over the bars.  so yesterday was my first time out there on an ATB.  good times were had...

the new weapon

weekend's over...I'm worked.

tk

sometimes...

...it really is "closed ahead".

I hate turning around...

later,

tk

auger in...

windy as a...fill in your own expletive(s). maybe one of the hardest efforts I've ever put in to make it 40.68 miles before making the turn for the "free ride" back to my starting point.  High winds, loose/deep gravel, & 42x18 were the components for this lesson in diggin' deep.  That "free ride" I mentioned was a challenge in itself, the cross-tail on the way home was so vicious that I had to fight the forced drift towards the ditch, skating across the gravel into the even deeper stuff on the edges. Losing it going 30+ on gravel was not in the game plan... 

thought a 7:15 start might cheat the wind. wishful thinking, it was already
hammering SSW at 20...

a lot of this, out of the saddle (on the flat) trying to keep things rolling...   

a sheltered (much needed), get my shit back together moment...

part of a 4-mile stretch, mmr was all dry, but felt like riding on carpet...

mmr carved out of the landscape, a shelter from the wind & a place where corn stalks go to die..

I've decided that strava is great for tracking my route, but just doesn't mesh with my computer which I believe to be accurate.  I've got to rely on one & since the strava app is on my iPhone in my pocket I'm going to go with what I can see on my bars.  Also the app drained my battery & my phone died on the journey.  I'm going with 80.29/14.1 avg.

As I write this post (5:30pm) I'm fighting to keep my eyes open, I'm that worked...



btw - "auger in", that's an Eki term from TI last year, love that expression...

to all that fought the fight today...hell yeah!

later,

tk

just hide...

Sunday's wind was ridonculous.  After a small victory on Saturday, the wind had the final say on Sunday by turning it up a few more notches.  Lets call it the last laugh.  I went out just to say I went out but it was a feeble effort...

More wind last evening, but my plan was for some calculated hiding out.  Much wildlife was seen...deer, turkeys, Schmidty's beard, & geese honking overhead...



Folks were confused by the warmup, I was in jersey & shorts but some others still weren't trusting the weather & had arm and leg warmers going.

Spring is here, mostly...

tk

close enough...

in the end, it was a good day.  sorry wind, I win.

Strava says 59.1/3:56:00, my computer said 60.5/3:56:06. So I either rode 60 or I didn't & I didn't make it 4 hours either way you look at it.  Whatever, close enough...

tk

its here...

friday, oh yeah!



enjoy the weekend, please.

t-nuts