Lunch Anyone? Shenandoah Sounds Good.

My brother, Jason, the author of his blog, Laughing Right Out Loud, is coming out for a visit next week, and I want to show him a good time.

The plan is to ride Sunday, October 24, from Midtown Crossing to Shenandoah, Iowa for lunch and Coronas at El Portal, and then ride back in time for dinner, possibly with more Coronas.

The pace would be relaxed, trying to keep an average of 15 MPH on the Wabash Trace. We'd likely leave around 6am and plan to be back in Omaha by 5pm-6pm. Estimated round trip distance: 120 miles.

Any and all are welcome.

Please see the route below:

Omaha to Shendoah

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Click here to view the map at Bikely.com

It's Going Around: Single Speed Fever

A curious malady is making the rounds in my barn. Symptoms of single speed fever are spreading.

My true single speed, the 1976 Schwinn Le Tour II is now my favored city bike and fair weather commuter. There's a 40 tooth chainring on the front and a 17 tooth freewheel on one side of the rear hub, and a 17 tooth track cog fixed on the other side. I find that this combination is perfect for me for tooling around town tackling the typical hills in my stomping grounds. With the addition of a new saddle, I'm all the more eager to spend a lot of time on this bike.

I've gotten comfortable standing to climb, spinning on the flats and coasting when the road turns downward.

This weekend I went to clean about 100 miles of Nebraska gravel road dust and Iowa Wabash Trace crushed limestone dust from my Specialized Tricross when I noticed something odd about the cassette.

A couple of Sundays ago combined a Bacon Ride with my first century ride, and last week I did a Taco Ride. Without realizing it, I'd been riding the Tricross as if it were single speed; standing to climb and spinning when not climbing. I got into a nice pace and spent most of the time pedaling.

As I got my degreaser and cleaning rags ready, I noticed that all the cogs but one were covered with white dust. The one that was cleaner was obviously the one I'd been using for my recent rides. At 34 x 14, I was cycling at a gear ratio just a tad stiffer than on the single speed Schwinn.

This weekend, I grabbed the grocery panniers and my Trek 7300 hybrid and headed out to Whole Foods to stock up one some specialty items that I can't get at my local Bag & Save or Hy-Vee. With 35mm tires and a cargo rack, this is my hauling bike. Again, I noticed that I was doing all the pedaling in a similar gear ratio. I did have to shift down to climb out of the Papio Creek valley into my neighborhood, as I was loaded down with groceries.

Incidentally, I saw Rafal D. with Megan, and Steve O. with some friends at Whole Foods and talked for a moment with each.

So, look out. If you ride near where I ride, you might want to keep your distance. If your bike gets too close, you might find it, too, afflicted with single speed fever. I just hope single speed fever doesn't jump over to humans in the form of some kind of knee pain!

Taco Ride - Rainy Dark Edition

Not many words for this post. Check out the ride description at Tim's blog.

These fawns let me get about 4 feet away from them

Tim helps out by snapping a random group photo.

This rainbow over Silver City was much brighter to the eye than it appears here.

My First Taco Ride

Tonight Roxanne and I did our first Taco Ride. Basically the Taco Ride, if you don't know, is a weekly, Thursday night ride from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Mineola, Iowa where hundreds of cyclists gather to eat cheap tacos and drink cheap beer. The ride is 10 miles down the Wabash Trace, a crushed limestone trail that was once a rail line. You can learn more about the Taco Ride at http://tacoride.com/.

Earlier this week, Brady suggested that we go. He had never been either, so it was a new experience for all of us. Brady rode from downtown Omaha, and Roxanne and I brought our bikes to Lake Manawa and rode on in from there. We've been cycling for about a year and this was the first time that we have loaded our bikes up to drive somewhere for a ride. We had to run some errands after the ride, so having the truck was necessary, otherwise we may have ridden the entire time. I hope that doesn't sound like bike snobbery!

The ride was a lot of fun. The heat was made bearable by the wonderful canopy of trees shading the trail. The trail was in great condition, and the company was awesome.

I brought my trail camera. I must have had some setting off because many snaps turned out blurry, but I'll include them here, anyway.

Brady arrives at the trail head on his mountain bike.

Roxanne on the trail.

Brady's cruising.

Scott and Roxanne, a bit blurry.

It's crowded inside the Mineola Steak House. There's a wait to get a table inside.

It's crowded outside the Mineola Steak House. No open tables here, either, but there's room to sit along the walls and fences.

Small fries on a big plate. Another option for vegetarians.

I don't remember his name, but the guy in red shorts is a city planner. It's nice to have city planners who are also cyclists. He's got our back.

The Taco Ride is really something special. I urge all Omaha metro area cyclists to get on a bike, any bike except the ones with the skinniest road tires, and give it a try.

2009 Crank and ... Crank

On Friday, Biker Bob put out a call for a modified Crank and Camp ride. This time, all Crank... no Camp.

The idea was to meet at Blue Line at 7am, then cross the BK Pedestrian Bridge and ride to the Wabash Trace trail head. There we would meet up with some others, where Bob and Phil would ride to Missouri, turn around and head back before calling for a ride. Anyone was welcome to ride as far as they want, but everyone must provide for their own transport home, be it bike or SAG support. Bob and Phil will probably end up doing a 100+ miles before the end of the day.

Roxanne and I rode from home to the Blue Line where we met with Munson and Bob. BLC wasn't open yet, so Munson got some go-juice at Scooter's in the Holiday Inn. We crossed the bridge and headed toward the Wabash Trace. Roxanne and I rode back a ways while Bob and Munson rode on to meet Phil and Rafal.

Fast forward about 14 miles, one mile short of the trailhead. Bob, Munson, Phil and Rafal rode back on the Manawa Trail a ways to meet up with us. After a brief photo shoot, we all rode to the Wabash trailhead, and then about two miles down the gravel. Roxanne and I turned back and Munson joined us. I think Rafal went on to Silver City with Bob and Phil.

After a chatty ride back to downtown (in the rain), Roxanne, Munson and I had lunch at the Blue Line around 10am. Note: BLC isn't really set up for lunch at 10am, so be patient and kind when waiting for your meal that early in the morning.

After a nice lunch filled with more chat, we all headed back home. I think Munson had a full day planned with his fiancée, and Roxanne and I planned to take our daughter and her friend either to the zoo or the Renaissance Faire.

It was a lot of fun to meet up with all of the riders and share some cranks and conversation. I also welcomed the opportunity to introduce Roxanne to everyone. Finally, it was nice to meet Munson in person. We'd corresponded through the blogs mostly, but never talked face to face.

Total mileage for me and Roxanne: 42 miles. Not a bad ride at a time before many had even had lunch.

130 Mile Weekend. That Was Fun. Let's Do It Again.

Roxanne and I got back yesterday from our 130 mile round trip to Shenandoah, Iowa. Basically we rode the Wabash Trace down Thursday to Shenandoah, stayed in a hotel spending the night, then a full day of sightseeing, overnight again, and then rode back.

A sore knee, a squeaky chain, and mild sunburn were the worst parts of it. Everything else was all good.

Here are links to the posts from the travelblog:

• Shenandoah Trip, Spring 2009
• Almost Ready
• The 65 Mile Adventure - Part One, The Way Out
• Vacationing In Shenandoah
• The 65 Mile Adventure - Part Two, The Way Home

Wow, what fun. I can't wait to try something like this again.

Actually, there is an opportunity to do the complete Council Bluffs to Missouri ride next week with the Spring 2009 Crank and Camp, but schedule constraints will likely prohibit me from attending.

Bike touring is fun, and it was quite an adventure doing it on gravel through the hills and prairies of southwestern Iowa. It was also interesting to learn about the little towns we rode through, and about Shenandoah, where we stayed. It was a great way to spend time with my wife.

Cycling Tour Destination: Shenandoah, Iowa

Check out this travelblog.

Hopefully it won't end up like this. Fortunately for me, my pump fits neatly in my bag.