Good News for the Wabash Trace trail in Iowa

Quoted from the Bike Omaha blog:

"The Omaha World Herald has an article about the Wabash trace receiving Federal funding to pave the middle part of the trail if enough money is raised to cover engineering costs. If the trail hosts raise a total of $55,000 ($30,000 of which has already been raised), the Federal government will provide an extra $2 million to pave the trail from Mineola to Shenandoah. "

"This makes sense for those who would possibly venture further than the 9 miles to Mineola if the trail was not as tough.Anyone who has ridden most or all of the trail knows that between Council Bluffs and Mineola, the trial is well used and very packed down. However, once past Mineola, the trail is used more sparsely, and therefore not as smooth. There's the paved quarter mile (or so) section just North of Shenandoah that always feels amazing after trudging over the limestone path most of the day. I can see this being a huge impact on trail use."

WISH Ride Sep. 27 Percival, Iowa

Don't forget! Next Sunday is the Annual WISH Ride in Percival, Iowa (just east of Nebraska City) Here is the link to the application form:
http://greatplainsbikeclub.org/rideforms/MAWRideApp2009%20(2).pdf

Don't let me down! This is a great ride and it goes to a great cause! I wish I could be there with you guys!

Roger

16 mile ride on Lakeshore Drive tonight

Here is the sign for Grand Haven as you enter the city limits from the south on Lakeshore Drive. You can see more photos from this ride over on my MichiganTrails blog. I survived my first week on my new job. Yay!!!

First ride

I went for a short bike ride out to the lighthouse at Grand Haven, Michigan on my first day.

One more Nacho Ride for me

John and I were the only ones from our group to make it out to Eagle last Tuesday. The weather was nice, but it was the day before Lincoln Public Schools first day of classes, so some families were busy getting ready and others already had homework. This coming Tuesday is my last Nacho Ride for quite some time, as I will be heading up to Grand Haven, Michigan for my new job. I will try to get in some cycling up there before the snow flies, so check out my sister blog, Michigantrails.blogspot.com. It's been great!

Saying Goodbye

Gayle and I had a great time at Eagle last night! About 25-30 of our cycling and work friends showed up to wish us goodbye and good luck in Michigan. We will miss all of them tremendously! To see more photos from the party, find us on Facebook.

Florida road sign for bikers

Sorry, but this has nothing to do with Nebraska cycling. However, if you happen to cycle or walk along side this road in Florida, you might want to think twice about doing so.

I missed the Nacho Ride last night. I got as far as Walton, but after checking the parking lot there for John & Cindy's truck and talking to Gayle on the cell phone, our cycling group will be riding to Eagle on Thursday instead of Tuesday this week. See everyone on Thursday!

NACHO Ride coming up again!

The weekly NACHO Ride to eagle is coming up again on Tuesday evening! The weather looks great with the high near 90 tomorrow and little chance of rain. Join us at the MoPac Trailhead at 5:30 pm, or Walton at 5:45 pm or in Eagle at 6:30 pm for cheap tacos and nachos and good fun. Wear your Nacho Ride T-shirt to support the ride!

From the 911 center dispatch log during RAGBRAI

My hometown of Corning, Iowa was on the RAGBRAI route this year. The local newspaper in Corning, the Adams County Free Press, publishes excerpts from the Dispatcher's office. There were some very unusual calls on Monday, July 20 during RAGBRAI. Here are a few of them:

8:50
"911 - There is a small dog following us chasing us. Can you send someone out to get it?"

11:35
"5 miles west of Corning on 210 - female bike rider down. She is breathing but unconcious."

13:36
"911 - We are 5 miles east of Williams on bike route. Guy hit a deer, has head injuries. He is up walking around."

16:45
"911 - Male complaining about trooper driving dangerously, passing on hills, and causing dangerous situation for bike rider."

17:07
"There is a bus parked out front, been there a couple hours. 18 people or so in our yard drinking and more in bus. They keep getting closer and closer to the house, don't want them on the porch. Are they allowed to be there? Don't want to cause problems but don't want them there."

Cyclists on the Nacho Ride to Eagle

Here are a few riders on their way from the 84th St. Trailhead to Eagle tonight for the NACHO Ride. I think we had around 40 to 50 cyclists at the OED tonight. It seemed quite a bit less than that initially, but they kept trickling in after 7:30 when I left. The new Nacho Ride shirts were being sold and look quite nice. OED even had Bud Light on tap out in the picnic area! They were well prepared for a big crowd!

RAGBRAI Cyclist dies from injuries

"A Missouri University of Science and Technology professor has died from injuries he suffered in a bicycle accident during the last day of Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Donald Myers, 69, of Rolla, Mo., was a professor of engineering management at the university. He was the fourth person in the 37 years of RAGBRAI to die in an accident directly related to bicycling. Des Moines County Sheriff's officials on Monday said the accident happened Saturday morning at the Lake Geode Dam on County Road J20, which is approximately 15 miles west of Burlington. Myers was riding down a small hill that ended in a curve near a dam when he lost control of his bicycle and crashed. Officials said no other bicycle or car was involved. They said he was wearing a helmet, adding he landed on the opposite lane from where he was going. Emergency medical crews arrived to help Myers within a minute after the crash was reported at 9:08 a.m. and found him unconscious with a head injury. He was taken to Great River Medical Center in West Burlington before being transferred by helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. He never regained consciousness, officials said. He died Sunday."

http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/RAGBRAI-fatal-072809

It always pays to be careful when riding!

It's Nacho Ride ... It's MY Ride!

Tonight is the weekly NACHO Ride! Meet at the 84th St. Trailhead at 5:30 pm, Walton at 5:45 pm or just join us in Eagle at the One-Eyed-Dog Saloon any time. Last week they ran out of meat for tacos and nachos by 7:30 pm, so you might want to get there before 7. Nacho Ride T-shirts will be available in all sizes for only $8 each. You can see a sample on the NOA Blog. We had about 150 cyclists last week. Let's see if we can beat that again!

Crash!

We heard that one of our friends, Jim W., had a bad crash on Sunday. Apparently he hit some loose gravel or rocks on the shoulder of Hwy 2 near Unadilla. Jim has at least 2 broken ribs and a broken clavicle (collar bone) and will be off the bike for at least 6 weeks. Our thoughts are with Jim.

Ride to Syracuse July 18

We had a nice 50 mile ride to Syracuse and back this morning. We stopped downtown at BJ's Family Restaraunt and ate breakfast, then headed back (the wrong way) on a one-way street. Breakfast was excellent and no one got run over, so we headed back along Hwy 2 to Lincoln. Temp's were cool with a slight west wind, so everyone had a good time!

Nacho Ride July 14, 2009

We had a nice hot ride out to Eagle on Tuesday evening. Temperature was about 94F when we started at 5:30 pm, but a little cooler on the way back. Don't forget next week's ride! It will make number 30, and to celebrate, they are using a Hawaiian theme. So wear a Hawaiian shirt or something Hawaiian (grass skirt or coconut bra??)

NACHO Ride Tuesday!

Tuesday is weekly NACHO Ride! Let's set a new record for turnout! See everyone at the 84th St. Trailhead at 5:30 pm or Walton at 5:45 pm or Eagle at 6:30 pm.

Nice 50 mile ride

Dave & Kerri invited me for a 50 mile ride this morning. I was a little hesitant, since I hadn't been on the bike since the last day of NUMB on July 1. However, I shouldn't have worried. The ride seemed to be almost too easy, more similar to an easy 20 or 30 mile ride instead of 50. Perhaps it was the overcast sky for most of the morning, or perhaps it was the 10-15 mph tailwind on the way home. I like to think it was the 300+ miles of practice from last week's NUMB ride.

The photos above show us resting at the store in Syracuse - the halfway point of our out and back.

TDF Stage 7 Spoilers

Don't read this if you want to watch the race on Versus later today.

Team Astana did very well today, placing 3 riders in the top 5 overall after Stage 7! Fabian Cancellara did not do so well at all, and dropped off the leaderboard as a result.

Stage 7, from Barcelona to Andorra, Spain finished with a mountaintop sprint. A breakaway of 9 riders pulled it off this time, allowing Brice Feillu (France) to capture the stage win. Second place went to Chistophe Kern (France), 3rd to Johannes Frohlinger (Germany) and 4th to Rinaldo Nocentini (Italy). Alberto Contador sprinted ahead of Lance Armstrong and Cadel Evans to capture 9th place.

The overall standings after Stage 7 are: 1. Rinaldo Nocentini 2. Alberto Contador (+ 6 seconds) 3. Lance Armstrong (+ 8 seconds) 4. Levi Leipheimer (+ 39 seconds) 5. Badley Wiggens (+ 46 sec.)

Tour de France begins - Lance at 20:12.35 in Stage 1

Lance Armstrong (Astana) gave a good performance in today's Stage 1 Time Trial at 20:12.35, for 10th place. However, Fabian Cancellara won 1st place at 19:32, with Alberto Contador (Astana) in 2nd place and Levi Leipheimer (Astana) at 6th place.

More on Versus:
http://www.versus.com/tdf/ (HD cable channel 229 in Lincoln)

Group Photo in North Platte

Here is a photo of our cycling group taken in front of the North Platte UMC on Day 3 of NUMB. From left to right: Steve, Roger, Spence, Brad, Jim, Shirley, Dave and Kerri. NUMB ended up raising about $43,000 on this year's ride. Next year NUMB will likely be in the counties of Seward, York and Hamilton - the last 3 counties they haven't been in.

Pedals of Honor - North Platte Telegraph

The North Platte Telegraph also did a nice story on the NUMB Ride for Hunger. Here is the link:
http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2009/07/03/news/60003456.txt

KNOP North Platte video of NUMB

Check out this video from KNOP TV in North Platte. The first image shows Jim, Dave and Brad cycling south on US 83 near North Platte on Day 3 of the ride.

http://www.knopnews2.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5627

NUMB Wednesday - Finished!

This photo shows all of the riders bags set out for them to claim after the ride.

NUMB Wednesday

This is a photo of the last SAG stop before Ogallala on the last day. It was in Roscoe, NE.

NUMB Tuesday

Sag stop north of North Platte.

NUMB Monday night

We make root beer floats if we can't buy them.

NUMB Monday evening

Honoring our veterans including Dave at Stapleton.

Roughing it on NUMB.

NUMB Monday afternoon

Relaxing in Stapleton's city park.

NUMB Monday

Where we ate lunch in Arnold today.

NUMB Sunday night

Spencer peeking out of the tent.

NUMB Sunday evening

Tent city at Brady.

NUMB Sunday afternoon

Our guys trying to find shade.

NUMB Sunday mile 68 of 78

SAG stop near Maxwell.

NUMB Sunday

Our group ready to ride.

Numb saturday meal

Riders enjoy a big, good and FREE meal in Ogallala.

Ogallala UMC donated $1000 to NUMB.

Numb saturday eve

Shirley and Steve arrive at 5:15 pm.

Numb saturday

Kerri and another rider approaching lake Mcconaghay.

Numb saturday

Ritter telling us about Saturday's ride .

Numb saturday

Made it to Arthur county line and back.

Nice weather in Ogallala.

Numb friday night

Gathering in Church basement during rain.

Numb friday night

Our sleeping quarters for tonight.

Numb friday night

Bikes are parked in Church basement.

Numb

Almost there at three pm.

Numb training ride

Riders taking a break at cortland.

Tour de Nebraska in full swing!

The 5-day Tour de Nebraska has now completed it's second day, and all is going well. They made the riders sleep in a gymnasium last night because of all the hail and storms rumbling through NE Nebraska. You can get a feel of this tour by stopping by the Nebraska Outdoor Addict's blog: http://www.nebraskaoutdooraddict.blogspot.com/ He has been posting photos and comments by mobile phone as he cycles through the Nebraska countryside. Hopefully, I will also be doing something similar during the NUMB Ride for Hunger which begins in almost 1 week!

Bikes in Church!

As the excitement from BRAN winds down, 8 of our cycling group are preparing for another multi-day ride, NUMB, scheduled for June 27 - July 1. "NUMB" stands for Nebraska United Methodist Bike Ride for Hunger and is currently going on it's 14th year. Participants gather pledges before the event, with a minimum of $100 required. These pledges go toward local, national and international hunger-related projects such as Heifer International and the Lincoln & Omaha Food Banks. A separate registration fee takes care of SAG support, supplies and other misc. items. The photo above shows Roger, Brad and Spencer participating in prayers offered by Pastor Larry Moffett at Lincoln's First United Methodist Church on Sunday, June 14. NUMB cyclists do not need to be Methodists. In fact, NUMB usually has a large contingent of Catholics and Lutherans every year. For more information, see http://www.numbride.org.

Video from Day 7 of BRAN

Here is a little video taken at the SAG stop just before Brad and Dave crossed the Lied Platte River Bridge on Day 7.

BRAN-29 Day 7 - the conclusion

The guys slept in Lincoln Friday night and left at 6:30am for Syracuse. The shoulders on Hwy 50 were horrible until they reached the Cass County line, then became much smoother.

Above is a photo of Brad and Dave in their cool BRAN29 jerseys. This was taken on the Lied Platte River Bridge at about the 25 mile point. All morning they fought a brisk NNE headwind, but after crossing the Platte and heading west along the river it wasn't too bad. However, the next 15 miles or so from mile 30 to 45 was all UPHILL! They finally turned east in Gretna and found some good shoulders and rolling hills again. The last few miles through Chalco Hills was great, following the lakeshore through the wooded areas in the park. Finally, they reached the end of the 50 mile route with all of the families cheering each rider as they came in.

BRAN-29 Day 6 completed but wet

Kerri sent me this interesting photo taken inside the Syracuse school building. Apparently cyclists can't read. The guys made it to Syracuse mostly dry. The rain storms were racing them all morning to see who could make it to Syracuse first. Although the riders stayed dry, the tents were another story. Brad's tent was wet from the previous day, and the rain coming down Friday afternoon wasn't helping. After eating in Syracuse, they all decided to make the 20 mile trek back to Lincoln in the Jeep and get a nice warm shower and a dry bed for the night. They would likely return to Syracuse for the final 50 miles Saturday morning. Stay tuned for the conclusion.

BRAN-29: Day 5 completed

I tried uploading this yesterday, and I lost my internet connection in the middle of the upload. Let's see if we can get this to work tonight.

One thing that our guys always want on BRAN is root beer floats. Brad took the initiative Wednesday evening at Wymore by asking the hosts if anyone had root beer floats in town. Well, guess what! They happened to have several 2 liter bottles of root beer and some ice cream handy! Way to go Brad!

Dave and Brad made it to Humboldt without incident on Thursday. However, the route to Syracuse was another story. Stay tuned.

Here are some good photos taken on BRAN by the Omaha World Herald staff: http://odc.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=5002&p=1369

BRAN-29: Day 4 Completed

The riders completed Day 4 of BRAN on Wednesday and are shown relaxing near the tents in Arbor State Park in Wymore, NE. Roger, Gayle, Amy, Spence and Sydney drove down from Lincoln to enjoy the BRAN activities and eat dinner with Brad, Dave and Kerri. The dinner at the American Legion Club was great!

BRAN Day 3: Dodging rain storms

Day 3 is completed! Dave and Brad said that they sat out some of the rain storms in a bar in Red Cloud. Out of 74 miles from Alma to Superior, about 70 of these were into the wind.

Bran-29 Day 2: Brad's amazing folding chair

Brad has had a few problems with folding chairs on BRAN. They don't seem to be built sturdy enough for a tired cyclist.

BRAN Day 2 completed

Brad just sent me a text message. He said that today's 63 mile ride from Cambridge to Alma was awesome, a complete opposite of Sunday. He averaged 17.2 mph. He and Dave are relaxing in the sun and drinking beers, and waiting on the root beer floats.

BRAN Day 1 completed

Brad called me a few minutes ago to say that he and Dave made it to Cambridge (55 miles). He said that they had wind in their faces all morning with 55 degree temps. At least last night they didn't have any storms, however they did have cowboys and rodeo-goers partying until 3am or so in Trenton.

Good luck tomorrow!

Weather forecast for BRAN-29

It looks like this year's BRAN (Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska) is starting out similar to last year, with stormy weather predicted for Saturday and Sunday. Let's hope the campers don't get awakened by air-horns on Saturday night like last last year!

Here is the updated weather forecast for the first few days compiled from various sources:

Sunday (Day 1):
Low 50F, High 79F, scattered thunderstorms, 20-30% chance rain, winds N at 19 mph

Monday (Day 2):
Low 50F, High 72F, partly cloudy, 20% chance rain, winds N at 15 mph

Tuesday (Day 3):
Low 56F, High 78F, showers, 20-30% chance rain, winds E at 10 mph

Wednesday (Day 4):
Low 56F, High 78F, showers, 30-40% chance rain, winds E at 10 mph

Good Luck guys!

Back on the bike again

I've gotten back on the bike again and it feels great. Most of the stress from the past few days seems to just dissolve when I am out cycling. I was out for a 10 mile out & back on the MoPac both Monday and today. Maybe I'll go a little farther out tomorrow. When I am by myself pedalling, I like the quiet solitude of the crushed rock trails, such as the MoPac, Murdock, Jamaica North and Homestead. The MoPac is my favorite, mostly because it is nearby. My favorite time is between 3pm and 6pm, however the car traffic on 84th St. gets pretty bad right around 5pm. When I am with a group of riders, low traffic paved roads are great, especially if they have good shoulders.

The job search is going slow. I've sent out about 6 applications so far, with one rejection. This is about what I expected. In my spare time at home (spare???), I am cleaning out the basement and putting a few items on Craig's List. Our daughter was home yesterday and today, and she has been a great help sorting out some of her old things to throw away, give away or sell.

Black Friday

Well, I guess that I should have more time for cycling now that I'm unemployed. The trouble is, I don't seem to be in the mood for it. Friday was the one of the worst days of my life. The only good part about it was getting together with friends for a beer or two Friday evening. I couldn't get to sleep until about 3am Saturday morning, then all I wanted to to Saturday morning was sleep. At least when you are sleeping, you aren't worrying about interviews, selling the house, moving, making sure your family still has health insurance, not seeing your friends again, etc..... I was invited to go on a nice Saturday morning ride, but at 7am my stomach was still doing flip-flops. The queesy feeling finally started going away by Saturday afternoon. Now it is sort of a dull ache. Maybe it was all the beer? Doubtful. Only time will heal.

Biketacular set for this Saturday

Mayor Chris Beutler encourages area residents to attend the city’s first biketacular May 30 south of the state Capitol along Goodhue Boulevard. The free event, set for 9 a.m.-5 p.m., includes food, a bike rodeo, bike mechanical checks and licensing, kids races, and the return of the Capital City Criterium with pro and semipro racing. Beutler will kick off a kids bike parade at 12:15 p.m. and then draw for prizes, including two free children’s bikes. Free parking is available in the lot south of the Capitol (enter from 16th Street).The biketacular is hosted by the city and the Near South and Everett neighborhood associations and supported by a grant from NeighborWorks America, plus local agencies and businesses. Mayoral aide Jon Carlson, who manages the Stronger Safer Neighborhoods program, said the idea came from a national workshop hosted by Neighborworks America in California last fall. “Biketacular is a way to showcase two of Lincoln’s great assets – strong neighborhoods and an energized bicycling community,” he said. “We hope to increase community awareness of the importance of walking and biking as well as the convenience and high quality of life you can enjoy in the beautiful neighborhoods near downtown, UNL and the state Capitol.” About 100 adult racers are expected to compete in the Criterium from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The main entrance of McPhee Elementary will serve as the starting and ending location of the course. The race is a USA Cycling-sanctioned event with six divisions. Medals will be awarded in all races, and cash prizes totaling $1,500 are offered in select categories. The McPhee parking lot will host activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., including the bike rodeo. Volunteers will help children decorate bikes for the 12:15 p.m. parade. Children completing the bike rodeo will receive prizes and be entered into drawings. Kids races begin at 11 a.m. For more information or to volunteer, contact Carlson at 402-441-7224. For more information about the Criterium, contact Bike Pedalers co-owner Sean Craig at 402-261-3003.

BRAN 29 less than 2 weeks away!

Although I won't be going on BRAN this year, 3 of my cycling buddies are going to try it again. Brad, Dave, Kerri and I rode in BRAN-28 last year and had a blast! Kerri only rode some of the roads near the host towns, but did a superb job of shuttling our gear from town to town and picking out the camp sites. Again, Brad and Dave are riding in BRAN and Kerri is driving. Hopefully, if all goes well, I will be receiving photos and updates from them during BRAN-29 and will post them on this site.

I decided to focus all of my energy and vacation days into the NUMB Ride for Hunger (http://www.numbride.org ) this year, and 7 others from our company cycling group will be joining me in Ogallala for this ride on June 27-July 1. If I can train my wife, Gayle, how to update this blog, I will be sending photos and updates back to her for posting.

Here are a few photos from last year's BRAN: http://www.wb0dgf.com/cycling.htm

Memorial Day Ride and Picnic a success!

We had a great time during our (1st Annual) Memorial Day Ride and Picnic! Brad, Spence, Dave, Kerri, Jim, Steve and I rode from Brad's house in NE Lincoln out to Ashland, NE and back along US Hwy 6. The photo above shows Dave, Jim and Steve near Ashland.

After the ride we ate and drank wonderful food and had a fantastic time talking about cycling and other things at Brad and Amy's home. Thanks goes out to our great hosts!