Lost

Sunday's Rough Stuff Roundezvous was, well, rough. Win some, lose some. I was on the optimal route, walked right past control 2, lost 15 minutes, race over. I did collect a full house, Q over 5 to win a new helmet in the poker run part of the race. So all is not lost. It's always a great time. I'd do it every weekend if I could. Give it a try; study the map for 30 seconds, and GO.

The crit-cross race was great spectating. Bjorn took first spot handily. Excitement for the race was young Jack Hinkens sitting on Ezra for the last half-lap. At the last barrier/last hill he punches it, leaps the barrier and leaves Ezra in the third-place dust. The cross-boy schools him.

 

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Short and Fat

I am doing something wrong. Tom Bengel continues to dominate son Lee. Over 40 miles, Dan only gives up 11 minutes to superson David Meyer. And OK, I had a few minor mechanicals in the Short and Fat, but still! I end up in the closing miles in a see-saw battle with 12-year old Keely Jackson. Oh, the shame of it all. I'm sure "Her Fierceness" has a fine future ahead of her.

I did beat the gecko.

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Coulee Carving

Finished off a quick couple of days in the driftless area of SW Wisco. Got to introduce Bill, Jim and Gary to some roads I knew and added a bunch of new ones for all of us. Mapping skills are improving as we found some indescribably sweet countryside accessed by tiny diving, twisting and deserted roads.

The fly in the ointment being the rare but bothersome gravel stretches. Gotta find a way to winnow those out of the routes. Gary paid the price right out of the box. We weren't two miles into it, on Bluff Road, when it turned upwards and into a rock studded dirt track. The first time he's dropped his bike, he took it really well. An inauspicious start smoothed over by Wildcat Mountain, Mindoro Pass, Hunder Coulee and Pretzel Pass Road.

I'd have taken more pictures of the gorgeous countryside, but had to keep the troops moving. Would have been nice for me to see more of the countryside too, but gotta keep focused on line, speed, looking through the corners and keeping my pursuers off my tail. Stupendous riding.

Whenever we dropped to the Mississippi river road we joined wallowing processions of chrome-laden thunder bikes. Just 30 meters up the next town road was peace and freedom. Let's hope it stays that way!

Horsepull was nice. Best was Sunday morning, riding above the valley fog and coming onto groups of Amish buggies, on their way to meeting. Smiles and waves all 'round.