First long tour

[eclectic]

Well the spandex is packed

I leave this afternoon to embark on my first week long tour.

I am both excited and nervous. There are people signed up from 22 states and Canadian provinces so should be a great time. AND best of all Kathi, Kjay and R900 from TE are signed up to ride, hopefully we’ll be able to figure who we all are and hook up. The tour theme is Germans from Russia so the food and festivities are centered around that . I LOVE knoephla , sauerkraut, and struedal Yummy

There are 8 days of riding scheduled. The longest day is 75 miles w/ a century option. The other days are about 60 - 65 with the last day about 40. The director of the tour says one thing he wants to accomplish is to give people the understanding that North Dakota is neither cold nor flat

He never said anything about the WIND. The nervous part comes in in regards to the weather. North Dakota weather is a PAIN ! It changes quickly from day to day and can change from hour to hour (Today it is a beautiful +78 BUT the wind is 20 MPH w/ 33 mph gusts) Tomorrow is supposed to be better but a 10 - 15 mph SE wind instead of a NW one and you guessed it we are travelling SE.

Well I am doing an excited ramble so better get busy and finish up packing

[Bikingmomof3]

Enjoy every moment of your tour and tell us all about it when you return. Happy biking and safe travels.

[emjae]

What a great adventure this sounds like! Hope you will take pictures to post. Happy trails!

[emjae]

What an exciting adventure. Hope you will take lots of pictures to share. Enjoy & happy trails!

[margo49]

All the best!
Tell us every little thing

[Bad JuJu]

I did a 4-day tour on Maryland's eastern shore in May (shore of Chesapeake Bay), and on every day of that tour, small craft warnings were posted. Which translates to murderous headwinds every day. The area is as flat as a pancake, but those headwinds were killers. What gets you through? Your fellow cyclists--just make a party out of it and hold on tight to your sense of humor.

Have fun, and we'll want a trip report when you get back!

[Rai Sue]

Have fun and let us know how it goes. I'll be in ND next month--let me know if any of the german-from-russia food places are worth visiting!

hopefully it will cool off for you.

[eclectic]

Just note to let everyone know we survived!

First day was gorgeous! great temps, a tail wind, averaged 16.6 for 53 miles Hooked up with Kathi from TE at the first rest stop on the first day in the basement of a quaint prairie church then who should appear but Rjay!

I erred re the 8 day note it was only 7, but days two and 3 were BRUTAL ! !
25-30 mph sustained headwinds with 35 mph gusts.

You were right Bad juju it was our fellow cyclists who pulled us through, 8-10 mph DOWN hills pedalling in a pace line (if you didn't pedal the wind would stop you) Going uphill was actually a little easier because the hills blocked the wind. At minimum 150 people sagged on day 3. We averaged 12.5 mph on day 2 for 60 miles and 10.5 on day 3 for 71 miles

I came within 2 miles of Bonking on day 2. a hwy overpass looked like Logan pass in the Rockies I ate at every rest stop but didn't take in near enough for what was being expended. Day 3 was longer and harder but I ATE a LOT and had good energy upon arrival.

Fortunately the wind died down for day 4 and we had a beautiful but hot ride (+94) It was hot mainly because we played tourist and saw the sites, a German from Russia iron cross cemetary, and a large beautiful church with ceiling paintings in a small prairie town of about 250 people getting us in during the heat of the day)

Day 5 was optional Century day, I chose to do it and made it (details later in another post) This was along the Missouri river through the Missouri breaks good rolling hills with some decent climbs but also great downhills

Day 6 short again and touristy. Made it over to Fort Mandan where Lewis and Clark spent their first winter. It is an authentic replica down to the buffalo robes and fox furs - too cool

Day seven was back to the beginning, now the wind had switched and 1/2 way was back into a head/crosswind. getting across the bridge between the audobon refuge and the big lake was brutal, pretty bad when the electrical towers feel like a wind break. Last 6 miles were with a tail wind, immediately going from 10mph to 18mph

They always say the tours w/ adversity are the ones you remember.

I tried to make friends w/ the wind "I like wind, the wind is my friend, wind makes you strong, call the wind moria" Well it made me strong but I still don't like it It is more a mental thing than a physical one. We couldn't hear each other even if we were right beside the person. One rider tried to listen to his ipod and couldn't hear it either because of the wind.

I've not had the confidence to try rides else where because of the climbs. I expressed this to a veteran rider. He asked how I had done on day two and three I told him I had made it. He and others said "if you can do those days you can ride anything". Another gentleman said he had done double centuries and the 71 miles of day 3 beat him up worse. a third gentleman said it was the 2nd worse day in his riding history (the first worse was when he got caught in a hail storm so bad it cracked his helmet)

I felt bad because I am a NoDak native and wanted the out of staters to have a great experience. (71% were from out of state) One lady said "now she knows why there are so few natives on the ride - they know about the wind

After talking to different people I found they loved the ride overall because of the welcoming people in the small towns, the open spaces, lack of traffic, how well the ride is organized and supported (2 sag wagons patrolled diligently) This made me feel better and also to find that many of the out of staters are repeat Candiscers

I do have pics but need to figure how to post them.
Kathi is hanging out for another week at the lake here in sunny Nodak before heading home, she said she'll post when she gets back to Co. Rjay won't be home for awhile either as she is hanging out here longer too.

Well this post is long enough so a post on a later date re the rest stops and food

[eclectic]

Oh yeah the ride was a total of about 414 miles (436 if you did the optional century) terrain was rolling for most of it. The director said he wants the participants to go away with the notion that NoDak is neither flat nor cold!

The sunflower fields were in bloom lending a beautiful foreground to the blue skies. I live here and still rejoice in the beauty of North Dakota.

One girl from California wasn't too impressed saying there wasn't anything to look at and her friend and riding partner a native NoDak told her "well you may as well not come back because you can't see or appreciate the subtle beauty that is here.

On the flip side a gal we hooked up with on Day 2 from Philly PA absolutely loved it out here the open spaces, lack of traffic and the beauty of everything.

If nothing else it was interesting IDing the road kill (hen pheasant, grouse, coyote, fox, porcupine, skunk, racoon, one man said rattle snake but i doubt it we were on the east side of the Missouri, around here they are usually on the west side, it was probably a bull snake that look like rattlers)

Well I could go on and on and I need to go to bed I am VERY tired

[margo49]

Well done! And thanks for the lovely descriptions.
I read Kathleen Norris' Dakota a Spiritual Geography years ago and thought of that when you described different women's reactions to the landscape.(But don't let me get started on A Theology of Place...)

[Nanci]

Sounds like a great trip! I know what you mean about the wind...I was so discouraged by it this spring (you don;t get wind MTBing, so much, so I had no idea) and I hoped it was going to go away, but I noticed yesterday when everyone was *****ing about it- I just don't care any more. It's just always there. I give up.

The only part of ND that I remember very well is the little area in the southwest corner that is so pretty.

Nanci

[Tri Girl]

Congrats on an amazing ride!!! You must feel so much pride having toured your own state by bike. Wow- how very cool!
Thanks for the detailed reports, and I can't wait to see your pictures!!!
Just a question- how does 436 miles feel? Are you sore? I've only ever ridden as far as a century, and can't imagine how doing that nearly every day feels.
Congrats!

[Bikingmomof3]

Wow, you trip sounds like it was a blast. Your descriptions were wonderful. Thank you for sharign your trip with us. CONGRATS on a well biked trip.

[eclectic]

Of course in my brain dead exhaustion I mixed up days 2 and 3 day 2 was the long one and day 3 the shorter harder one.

Tri Girl - I was really worried about that too - long distance day after day.
Yes definately there are parts on me that are sore - I discovered 2 pairs of shorts that were fine for daily rides didn't hold up for consecutive day rides (girly bits on the border of chaffing and pretty tender) I ended up washing my pearls that had a touring chamois and wearing them everyday

My legs felt like lead for about the first 10 miles everyday but then would loosen up and be OK, rest stops had to be relatively short so as not to stiffen up again.

I am most tired from tenting and only getting 5-6 hours of sleep a night, but the tenting experience and being w/ everyone is worth it.

Nanci - the little 15mph winds I used to complain about well I'll probably still complain but they won't seem so bad. the Southwestern part of the state has Theodore Roosevelt N'tnl park and it is beautiful, Candisc has gone through there in the past - tough ride, lots of climbs and heat but the scenery is worth it.

Margo49 - Kathleen Norris does write well about ND, I have gone to numerous retreats held at the monastery in Richardton, incredible experience

Bikingmomof3 thanks for your support and all your great posts, it is all of you that help me realize the accomplishments we all are doing

[Kano]

eclectic --

It's neat to read about your trip! I've been through North Dakota once, and it was -30 degrees, with -60 wind chill. My memories aren't real exciting -- a giant cow "decoy" on a hill, frozen soda cans exploding in a cooler in the back of the van, and running like heck from the car to the road side rest stop bathrooms(and back to the car). The best thing about North Dakota in my admittedly limited fifteen hour experience was that my had-to-find-the-perfect-spot dog learned to get out the door, go, and get back in! (one other memory: my kids learned that adults say cuss words too!)

Your story makes me want to go back and explore North Dakota when it's warmer! Thank you!

Karen in Boise