POST BRAN: Day 7, Part 6

Day 7 (Saturday) was the last day of BRAN and was 44 miles from Brainard to Waterloo.

I had some conflicting emotions on Day 7. I was looking forward to seeing Keli and the boys, but I was also bummed that BRAN was almost over. So when I got up in the morning, I didn’t know if I should get an early start, or just hang back and take my time getting to Waterloo. I had also told Keli I would not arrive in Waterloo until sometime between 9:00 and 10:00. So I had to make sure I didn’t go too fast or start too soon and get there before she was there and could see me finish.

Mark and Kim started about 30-60 minutes before I did that morning. I figured I might catch them before Waterloo if they also timed their arrival for some time after 9:00. I ended up leaving Waterloo at the same time as the Bike Masters team did, so I decided to ride with them on the last day. Phil left shortly after I did, because he had to pack up his tent and I had arranged for Tony and his kids to do that again for me.

During the first half of the ride the group got held up at some construction. While we waited for our turn at the one-way traffic section, a large mass of BRAN cyclists formed and we all took off at the same time when we got the go-ahead from the flag man. I would guess we had a group of 75 or more cyclists going down the road in one pack. I took this chance to get ahead of the pack and use the entire road (since it was one way traffic). I accelerated and the Bike Masters team followed. I ended up leading a group of 50 or so cyclists for about 3-4 miles. I think we were clipping along at about 23mph or so. When I finally got tired and let somebody else lead, I got a bunch of “nice pull” comments from the other riders. That made me feel pretty good, so thanks for all the kind comments from my fellow riders (you know who you are). I was a good 10-15 riders back before I got a chance to pull back into the pace line.

We stopped at about the halfway point for a restroom stop. That is were I took the picture of the Bike Masters team (see below). I was a bit nervous about our speedy progress at this point. I didn’t want to get into Waterloo before 9:00 and run the risk of Keli not seeing me finish.

The group got going again and we skipped the next SAG. At the final SAG before Waterloo I pulled off but the Bike Masters team kept going. I needed to waste some time before finishing the ride into Waterloo or I would get there too early. While I was at the SAG I asked the SAG driver if anyone with a handlebar mustache (that would be Kim) had gone by yet. Not only did he remember him, but he even knew that he had gone by about 10 minutes ago. So I was WAY behind Kim and Mark, and they would probably get in before me AND before our 9:00-10:00 time frame. No fair. So I was back on the bike and on my way about 5-10 minutes after stopping.

By this time the Bike Masters crew was also way ahead of me. So I turned on the juice and cranked up to about 26mph for the final 6 miles or so. That’s pretty fast solo but there didn’t seem to be a headwind, so it wasn’t too bad. I kept looking at my watch to make sure I wasn’t going to pull in before 9:00. At about 1 mile out I had to shut it down and just coast in so I would not arrive before 9:00.

I pulled in at 9:01 and right as I was pulling in I noticed a white van coming towards me with this really hot lady driving and to strikingly handsome boys in the back seats. Keli was pulling in right as I finished. She didn’t get to set up and get the “Welcome Home Daddy” sign out before I got there, but she did get to see me finish. That is the white van I was swerving in front of in the pictures below (just in case you thought I was playing chicken with a van).

Man was I glad to see Keli and the Boys. I helped her find a parking spot and walked back to where the rest of our EBC group was congregating. Nick (our guest blogger) was also there along with his family. Tony’s family showed up shortly there after and Mark and Kim were already there. Kim’s wife was there as well. Phil showed up just a couple minutes later and we all went together to go get some food.

As we were eating, we found some of the Bike Masters team. Steve did some magic tricks for B&B and they really got a kick out of that.

After eating we all said our goodbyes and Keli and I packed up the kids and my gear and headed for home. And thus ended my BRAN adventure.

Caught napping on Day 5

POST BRAN: Day 7, Part 5

The two groups below are what made this trip so much fun. The first group was my close friends from church. The second group was the Bike Masters Cycling Club members.

I spent a good portion of my rides and post rides hanging out with all these people. Thanks to all of you for making my trip so much fun.

POST BRAN: Day 7, Part 4

Steve showing B&B some Magic

B&B's handywork... with a bit of help from Keli
"Now what do we do?"
All my gear
Steve sure had my kid's attention with his magic tricks

POST BRAN: Day 7, Part 3

Now we are ALL done

The complete bran crew
B&B checking out my ride
Ben checking his nose hairs
B&B pointing out their craftmanship

POST BRAN: Day 7, Part 2

Our guest blogger (Nick), Izzy, and Brandon

Tony and Kim
Mark and I
Phil rolls in
Not even winded

POST BRAN: Day 7, Part 1

More BRAN Day 7 pictures and details will be posted later today.

Tony arriving in Waterloo

Me spotting Keli in the van

Good thing Keli stopped for me
Keli and the boys made me a sign

POST BRAN: Day 6, Part 2

What I missed while I was in Brainard. Sing it Ben.

Rasky MTR Co. in brainard (vehicle collection)
Dale... did you lock yourself out again?

POST BRAN: Day 6, Part 1

Day 6 was just under 70 miles, FLAT, and sunny. We started in Fullerton and finished in Brainard.

I decided to do things a bit differently on Friday. I slept in late, woke up, got dressed in normal clothes (not spandex), and walked around camp for a while. I also walked into town while everyone was hitting the road. The plan was to relax and I did just that. At around 9:00 I met Tim and Dan, from Bike Masters, at the local bar and grill for breakfast. We took our time and after breakfast I headed back to camp to pack and get ready to ride.

Tim also got changed and we hit the road at around 10:30. Some of the other riders were probably already pulling into Brainard by this time. Tim and I were the last two riders to leave Fullerton, and we had the road all to ourselves for the first half of the ride.

This had to be one of my favorite days. The pace was comfortable, the weather awesome, the roads were flat, and the company and conversation were top notch. If you haven't met Tim (one of the mechanics at Bike Masters) then you need to stop by and say hello. He is one of those truly genuine and unique folks that are so fun to talk to, and he's the only person I know that can say "I need to stop and take a wee wee." with a strait face. We spent a good portion of our ride talking about relationships, priorities, self evaluation, and other deep topics. The second half of the ride we just rode in silence and enjoyed the ride.

A couple memorable moments on this ride were:

• Catching up to Dale pulling his loaded BOB trailer. Dale rode unsupported just to see if he could.
• The sun-warmed apple at SAG 3. That was unexpected and delicious. Who would have thought a warm apple could taste so good.
• The cookies in Shelby (I think it was Shelby).
• Running into the Bike Masters team (all showered and well fed) at the Big Red Bar right as we pulled into town.
• The AMAZING burger and and fries I had at the Big Red Bar (I think that's the name) when Tim and I got to Brainard.
• The applause I got from Kim, Mark, Phil, and Tony when I was the last person to roll into camp. They were all showered by the time I got there.
• The amazing steak sandwich a few hours later.
• The awards ceremony and hanging out with a few people that Mark introduced us to.
• Just walking around town on my own, and saying hello to other people on BRAN that I had met during the week.

Brainard did a great job of organizing all the events and help that they provided for us on Friday. They even had live music for us to enjoy along with transportation into town, and free swimming pool access. The food they cooked up for us was top notch (notch... like the notch I had to loosen up on my belt after eating way too much).

Tim... Did I mention Tim doesn't even own a car? Any guesses on how he gets to work YEAR ROUND?

Some of the Bike Masters team Me making excuses for getting into town so late
Dale and Family... Dale did 6 days of the ride pulling a trailer and with no SAG support

POST BRAN: Day 5, Part 2

Did you wash your hands Phil?

Bike Masters team discussing pace line battles
Tent camp starting to form (and lots of happy mosquitoes)

POST BRAN: Day 5, Part 1

Today we rode 60+ miles from Ord to Fullerton.

I started the day with Kim, Mark, and Phil after a delicious breakfast in Ord. I was planning to ride hard on this day, so after a few miles of warming up, I picked up the pace and was quickly alone. The sunrise was promising to be amazing and then, poof, I was in the fog. I spent the rest of the day in a dense fog that made riding a bit scary.

After riding about 20 miles solo, Paul and Kent caught up to me at one of the SAGs. I rode with them the rest of the day and we rode hard. We took turns pulling and when we pulled into Fullerton we had an average of 20.8mph for the trip. We were also the first people into town.

We had a second breakfast at the bar and grill with Kent and Paul. When we came out, some of the other faster riders that got a later start were starting to show up. I had biscuits and gravy for my second breakfast... yum.

After that, we headed back to camp and found Tony and the kids already starting to set things up. I quickly dug out my bug spray because we were all losing a lot of blood to the misquitto swarms that were covering the park we were going to camp in. Then it was over to the semi to help unload all the gear for the other 500+ cyclists. Since I didn't have my gear on the truck, I could have skipped this, but it's part of the experience and kind of fun too.

I showered at the local swimming pool (in the shower, not the pool itself). After Mark, Phil, and Kim showed up and got showered and settled in, we went for dinner (see below). I spent some time, after dinner, hanging out with the Bike Masters team and enjoying a LOT of ice cream in the park. We even ran into the mother of a friend of ours from church, who was helping with the host activities in the park.

So, other than the fog, it was a good day for riding and it stayed pretty dry that night, allowing people to dry out a bit after the previous two days of rain.

I rode with the two guys on the right

Phil and Mark enjoying some down time
Bike Masters setting up camp
Mark and Kim, discussing the days ride
FOOD!!!

POST BRAN: Day 4, Part 2

Cozy bedroom for the night

You don't see that every day
Now you know why I talked Tony's kids into taking down my tent
Dan looking good in the background
Yup... RAIN!!

POST BRAN: Day 4, Part 1

Day 4 was a 60+ mile trip from Merna to Ord.

The theme of the day was WET. We started in the rain and it rained ALL morning. I ended up riding with the Bike Masters team and it was a fun but wet day. We stopped for lunch in Sargent. With all the wet bikers stopping in, they probably spent the rest of the day mopping the hall that we had lunch in. We were all leaving puddles wherever we sat. Starting up again after lunch was unpleasant because we had all cooled down and going back out in the rain felt pretty frigid.

Upon arriving in Ord, almost everyone decided to sleep in the high school. Mark, Kim, Phil, and I set up camp in the wresting room.

Mark and I headed to the laundry mat to wash and then dry all our wet clothes. We spent a few hours at the laundry mat and met a local named Corky on the way back to the school. Turns out Corky is a close friend of a person that works 2 doors down from me. Small world!

After getting back to the school we went to lunch at Pizza Hut. Later that night my in-laws stopped by for a visit. They took Mark, Phil, and I out for a malt at McDonald's. After getting back and saying our goodbye's, we settled down and went to sleep in the wresting room. I was extremely glad to have brought ear plugs with me. They came in handy that night.

Mark getting started on laundry

Don't tell my wife I know how to do laundry
What I looked at for almost 2 hours
Still waiting
In-laws come to visit