Let The Training Begin!

April 5th was my first weekly Wabash Breakfast Ride (WBR). My wife Kelli couldn't make it but out friends Chris and Karol did. We met at the trail head in Council Bluffs at 8am and headed to Malvern, IA. Early on we decided to cut the ride short. I was sick the day before and felt dead, and it was Chris and Karol's first ride of the year and they didn't have their cycling legs/butt yet. There is a good little diner in Silver City we were going to stop at to eat and turn around and head back from there. By the time we got close to Silver City we were starving and ready to eat. One big problem, the place was closed. Not only was it closed, it for sale. So we decided to grit it out and ride an additional 9 miles to Malvern. It was brutal, but we made it and had a great brunch. It was a great small town Iowa experience. Everyone was really nice to us and made us feel like we were from there. We took several breaks on the way back, the best one was the stop we made at the Mineola Steak House. We did a "one and done" which is grabbing a beer and leaving. We took our time having that beer too. we struggled our way back to the trail head. 5 hours and 46 miles later we were done.

Sunday I got up and did some yard work. Then I cleaned by road bike and degreased/lubed my gears. There is something therapeutic about cleaning your bike. I set up my work stand in the driveway, set my bike up on it and set out on an hour clean job.

I got out tonight for a short 16 miler. It was really windy and a little brisk. My feet were pretty cold when I got done. I need to wear my shoe covers next time. My bike rode great, it's amazing how a clean chain and gears can make a big difference.

The Dude