So, as I lay here with a heating pad on my back, I've been thinking about what I want to do this year in terms of riding. Of course, I'm doing RAGBRAI in July (21-27). And the iGranFondo ride is the day before RAGBRAI starts.
Then there is the UPAF Ride for the Arts in Milwaukee the first Sunday in June. I've done this ride the last three years, with different distances each year. Last year, I rocked (for me) the 75-mi course at over 18 mph. Flat and fast. And fun. It's a must do ride.
Two years ago I rode the Minnesota Gran Fondo (MGF) / Ironman Bike Ride. That was maybe the hardest day / event I've ever done on a bike. 68 miles, temps in the low 30s, some precipitation and the first 23 miles were into a nasty headwind. But I persevered. This year, unfortunately, the ride is scheduled on Drake Relays weekend (April 28). I went college at Drake and Relays is like our Homecoming - only bigger - and I haven't been back since 2005. I miss my friends. Hmmm. What to do.
That weekend is also the weekend for the "Feed the Need" Ride in Highland, WI. Last year I did this ride, and if the 2010 MGF wasn't the hardest ride, then this ride was. Temps in the 30s, lots of wind and hills, a wrong turn, and getting SAG'd back because I couldn't finish it. I signed up to ride the 100 mi course, but ended up only going 53. (Needed to start my training earlier to do the century.) Yeah. That was the hardest ride I ever did. It's a small ride, but a fund raiser for the local foodbanks in SW WI.
I think I will probably do one of these rides and skip Relays (again). But which one?
What else is out there? Well, last year on the iGranFondo I saw a few riders wearing "Wisconsin Triple Crown" rides. It turns out it's a three event series, with a ride in May, the second in June and the last in August. That works well around the others. And, looking at the website, it looks really challenging. Multiple distances but LOTS of hills. Interestingly, it is limited to only 500 riders. Which seems that it will attract high caliber riders. Not sure I fit that category. But they are rides, not races. And, really, the object here is to challenge myself, to push myself further, not to see how I stack up against others. Even if I were the last finisher at each of the rides, if I finish, it's still a win in my books.
Then, at the end of August, there's another ride, the LT Gran Fondo, up in the Twin Cities. I haven't ridden that one (weekend closest to my daughter's birthday). So, I probably should not plan on it this year either.
Possible Schedule:
1) April 27: Feed the Need ride (Highland, WI): 50, 75, or 100 mi - OR -
April 28: MGF (Twin Cities): 68 or 100 mi
2) May 18: Arcadia's Brute, part of the Triple Crown (Arcadia, WI): 50,100, or 150 km
3) June 2: UPAF Ride (Milwaukee): 50 or 75 mi
4) June 22: Kickapoo Kicker, Triple Crown (Viroqua, WI): 100, 150, or 200 km
5) July 20: iGranFondo (Sioux City, IA): 100 mi
6) July 21-27: RAGBRAI (Iowa): 7 days, 450-500 mi
7) August 10: Dairyland Dare, Triple Crown (Dodgeville, WI): 100, 150, or 200 km
8) August 25: LT Gran Fondo (Twin Cities): 100 mi (But probably not.)
I don't want to miss any of those rides, except for one of the April rides occurring on the same weekend.
So, should I register for them all (7 or 8)? It'll be a challenge. But they are all do-able. And they're scheduled far enough apart that I could do them all.
What do you think? Go for it? Or scale it back? Do I need to do more than I did last year (Feed the Need, UPAF, iGranFondo, & RAGBRAI)? I am really intrigued by the Triple Crown rides. Hmmm....
And then, of course, there is the matter of this being ok with my better half! Since the rides are all (except RAGBRAI) local and don't involve being gone for more than a day, I'm hoping that this will be ok. I'll let you know.
Big plans! I hope you get to do them all.
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