Tour of the Mississippi River Valley -No faint heart in this group. Rally at 0600, the first eighty miles will be flat and simple along the Mississippi River. After a twenty mile warm up we will look for swift moving pace-lines: join in for close action. Double pace-line, no room for echelons, our wheels will be one off the next in close quarters - no hesitation lest we all go down. Totally in the moment, awareness levels high, for the value of future rides our bikes are worth more undamaged. Regroup at Hanover, we will attack in the bluffs along Blackjack Ridge. Like banshees, we will descend down the side of Chestnut Mountain at 40 mph+, cognizant that this is where Vern Willy sheared his front fork in ‘96, went down and became a paraplegic. To this day he still rides TOMROV, albeit hand-cranking a specially built bike.
Next is Galena, then comes The Wall and it is every man for himself to make it up and over to Scales Mound. On to Dubuque, 110 miles for the day, rest up and do it again the next day homeward bound.
Far from Fairfield, our bikes and our comrades are our home .
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