Road Blocks & Green Lights

Training for RAGBRAI has been a blast so far! But, like any challenge, I’ve encountered some roadblocks and some green lights. Here are a few of the things that make me grumble, and some that just plain make me happy:

Roadblocks

-The back wheel of my fancy, shiny, new bike keeps slipping out of place. The quick release just isn’t tight enough and it’s causing me unneeded stress.

-It’s been a cold stormy spring. I strongly believe stormy weather waits for Monday and Tuesday so people don’t feel so bad about being at work on a gloomy day. But Monday and Tuesday are my days off! Bad Mother Nature, Bad.

-Along with RAGBRAI, I’m training for The Copper Creek Sprint Triathlon in June. Sometimes I feel like I’m not giving either training the attention it deserves.

-I literally live in the middle of the city. Getting to a country road to just crank out some good mileage is a good drive away.

-This Neil Smith Trail. I had a heck of a time following the trail past Union Park. When I finally spotted the trail under an overpass I was on, I cut through the grass only to get about a quarter mile before construction... (Photo) It will be awesome when it’s finished, but that’s just the kind of thing that happens when you try to train for RAGBRAI in the city.

Green Lights

-My Greater Des Moines Regional Trails map. I love it. Get one at the Des Moines Bicycle Collective

-The cycling community. You can’t be mad about taco rides out to the Cumming Tap and Wheels and Heels events. Those are the types of things I love about the Des Moines cycling community.

-Riding my bike to the downtown Y and then meeting up with the Meredith Trail by Principal Park and riding around to Grey’s Lake. I feel like I’m getting some of the best experiences of my neighborhood all in a six mile ride.

-Skunk River Cycles. I love all the local bike shops, but these guys are my favorites.

-Spandex. All this bike riding has me checking the tags on my clothes. I love spandex and I look darn good it in after all this riding!

Get Lost

I mapped out a route Saturday for an hour-long 12 mile trail ride. I’ve been riding the stationary at about 12 mph, so I figured I could get it done if I really pushed it. I had to work at 1:00, so I headed out at 10:30 with plenty of time and plenty of sun.

I parked at a little park in Windsor Heights and jumped on the Des Moines trail system headed toward the Greenbelt Trail.

I rode up to Raccoon River Trail around Clive and I started to get nervous. I had stopped a few times to look at my map and make sure I was headed in the right direction, even taken a few wrong turns and had to double-back, and I knew I wasn’t riding 12mph around the curvy, crowded trails.

The trail finally pointed toward Douglas and I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew where Douglas was on a map. However, I parked at University and 69^th… I was at Douglas and 142^nd and it wasn’t getting any earlier!

I rode on Douglas for quite a while, passing 80/35 and giving an empathetic smile to a man with a “hungry” sign. I sure was hungry too, but I didn’t have anything to share and the water level in my bottle was dwindling.

Finally, the trail crossed over Douglas and left the road at Walter-Johnson Park. No sooner did I give a little fist pump than I realized the bridge was out. I did an about-face and headed back to Douglas.

The trail met back up by the Urbandale Library. I remember thinking to myself at one point in time, ‘I have no idea which way to go at this fork… I probably just picked the wrong direction.’ But I brushed it off and kept trucking. It was getting close to noon and I had to shower and get to work.

This photo shows the path I took in red, and the path I should have taken in green…

I wound up at Ashwood and Bryn Mawr. An intersection the GPS on my phone refused to acknowledge. I stopped for about 20 minutes turning my map around and around, trying to figure out which direction was north, and which was south, and wondering why this trail just ended

I rode up to 72^nd and realized I knew exactly where I was! But I still didn’t know if I was going north or south. I rode down a hill, got to Bucs arena but thought I should have gotten to University… So I figured I went the wrong way. Turned around, rode up to Douglas. Upon reaching Douglas, I contemplated calling my mom and crying. I was flustered, making bad decisions, it was 12:55, I had 5 minutes to shower and get to work, and I had just ridden down and up a huge hill for no reason.

But I pulled myself together, rode down 70^th, knowing I was just one block west of my destination, and headed in the right direction.

I passed a DQ, swearing that if I had time I would have stopped there. Finally back to my car, I rushed home and showered and got into work 45 minutes late. Thankfully my weekend work schedule is VERY flexible… plus I was there ‘till after midnight anyway.

So that was my 18 mile, 2 ½ hour initiation into “long rides”. My little 6 mile downtown-Grays Lake loop paled in comparison to this adventure. Yes, I’m calling it an ‘adventure’… it sounds much better than a ‘disaster’.

I am also adding this little gem for your viewing pleasure. I had a jacket on that I had rolled up to about ¾ length. My SPF clearly only lasted about an hour of that ride.

Is This Heaven? No, it's Iowa.

This is my RAGBRAI training blog. Follow me as I get to know the trails of Iowa, put in some saddle time on county roads and get to know other cycling aficionados. Check me out on Twitter at @alisa_who.

After graduating from Iowa State, I moved away to Chicago for almost two years. I lived a few exits away from what they called the Loop in downtown Chicago. The loop is the home of most of those skyscrapers in the beautiful Chicago skyline.

I always got a fuzzy feeling when I was driving into the city. I would look at the skyline and have to pinch myself. I remember a few times saying, out loud in my car, “I can’t believe I live here”.

I moved to New Orleans and had a similar feeling, looking at Jackson Square, taking part in Mardi Gras… I wondered, “What kind of person gets to live like this?”

Well, today I had that feeling. I woke up and put on the spandex, threw my wheels over my shoulder and walked them down the stairs. I got on my bike, just like every other ride, and headed down the hill. I rode down Locust past the Y, along the lake, past Principle Park. I turned a corner to cross the river, and BAM! There it was!

It wasn’t the Chicago skyline… It was the Des Moines skyline. And, while not quite as grandeur, this skyline slowed me down a little bit. I looked around and saw people fishing off the bridge, I rode down a quiet street, I said “good morning” to every single passerby, even when I got to Grey’s Lake and it was a little ridiculous saying hello to EVERYONE.

My ride turned into a homecoming. I was back home for this season in my life, and Iowa was welcoming me with open arms. Nowhere else in the world could I be training for this ride quite like I will here. And RAGBRAI is unique to Iowa. Not only is it only held here in Iowa, it showcases the best about Iowa.

This cycling niche I’ve fallen into defines Iowa and there’s nothing to complain about when I’m on a bike. Outsiders don’t always understand, but I live in Iowa, and I’m pretty lucky.

What is it about Iowa that makes your heart skip a beat? And can I give a little shout-out to Mother Nature for this little slice of heaven pie in the shape of an 84 degree day?

DEADLINE! DEADLINE!

The deadline to register for a full week of RAGBRAI is tomorrow (Friday). If you’re just riding part of the week, you have till June, but if you’re going to spend the time training, you might as well do the whole deed.

It’s not a bad price for a week’s vacation… but you might need another week to rest and get back into your skinny jeans (spandex only on the ride).

• Week-long Rider ~ $150
• Week-long Non-Rider ~ $35
• Daily Wristbands ~ $25 a day

Only 8,500 week-long riders and 1,500 daily riders are technically allowed to ride. If the entries exceed the number of riders allowed, a lottery will take place. That’s when it’s good to be part of a team, because if one person in the team gets chosen in the lottery, the whole team goes.

Getting ready for #30daysofbiking. I think I’ve persuaded at least one co-worker to take the challenge. We’re eyeing Wednesday as a good warm-weather ride for the week.

Get out there and bike!

Spring Training

I’m sitting in the newsroom looking at the sun shining in the windows. I actually went over and stood in the warmth for a while when I first got it. It’s a bit of a mirage though, it’s not really all that warm outside… But the sun, the vitamin D… It’s all encouraging to me.

I’m riding with some folks in the Mullet’s to Mars ride tomorrow (Sunday) morning. It starts at 10:30 at Mullet’s Restaurant and we will ride to Mars Café. Only 4 miles, $25 and it benefits the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Drink specials at the stops and Gusto will open early with pizza specials. Live music at Mars and raffle prizes.

I’m looking forward to a week of 50’s and some much needed fresh-air saddle time.

Here’s a good article on RAGBRAI spring training: http://ragbrai.com/2011/03/11/ragbrai-training-time-for-base-training/

Starting to log hours tomorrow! Can’t wait.

Is That Spring I Hear Around the Corner?

I went on my second little adventure of the “spring” yesterday. The first was in February that day it was 65, when I went out to Waterworks Park and followed a trail till I came to a flooded area under Grand. Yesterday I headed in the opposite direction, looking for open road.

After Yoga at the Riverfront Y, I asked the front desk girl if she knew where the trail leading to Saylorville was. She said she rides it all the time in the summer, and she gave me perfect directions down Grand, left on Robert D. Ray Dr. and onto the path. I left home in a hurry before yoga, and left my Des Moines Regional Trails map at home… so I was on my own.

I rode for a few miles along the river in 50 degree weather, smiling at the walkers and dodging the spots in the shade where the snow hadn’t melted yet. Calling out “On your left!” and trying not to startle my fellow exercisers.

I got to about East Washington Ave. and came to a trail dead end. I could go right… seemingly curving back to where I started, or left… down a big hill. I chose the hill, knowing full well if that wasn’t the right way, I’d have to climb that sucker.

The sidewalk seemed to end at Union Park, and I wasn’t sure where I was, or if the trail picked up again, so I headed back… Up that hill. I knew the same trail led back south to Grey’s Lake at the very least.

I ran into a new friend named Jim on the path and we rode around a bit downtown and stopped for a coffee at Java Joes. He told me about the Des Moines Bicycle Collective on Grand and we headed in that direction to check it out.

The Des Moines Bicycle Collective is a volunteer run, non profit, community bike center committed to promoting healthy, sustainable transportation. They repair and recycle donated bikes for resale and reuse. The teach safety, commuting tips, and bicycle repair skills as well as housing a little bike store in the front full of affordable, rebuilt bikes. Their flyer says; donations, time, skill, parts and money are always appreciated.

Check them out at 617 Grand Ave. or at dsmbikecollective.org. They have limited hours, but they fit right into my schedule. I’m planning on going in sometime this week, or early next week to volunteer. I figure there’s nothing bad that can come out of learning bike maintenance and making some cool bike friends.