Iowa and Nebraska

Bellevue, NE. Today I completed the "Spoke and Hub" century, which began in Bellevue and moved through the Loess Land on either side of the Missouri River. This was hosted by the great folks at the Bellevue Bicycle Club. Loess is a German word meaning "if you think this is the top of the hill, think again!" Or something like that.

Headwinds were a problem for several stages in this ride. There was a blustery wind up from the South for the whole day. Normally, headwinds only affect half the ride. But, the course had significant diagonal segments with a Southerly vector, which just seemed to prolong the pain for hours. The few Northbound segments lasted only minutes (especially at 20 mph!).

Half way through this ride I had an opportunity to try out the local bike shop, Olde Towne Cyclery operated by Todd. I had noticed my rear wheel had worked its way loose on its axle during the Iowa segment. Todd did the tightening job -- which included removing the cassette -- and had me back on the road in minutes. He even used a torque wrench to re-attach the cassette -- a rare practice in modern bike mechanics. Where would we be without our local bike shops? I, certainly, could never complete the 50 Centuries Project.

Once again, I rode during a perfectly-fitting window in the weather. Before the ride, showers blew through the Omaha area. And, by the time I had returned to my hotel, showered, and sat down at the local Council Bluffs restaurant, the heavens had opened up for several hours of drenching rain. During the ride, however, the sun slowly burned away the clouds so that by the afternoon, I was glad to be wearing sunscreen. Lots of windburn, though!

Biking in the rain was not the only weather problem I avoided. As I checked in my rental car, the agent told me mine was the first she had seen without hail damage all day. Welcome to summer!

This is the end of my springtime centuries. I will resume my quest after a short break in July.

More photos on my Webshots page.