Mastering a Michigan Monsoon

Three Oaks, MI. On Sunday the 25th, I completed the Apple Cider Century here. This is the largest cycling event in the Midwest, with 5500 registered riders. Cars with bicycles on the back streamed in from Chicago and Indiana for this impressively well-organized event. As all large cycling events, this one goes rain or shine. This year it was rain. Rain began about mile five and continued, between heavy showers, drizzle, and a few breaks to about mile 75. It was amazing how many cyclists stuck it out -- at least for the first 50 miles.

There was still a lot to like about this ride. The roads were nice and quiet (except for the crowds of cyclists!). There were several areas of beautiful new pavement -- more than I have seen on many centuries. In fact, in places the rain-soaked road reflected the landscape and sky like a mirror, creating a bit of vertigo. It seemed unsafe, but I never saw a rider down (and there were many riders on these roads blasting across the ice-like surface), so I'm guessing that it was safer than it looked and felt.

And, the terrain was not that challenging. In fact, I did not have to use my granny gear once on this ride! At age 59, I don't have any pride about dropping into the small chain-ring. If I have to, I'll gear way down and tell myself I have nothing to prove. So, the fact that it was not necessary would recommend this as a particularly flat century.

Two other things made this century unique. The countryside in southern Michigan and northern Indiana is criss-crossed with railroads. We were never far from a railroad crossing, and were serenaded by train horns for most of the ride. And, the sheer scale of this event was impressive. The Apple Cider Century has been operating since 1974, so they know how to handle over 5000 riders. Thus, there were marshals at all the right intersections, markings in all the right places, and bathroom capacity to match the size of the crowd at every rest stop.

So, September came between extreme century book-ends. The month started in Tennessee with 100 degrees of bleaching heat, and ended with a 58-degree rain ride. I went from the long days of bright summer to a day-long autumn gloom in which the first hints of fall foliage were appearing at the ends of the tree branches.

This completes my twelfth century of the year and collects state number 34. I'll be taking a short break to vacation with my lovely bride. I'll be back on the bike as early as October 29, and certainly by early November. I plan to finish the year by coloring in South Carolina, Georgia, and possibly Mississippi.

Minnesota: Outriding Jesse James

Northfield, MN. On September 10, I added Minnesota as state number 33. This century was part of "The Defeat of Jesse James" festival. Jesse James has become somewhat of a folk hero in Hollywood and in Missouri (which is where he was from), where he's painted as a post-Civil War Robin Hood. But, historians have found no evidence that James gave the proceeds of his ten-year murderous rampage to anybody but himself.

The James Gang attacked a bank in Northfield, MN on September 7, 1876. The folks of Northfield, in those pre-911 days, realized what was going on, and initiated a firefight in downtown, killing two members of the gang at the scene. They then formed a posse, and chased down most of the gang in Madelia, MN -- 81 miles away. The two James brothers escaped, but the gang was essentially destroyed. Some historians have suggested, since James was a Confederate partisan and targeted the assets of former Union leaders, that this was really the last battle of the Civil War.

The festival includes a century. As most centuries, this goes a bit long -- 105 miles. It was a delightful day, with temperatures in the 80s (they think this was 'hot'!) and no wind. There were beautiful views of farmland in late summer as we climbed the many hills on this ride. I decided that, as I'm visiting Minnesota for my first time, I would slow my pace down and enjoy the scenery and weather. After all, it's not as if I'm chasing down a desperado or anything!

Thus, it was late in the day as I glided into Northfield Middle School. The post-ride shower felt great, the Subway sandwiches were delicious, and it was nice to sit and reminisce. I thanked the organizers, who were dressed as the original Western posse.

Today, the day after the ride, is the tenth anniversary of September 11. I will honor this in several ways. I'll fly on two United Airlines flights, happy to know that I'm a lot safer. I rode my bike this weekend in honor of those who brought other murderers to justice, successful in part because they rode harder and faster. But most of all, in a conflict with enemies who declare that they celebrate death, I've spend the weekend drinking deep from the cup of life.

Labor Day Weekend Doubleheader

On my list of personal 'firsts' is the accomplishment of two centuries in one weekend. I checked that off the bucket list today as I completed the Irene-delayed Delaware Shorefire Century. This Labor Day on-my-own ride (using the cue sheet for last weekend's canceled ride) gave me my last Northeastern State. And, on Saturday, I completed the Sunrise Century, which started in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Today's ride was cool, but breezy. Every time I took a leg with a southerly or westerly vector, I found myself facing demoralizing headwinds. Fortunately, on this course, this provided a tailwind for the final legs. Without the winds, this would be a delightful ride: no hills and pleasant backroads with great shoulders.

Delaware has been that hole in the doughnut for some time. It's the one Northeastern state that I had not completed. Hurricane Irene forced the cancellation of this August 27th ride. As I returned from Tennessee on Sunday, the local forecast looked like rain for Monday through Thursday. But, Delaware was forecast to be rain-free. With Robbie's help, I put together a self-supported century that used the Shorefire cue sheet. In fact, the road markings were still in place.

Saturday's Sunrise Century was something else altogether. Tennessee continues to experience a brutally hot summer, and the temperature on Saturday reached over 100 degrees. It was even hot at 9:30AM when I stopped to patch a flat tire (ugh!). At one point near the end, as we were climbing the last hill, I stopped to let the blood flow back into my shoes. It was so hot that the colors -- the foliage, the road, and the sky -- all seemed to be painted in pastels. There was not a dram of shade to be found anywhere. I waved off the SAG wagon that was sweeping the course for riders too tired to go the last few miles. With the odometer reading 98 miles, I knew that I had come too far to quit now. I poured the last of my water bottle onto my shirt, climbed back on my bike, and pedaled slowly to the finish line.

This brings the total states completed to 32. Next weekend I expect to hit Minnesota, and I have Michigan at the end of the month. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with the heat there. After that, I plan to take a break to do a relaxing cruise with my lovely bride. This is one break that I feel like I earned!