Rapha Continental Killing Exposé

an artist's interpretation

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA- The Rapha Continental Team is attempting to kill endurance cyclist Skip Cronin by scheduling his Continental Calling 100 mile ride on a date only 2 days prior to the Dirty Kanza race, where he subsequently suffered from heat exhaustion at mile 130 due to lack of sleep, fatigue and dehydration. One day after he returning from Kansas, the Continental Team showed up in Lincoln and enticed him to drag his battered carcass on a 150 mile ride. Glory through suffering.

North Bend - 56 Miles

County Rd K - 30 Miles

Resurrection Ride

As the cliche goes, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.  Got the call from Kevin today and find myself participating in my second Continental Calling ride tomorrow with Kevin and MW. 

I'll sleep when I'm dead.  (and at this pace... that may not be long.)

It even looks like the weather will be the same, but with Vitamin G.

DNF: Heat Stroke at ~ mile 130

Was sitting in 5th overall and first SS. Doesn't mean much but adds
to the disappointment.

On the other hand, Corey and Troy are flying and in the top three.
Viva la Lincoln!!

In darkly funny news, as I sat in the shade of a house and drank from
their hose, the realization I was done it and I had a small break
down. About five minutes into it, my face completely cramped.
Totally snapped me out of it.

"I'm done."

The last phone call I received was a real bummer. The incredible heat of the day had its way with Skip. The heat index peaked in the upper 90's late afternoon and Skip found himself with signs of heat stroke/exhaustion like chills, cramps, goosebumps, things not to be ignored. He and Joe Fox found some shade and a water spigot and waited for a ride for Skip.

Skip did report that he was currently waiting at the final checkpoint of the race when he called (5pm) that at that point only three riders had come through and Corey and Troy were two of them. So at least their was some good news.

DK Update

Could barely hear through the wind on an earlier call, but some words I could pick out sounded like 1st Single Speed and Corey and Troy off the front. A later voicemail and text at about 1:30pm said Skip was half way done and was fairly sure he was first in Single Speed and 7th overall and that Corey and Troy had been through about an hour before that. I had to assume that put them in the lead. I think Skip also said that he had been riding with Joe Fox out of KC. More updates as I get them.

4:30am: Gravel Sluts Getting Ready

Eye of My Little Storm

I am sitting in the Traverse City airport with a short 30 minutes of
downtime after having slept for three hours, risen at 5am and slipped
out of Empire, Michigan with the Rapha crew still snug in their beds
or respective spots on the floor. The guys proved to be all class and
it was a pleasure to ride with them.

The ride itself had little resemblence to what I had envisioned but it
was still nice in its own way. The weather locked us out of the
expansive views available on even a somewhat clear day and, from a
riding standpoint, I only truly felt like myself for a small portion
of the ride. Details to follow.

Now it's time to board a plane, touch down in Lincoln for an hour or
two and then jump in a car to drive to KS.

Traverse City - 99 Miles 18.8 mph

Leland - Mile 71

Empire - 40 miles in

Dicks Like Jesus

Mobilized and heading to ride. Mickey Avalon pumping in the Rapha
van. Rain and cold. Going Belgium style.

Breakfast Chatter

Bikes in the Wait

An Evening with the Rapha Gang

What started as an evening of dinner and get-to-know-you chats moved
easily to routes and reroutes, the off for a few beers at the "VI."

The evening's highlight was when a local approached Daniel Wakefield
Paisley and, after commenting on how hot he is, rested her large built
for comfort breasts on top of his head. The table then erupted with
the sound of cameras and phones being pulled.

Shortly afterward she proclaimed him to be a "fudgie". That is a
tourist who stands out because they are always buying fudge.

Apparently, he's a hot fudgie.

A Snack Before Dinner

I Couldn't Agree More

Just finished building up the anti-bling bike and now relaxing waiting
for the rest of the crew to arrive. Light rain, cool air, feeling good.

The Connection

One question seems to be running through any conversation I have with people about the upcoming Rapha Continental Ride I am hosting Thursday.  Phrased in various ways, the heart of it is simply:  "Your hosting a ride in Michigan?  You live in Nebraska.  What's the connection?"

The connection is Mrs. Snob.  Yes, I married into it.

Susan's family has vacationed in Michigan for decades.  Her mother was a teacher and later superintendent of a school district and their family summered in Onekama, Michigan each year.  When I entered the scene, I brought my bikes along.  First bringing my mountain bike and exploring the North Country trail and later taking cross and road bikes and riding M22 and various side roads, the experience leading to the route I submitted to the Rapha Continental.

So, while there are certainly people who know the area better than I do, I think I have the idea of exploring the region down pretty well.  The only blip has been the fact we're doing this right before Kanza, but that will work out just fine too.  

Talk to you from the road.

An Ode to Beers Gone By

Far and away the ditch beer of choice, Busch Light

The Backup

The Designated Driver

"Dude, I thought it was Miller."

"What is wrong with you?  Read the fucking label."

"Sorry... I was drunk."

The Intervention

The Sophisticate

And of course, the Champagne