A hot day out on the roads

Had this idea of wearing my old school EUSCATEL today. It was already 9 am when I got rolling and I instantly felt warm. I was tired from a looong week at work and my motivation was low. I decided to do the LEMONT LOOP. A hilly course but not advisable on a SAT. BOY was it busy. It took my bright rear flasher, orange jersey, bright green bike , cateye mirror to keep those damn cars off me. I kept thinking they should stay home and save lives. I ended the day with 45 miles and a near heatstroke. Still glad I got out cause in JANUARY I would have regretted it. Ari

Finding new commuter routes

Singlespeeding again.

Hello? Is there anybody out there?

 Hello everyone. I'm still alive out this way if you were wondering. I've had a hard time to type on computer since one of my eyes has been giving me some issues. Made an appointment with doctor but it will be a while. That's why we have two eyes I guess. 

After losing some very importante people I have resumed things to the best of my abilities. I have been working, gardening, and riding a lot. I am fortunate to work 10 miles from home and as far as I am concerned that is the perfect distance. I have many routes posible and that keeps me from getting bored. 

As of late I have been riding my Giant Contend. It's an Aluminum bike I have been tinkering with for a while. It rides pretty fast and keeps my commute under an hour. Now with fall and darkness approaching it will be time to get the lights and fenders ready. It's always an exciting time for me. I love to ride in the dark for some reason. 

This past weekend we were able to pack up a lunch and take a drive to Iowa. we took the highway to route 64 then headed west to Savanna, crossed the new bridge into Sabula and drove north on rte 52, which is freshly paved, to Bellevue. We stopped there for lunch at the park then headed for a quick stop in Dubuque. 

It was great to get out a bit and see that awesome county of Jackson. The rolling hill, the gravel roads, it was just great. No time for a ride but I hope to be out ther on a bike soon. 

I hope everyone is doing well. These are trying times and the best is to stay in touch. I have been very busy at work and coupled with my eye I have stayed away from the keyboard. Soon enough I will be back to writing more often. 

Thanks for reading. 

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Hope everyone is doing well that reads this little blog. As of late I have finally gotten to get back on the bike. As I may have said in another post I was going full steam towards the end of 2019 and then things happened. I lost all the wind in my sails and it brought me to an abrupt stop. I tried in vain but nothing was able to make me cross that line. 

Then one day I sent a message to a friend. I was looking for solutions and thought of him. He inmediately called me on messenger and showed me where he was. He was in the middle of nowhere. The sun was shining, I could hear the birds, his bike resting on a tree. He had a big smile on. We talked for a while and I thought about what he said for a long time. 

That very night I decided to start commuting to work again. 

You see when you lose it all the stuff gets out of order. First I got a bike ready, the right bags, shoes, clothing, repair kit, inhaler, keys, wallet. All organized on kitchen table. When you stop riding for a while all that stuff gets blended in with the rest of the stuff and creates a barrier to be able to ride. 

The next morning I mounted the bike and rolled. After having ridden nearly 400k miles in my life it felt foreign. Wait, why does my butt hurt so much? My legs felt week. It started to rain. First a sprinkle, then full on rain. My first 4 days of coming back it rained solid going to work and coming back. I sheltered a couple times with the lightning being a stark reminder of a Trans Iowa many moons ago. 

The rain did not affect me at all. It was mother nature welcoming me back. It washed my dark cloud, made me feel well again. I am back on the bike and I hope to stay on. 

Things for sure have been weird. We are learning, coping, trying to understand. The bike gives us time to think, to clear the mind, to escape the fear, the monotony. I missed riding my bike but it was worth being off and taking care of things. 

So if you are stuck in a weird spot, call a friend. Talk to somebody about what is happening. Call me. Text someone. I'm sure help is out there waiting for you. You might just need that tiny,little push to get you rolling again. 

Thank for reading,

Ari 

Trans Iowa weekend

After a finish all Special K wanted was Ice. 

Bonk King Volunteering. Rock Solid. 

Special K and Ari 

Thank you for stopping by here. Last couple of weeks have been hectic as one can imagine so I was glad to hit this keyboard for a little while. 
Yesterday, as every year at the last weekend of April, I awoke naturally at dark thirty. I went outside and smelled a cold breeze and frigid drizzle that was quietly falling. I thought to myself that in years past I would be lining up soon. How is that possible? I years past I would be making last minute preparations to take the short ride into town to line up at Bikes To You in Grinell for another attempt at the Trans Iowa. 
Instead I stood in the dark, outside on my deck in the most complete silence I could ever imagine. Nothing was moving, no birds awake yet. The hum of the nearby expressway completely silent. The nearby train tracks silent and cold. 
I saw my breath and started to feel my  bare feet go numb. That was nothing compared to what we had experienced in years past. I have learned a lot from Trans Iowa. I have learned to be patient, to wait, to keep pushing despite severe adversity. I have learned how important people are, how important family is. 
I feel blessed and am thankful to have been part of that era. I am thankful for the lifelong memories, the changes in perpective. There is a lot more that words and my poor writing skills cannot get out right now. I want to thank Trans Iowa for all you have done. Your memory will live forever. 
thanks for reading, 
Ari 

Dr. Giggles 

Start of Trans Iowa 

Constantine Peters. A fellow Greek Gravel racer. 

TIv6, l-r Pizza Dan, Ari , Hellmutt, dr. Giggles 

cleaning bikes afeter B road

Cookie and Bald Eagle. 

Dr. Giggles with Fargo Gen 1 

Dr Giggle, Ari , Cookie, Gumby

Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross 

Cold blustery day . 

G.T. Ari and Charlie Farrow. 

Cookie and Jeremy Kershaw finishing TI

Ari Cookie TJ Gumby Giggles 

Grinnell Steakhouse. 

Gunnar Crosshairs, my first Trans Iowa bike V4 

Dr. Giggles and Bonk King. 

Night time walking and taking photos.

We hung up some eggs for passing kids to look at. 

There has been the craziest skies lately 

Crystal clear nights. What a rarity . 

Within 5 minutes these clouds were gone and the sky was clear. 

Been getting out late with the wife for our walks. There is absolutely nobody out there. No people, no cars, no trains, no airplanes. It is the weirdest thing ever. I truly feel like I am part of some kind of fiction book. 
Ari