J.D Drifter 150 a Gravel Caravan

Not much time to write but all I can say is that that ride was a success. Ten of us met up at the Apple River Canyon on Sunday at around 5am. We headed out of the canyon on a steep climb and came out to view some very beautiful terrain. The ride ended at 930 pm when the storms rolled in and AG got the perfectly timed flat. That was the sign to get out of town. We rode on Gravel, dirt, grass, mosquitoe infested area, along the Miss. river, Pavement. It was a super-diverse ride. The total climbing for the day was over 11,000 feet. I was glad to have my triple and sometimes that was not enough.
Thanks to all who came out. It was a blast riding with all of you!
Ari

Part two:
The riding was spectacular and it was great to ride with Lance,Traci, Eric, Richard, Blue Demon, L. Perfecto, Jakey La Cruz, Grant, Tom. We ended up in Savanna for our first break after about 50 miles at a Casey's. We fueled up on Breakfast Pizza, Gatorade, Red Bulls and whatnot. We then headed up into the Palisades where we had a couple riders crash out on a  very steep descent. Both riders continued on despite some injuries. We later descended on some crazy singletrack. We finally made it to Galena and stopped for lunch. This was a great idea since food on the bike gets boring and old. A freshly stacked salad bar with Chicken Noodle soup was  a great lunch. We then came out of Galena and hit some monster hills. My legs were starting to act up and I kept pounding them with water and gels. I finally stopped cramping as the sun was going down and it was cooling. I started to feel really good around mile 110. I wanted to continue riding all night. It was cool, we were listening to Johnny Cash on Blue Demons Blue tooth stereo. I was in my glory and did not want the ride to end. We eventually ran out of water and knocked on a door. The lady gave us free range on the garden hose. We were so happy with full bottles. I kept thinking how right Jake la Cruz was about Jo Daviess county. The hills, the views, the roads, the river. It is the best part of IL that I know of. 
Ari 

The Group heading out early morning. 

Bushwhacking to get to the hidden Bridge. 

These bridges are slowly dissapearing. It's great to be on a bike and find them. 

Sometimes the scenery was so good we all stopped and stared. 

More bushwhacking along the Miss river. 

about 930 pm. We wanted more but got stopped by the storms. 

There was a lot of Walky hills. 

The Blue Demon rode 150 miles on his ECR on a new Brooks. 

J.D Drifter 150

The J.D. Drifter 150

will be 

Happening on June 29, 2014. 

Departure will be at 5:00 a.m. 

sharp from 

the Apple River Canyon 

forest preserve.

The ride as you can imagine

will be 150 miles of rugged terrain

in the Jo-Daviess County in Northwestern 

ILLINOIS. 

We suggest you bring a bike with larger tires, 

plenty of water, food, lights and whatever else you think you might need. 

There will be no sag wagons handing off ice cold bottles of evian water. There will be no epic photographers pacing you up the hills. 

There will be thousands and thousands and thousands of feet of climbing. 

But on the other hand we will stay together. We will have food and music to share. We won't race the course. We will also have a shorter section where you can peel off. This distance will be around 60 miles or so. The whole idea is to get out there and ride together. It's like a caravan, like a gypsy caravan. Please let me know through comments if you like to come. We will have maps for you to use and keep. 

Let us know, 

thanks for reading 

Ari 

June 29th, 2014 5:00 A.M. Start Apple River Canyon State Park, IL.
Leave comments whether you are coming. No drop ride. 60 mile shorter course included.
Ari 

LtR Blue Demon, Giugi, Self, Giaco, Gravel Jesus



Sometimes you are just lucky enough to have some people to ride with. In my case I am super-lucky to have the crew that I have. We are a tight knit group and we help each-other out all the time. Oh,we also ride bikes and hang out. So, now that my injury is coming along better I am very glad to be turning the pedals once again.
We hope to see you out there at some point. Summer don't hang out too long so don't let you meat loaf.
Fixed gear for the month of June to get back in shape. I just drop my gearing for more spin to a 42x16. I also added L.P's old cowbells, cane creek levers and the bike feels amazing.
Lots more to come and as always,
thank you for reading and being there.
Ari 

More night Riding with the Slender Fungus

Was able to get out last night and chase the blue demon around while he rode the wife's big Dummy. L. Perfecto joined us on the fixed gear. It was a wonderful, warm night. Just taking advantage of this weather for all the winter nights we were couped up. Get out while you can.
Ari D 

Blue Demon on the Surly Big Dummy Burning it up.

 

L.Perfecto and I chased with no hope of catching the Robot.

 

Back on Track. And glad to be there.

So on March 23,2014 I had my little mishap where I just completely messed up my left ankle. It has been a long of recovery and the people that helped out know who you are. I have been going on shorter rides of 20-30-40 miles and things have been improving. Today was the day to give that old ankle a good test. I rode over to L.Perfecto's house and arrived there a bit before 7 a.m. We headed south and then west hitting the IM canal, the centennial then the Im canal trail all the way to minooka,Il. We stopped at a Pizza place and enjoyed a reasonably priced buffet. We filled our bellies and headed for the return. I was on my steamroller fixed gear bike turning a 42x15. That gave me a cruising speed of around 16mph. L. Perfecto was on her Trek 520 fixed on a 42x16. Jakey La Cruz was aboard his Salsa Casserol. The weather was hot and we went through a lot of water. We encountered a large Fox snake close to 4 feet in length. I also found a really good knife on the road. All in all I was able to get in a 100 mile day on the fixed gear. We were tired but happy to have been out on a long one again. It felt really good to pedal for that long. I hope full recovery will come soon. 
Thanks for reading, 
Ari 

fox snake we helped off the road. 

A very confusing connection between the two trails. 

A good day to hide in shaded trais. I+M canal towards Chanahon. 

Pizza to go. Anything to prevent the dreaded Bonk. 

Great Place to refuel in Minooka, IL. 

L.P. with found knife in hand. 

the I+M canal was very green today. 

Memorial Night Ride

I watched the herds of riders all day long as they basked in the sun enjoying the day. I had committed my holiday to hanging out with family and getting the most out of it. Family was in from out of town and I just felt weird to get suited up and leave them. So late at night I got dressed and mounted up on the Steamroller and got in about 35 miles. It was humid as all get go. So I was just wearing a lycra jersey and shorts. It was weird to ride in the jungle like climate since it had been such a long time. Midway thru my ride on the Creepy trail I got rained on real good. I slipped my little Canon in a plastic bag and continued pedalling. It felt good to ride. I had been feeling so full and bloated from eating so much. At first the legs felt heavy but as the ride went on they got better and better. I saw nobody out there. I had the whole place to myself. I arrived home around 1am, showered, then went straight to bed. I hit the pillow and started dreaming. I 
dreamt  of longer rides with friends. I dreamt of a summer that never ends. 
Hope you had a great holiday weekend. 
Ari 

The creepy trail was dark and foggy. 

Back to what we used to be

Night Riding

Yeah, a long time ago Hellmut and I used to spend countless hours riding at night. Most people look at us with fright as we explain it is the best time of the day to ride. 
Last night, and many before that we have been getting out for rides that start no earlier than 9 pm. You saddle up on a sturdy bike with sturdy tires and you hit the road. In my case I have two lights, some reflective tape on my frame and a Planet bike Turbo rear light. 
We own the night since most of the population is asleep getting rested for another shift at the office. We cruise down streets that are deserted. We roll thru intersections with ease. We ride two abreast and spend endless hours chatting and joking. The miles seem to pass by flying since one cannot see computers. We don't care about zones, Watts, power or anything else. All we care about is being outside. 
This past winter was so brutal and we don't want to be cooped up anymore.  So the roads are empty, the traffic is low, the air is cleaner since there isn't as much traffic. We only wonder what's keeping you in?????

Ari 

The Zoo trail is freshly paved and empty

Sheltering during a storm

Blasting down 47th street eastbound.