Sun. 8/2/09

Terry had sent out the S.O.S. for riders to make the epic journey to Northfield and back on Sunday morning. So, I decided I could use the trip as a measure of my D to D fitness level.

We started at Dunn Brothers south at 7:00am. There were 8 other riders, but a few of them were turning back at some point. They were: Terry, Dr. Tim, Al, Chris, Bruce, Big Steve, Big Jim, Tim B and myself.

The winds were out of the SW and picking up throughout the day. Not the best day to go NW. But we took off heading west to Byron by way of Salem Corners.

The group was moving along nicely with a double pace line. At Byron, we continued west to Kasson and then after a short pause (to let the train go by), we headed for Dodge Center.

We stopped at the Kwik Trip in Dodge Center for more water, gatorade, and muffins.

Dr. Tim and Al decided that this was a good spot for them to turn back, while the rest of us headed north out of Dodge Center.

We then turned west again and made our way to West Concord. We continued west for a couple of more miles and just as we hit road construction, we turned north. The tailwind pushed us along at a nice 22+ mph pace as the 7 remaining riders got into a single rotating pace line.

We cruised on into Kenyon and after a short stop, we continued north and then west again to Nerstrand. From there it was west, north, then west again, down and up over some nice little climbs and finally down into Northfield.

We stopped at the Blue Monday Coffee shop for water, juice, coffee, bagels, and other assorted treats. We stayed there about 30 minutes or so, while everyone got good and refreshed. Then it was off back the way we had came, this time the tailwind was not so favorable.

We basically doubled-back to Kenyon and made another quick stop at the convience store for water. By this time I was starting to feel my lack of fitness, so I opted for a Mountain Dew and a Salted Nut Roll.

We made our way east out of Kenyon and I made sure to stay in the draft of the other 6 as best I could. The group rolled along at an incredable pace (+23 mph) considering the strong cross, headcross, and head winds we encountered as we made our way to Roscoe and finally Pine Island.

We made another stop in PI for water and food (I grabbed another Dew). And we finished of the epic trip on the Douglas Trail. I was glad to be out of the winds, as I was at my limit by now.

Once we reached Rochester, I turned east and headed for home.

140 miles in under 8 hours, not bad.

I wish I could only say I contributed more to the return trip than I did.

I really need to thank Big Jim, Big Steve, Big Chris, Big Bruce, Big Terry, and Big Tim for pulling my sorry a$$ all the way home. THANKS GUYS!!!