Sunday, August 24, 2008

Tour de LaPorte


Today, some of Team Velodox took part in the Tour de La Porte "Going the Distance for Cancer Care." Some of us rode 25 miles, others rode 40. It was a beautiful day and a nice ride. We enjoyed some nice scenery, saw some deer, and enjoyed a ride with friends (old and new). We were all given a "Team Pat" shirt and wore them proudly for the ride in support of Pat Wellenski, a.k.a. Steve's mom. Hopefully, we helped raise a bunch of money for the cancer center. Here's a group shot from the end.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Bruce and Henry - The Century

On Saturday, August 9, Henry Scott and I rode 108 miles. It was my first century; Henry's 10th or 11th . . .

Our ride didn't start with a century in mind; rather, the plan was to ride to Warren Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan, spend a couple of hours, then ride home. 70 miles; no sweat.

We arrived at WDSP after battling some fun head winds. Our ride took us on our usual route out of South Bend: northward on Niles, Angela, and the Riverside Trail. Then Darden to Lilac to Bertrand Road to Mayflower. Then Chamberlin to Bakertown Road to Madrone Lake Road to Warren Woods. Then Warren Woods to Gardner to Browntown Road. That takes us to the Red Arrow Highway and about 100 yards from the entrance to WDSP. If you check a map, any of those roads headed west equaled headwinds.

After a good rest at WDSP (and a total of 36.5 miles) we both felt pretty good. Henry suggested a century and I quickly laughed . . . but the more I thought about it, if we just turned around and did the same route home, our total would be 73 miles, only 27 short of a 100. We needed only to ride out of WDSP about 14 miles (sounds pretty easy) and then turn around.

I was in.

We headed back along Browntown to Hills, then Hills into Baroda, MI. In Baroda, we hit some light rain (those who've ridden with me know rain is the one thing I really hate to encounter on a bike). I'm thinking, "what the h . . . am I doing," but we pedaled on. Less than 10 minutes later, we were out of the rain.

Out of Baroda on Lemon Creek Road west, south on Holden, west on Shawnee into Bridgeman, MI. As we headed south on California out of Bridgeman, more rain, but it, too, didn't last long.

California Road south took us to New Troy, MI. Then east on Glendora Road to S. Log Cabin, east on Kaiser, south on Cleveland, west on Warren Woods, south on Avery (this section is hard-packed dirt; pretty funky riding), west on West Elm Valley, south on Three Oaks Road into Three Oaks, MI.

(Remember, each of those "west on" routes meant headwinds!)

By now, we're at 74 miles, and Henry is sure we cannot get back to South Bend in less than 25 miles. So, unless we/he/I bonk . . . our century is pretty much guaranteed.

In Three Oaks, we stopped at Froelich's bakery to "fuel up" on sandwiches and awesome baked goods. We took a bit of a stroll and it was "biker on!"

The route to South Bend from Three Oaks was, thankfully (and blissfully), due east. With a tail wind, riding was much easier. We back-tracked north just a bit out of Three Oaks to Kruger. East on Kruger, north on Pardee, east on Elm Valley. (Note, Elm Valley at this point is single lane, really rough asphalt . . . bone-jarring rough asphalt!) South on Cleveland, east on Galien Buchanan Road. This eventually brought us back to Bakertown Road where we turned south to Chamberlin. At this point, we back-tracked our exact route as before returning us to Henry's place.

In all, 108 miles; 7 hours, 45 minutes on bike; and an average speed of just at 14 miles per hour (13.93 to be exact).

We celebrated with a pitcher of beer and a large Barnaby's pizza. A fitting end to a momentous day!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Remembering Dave at the Farm

(posted by Tascha on behalf of Linda and Larry)

We are thinking about Dave and how fortunate we are to have had the opportunity to know him. It was our privilege to know him only two years. He made RAGBRAI such a fun experience. He was never at a loss for words yet could be very serious when the situation called for it. Larry enjoyed the many conversations around the evening camps. Dave's jokes and stories kept everyone laughing. Such a competitor and always at the head of the pack.

Linda remembers when everyone arrived at the farm on Friday afternoon. Dave and Tascha compared who had the lightest bike. Of course it was Dave. Dave gave Linda lots of advice on many subjects. Will she use it? We looked forward to the send off dinners and sharing of great conversation.

Future RAGBRAI Velodox team rides will not be the same without Dave. We miss him already!

Our sympathy to Nancy and his family.
Larry & Linda Yoder

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Message on the RAGBRAI Message Board

This evening, I posted a message to the RAGBRAI message boards about Dave. You can read my message and others' postings here:

RAGBRAI has lost a friend

Dave

I, too, have similar memories of Dave. Regardless of what obstacle was in front of Dave, he attacked it with a smile. His laugh echoing down the halls of Greenlawn Hall will be missed. I've included 3 of my favorite pictures of Dave from RAGBRAI 07. The first of Dave's "camera" he brought for the trip. On the way to the start of the the ride, we stopped and he bought a nice little digital camera and took a ton of great pictures. The second is Dave at his best. after a hard ride, enjoying a frosty beverage. Of course this was home-made root beer, but he talked about how good it was for the rest of the ride. The final picture is of Dave as he pulled to the finish of RAGBRAI 07.

I felt a loss by not riding in RAGBRAI 08, and now that sense of loss is much deeper. A dear friend is gone and I have lost my chance to ride with him. I cherish the memories of those rides, with him and each of you.


Remembering Dave

It is hard to believe that Dave is gone. I feel very blessed to have been able to spend a week with him on RAGBRAI eating his dust. "fittest old fart you'll ever meet" I believe was how Bruce described Dave. It was very inspiring to see Dave fly by people half his age on his bike as if they were standing still. To hear of his untimely death was a complete shock.

Please join me in posting a few of your favorite memories of Dave on our blog. His pile of raisins every morning at Mama's for breakfast, his encouragement to continue riding when I was tired and his beautiful smile and zest for life. An inspiration to us all.

To Dave's family, you have my deepest sympathy.

Keep on pedaling Dave.....

Congrats!

I followed your adventures online and congrats to all of you on a great ride! I just saw the photos and it looks like you had a blast.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Some Stats

Here are some stats from my cyclometer . . .

Total Trip Time: 37 hours, 4 minutes
This is the total time my front tire was spinning, including any walking through towns where I forgot to remove the cyclometer.

Average Speed: 14.26 mph
Same thing: it includes some time walking through pass-through towns (but also includes flying down some really cool hills!).

Max Speed: 36.72 mph
Can't really remember where I hit that, but there were some screamin' hills!


Sunday, July 27, 2008

LOTS of pictures

I have posted a bunch of pictures on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisclark/sets/72157606392566129/
About half are captioned, and I will get to the rest soon.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Pictures!





Since Dad and I stopped at home today, I can get on the internet. We have not connected in any of the towns along the way, so I thought I would put up a few pictures of Velodox starting out the first day. Chris with the rig and our signage, the whole team geared up and ready to roll on Sunday, Carla's herder making the trip with us, and my road rash (looks even better now, all scabbed over).
There are of course many many more pictures to come.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Follow our progress

Dear friends,

You can follow our progress on RAGBRAI at http://bikeiowa08.blogspot.com/
We willbe sending messages live from the road by cell phone, using Jott.

-- Chris, Dave, Bruce, Carla, Tascha, and Larry

RUMBLES!!!!

Just a quick note to the team -- ENJOY THE RIDE and be safe. Please know I will be with you in spirit -- trust me when I say I would give anything to be with the gang right now.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

An update

Hi everyone,

Well, RAGBRAI is just around the corner, and I have some sad news. I’ll not be participating in the ride this year. I had a long talk with Bruce yesterday and have slept on it, talked to Charmelle about, and so on. It’s really the right decision right now. I’m just physically and mentally exhausted from the move and remodeling. It’s been a tough 5 weeks of very long days, but Charmelle and I are in the new house and unpacking and the wedding plans are moving along.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe ride. Hope to see you all at RAGBRAI 2009.

Matt

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

is it next week already??

Hello
I just wanted to wish you all a great ride! I hope you have endured your training schedules and are looking forward to some fun in Iowa. Can't wait to hear strories and see photos.
Toodles!
Lauren

Friday, June 27, 2008

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

One K Club

My daughter Diana and I went for a ride on the new Mishawaka Riverwalk tonight and I hit 1000 miles for 2008. It feels good, but I still need more hills. Good thing I have some little ones nearby that I can go ride in a pinch!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Opportunities

As many of you know, I don't like to have fun. So, I have been trying to figure out what would motivate me for a RAGBRAI trip. Being a "Red State" guy, the answer was obvious -- $$$$ -- BUT, HOW???? Well, summer time in Iowa, I am thinking there will be some need for lawn care. And, like Matt and Bruce always tell me -- you have to have the right tool for the job!!!






Monday, June 16, 2008

Wind Training

Howdy Team!!

How goes the training?? Only 32 days to go, so if you are slackin, you better get moving.

The Iowa wind proved tough this weekend but I spent a total of 80 miles fighting it. Well, actually only 40 since I can't count the miles I rode with the wind! Broke 415 miles of training and am hoping for at least 300 more.

I absolutely love the clip in pedals. Have a second fall under my belt now but can't blame anyone but me for this one! Too busy looking at a flooded corn field and went off the edge of the trail. And I have a new training partner as well.......Chamios Butt'R!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

Happy Trails everyone!!! Ride safe......watch out for squirrels! Had a close call with one, silly thing stood on trail until I was right on top of him then he ran under my bike between my pedals.....

See ya all soon!!

Carla

Monday, June 9, 2008

Only once.....so far!

Hello Team!
How goes the training?? This weekend I finally purchased my pedals and shoes and have discovered the wonders of falling over!!!! But only once.....and I can blame that on my daughter for stopping in front of me suddenly.......hehe...

With most of the areas bike trails under water once again, I am back to rode riding. With another major downpour of 3-5 inches, several towns and roads are flooded, including the road to my house and my (and Gail's) hometown of Sumner. The local resident's of Parkersburg are slowly recovering from the tornadoes of Memorial Day Weekend with an estimated 5.4 million dollar cost to just REMOVE the debris. It has been a bad spring for flooding and tornadoes. Let us all hope and pray that hot weather for RAGBRAI is ALL we get.

So, for me, it is back to learning how to stop without falling over and navigating the "road closed" signs.

Happy Trails everyone!!!

Carla

Monday, June 2, 2008

Just in case you were thinking of slacking


This is what Day Two looks like. A 100-foot climb barely ten miles into the day, with eighty miles left after that. I HATE hills ...

Friday, May 30, 2008

Training progress

I hit 600 miles last night, so I'm pretty happy with how my training is going this year. How's everyone else doing? Is anyone up for a weekend ride?

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Creature Comforts!

Last year I'm sure it was said at least 5 times each day. "If I could just get out of the sun, it would be so much nicer!" We had tents to sleep in, but shade wasn't that available at some places. So this year we're bringing a little shade with us.
I picked up a 10x10 canopy that should be pretty easy to set up and take down. It's a place for us to sit during the sunny afternoon, and we could put our bikes under it at night to keep the dew off them. Team Velodox rides, or should that be rests, in style!!!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

I DID IT!!!

Hello Gang,

After some thought and prodding by our team coaches, I just ordered a NEW BIKE!!!!

A lot of research and soul searching went into this purchase. Through this process, I found the perfect bike for me -- please click the title of this post for the link to see my new baby.

see you on the road

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Hello Team!! A beautiful day here in Iowa. Mother Nature has finally come to her senses and shut off the water fountain. It remains a little cool for mid-May but perhaps that is a sign of a cool summer to come?? Maybe July won't be so stiffling hot and our leisurely ride across Iowa will be coooool......we can only hope. Has been perfect weather for some 25 mile rides before work in the morning and longer ones on weekends. I have discovered that a fellow staffer here at Wartburg is also riding so I have a new training partner.

Hope training for everyone else is going strong. Only 60 days to go!!! The truck and trailer will be ready to go!!

Carla

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The happy couple


100_0272
Originally uploaded by G.Chris Clark
Aren't they cute?

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Kal-Haven Trail Blazer


It was a cool start to a nice ride on Saturday. A few of us (Bruce, Charmelle, Chris, Matt, and Steve) took part in the Kal-Haven Trail Blazer. Even though Steve tried to convince us that he had forgotten his bike back in Ann Arbor, we all rode the multi-use rails-to-trail from South Haven, MI to somewhere west of Kalamzoo.
It was a great day and a nice 40 miles (or 46 for Charmelle and Chris, who just had to go a little further). While on the ride, we accomplished a few important tasks.
  1. Matt decided he really loves his new bike (but he doesn’t “LOVE” his new bike)
  2. Steve decided he really does want a new bike (or maybe we decided that for him)
  3. Charmelle is definitely ready for the cycling part of her triathlon in June
  4. Bruce likes his new camera (I’m really hoping he doesn’t “LOVE” his new camera)
  5. Chris and Charmelle are still deciding if clippless pedals are really that much fun, but they are waiting to see if this gravity thing is here to stay or just a fad
  6. Steve and Bruce both have some issues…we won’t talk about those things
  7. Oh yea, we think we have the transportation stuff worked out, stay tuned for details on that!!!!!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

TEAM VELODOX RIDES AGAIN!

Well, by now you've maybe read your email from RAGBRAI Headquarters and have come to the realization that we are IN!!!!!!!

If you did not receive an email from RAGBRAI, you should be able to log in to the registration page and see your wristband number. That's what makes it 100% official.

Let the training begin!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Velodox Bus?

So over the past 3 years we've batted this idea around a few times. Last year we each paid part of a van rental and fuel. We've not purchased a bus for a few reasons:
1. Where do we store it?
2. Maintenance
3. Insurance/Registration

But this might be worth considering if we plan to do this crazy ride again. Here is a posting from the RAGBRAI message board:

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:25 pm Post subject: Need a Team Bus?
Looking for a simple, solid, affordable team bus?

1991 chevy 59 passenger 366 gas
4 speed automatic recently replaced torque converter
dual batteries
cd player
couch
booth
partially carpeted
custom front bumper
around 139,000 miles on whole bus, less on the motor was replaced by the last owner Calamus-Wheatland Schools unsure of miles
cb radio
runs like a top drove to ames and back 3 hours each way in january 65-75mph without a hiccup

Painted silver and black could use a little paint touch up but very mechanically sound
Registered as motorhome

$2500 OBO


Any thought or ideas? Anyone have a nice big (dependable) van/motorhome/trailer, etc?

You might be on RAGBRAI if...

This was just posted on the RAGBRAI message board, and I thought some of you might find great enjoyment in reading it.

http://forums.ragbrai.org/viewtopic.php?t=2354

Friday, April 18, 2008

Meet the Team: Carla


Here's Carla Schlatter! She's my sis-in-law (Gail's younger sister, to be exact), and a fairly new biker to boot! But, as a life-long Iowan, she's long known about RAGBRAI and is excited to ride for the first time ever. From her email accompanying this picture, "taken on a windy day when I rode a staggering TEN miles before being literally blown off the rode sideways into the grass!!!! Screw that s**t!!!!"

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Comments limited

Due to spam problems, we have limited posts for the time being to only users registered with OpenID. All of you should have access as blog authors. If this becomes problematic, we'll move to comment moderation as the next step.

Matt, Chris, if you have other ideas to combat the recent spam postings, have at it!

Bruce

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Meet the Team: Tascha


Tascha's a newbie! But, as Larry's daughter, I'm sure she's gotten the scoop on all of us from '07 and ready to rock-n-roll across Iowa. Home is Colorado Springs where she provides personal/executive coaching and team/corporate coaching. Check out her website at InclinedtoGrow (dot) com.




PS: she even pulled a Mooney/Spitzer/Clark/Wellinski/Hendrix/Green and bought a new Bianchi Via Nirone for the ride! (Yes, at some point, each one of those folks bought at least one new bike just because RAGBRAI was in their future.)

PS to Tascha: no charge for the advertising . . . it's the least a guy can do for his cousin.

Greetings!!

Hello fellow bikers!!

I am new to the blogging stuff, but wanted to say a big Hello to everyone and let you all know how pumped I am for RAGBRAI!!! A BIG thanks to my b-i-l, Bruce, for helping me prepare.
See ya soon!! Carla

Meet the Team: Chris


Getting set for his 2nd RAGBRAI, Chris Clark is the team's resident photo maniac. (You gotta agree: he took a picture of pork chop!) He's a consultant to faculty on technology and pedagogy in the Learning Technology Lab of the Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Notre Dame.

This photo shows Chris when he hit 2000 miles on bike for the 2007 season!

Meet the Team: Dave


Dave Hendrix is the lightweight of the team (his bike 100% carbon...). He a South Bend lifer, but took some time in Illinois and Colorado. A retired school superintendent, Dave teaches educational leadership at IU South Bend.

Meet the Team: Steveo


Stevo (aka Mysterious BT Collector) hails from Indiana, but now calls Ann Arbor, MI, home. He's prepping for his 2nd ride. He teaches something at Eastern Michigan University.

Meet the Team: Bruce


Another "founding father" of Velodox, Bruce is getting ready to ride his 3rd RAGBRAI. He remembers delivering the Des Moines Register in Kalona, Iowa, when RAGBRAI I took place. (Yes, he IS that old . . . ) Bruce teaches instructional technology courses at IU South Bend.


PS: this picture is witness to his ONLY flat in two years!

Meet the Team: the Real Larry


OK, I couldn't resist . . . Larry by the Phillips 66 station is very cool, but this is the Larry we know and love.

Thanks, Linda! Without your reminder, I would have forgotten this picture even existed . . .

Meet the Team: Larry


Larry Yoder is our driver and team cheerleader! A life-time Iowan (and part-time Coloradoan), he is Bruce's cousin. He joined Velodox in '07 and recruited his daughter, Tascha, to ride in '08. Having personally experienced RAGBRAI without a support vehicle and driver in '06, both Matt and Bruce can attest to the immeasurable value Larry adds to the team!



PS: Ask him why this picture of a Phillips 66 station is so meaningful!

Meet the Team: Matt and Charmelle


OK, here's the first posting of Team Velodox's membership. Matt Mooney is one of the "founding fathers" of Velodox, and this will be his 3rd RABGRAI. He teaches instructional technology courses at IU South Bend.

Charmelle Green had aspirations of riding in 2007, but Ma Nature had other plans. She's definitely a go for '08! Charmelle is the Assistant Athletic Director of Student Athlete Development at the University of Notre Dame.

Just so everyone's prepared, under that helmet, Matt's one bald boy . . .

Monday, April 7, 2008

My new ride


Hi everyone,
As is the tradition with Team Velodox, I have a new ride for RAGBRAI 2008! I just got back from the inaugural ride on my Surly Long Haul Trucker (LHT). What a fun bike. I think this one will be a keeper! Still have some things coming for it (e.g., Surly Nice Rack and fenders), but it's time to ride, so I had to go :-)

Sunday, April 6, 2008

The 2007 Team


For those new to Team Velodox, I thought I'd post a picture from the very start of the 2007 ride. This is in the yard of the awesome folks who volunteered to let us camp there in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

From left to right, Chris Clark, Steve Wellinski, Bruce Spitzer, Larry Yoder (driver extraordinaire!), Dave Hendrix, Matt Mooney, and Mark Malaby.


In the next few weeks watch for postings of each of the members of the 2008 edition of Team Velodox.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

First Ride . . .

So, the first really nice day of spring, and I decide to do some yard clean up. Still some leaves hanging around from last fall, and I plan on having a really nice yard this year, so I know I need to get those old leaves up and do some other after-winter clean up.

I drag out the lawn mower, put on the bagger, fill the gas, check the oil, grab the iPod, and get started.

But low and behold, not 10 minutes later, Chris Clark rides up on his bike . . . well needless to say, I oh-so-quickly abandoned my yard-work duties, changed my clothes, and off we rode.

We headed up the East Race trail to Angela, over to the Riverside Trail to Darden, then up Laurel into St. Patrick's County Park. I appeared that today was the day for many first-of-the-season rides as we saw a number of cyclists on the same route.

A total of only 20 miles for me (Chris was going to try to get to 30 miles before he arrived back home), but we did enjoy a Red Hook Copper Hook beer after getting back to my house.

For a first ride, it was definitely a reminder that those extra pounds I put on over the winter need to come off, that my butt's not nearly ready for RAGBRAI, and that I really do love riding bicycle.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Entry Finalized . . .


Just so you know I'm trustworthy with your money and our entry, the following screen shot shows our entry finalized with green check marks all around! Lottery results will be posted on May 1, so I'll be sure to be online that day checking carefully. Look for an email with the good news!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Registration is in the mail!

This afternoon, I mailed off our registration packet! According to Shantel at the Edison Road Post Office, our packet should arrive at RAGBRAI HQ before 3:30 PM on Monday, March 31. We had to have it postmarked by April 1, so we are well within the time frame!

Lottery results will be posted on May 1 . . .

Let the waiting and anticipating begin!!!!

Another Newbie Chimes In


OK, so I'm the guy getting all the $$ and waivers in place. Some have paid up with nary a peep, but now, for the second time, we get an insight into the mind of a RAGBRAI newbie. (Note as well Lauren's appropriately fashionable L-shaped notes . . . )

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Training has begun!

Bruce, Charmelle, and I began our grueling training program for RAGBRAI today. Since many of the riders will be attending their first RAGBRAI this year, I thought I would share some of our tips.

RAGBRAI takes a lot of commitment, a lot of heart, and a lot of work. You need to start training now! Tonight, we started out slow and small, but made that first step. It started with some stretching and clothing that can’t be too restrictive.

Then there are decisions to be made. You have to think about what you can accomplish at any given session. The goal is to know exactly how much you can take and not stop short or take too much.

Regardless of what you tackle in any given session, you have to commit to it. Each of us took a little different approach. Bruce and Charmelle both went for a more rich session, I took a little more of a plain vanilla approach.

We all finished in record time and really feel like we’ve made the first steps toward preparing for RAGBRAI 2008. We all decided on the Cold Stone Creamery “I like it” size for this first session of 2008. Bruce tackled the “Peanut butter Cup Perfection.” Charmelle decided on “Oreo Chocolate Dirt.” I selected the “Founders Favorite.”

While it was a light work out, it was still a great start to the ride. We’ll be eating pork, fresh corn, homemade ice cream, and pies for 8 days. Start training NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, March 24, 2008

MacGyver and not so cute shoes!

I attended a women's bike night at a local bike shop this evening. A rep from the Trek Women's Specific Design team was on hand to talk about bike fit, show us how to change a tire and give us free stuff. Obviously the free stuff was the coolest part of the program. I got this awesome multi tool. I feel like MacGyver. About the tire changing, I may just keep the van on speed dial for assistance. They showed me a variety of bike shoes ... seriously are they all that ugly? Yes Matt and Bruce I said it! I have to be able to keep some sort of fashion sense while I trek across Iowa. ;-). I suppose Velcro is pretty much a done deal for bike shoes and I am okay with that, but ugly laces and drab colors are so not necessary. I am on a mission to find way cuter shoes and bike shirts.

I get to ride a bunch of high end road bikes tuesday as the chick from Trek has a full trailer of all sorts of bikes. I figure I may as well spoil myself now and then get back to the reality of the not so high end bike that I have. I am trying to figure out how much plasma I need to sell in order to buy a really kick ass bike. ;-)

Oh ... my life has become bike riding and writing my thesis!! I seriously am fitting into this team more and more each day! ;-)

The Newbie's Sentiments


Just thought I'd post this note that accompanied Tascha's waiver and fee submission.

Does this capture the thoughts of other newbies????

(If you listen closely, you can actually hear the maniacal laughter of Matt and Chris and Dave and Bruce and Steve and Mark . . . for we KNOW what you've gotten yourself into!)

Ciao

Saturday, March 15, 2008

2008 RAGBRAI Route

2008 RAGBRAI route

See also: GeoBike profile

Kal-Haven Trail Blazer

Bruce and I went on the Kal-Haven Trail Blazer last year and enjoyed it. I plan to go this year on Saturday, May 10. The trail covers 34.5 miles between Kalamazoo and South Haven. You can start at either end and either go one way or ride as large a loop as you choose. There are also road routes (25, 45, 70, or 100 mi.) that start in Kalamazoo.

Zoo-De-Mackinac

Matt suggested the Zoo-De-Mackinac as an early-season ride. It's the weekend of May 17th, 2008. From their site: "The bike ride starts Saturday morning at Boyne Highlands Resort and spans 51 miles along Lake Michigan on a paved road with very little automobile traffic."