bibliobob

Lots of fun. We got a late start, but moved along at a nice pace. My legs cramped up a few times and I had to dismount and stretch, but it was an otherwise decent ride. Mt wife and a few friends did the 100, barretscv and smontanaro did the 150, and chrome Molly did the 200! We missed iab entirely....

El Guicho meet us for drinks and dinner, which was cool. A lot of fun, but we definitely missed Robbie and Grady!

The Walker House was a great place to stay. We already told them that we'd take the whole place night year.....

bibliobob

Sorry that we missed you at the finish! Maybe come down to Chicago for the North Shore Century on September 25th?

gomango

I really missed you guys this year!

Congrats to all.

I have it on the calendar for next summer and it sounds like I may need that long to get into shape!

thinktubes 

or the Harmom 100 on sept 8 https://www.wheelmen.com/harmon.htm

much better ride IMHO.

prof.gfr

My buddy Tony and I did the 100k at a record slow pace. Definitely the slowest of this pack, but we will chalk that up partially to Tony's inappropriate gearing on his PX10 (which he will fix before the next hilly ride) and will take the pain on those hills as a wake up call to do more training next time! Was a great, super-well supported and organized ride with beautiful views. We had a blast hanging out with folks the night before and immediately after the ride. Was nice meeting so many of y'all in person - Hodgykins, El Guincho, Chrome Molly (wow! 200k! I'm impressed!) and others. We missed BarrettsCV because he was way to fast for us (equally impressive!). Here's a photo of our steel beside some serious steel at the first rest stop. ;-) Looking forward to more rides and to DD next year.

rootboy 

How 'bout putting some names...or at least , user names, to those faces?

Chrome Molly

Thanks everyone who attended (the more the merrier), and Rob for organizing. Your effort to put the ride together was appreciated, and Mineral Point continues to impress.

Managed to finish the 200k in 7:45 or so. It was an absolutely perfect day to ride with light winds, low heat, and riders who wanted to group up to make things easier. Enjoyed the pre and post ride activities as last year, and am getting to know everyone a bit more. Triple crown is done, and my two stated goals were achieved (at least one 200, and no walking up any hills). Now I can get my older bikes out and enjoy the rest of summer and fall.

Barrettscv 

The Dairyland Dare 150km Ride Report with introduction;

Several hilly challenge rides are held every year in the hilly Dairy farm region in southwestern Wisconsin. I increase my riding every summer hoping to have a good result at the Dairyland Dare held in Dodgeville, WI in early August. This event offers 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 & 300km ride lengths. I've attended the Dairyland dare several times since 2007. In 2008 I finished the 150km length in 7:50 time. I skipped the event in 2009. In 2010 I finished the 150km length in 7:49 time! My goal for 2013 was to equel my prior time without trying too hard. I would limit my substantial breaks to the 32 & 75 miles rest stops. The 150km route provides more than 10,000 ft of climbing.

I logged more than 700 training miles during the nine weeks prior to the event and I wished that I had ridden more. I also changed bikes, and put a 52,42,30 triple and an 12-28 eight speed cassette on my 1978 Serotta. The combination of wide gearing and a very stiff frame proved to be an effective improvement over my prior steel bikes.

Event day provided perfect weather, with mostly clear skies and temperatures in the 48 to 84 degree range. The humidity was low, a 5-10 northerly wind was felt on some sections.

I arrived at 5:40am, was able to park close to the start, and was in position to start a few minutes after 6am. The event is super-organized, with local police controlling intersections and more than 100 volunteers on the course. My batch of starters crossed the electronic timer and headed southeast over the rolling farm hills. Rolling is the best way to envision the course. Sections often look like an oversized roller coasters ride, with 45 mph drops that would last a thousand yards and a symmetrical climb that slows me to 5 mph for several minutes. Feeling strong and fresh, I used my 210 lbs mass to roll partually up the hill and then resumed speed as I crested the top. This created a situation where I would pass a group on descent and I would be passed on the climb. In accordion fashion, I stayed with the same set of cyclist for the first 35 miles, with this pattern repeating itself a dozen times.

The first section ends in Mineral Point after 15 miles. With police stopping traffic everywhere, I was able to travel through this folksy rural town non-stop. Leaving town, I passed several dozen riders by just getting in a tuck and taking the corners at speed. This pattern held until we returned to Lands End HQ. I used the Lands End parking lot as my first rest stop. I rode to my car, removed my vest, and ate a banana and energy bar. I also filled a bottle with Hammer Sustained Energy and filled the second bottle with water. My plan was to skip the next few rest stops and travel to a distant stop at mile 75.

The route uses the roads within Governor Dodge State Park. After a mile, the park road drops about 500ft over a mile and my speed hit 45 mph. This was a little sketchy since forest debris and repaired pavement is not ideal on a curvy downhill. To my surprise, a very fast rider on a TT bike passed me! So, I’m not the only guy that’s nuts! I caught my group at the bottom of the hill. The climb out is in the 16 to 18% range, I slowed to 4 mph using a 30t chainring and a 28 rear cog. Others were walking. At the top of the hill, most riders used the rest stop, but I kept going with supplies enough for the next 35 miles.

After leaving Governor Dodge State Park and covering a few miles on a HWY 23, we entered a rural section of forests and valleys. This is the kind of terrain that is so outstanding in this area. Thirty mile views are available from the ridges and secluded roads, sheltered by a canopy of trees, is the norm. Two long descents and two steep climbs dominate the section that’s starts after turning off Hwy 23 and finishes on County Road ZZ. These two climbs are the steepest for the first 50 miles.

In prior years, the Dairyland dare would travel south on Route Z. This year, the riders travel east on ZZ are treated to a near mile long drop at high speed. The route then traveled on a flatter section of Route Y for a few miles. The recovery time is good to enjoy since a mile long climb in the 3 to 9 mph range will soon dominate the better part of ten minutes. At the top of Route Y, the 100km continues on Route Y, while the 150km riders use the Military Trail bike path.

The path is mostly smooth and firm but a few sections are a little soft or rough due to older age of the surface. At Evans Quarry Rd, the riders leave the trail and drop down while heading north. This is a fun and fast downhill, the road is narrow but the sight lines are good and it's easy to enjoy the speed. Evans Quarry Rd ends at Route Y and the cyclist turn east at this point. We are now seeing oncoming cyclist who are heading up towards Dodgeville. In less than a mile, we climb up Ridgeville Rd and reconnect with the Military Trail bike path.

I take my second rest stop and chat with a cyclist from Illinois who grew up in Italy. Roberto was avery nice guy with a daughter in Northwestern. After drinking to the fill and enjoying some fruit I fill my bottles with HEED and return to the ride.

I nice long decent on County HHH follows and wide pavement made this speedy decent super easy. I continue north on HHH, the turn-off on Knobs Road comes up soon. Knobs Road is a long stair-step climb that last about two miles. It’s a nice road, very quiet with a variety of farmland and forests. Knobs Road ends at County T, and I know I have only about 25% left to finish. The last 20 miles includes a lot of vertical, both up & down. The long grinding climbs are very much back-loaded, a smart cyclist needs to save plenty of stamina for the finish. I’m feeling good and taking it slow for the last 25 miles. I probably use two hours to cover the last 25% of the event.

An intersection coated with gravel marks the beginning of Far-Look Rd. This is another long & steep climb, with some sections exceed 10%. Knowing that I’m close to the end and have not over-extended myself, I feel confident. After another long grind, I reach Route Z. At Korback Rd, we head east again. This road is another lovely descent, with rolling sections and the forest provides shade for the last section of this road. The route then follows Route Y to Route ZZ. We then travel uphill along Griffiths Rd, a suprising set of hills

I take a short break at the 90 mile point. Resuming my ride, I travel down route Z, with a pack of younger riders grabbing my wheel at 45 mph. As the road bottoms out, I start the mile long climb at 5 mph. A few more rolling hills along route Z and I approach the start/finish point. I enter Lands End and see the Bikeforums cyclist who are enjoying a beer and cheering me on. I’m finally at the conclusion.

As usual, I was “as slow as a snail” for the Dairyland Dare 150km. Many riders coming to this event are very fit & fast. It’s impressive to see, and a part of the fun. My challenge was to ride, ride & ride until completed.

iab

Sorry I missed some folks, my timing obviously wasn't great this year.

First, what a great event and a great bunch of people. We met at the Walker House and had the obligatory pasta pre-ride dinner. Great company.

And the weather was absolutely perfect, despite Bob's taunting of the cycling and weather gods.

Unfortunately for me, I made some bad mistakes. Started with dinner. I believe the salad had raw apple (maybe pear) in it. It was so little I didn't think my allergy to apple and pear would matter. I was wrong. I won't go into detail, but let's just say i had a little Bobke syndrome in 4:30 in the morning.

Made the 6am start. Didn't see any C&Vers at the line, although Mike and Pete may have been there. I saw Tom, he was going to do the 6:15 start. So with no one to hang with, I did the foolish thing I said i would, I made my way to the front and hung with the hammerheads to the first rest stop. I yo-yoed a bit, nothing bad, but enough for me to actually stop while they went ahead and skipped the stop. I was the only one there. It was a bit strange. They had a band playing and I am sitting alone eating some grapes. I made it in under 50 minutes. That wouldn't be all that impressive in the flats of Illinois, but with 4 decent climbs before the stop, it took some effort. We peaked at about 45mph.

Next, in either in a valley or on a ridge, I'd have a train go by and I would foolishly shift to a smaller cog, get out of the saddle and grab a wheel. And that is the difference between riding a modern drivetrain this year versus the 3-speed, change-gears-with-your-hand I rode last year. That bike forced me to pace myself because I couldn't just jump on a wheel. I was in 3 great trains on Survey/Reynolds, Hwy 23 south of the park and Hwy 23 north of the park.

Last year we skipped Weaver/Upper Wyoming/Dyreson due to road construction. The descent of Weaver leads to to one of the prettiest valleys you will ever witness. Sorry, no pictures.

And this is where my previous hammering did me in. The back to back climbs on Upper Wyoming and Dyreson were tough. There is a rest stop soon after. I stopped and had a Coke. When I left, I was starting to cramp a bit. Nothing bad, but it was there.

Then I made a wrong turn. I was supposed to take a right on Y from Y. But that is where the route overlapped and I saw riders going the left direction. There was a car there but the person directing the corner was not there. I went left and went up Ridgevue road climb. As soon as I saw Military Trail, I knew I was in the wrong place so I went back down to Hwy Y.

Then going up the Hwy Y climb, the cramping got worse. So this is what I think happened. Muscles weren't working right, other muscles were compensating and then my left knee went pop. My day was done and I hobbled back to the start.

I wound up doing a little over 70 miles due to the wrong turn. A little under 4 hours ride time, a little over 4:45 total time.

Nausea, cramps, knee out of whack. I think the title of the thread says it all.

Good times.

And I have a new stupid idea for next year. Robbie likes it. More to come later ...

bibliobob

Pictured: Mrs. Bibliobob (she's going to have to make up her own handle soon,. if she keeps doing these rides ), me, El Guicho, my friend Will (CR lister, but not Forumite yet), Chrome Molly, Prof.gfr, and his friend Tony.

Barrettscv, Prof.gfr, Tony, Mrs. Bibliobob, and I will all be riding L'Eroica in October, so this was a great training session.

Mrs. did very well. She had to get used to the 45 mph. descents and using barcons for hill shifting for the first time, but did great. I stopped at the last rest stop to fill my water bottle, and she kept pedaling on without me!

I was happy that I didn't drop my chain 12 times, like I did last year. Gearing was still not quite right (I didn't have a good middle ground), but I won't complain. I had to coast up the bottom section of the steep hills until I could get some traction....

My thighs cramped up a few times, and I'm not sure why. The last time was when I was sprinting up some rollers to catch up to my wife. Both thighs just seized up and I had to dismount and massage them for a few minutes before limping to the finish. But, I won't complain, as I didn't walk any hills and kept a steady pace otherwise....

A great time the whole weekend, including a stop in Madison at BBC this morning, and breakfast at Mickies Dairy Bar...

Can't wait for next year. Will try and get more miles in and do at least the 150...

hodgykins 

It was a pleasure to meet you both as well and share a pint or two at he Walker house. Great Times

hodgykins 

@ iab: Sorry to hear of your "SW Pain" Great to see you again! Hope to CV ride with you soon.

hodgykins 

Awesome to see/meet you all! Good to see you made it El Guicho...sorry the time was not right for you to join the ride. Next year for sure. Sucks my slow ass missed you all at the finish. At least Tom stayed (but he had no choice my car was his ride home)

prof.gfr

Was great to meet you as well! I just realized you did the 200 as well. Congrats...at any speed! I'm hoping for at least 150 next year. Hope your wife and kids had fun - was nice meeting them on Friday night. Cheers!

RubberLegs

Can everyone who DID the WDD list their gear sets and what they would do differently? It is better to learn from others than to try and FAIL by one's self! Having rolled some of those Wisconsin hills in my youth, I DO remember some of them as being rather steep! My Schwinn Typhoon had to be walked up some...but my roadbike (wish I could remember the gears I had) crawled em ALL!
'

iab

2012 - 3 speeds, 42/16-20-24. Did the 150km.

2013 - 22 speeds, 50-34/12-27. Did the 100km.

As I stated in my long-winded report, the extra gears gave me the "opportunity" to tire myself in places other than the hills. I paid for it.

RubberLegs

HA! Playing the rabbit WILL do you in! Being down here in FLATLAND Florida, I usually just hang out in the big ring (52) up front and bounce between the 17-19-22 rings unless I hit a hill....(NOT so much)...I know I would be in a world of hurt...been a LONG time since I did any REAL hill climbing.

Chrome Molly

I'm a spinner not a masher...

Three years ago, a 52/39 with a 13/26 (nope - too high for me. Might work if you enjoy standing climbing for a half mile at a time)
Last year a 48/34 with a 12/26 8 speed cassette and mid cage RD (not quite enough for the Governor Dodge climbs, but otherwise do-able)
This year a 46/30 with a 12/28 8 speed XT mtb cassette and long cage RD (just about right, did the whole WTC with this purpose built setup)

Fine tuning: I'd like to have a 26 cog between the 24 and 28 - Yes, that's right... You spend so much time in the lower gears that the fine difference on the low side would be appreciated.

Whatever you choose, use a dog-ear so the chain doesn't dump off the inner ring when you drop down from high.

RobbieTunes

Sounds like everyone had their legs with them, and had a good time. Kathy at the Walker House wants everyone back, and thanks you all for your good cheer. I hope to arrange a few things next year. Doty Street will be repaired, so the fire department will be back in, and I'll ask them again.

iab's idea, and the timing, sound great. Good enough for me to bring all my bikes.....

Interesting photo of the tank at the park. We are working on getting an artillery piece captured in Desert Storm to add to the site.

prof.gfr

I had a Miyata 615gt with 28 granny and 13-28 out back. I'm a spinner so I used the 28-28 combo enough that I'd recommend it. A fella who lives in the area who I rode beside for awhile had a Cervelo with a 36 rear pie plate and long cage MTB rear dérailleur plus a 28 granny up front. He was a spinner too but he never slowed down and kept going and going. I'm 41yo and I was winded keeping up with him and he must've been about 70yo.

badger_biker 

My son Aaron and I had a great time. He has a 10 month old son that keeps him busy and had only gotten out on a bike a handful of times with his longest ride maybe 20 miles on flat terrain. Due to that I was expecting us to role in after 50 but he was game for the 100 so we kept going. We started kind of late at 7:15 and took in most stops so it was close to 2:00 before we got back to Dodgeville. Considering his lack of saddle time and the fact that he did a last minute swap to one of my bikes I thought he did quite well.

We met at the Walker from opposite sides of WI and were planning to swap his BB to accommodate a triple but it was too late so he used an extra bike I brought. He had my 2004 version of a Specialized Sequoia and I rode my '87 Trek Elance. Both have 30-42 52 cranks with 12-25 9spd cassettes. He could have used a little lower gear up the big climb on the 100 but I felt fine on my set up and actually felt pretty good at the finish.

I was disappointed with our late arrival that I didn't get to meet all of you that attended and stayed at the Walker. It was good to see Chrome Molly again and meet the Bibliobob's and their friend Will. I did notice the Miyata and Peugeot several times during the day but didn't know it was Prof.gfr and his friend Tony. C&V steel definitely stands out in the crowd of bikes that show up for the event!

It was a perfect day for the ride and though I was pleased to ride with my son I wish I could have joined in trying the 150. I'm 2 weeks removed from a loaded tour in Idaho pushing 40 lbs of gear on a touring bike for 3 consecutive 65 mile days and I'll probably not be in this good of shape for the Dare again. Since I hit the big 60 next year I'm far past my prime!

Kathy did a great job of making us feel welcome at the Walker and we stayed there Sat night too. They are hoping to map out some bike routes and use them to entice cyclists other times of the year. I think that would be great since it is such a beautiful place to ride. Not many places you can enjoy a 46mph downhill and do it over, and over, and over.........

I'm glad we all had safe rides.

Barrettscv 

I want to thank Robbie for providing all the arrangements, including my motel room. You were really missed this year. During the event, a cyclist on a Centurion passed me several times and wanted it to our Bikeforum Master Planner.

It was extra fun to have all the Bikeforums people around for dinner and drinks. This is the best combination of people and cycling found anywhere.

Chicago Al 

Next year I think our summer plan will be different, allowing me to come to this...finally.

[Note to self: Better start training now! Step one: investigate what these 'hill' things are that they are talking about.]

svtmike

Had a great time, but for some reason I couldn't get to sleep Friday night so I did the ride on no sleep. The Walker House was a great venue. Pete and Kathy are terrific hosts.

As for the ride itself, pretty similar to last year. The elimination of the second loop of Governor Dodge was a welcome change, and the addition of Upper Wyoming Rd. and Ryerson Rd. more than made up for it. Those were tough hills.

Robbie, thanks for all your legwork. Mineral Point is a great little town.

bibliobob

Ain't that the truth. That Ryerson hill was a bear.... more difficult than that Military Ridge one at the end of the 100k...

Good to see you guys again; sorry that we didn't get to hang out more...