elguicho 

Thanks for the update, nice pictures.

thinktubes 

Nice ride pics - looks like the wx was perfect.

The strange stone stucture is probably a "spring house". These were built over water springs and used as a primative type of refridgerator. Fairly common in the Driftless region.

northbend 

Looks like a cool route. I wish I was closer, this would be a fun one to ride. Good luck this weekend to all you riders and take some photos to share with us!

gomango

Thanks for the pics!

Off for an early morning ride in 20 minutes.

RobbieTunes

Oh, boy. Great photos.

Great logo, too. I keep cracking up at the DD logo. Like some sort of wicked promise.

I realized I forgot to put buldogge into the spreadsheet, but he's on the current one.
Sorry about that.

Lodging changes: Two of you are going to be at a host house in Barneveld. This is still very convenient.
You will be an additional 15-20 minutes from Mineral Point, but you'll be closer to Dodgeville. This is a change I had to make due to space requirements in Mineral Point.

It also is somewhat part of my plan to have everyone who needs a place in host houses next year. You may be able to ascertain by now that I'm trying to create an event for us, with as little expense as possible. I figure if I can organize a pre-ride dinner, our own SAG, ride coordination, host housing, and a post-ride fiesta, I can build an event for us that will have its own momentum. Some of my volunteers have already said "we should do this every year." It could be, it could be.

Like Tom says, you have to make a go/no go decision on the 100k/150k at mile marker 58 or so.
The last stop before that is mile marker 53.1 or so. Seems like that's where you really need to decide.

So, you have to ask yourself, "are you feeling lucky?" (oops, wrong movie)..

I guess, at the 53.1 mile stop, you have to ask yourself, do I go 9 miles and finish or
do I go 21 to the next stop?

Perhaps this is a good time to discuss if I need to put one of our SAG vehicles on the 150K route at about 63-64 miles. I can only speak for myself, but a 20-mile gap, in my current condition, at that point of the ride, is a toughie. If I put a SAG stop at about 63 miles, those doing the 150K would basically have stops at 53.1, 63, 74, 85, and then finish. Riding stop-stop at the end is what I've had to resort to do when I've simply gone out too fast. I won't go out too fast this time, but I'll be old and fat and there are a few hills, so to speak.

gomango

Robbie,

I'm sticking to 100.

I know that will be plenty for my knees for one day, especially with the hills.

After my three years worth of rehab, I don't push it anymore.

I usually still pay with some fluid in the left knee, so it isn't worth it for me.

Doing a century here in Minnesota is quite different, as many of the routes we take are relatively flat.

Not all, but many.

Gives me more time chill as well.

smontanaro 

Much appreciated! It won't make it any easier, but I have a bit of an idea of the pain I'm in for. :-)

Skip

iab

The prizes are complete. 2 framed posters and 4 unframed. 6 winners. They are 2-sided posters so you can always switch sides at any time.


The rules:
1. I accept bribes.
2. You must regale the group with your heroic efforts.
3. You must be at Tony's post ride to accept your prize.
D. I accept bribes.

E_merlin

If bribes include buying the judge drinks at Tony's consider one spoken for!

Very cool frames!

Chicago Al 

Awwwwww this looks like so much fun! I'll be in Robbie's home state (though on the other end) on Sunday but will be thinking about you guys, and I'm already planning to attend next year.

bibliobob

If I break down in tears and sob the whole way, do I win the Fiesta Ware?

RobbieTunes

OK, you motorless miscreants, I'm going to be incommunicado for a the next 36-48 hours.
Here is the latest chart so far. I'm sending the phone numbers, etc via PM.

The cat-herder is getting a grip on what she'll be doing.
The volunteers are simply wondering what they'll be doing, and for whom.
I believe some pre-cooking has been done.
Two Minnesotans are in a guest house in Barneveld, address and phone number sent.
Four folks and myself are in Mineral Point, address and phone number being sent via PM.
Others are in hotels, etc around.

Friday Packet pickup is 6-8pm at 3 Lands End, Dodgeville
Friday Dinner begins at 6:45 at the fire station at the 200 block of Doty St in Mineral Point.
SAG item drop-off is Friday at dinner, exchanges of info, etc.

Saturday Packet pickup begins at 5 am at 3 Lands End, Dodgeville
Last-minute exchanges of info, etc will also be between 5 and 6 am.
I'm rolling off as early as I can.
Roll-offs begin at 6 am, and we can discuss appropriate times, etc.
It's essential to pick up your packet to be entitled to timing/support, etc.

After-food/beverages are at Tony's Tap in Mineral Point, he has a web page.
Appears iab will conduct some kind of bribe auction at that time.

The main thing is to have fun, and don't short-change yourself on time spent meeting/greeting.
The attached chart is larger and easier to read.

hodgykins 

To all who have decided to put themselves "through a whole lot of pain"; I wish you all the best and enjoy your rides I wish I could ride with you all. I look forward to the after ride festivities at Tony's on Satruday.

Kris

buldogge

They've just posted a revised 100k route and it only has 2400' of climbing...

smontanaro 

Massively outstanding prizes!

smontanaro 

Where did you see this? I downloaded the 100k gpx file around 7:45 this morning and uploaded it into mapmyride.com. It said 4500'. I just downloaded it again and the new file is the same as the earlier one.

RobbieTunes

Maybe I'm confused. Normally am. I just pulled these from the site, but I could be wrong.

I'm hoping to start much earlier, at 6:00 am or so. The extra few miles could be to my advantage.
At the 58.1m "split," I'll have to decide if I want to go 100K (7.7 more miles) or 150K (39.5 more miles)

The existence of 7 aid stations in 95 miles sounds pretty good, and only having to go another 2.4 to get a full 100 sounds so macho.

We'll discuss it Friday night amongst ourselves, but boy, if I can squeeze the 100k by 10:30, I'll be thinking.
Of course, my legs will dictate the decision, and to have 3-4 more hours with the guys and my parents/sister, etc would be good.

100K Route Info
Elevation Gain: 6,663 ft, the change now shows 2,254.
No way they lost 4,000 feet on the Mineral Point changes.
Total Distance: 65.7 miles, now 65.12 miles.
Aid Stations: 5
Start Time: 7:30 AM

My guess is that different software is going to show different elevation gain.
The actual elevation gain, I'll bet, is somewhere between 2500 and 4500'

Aid Stations
16.9 : Mineral Point Rest Stop
27.0 : Survey Rd Water Stop
38.3 : Trails' End Rest Stop
44.9 : Bethel Horizons Water Stop
53.1 : County ZZ Rest Stop
65.7 : Lands' End Finish



150K Route Info
Elevation Gain: 10,341 ft, with the 100K changes, more like 7500?
Total Distance: 97.6 miles, now 97.12 miles.
Aid Stations: 7
Start Time: 7:00 AM

Aid Stations
16.9 : Mineral Point Rest Stop
27.0 : Survey Rd Water Stop
38.3 : Trails' End Rest Stop
44.9 : Bethel Horizons Water Stop
53.1 : County ZZ Rest Stop
74.0 : Judd's Home Rest Stop
85.0 : Knob Hill Farm Rest Stop
97.6 : Lands' End Finish

buldogge

There were route changes because of some chip seal projects...posted on their Facebook with a link to a new mapmyride page...

smontanaro 

Thanks. For folks like me without Facebook access, I found this DD page on mapmyride.com. The changes will really flatten the 50k and 500k routes out.

RobbieTunes

maybe I'm more confused. That link appears to be for 2010. I'm not a Facebook user, either.

I just sent an email to the event, asking what's up. Then I had my wife go to Facebook for the link:
https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/121446593

Of course, I'm not a purchaser of MapMyRide, either, so I can just look at the durn thing.
I'll worry about it when I get there. My volunteers, however, will need to know.

Instead of taking back roads into Mineral Point, they're going to come out of the back roads on County D.
This goes right past the country school where I went to kindergarten, where my grandmother cooked fresh bread for us every day at that school. I played Little League baseball, and that area out there had a cow pasture where my team practiced. At the base of the hill, on the left, is a golf course. Not to be confused with a country club.

Tony, of Tony's Tap, used to be the greenskeeper there. His father sold his night club in Mineral Point and bought the golf course when it was a 9-hole private club, around 1977 or so. He made it public and opened a heck of a restaurant there, with Bruno Galle as the chef. You had to call by Wednesday to get a filet or prime rib for Saturday night. The food was outstanding.

Ralph and Tony tended the bar, without equal, and I jogged there for a beer on Oct 4, 1977. The phone rang a few minutes before lunch and the USMC informed me to be in Madison in three hours. The next evening I was on Parris Island.

I think they sold the golf course to a USA Golf conglomerate or something. The corner at the bottom, on what is now Hwy 23, but used to be the old US 151, was called Golf Course Curve. More than a few cars didn't make that curve.

As you climb from Golf Course Curve up Hwy 23 towards Mineral Point, there will be a pair of farms on the right. At one of them, there was a house fire in about 1965. A small girl had crawled into a closet, terrified. Two firemen from the same fire dept that will be serving us dinner responded to that fire. They donned oxygen masks and found the girl, unconcious and not breathing, in her closet. They administered mouth-mouth and CPR and revived her on the spot. One of them was the late Fred "Fritz" Wright, and the other was the late Robert "Bob" Powell. His daughter will be cooking us dinner on Friday night.

What's nice, is that once you climb out of Golf Course Curve, you're on the ridgeline. You'll follow that into town and then hang a left onto Shakerag, and flow downhill all the way to the first rest stop. You'll climb out of the rest stop to just below the ridge, then hang another left on Commerce and fly back down to the bottom of the valley, again. Then, you'll hang a right onto Main and wonder what the hell hit you for about 200', and climb back to the ridge more gradually, take a L/R jog and then run back down to the valley on the other side of the ridge.

From that ridge, I once saw 3 funnel clouds at one time. The fire dept would sound the alarm, and go up on the ridge to watch for them. They always came from the SW.

I'm kinda worried about my cousin Kevin. He owes me a prank. I'm sure he knows I'm coming.

iab

fwiw, I drew the new 200k route on ridewithgps (I think it is better than mapmyride). It is 11,400 feet of climbing. The original 200k was 10,400 feet. Cool. More suffering.

On a side note, the weather is still holding <knocks wood>. But the low for Friday night is 51. I figure at 6am Saturday it will be 55 max. I'll need arm warmers in August. In one of the hottest summers ever.

Hoodathunkit.

bibliobob

Hottest summer on record now.

Just got my wheel repaired today, installed it, and took first test ride with new fw, new chain, new seat post binder bolt,and first time using the granny triple. Nothing like waiting til the last minute

epicycle

Hey guys, I just found this thread but if it's the same one from the fall that I found it inspired me to sign up a few months ago for the DD. I did the HHH 100 km last year and this year I'm attempting the 200 km DD. It's going to be challenging doing 200 as a big guy but I've been training hard and working on fueling over time.

I was wondering about dinner on Friday night, I see you mentioned something at a fire station. Is that a public dinner or is that something you guys are doing? The HHH had a public dinner so I was hoping the DD had something. I'd love to meet with folks and chat about the ride and bike and whatever on Friday to snuff out the nerves and get to know others before the ride.

Thanks and good luck everyone! If you happen to see a big guy in red and a white catseye whisper helmet say hi

Sean

iab

Hi Sean. Not a "public" dinner but I'm sure we can squeeze one more in.

gomango

Outstanding!

I'll rob the kids' piggie banks for bribe money.