Tour de Heifer 2016

 

After much trepidation about participating in the 60+ mile dirt tour, with over 7,000 feet of elevation gain, 3 sections of class 4 road, on a day of steady rain, I committed to attend. Also riding was team mate Dean Matweecha and riding buddies Mathew Meunier and Arne Hammerlund. Real Pickles Bob Bonneau also participated in the ride but began a bit later and did an augmented route totaling 45 miles.

 

We chose to roll out early trying to get the least wet window in the ever changing forecast. It was a day of much mud, foggy glasses, and grit everywhere. Really we the weather was not all that bad. The conditions required additional caution, particularly in the last 15 or 20 miles as high winds and strong showers emerged.

Why is Arne's face so clean? Answer: he rode Mathew's wheel on the pavement to clean up!

 

We generally rode a very relaxed pace and took full advantage of the many well stocked feed zones. That said we did some charging through sections, suffering up brutal hills, and bombing downhills. We had a mixed group with varying levels of fitness so there was some waiting at the top of climbs. There were several other local riders including Scott Wade, Shams Helminski, Noah Elbers, Ellen Stein, John Dimick, Doug Favreau to name a few. The attendance was actually pretty good considering the weather. 

Deano!

 

For me the highlights of the day were the class 4 sections which included mud, a long ascent with some rocks and techy stuff, and a crazy rock garden section with a decent that would have been much more a manageable on a mountain bike. I cleaned all of the section except one dab cased when a slower rider flubbed in front of me.

My muddy legs.

 

At about 40 or so miles into the ride Scott, Noah and Shams rode up on us and went right past. I would have loved to jump on but elected to remain with my group. While the pace was very manageable and I would have like to have gone a bit faster it made for an enjoyable day in the saddle. Completing such a ride with gas left in the tank is a rare thing. Now that it is over I am left wondering if a new drivetrain will be in order - the horrible sounds coming from it were painful!

Official Heifer photo. A female rider we spent some time on the course with, Mathew, Dean, Arne and myself.
 

Next ride: RAS Ride in Peru, VT