WRCC's Paceline News

Ride Across Wisconsin:  August 17th & 18th WRCC members Drew Hallet and Molly Cripe Birt attended the 5 th annual Ride Across Wisconsin, a 225-mile ride from La Crosse to Green Bay that directly supported the Wisconsin Bike Fed. This was the first year of the new course, and there were multiple options for participating in Ride Across Wisconsin (RAW). Drew & Molly opted for the two-day course. Why RAW? After two (Drew) and three (Molly) years of participating in Ride Across Indiana, we opted for checking out a new state. We had heard some really cool things about the new state Ride Across Wisconsin (RAW) for several years. When it was announced that the route had changed from what seemed like a doable 175-miles to a bigger 225, we had some reservations. It turned out, however, that there are options for tackling such a big ride! We could take on the full 225 miles in one day, or in two days by over-nighting in Plover. We could opt to ride day one for 130 mi...

Editor's note: I happen to be the poor schmuck that edited Lydia Trott's original document of Paris-Brest-Paris back in September. PBP, as it will be lovingly referred to, is a 750-mile (1200 km) self-supported brevet through France that entrants must qualify for. Both Melissa McCurley and I encouraged her to submit it to the WRCC Blog, either partial or in its entirety. She elected to submit her introduction, which is hardly a scratch on the surface of the immense adventure she and husband, Steve Trott, undertook by completing the world's oldest bike race. Melissa & I encourage you to click on the link at the bottom of Lydia's report to go to the full detailing of her ride. There you will find every emotion & adaptation she had. You will also be able to click around the Trotts' website to read about their other qualifying brevets. - Molly Cripe Birt, aka MCB There & Back Again: Paris-Brest-Paris 2019 As much as I want to blame not hav...

Fancy Gap to Front Royal in 6 Days with Adventure Cycling by Pat Boling This is an account of a trip I went on with Andy Hirsch to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive in Virginia in early June. The group met on Saturday June 1st at Fancy Gap, Virginia, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was surprised to see so many people: 5 guides (one a bike mechanic), 2 cooks, and 20 cyclists, all of whom were ready to go. Sunday morning we got on the road bright and early (that’d be about 7:20 or so), with a glimpse off to the west of smoky blue ridges coming up right away. Whoah! Some great vistas to be had! The first day wasn’t too bad, 44 miles to Floyd, VA with a transit through Meadows of Dan and Mabry Mill (a lovely site, everybody took photos there). Lots of birds singing in the trees, tranquility reigned. The descent into our lunch spot scared me a bit, because of cross winds that made my bike shake. I knew ahead of time I’d be more worried about my ability to de...

by Allen Hackney More than a dozen WRCC members rode in the Amishland and Lakes bicycle tour out of LaGrange, Indiana this past weekend. This ride offered Saturday routes of 22, 38, 52, 67, or 100 miles over lightly traveled roads with few hills, as well as some Sunday routes for those who stayed in the area. If you are wondering whether you would like to travel out of town to bicycle in an area where “Share the Road” includes horse drawn buggies, check out the following ride report submitted by Allen Hackney. All photos from Allen Hackney except as noted. We participated in the first day of the Amishland and Lakes bike tour on Saturday, July 29, riding the 52-mile route (which ended up at around 54 miles with the SAG stops). This was our first time at this event. [Ed. note: Allen rode with Julia and Kim. Other club members completed different mileage.] The route is quite scenic and had mostly gentle hills, with numerous farms and horse pastures along the way. We shared th...

WRCC member Justin Ankeney recently participated in his first Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa . In its own way, RAGBRAI is as iconic in the cycling world as the Tour de France. Several club members have previously done this ride. The route changes from year to year, so it’s always a new experience. Congratulations, Justin! And thanks for describing the ride for the rest of us! All photos were provided by Justin Ankeney. Growing up in Galesburg, Illinois, I can remember annual coverage during the last week of July of RAGBRAI from the Davenport and Moline television stations. Each year, thousands of bicyclists pedaling across the state of Iowa for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. This year marked the 46th annual trip, which starts in Western Iowa on Sunday and continues eastward through Saturday. Purists will dip the back tire of their bike in the Missouri River before setting out on Sunday, and conclude the ride with a dip of their front tire ...

Ride Report: Ride Across Indiana, 2018 by John Duvall, WRCC member At 7 am on Saturday, July 21, 15 WRCC members rolled out with over 1000 other cyclists as part of RAIN 2018. This 160-mile Gran Fondo runs from Terre Haute to Richmond, Indiana. The riders braved intermittent showers and a nasty stretch of chip and seal on US 40 to reach the finish line at Earlam College. Congratulations to all our finishers but especially to first-time RAIN riders Sarah Gardner, Chantal Bristol, and Svenja Horn. The True Grit Award goes to Molly Birt, who proved she’s back from injuries sustained when she was struck by a car earlier this year. And condolences to Doug Amick who had a truly stellar ride stalled by three flats on the back half of the course. Although not officially a race, it is a timed event. Svenja Horn, Molly Birt & Drew Hallet at the start Here are the club riders by order of finish and time: Place, Rider & Time 53 Joe Bolan 7:22 65 John Duvall 7:33 91 Doug...