Unearthed: Autumn Rides on the GWT

Autumn is the ideal time to ride. I've always believed this. The waning midwest heat and humidity brings forth a climate perfectly suited for outdoor activity.

As the insects and humans prepare for hibernation, we prepare for night life on the trails. We pull out the wool jerseys, charge up the lights, and enjoy the long evenings on The Great Western. We rarely saw other cyclists out there in the fall. It was quiet and dark and surreal. I miss those nights - Nocturnal picnics in the park, cobwebs in your cockpit, struggling to fix a flat in the shadows... Wouldn't have it any other way.

Here's a collection of photos I dug up from one of those outings with the SFCA. These photos were taken 10 years ago. (Yes, TEN years ago. I can't believe it.)

Where Are We Now

Woah. It's been a while! How's everyone doing? Still holding up out there? Still riding bikes? Still being weird? Cool. Same here.

So, a little over 12 years ago, I started this blog as a platform to document experiences that got me excited - and if nobody read my posts, it really didn't matter. First and foremost, I started documenting for myself. Looking back through old posts was a way to reminisce about times that I did something and had fun, and doing that encouraged me go out and do something fun again. It got to a point in which the need to generate content became motivation enough to get out and do more. Taking photos and writing for the blog was a creative outlet of sorts, and that alone gave me fulfillment. Eventually, people actually started reading, and we were able to connect. Several times, I was told that my posts motivated them to get out and explore their area too. Hearing this gave a whole new meaning to the blog, and I realized that even if one person was moved by my posts, then it was well worth it to continue writing.

Well, it's been nearly 5 and a half years now since I've posted here. So, why did I stop?

I'm not entirely sure why I decided to stop posting, but I can attribute it to a couple factors:

When I moved from my college town of DeKalb, IL to Chicago, I started working a lot, and not within the cycling industry. There was less opportunity for small adventures, and the woods and the trails and the rural country roads that I had once enjoyed were a lot less accessible. In the heyday of this blog, we were venturing out into the countryside every Tuesday night - riding long gravel roads or limestone paths through the forest on the Great Western Trail. On some weekends, we would crank out a century and explore a new portion of the rural midwest. It was fun. I'll always look back fondly on those days with the Slender Fungus Cycling Association. These things just don't happen anymore though, or at least not as often. I eventually felt that there just wasn't much worth writing about anymore, so I didn't.

Social media was another likely culprit. It really started to take off back then (for me at least) and it just seemed easier and quicker to share things on Instagram. I still consider myself to be an avid user of Instagram, but the platform lacks that ability to go in depth with story and content the way a traditional blog was intended to do. I should have known it was inevitable, but I now find myself wanting to read and write again, and the instant gratification received from that social media platform just doesn't feel sufficient anymore.

A lot has changed since I stoped posting, but a lot has stayed the same. I still enjoy doing the things we used to do, and I still have the itch to document in one way or another. I've thought many times about reviving the blog - maybe if I start posting again, I'll rediscover that same motivation to get out there. Will anyone start reading again? Does it still not matter? I don't know, but in this new era of the Coronavirus and social-distancing, there's no better time to try it out again than now. The need to connect has never felt as important as it does now. Suddenly, we're all found with a surplus of free time and we can take this opportunity to slow down a bit. There will be a resurgence in reading and writing. Blogs will come back again. Right?

So, here I am, stuck indoors reminiscing about the days of old. I think I'll start posting about a few recent excursions and hope that the momentum keeps up. Let's see how this goes! If anything, it will give me something to do while self-quarantining!

Thanks for coming back if you did. Stay well and be safe out there.

Saturday Morning in Topanga, Featuring The SFCA

Jakey La Kruz off-roadin' the Casseroll in typical fashion.

I must be sleeping under a digital rock, because somehow I totally missed this, but a few of my good buds were featured over on The Radavist! 

Sean Talkington did a write-up and photo dump based on the Saturday morning rides at Topanga Creek Cycles. In the photos below, you'll see Jake and Agatha, who just happened to be in town on tour, and Jay, my former North Central co-worker, who is now makin' it nice over at Topanga. You can check out the entire article right here. 

Looks like they had a blast, and Topanga Creek is an undoubtably awesome shop that I need to visit soon.

Agatha shreddin'

Jay, or "Cookie", or "Fixie Jesus", or whatever they call him now.

Topanga Creek Cycles. Note the DeKalb, IL sign

Saturday on the North Branch Trail

Last weekend, spring came into full swing. The sun came out, green things came up out of the ground, and the temperature was ideal for cruising. I went out in bib shorts and a short sleeved jersey for the first time this year. It was weird, and I felt chilly at first, but quickly warmed up. I still wore the toe covers and wool socks, paired with some extremely hairy winter legs. It may not have been very #pro, but I was not very concerned. I was just real happy to be out in the sun.

I cruised up Elston, through the bike lane, all the way to the start of the North Branch Trail. The trail isn't too far from my apartment, and it's easily accessible via bike-friendly roads. If you aren't familiar, the North Branch Trail stretches about 17 miles from Caldwell and Devon in Chicago up to Glencoe, ending at the Chicago Botanical Gardens and loosely following the path of the Chicago river and the Skokie Lagoons. It is mainly paved, but there are many offshoots of offroad trail that meander through the forest. Some portions of the paved trail run along the equestrian trails, and if you're ok with horses, you can share those trails with them too.

In short, the trail system is a lot of fun and offers the opportunity for some exploration. I spent as much time off the pavement as I could, stopping numerous times for photos. I finished with something like 30-40 miles, and was pretty beat up by the end of it. I had a strong headwind all the way back home too. I guess I'm  not used to this anymore, but I will be again soon. Thanks to the great weather and the discovery of this trail, I had the most enjoyable ride of the year... so far. I'll be riding out on this trail a lot.

A good ride deserved a good beer. I treated myself to this imperial IPA from Goose Island upon returning home. It was pretty alright.

Another SFCA Event Announced

Another long one! This one's coming up soon, so it's time to dust off the cobwebs and oil up the joints. Winter's end is near! Great things on the horizon.

The J.D. Drifter, a 150mi Gravel Caravan

The Slender Fungus Cycling Association has just announced a new gravel event, set for the month of June. This is the latest brainchild of our beloved leader, Ari, and it will be routed by the one and only Jakey La Kruz. I will make it a point to be a part of this one by whatever means necessary. The exact date is still pending, so clear out your entire month of June because it is guaranteed to be a great ride with some very scenic views. 

You can view a few more details in the original posting here, on Ari's blog, the homepage of the SFCA. I'll post more details as they are determined, or you can just look for them on Flandria Velosport.

BLBBRBK Photo Dump

So, this past Sunday, the BLBBRBK fatbike relay race finally happened. After 3 straight years of cancellations, I was doubtful of it's fruition, but it actually happened. The race started at 10am. I was, for reasons unknown, under the impression that races would be going on for a good portion of the day, and so I leisurely left Chicago for Campton Hills around 11am. When I arrived at the forest preserve around noon, I found that quite a few people were already heading home for the day. I was fearful that I had already missed it all, but that was not the case. In fact, I arrived just in time to see the Double-Wide Boyz tie for second place on their custom Double-Wide Designz "ButtGrease" SS fatbike with NO CHAIN! Somehow the chain popped off the cog (most likely due to the fact that it was manufactured for Wal-Mart), yet they were able to dominate regardless. #doublewidelife. I think I'm going to dedicate a separate blog post to the glory of the ButtGrease, since I took quite a few photos of it and would like to keep this post "family friendly". Anyways, the weather was relatively nice. It was sunny. The cold was bearable (compared to the current temp). It was a good day for a fatbike race. I had a nice time. Now for the pics:

Sunday, Slender Fungday

Lately, it's been bitterly cold here in the city, and cabin fever is setting in. It can be difficult to get out and ride regularly in this weather and just getting bundled up enough can be a big ordeal. Fortunately, it was relatively warm on Sunday, and so I took advantage of it by going out at night, after finishing all of the errands for the day. (Seems like I'm never able to get out during the day time in winter). Riding is often better when you have a destination in mind, or at least a goal to achieve, and so I decided to ride out to my office in the burbs. Since starting this job, I've been curious about how feasible it would be for me to commute by bike to work - It's roughly 10 miles one way by bike, which isn't too bad, but I'd be dealing with both city and suburban traffic and arriving sweaty and without the convenience of a shower. Still, I've been curious, so I bundled up and headed out.



It took a lot longer than I thought. I had estimated it would take about half an hour, but it ended up taking at least twice as long. Part of the ride was spent cruising down the bike lanes on Elston. That was the easy part. After that I hopped onto the North Branch Chicago River Trail, and that's when things got difficult.



The condition of the trail was the equivalent of rocky singletrack covered in ice. Frozen snow full of footprints and ruts. It would have been nice to have a 29'er... maybe... maybe even a fatbike... At one point, I rode through a hidden puddle that was covered with a thin layer of ice and snow. The puddle was about 6 inches deep and the water quickly froze and coated the surface of my rims in ice - rendering my brakes practically useless. (I guess in this one situation, I'd have to give +1 point to the disc vs. canti debate. Although, Paul doesn't make a disc brake, and so I guess I'll be sticking to cantis). Eventually I made it to the office, after straying from the trail and hiking about half a mile through the woods.



In conclusion, cycling to work is very feasible, but not at all convenient. At least not in the winter. The ride was super fun though, and it was nice to get back on a trail and ride in the snow. It reminded me of the many Slender Fungus rides through DeKalb in the dead of winter. The SFCA flame still burns within me.

(P.S. I apologize for the crappy iPhone pics. I brought a real camera with, but when I took it out to snap a couple photos, I found that the battery was already dead. I just hate that...)

Cranksgiving Cruise

On Thanksgiving, I took some time between sessions of gorging myself with my mom's fantastic holiday food to go for a ride. I rode out from my parent's place to the Des Plaines River Trail and tried to ride it for a bit. The trail goes straight through a very densely-wooded forest preserve, and so there is absolutely no light surrounding you in the night. Just total darkness and abundant wildlife. It can actually be a bit spooky, when riding alone. Often times you'll turn around a bend in the trail and come face-to-face with an extremely bewildered deer. Needless to say, I didn't go too far. It was also pretty darn cold that night, and I froze pretty bad. The wool socks and toe covers over my shoes just didn't cut it, and towards the end, I was expecting frostbite. It's amazing how cold it is for this time of year. I'm really not used to it yet.

Goodbye DeKalb, Farewell NCC

Once again, I apologize for the recent lull in activity over here. Contrary to as it appears, I've actually been relatively busy. My life has become a bit different lately, and I am just now getting accustomed to it and regaining some form of routine. If you're a close acquaintance of mine, then this is already old news, but for everyone else, I figured this was worth a post:

I left my former job at North Central Cyclery and moved out of DeKalb and back east, near Chicago.

Photo by Dave Hulthen

This transition was long overdue, and when the lease on my apartment was up, I knew the time had come. I had never imagined I would end up spending so many years in that little rural town. I came to DeKalb to attend the Northern Illinois University where I studied Visual Communications and found a job at North Central Cyclery my sophomore year. After graduating, I hung around for an extra year just to work. The shop had a huge impact on my life and really formed me into the person that I am presently. I came into the shop as a 21 year old BMX kid that needed a college job and had a very slight interest in cycling outside of that genre. The job quickly fostered a great love for cycling in me, that ultimately took over my life. I became more than just a kid that rode BMX, and before I knew it, I was going on long rides out in the country and eventually worked my way up to a 255mi adventure. My lifestyle came to practically revolve around cycling, and I'm kinda afraid to imagine it any other way. I became a fantastic mechanic, too, and met some fantastic people. I learned a lot from guys like Ari and Uncle Vëlo and all of the Slender Fungus Cycling Association, and so many other inspirational people. I made some real lasting friendships at that place. It was a lot more than just a job, I guess.

Photo by Uncle Vëlo (Tyler), courtesy of Flandria Velosport.

I enjoyed my time out there, but I missed "home". I missed the city. I missed a lot of friends and family. DeKalb ended up being a lot more fun that I had ever predicted it would be, and it really does have a lot to offer if you look hard enough, but I don't think I was meant to live in the middle of nowhere, although It's nice to visit.

Shortly after leaving, I sold my soul to the devil and got myself an office job, where I was introduced to concepts like The Break Room, Folgers coffee, and "Casual Friday". Yeah, that may sound kinda lame, but I'm already enjoying the benefits of paid time off, health insurance, guaranteed full-time work, and ONE HOUR LUNCH BREAKS. We'll see how long I last though. I already miss the ridiculously lax environment that I once worked in.

So, what does this mean for the blog? Well, probably almost nothing really. The subject matter will remain basically the same, but the content will probably change a bit. I'll be in a different environment, doing different things. Probably not too different, but maybe very different. I don't really know I guess, and I'm probably more curious to see what happens than you are. I may end up posting more about urban cycling woes than rural cycling nirvana, but who knows. All that I do know is that I will resume posting, so stay tuned, if you want. Whatever.

Make it nice.

Father's Day Grind

A couple years ago, my good friend Ari (Founder/President of the Slender Fungus Cycling Association) moved to NY. He moved back to Illinois a while ago, but I hadn't seen him since before he first left, which I really felt bad about. I just seemed to be caught up with other stuff or out of the loop every time that he had arranged a group ride. I first met him when I had just started working in a bike shop, and he basically taught me everything I know about bicycle mechanics and cycling and always said to "make it nice". He introduced me to gravel riding and has influenced me in many ways. You could even say he was a sort of father figure to me, so it was only fitting that our reunion occurred a couple weeks ago on Father's Day.

I was informed very late on Saturday night that he would be in town and going for a ride at 8 am the next morning, and I knew I couldn't miss another one. I showed up with Derek on Sunday, a bit late and half asleep. The Bonk King was in attendance as well, which was nice because he's a super cool dude and I hadn't seen him in a long time either. 

We rode about 40 miles (mostly gravel) and spent the majority of the time laughing hysterically, reminiscing, and doing some catching up. I couldn't imagine a better Sunday morning ride. Hope to see Ari and B.K. more frequently from now on.

Turbo Tuesday: Late Night Gravel Grind

The Turbo Tuesday tradition is still alive and well. We went out and rode some gravel Slender Fungus style under the moonlight last week. As usual, we took a mandatory stop to partake in the sacred elixirs. Riding out in the country at night is incredibly pleasant this time of year. Come out and join us if you haven't yet!

Jay at Trans Iowa, by Gnat

A fantastic photo of Jay, taken by Gnat for his Trans Iowa Portrait series. Look for more portraits here.

Bonus photo that popped up on Facebook, also taken by Gnat, of our man Ari and The Llama. Many incredible/inspirational photos so far. I'm anxious to see them all...

Trans Iowa V. 9

Congratulations to all of my friends who participated in Trans Iowa, the 300+ mile gravel/off-road race, this past weekend: Derek, of the "Double-Wide Boyz", Chad "The Llama" of North Central Cyclery, Agatha (pictured above with their TI bikes), Ari and Jay of the Slender Fungus Cycling Association, as well as all of the other brave souls who fought off the demons through the night. Everyone put in an amazing effort. Derek finished the race on his first attempt and took 27th out of the 36 finishers. Jay took 11th place overall and 3rd in the single speed category. Incredible. I took a few bike/cockpit shots at the bike shop before they headed out to Grinnell, Iowa:

Derek's Singular Peregrine.

The fresh pair of Rock 'n Road tires that took Derek to the finish line at 2:08pm.

Handlebar bag with shooters filled with swedish wormwood.

The Llama's cockpit.

Derek's Cockpit, complete with celebratory cigar.

Agatha's cockpit.

Fantastic job everyone. I'm proud of you all! See the complete list of finishers and more info here.