eDBiLLy & I arrived in Perry, Iowa at about 9 am (the ride started at 10), so we had time to eat & get dressed. The ride started at the Community Center, which was a beautiful facility, with plenty of parking.
eDBiLLy even had time to test out the latest CiTy BiLLy schwag. Oh, the agony!
Eventually, we went inside the Community Center to pick up our registration packets & eat breakfast (breakfast is a great thing to have before any ride, especially cold ones). The BRR ride has a rich history, so here is a table where they sell the inventory of shirts from previous years. eDBiLLy (artist extrordinaire) had an interesting observation: the early edition shirts (where graphic design was done by hand, not by a computer program) were not only simpler, but actually more effective.
In the far background, you can see folks lined up for the start. We moseyed up there, after we set up our rollers & got our heart rates up to 155 bpm for 10 minutes (
translation: we sat in the truck & had another Leinies). The route is an out & back, from Perry to Rippey & back (25 miles). When the starting cannon fired, we took off at a pretty good clip & tried to get to the front of the pack, mostly for safety's sake. We faced a very mild headwind until we got out of town, where there was no windcover, & the terrain was a giant tabletop. The gusts of wind made me glad I layered (wool base layer with windblock on top & bottom, with two more layers of wool on top).
Once we reached Rippey, we stopped at Sparky's, the convenience store & bought 24 oz. High Lifes (which fit perfectly in water bottle cages). Since we had a headwind on the way out, the way back was gravy. The wind had increased during the ride, so we were glad to be on our way back. I nursed the high life for about 6 miles. Some of the people still on their way to Rippey looked at us like we were nuts, to be drinking beer when it was 20 degrees. It was very interesting to see some of the folks still on their way out: some were dressed appropriately and some were dressed, as eDBiLLy put it, "Like they had just jumped in their car & were heading to the Kwik Shop for a 12 pack".
We finished the ride with one additional stop. The local grocery store sponsored a hot chocolate stop, complete with a bonfire! A quick stop there warmed us up & we finished in fine style. Here's eDBiLLy, getting ready to head back to CiTy BiLLy World Headquarters.
As King Eddy & Felice Gimondi look on, I celebrate another birthday. My lovely wife gave this to me for my birthday. I've been feeling under the weather, so I waited until today to uncork. My dream vacation is to go to Europe for the Spring Classics, & spend a week in Belgium. Some day, it will happen. Every year, my birthday celebration becomes more subdued, by my own choice. Maybe, when I reach the half century mark, I'll revert to the recklessness of my adolescence, & pull out all the stops. But, then there is the matter of the ever lengthening hangover. Oh well, I have a few more years to weigh out my options. Until then, I raise my glass in tribute to all the folks that have inspired me to ride. Thank you.
