Ride Reports

Due to winds changing to the south, the group chose to do a southern route instead of the originally-planned route. We went to Ely and Solon, and had a belated breakfast at the ClubHouse, then looped back by way of North Liberty, which gave us 60 miles. From now on I'm going to try to keep the mileage down to somewhat the original planned mileage when we choose a different route as people do have other commitments, schedules, and may not at times be up to the added challenge. This time of the year I think we become immune to and don't pick up on the the fall foliage - some of us actually have to rakes leaves, which doesn't help, but while climbing the hill after Mahaffey Bridge the sun made the leaves breathtaking. The last official club ride of the year sure was a good one!

Because of the strong NW winds, we chose not to ride to Mt. Vernon but to go west to Palo, then on to Center Point, then to Alburnett. The fireman's breakfast up at Center Point was a surprise, and what a bargain at $3. (We found out about their steak dinner the following Saturday, which will be on our next Full Moon Ride). It was 33 degrees this morning when we all started out (BURR) which reminds me what we are preparing for....

Sunny day, cold (30F) with brisk wind from NW. From Marion Square, north on 10th Street to Lowe Park, then took the paved bike path west to Alburnett Rd., then north to County Home Rd. We rode past Tuma Park, then took C Ave Ext. north to Roosevelt Rd, ending at the convenience store in Alburnett. After minimal coffee and food, and some discussion about logging rides at www.BikeJournal.com, four riders elected to continue north in search of pancakes.

Riders: John Hunte, Gary & Linda Recker, Jerry Falta, plus Larry & Diane Potter (Saturday only)

Saturdays ride was from Lanesboro to Harmony and back. The temperatures were in the low 70s, but the wind was strong from SSW at 20-30 mph. We had a head wind into Harmony, but the return trip was great with the wind at our backs. We had a little stop at Preston for some refreshments. Mileage was 47. Saturday's dinner was at Riverside at the Root. We had our traditional fire at the campgrounds in the evening. After the others went to bed, John and I stayed up to burn up some of the firewood. We had three deer come within 50 yards of us and spend about 5 minutes in the vicinity. They seemed to be confused; we were probably blocking their desired path.

After a good breakfast at the Chat 'N Chew on Sunday, Larry and Diane headed back to CR. The rest of us decided to ride east on the trail. The temperatures were still in the low 70s, but the wind had died down considerably. We rode through Whalen, Peterson, and Rushford. At Rushford we saw a guy with a Hall's Bicycle shirt. Turns out it was HBA member Don Pulkrab. Don was on a five-day trip riding in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I decided to head back to Lanesboro while the other three headed east to Houston. The round trip to Houston would have been 62 miles.

Riders: Lisa Paulos, Larry Howe, John Hunte, Jim Neiderhiser, Connie Bird, Kees Bronts, Kirk Draper,
Dave Dvorak, John Rilett, Kevin Morgan, Jerry Falta, John Wauer, Joel Eldred

We had great October weather today and a fine turnout-a little chill in the air early quickly disappeared. Made a quick stop in Alburnett,
then onto Troy Mills with wind at our backs. The ride home took a little more work. OK, a lot more work. Still it was a great day to ride.

With the decision to Launch for Lunch, The Brown Bag Ride was set in motion. A rider new to our group, Jeff, approached me at the trail head sharing that he had seen our ride posting on our Web Site. So, with that first rider, we were committed to continue. We were joined by Phil, Connie, Joel and eventually the Toastmaster. Today we left on "Dano Time".....ooh...about 11:30. We watched as the clouds thickened, and briefly we were in the eye of the storm, spotting blue sky through the clouds. A short distance into the ride we met Larry, who was looking for us and joined in. Now we had the prefect ride. The exact number to fill the picnic table at Cole Street (without over crowding) and allow the Toastmaster to stand at the head of the table.

Cole Street and the table were a welcome sight and did, indeed, remind me of another ride. That ride is contained somewhere in the LOG, but we won't go there now. The wind driven mist made the crew shiver until the Toastmaster produced, not one, but two jaxkets from his sea bag. The Cap't opened the rations discovered beverages imported from Colorado and other tasteeee treats. We downed the chow and decided to take the road back to the Nature Center. We made a dash down the remaining trail and soon were back to the trailhead.

I hope the BEARS won. And that’s there way it was.
Cap't Bob

July 30, 2006                                  John Hunte                      Solon                                  60

Riders:  Jim Neiderhiser, Kees Bronts

Well, the day being after RAGBRAI, we really didn’t expect sooooo much participation. Kees told me about his Saturday experience with RAGBRAI and break-neck speed in getting to Muscatine; I mentioned maybe slowing enough to grab breakfast next yr. Ha Ha. The three of us really rode well together and it turned out to be a fun ride. I think Jim has the areobars down pat, and after doing the last thirty five miles on Lisa's Midnight century with no seat because it like broke, I'm sure he'll do well at the Pigman. Oh, on the longer way back, Kees had a few choice words to say about the hills.

July 16, 2006 John Hunte Coralville Loop 50

Riders: Chuck Johnson, Carson Christen, Joel Eldred, Mike Wagner, Kevin Westman, Larry Howe

We were riding out on the trail just fine, when a guy in tennis shoes and an older bike passed us. DRAT!!!
Larry Howe just kind of picked up the pace after that. {and} totally not that I blamed him, you know us guys and our pride... but shortly after we left the trail I looked back, Joel & Mike were nowhere to be seen. I went back for them but our group had just turned to five, almost felt like a GSP Tues night ride. We rode through the beautiful McBride State Park, and then I remembered turning on my cell and returned Joel's call, they were OK, but had gone straight instead of turning left. I've noticed in the past that Joel has a tendency to take the long way around at getting someplace. Ha Ha. We bypassed the House and did the Coralville loop.

July 15 & 16, 2006 Rick Paulos Cedar Valley Nature Trail 55

Riders: Dave Dvorak, Jeff Cozad, Mike Augustine, Kevin Cutsforth, Elaine Dunkel, Cami Duke,
Mona Whitters, Al Whitters, Gabe Whitters, Art Sibold, Cathy Taylor, Jason Amoriell,
Lisa Paulos, Jim Elliot, James Runner, Margaret Paulos, Sue Henderson ?

No Ride Report - see Special Events page for 2006 ride photos

July 8 & 9, 2006 Jerry Falta Toledo & Return 62/day

Riders: Connie Bird, Valerie Boddicker, Beth Brady, Jagger Copley (Sat. only), Bill Cummings,
Steve Davis, David Evans, Laverne Franks, Ron Van Hoeck, John Hunte, Ken Klein,
Denise & Bob Potter, Larry Potter, Gary Roling, Dan Tucker.

Seventeen riders left Guthridge Park in Hiawatha at approximately 8am for the Holy Toledo ride. We had rest stops in Palo, Newhall, Van Horne, Elberon (lunch) and the Cemetery on county road E43. With all the rest stops we had opportunities to get to know the others riders. Bill Cummings provided the sag vehicle and several of us took turns driving the vehicle, so that others could ride their bikes. We provided sag support and extra breaks for several riders because of the head winds all day Saturday. Several of the group had dinner at the Mexican restaurant, next to the motel, while others chose pizza at the Bubble Bee.

The return trip on Sunday morning was just gorgeous. The wind calmed, there was little traffic, and the views from the ridge on county road E43 were wonderful. Beth got a little extra mileage when she missed the turn in Vining and headed south to Rt 30, where she realized the mistake and headed back to Vining. She caught up with the group in Elberon. The rest stops were the same on the return trip with lunch in Newhall.

Upon our return to Guthridge Park we were told that our vehicles almost got towed as we had parked in the Farmers Market area. There was a sign posted “No Parking Sundays” during the farmer’s market hours, but none of us saw it. Bob Potter smoothed things over with the vendors. We’ll keep that in mind for next year.

As always, a good group of riders and a fun ride.

July 8, 2006 Rita Liddell Stone City 64

Riders: Joe Liddell, Jim Bernstein, Joel Eldred, Bill Holley, Bob Keller, Shannon McGraw,
               Sue Smith, Bernie Smith, Nancy Allen, Terry Whaley, John Wauer, Richard Sentman,
               Kevin Morgan, Jim Neiderhiser, Art Sibold, Pat Burns, Dave Dvorak, Bob Van Horn,
               Gary Recker, Linda Recker, Rick Paulos

What a glorious day for a bike ride. Immediately following the 40 HBA member showed up for a photo opportunity on the CR Art museum steps -- twenty-four riders headed north on the trial to County Home Road where we regrouped and than turned east and regrouped again at the Abbey Center just beyond Hwy 13. Last stop was the excellent location for the photo shoot of the group before heading up the Stone City Hill. No walkers on the hill this morning, everyone spun right up it, I think they flattened it over the winter. :-) We ate breakfast in Anamosa at the Anamosa Family Restaurant, who were kind enough to set up a large table for all of us. After breakfast we climbed back out of Anamosa and regrouped at the only turn on the way back in Fairview where one of the riders had a flat tire -- but his pit crew buddies had a spare tube, and supplies to get him back on the road again. Little bit of a head wind coming back but without it, it would have been a hot ride. Everyone made it back in by early afternoon. Total mileage was 64.5 miles. Just a great day to be a cyclist. Thanks for riding. See everyone on the road.

July 9, 2006 John Bryant North Liberty 54

Riders: Dave Dvorak, Coleen & Greg Kint, Dan Reints

.Five riders started from Greene Square Park. Dave Dvorak, Dan Reints, Greg and Coleen Kint, and John Bryant started the scheduled route in pretty nice weather with a moderate wind from the Southwest. Greg and Coleen were riding their tandem. We regrouped at the grocery store in Solon. Dan, recovering from a Saturday triathlon, and Greg and Coleen trying to make a noon appointment rode back to Cedar Rapids by way of Shueyville. Dave and John followed the originally scheduled route over the Coralville Dam to North Liberty. Short stops in North Liberty and at the Handimart on Wright Brothers Blvd. for root beer floats refreshed on the return to Cedar Rapids. We guessed the rather small group on Sunday might have resulted from the great turnout for the group picture on Saturday and the better than average attendance on the Stone City and Toledo rides.

July 4, 2006 Dan Tucker Ely Fireman’s Breakfast 21

Riders: Kevin Morgan, Mike Wesner, Terry Whaley, Coleen & Greg Kint, Dave Dvorak, Jan Green,
              Gary Roling, Kevin Donahue, Bob and Denise Potter, John Hunte, Connie Bird, Bob Van Horn,
              Art Sibold, Jim Bernstein, Ken & Cathy Klein, Jim Neiderhiser, Larry & Diane Potter,
              Bob Keller, Shannon McGraw, Valerie Boddicker.

The ride kicked off a few minutes after 6:00 AM, following the Trail to Ely Road, and on into Ely to the Fire Dept. so we could be properly watered and fed.

The weather was perfect this morning, and there were lots of folks already at the breakfast by the time we got there----in fact, we couldn't even all sit together.

After breakfast, some of the riders headed out to do other loops in the area, one of them Sutliff, while the rest of us headed back to C.R., where we were able to see lots of the runners hit the finish line at the 5th Season 8K.

Lots of great folks, perfect weather, and wonderful food was the order of the day------don't miss it next year!!

July 2, 2006 John Hunte Anamosa 58

Riders: Larry Howe, Natalie Ditmars, Tim Martinek, Jim Neiderhiser

I actually drove the one half mile to the trail head with my bike in the back not expecting any-one to show simply because the Doppler showed green, green, green with rain. Turns out we took the trail South and went to Ely, Sutliff, Lisbon, Mt. Vernon & back again and didn’t run into nary a drop!!! Natalie kept us entertained with her version of the quick right hand unannounced turn in checking the Swine Trek route. She is also a fast learner as Larry & myself showed her some drafting Tech's, she even in her own way challenged us to an occasional sprint. Joel was his usual self with back to back joke telling expertise, and Larry I think is back into condition to kick some butt on the up-coming bike races.

July 3, 2006 Dan Tucker Troy Mills 50

Riders: Denise Potter, Stacy Hanna, Bill Holley, Greg & Colleen Kint, Gary Roling, Art Sibold, Kevin Morgan, Rita & Joe Liddell, Ryan & Randy Braumann, Joel Eldred, Jerry Falta, Sue Henderson, Bob Van Horn, John Hunte, Dick Mundy, Jerry Meyer, Ken Klein, Jim Bernstein, Tim Martinek, Ron Neyens, Ron & Matt Van Hoeck, Larry & Diane Potter, Jim McLaughlin.

At about 7:30 we blasted off for Troy Mills, taking the trail to County Home Road, to Old HWY 150, to Alice Road (which Potter "loves"), to Central City Road, and on into Troy Mills. In Troy Mills, a friend (Lisa Brislawn) had arranged a Breakfast Buffet for us at the Troy Store (they usually only do this on Sundays). They were expecting 20 or so riders, and we showed up at about 30 (29 to be exact). They struggled a bit to keep the food coming, but eventually we seemed to get enough food to sustain life. After the breakfast, the group picture was taken by a gal (named Deseree) we picked up (off the street). Then the group started to fragment, as people took various routes to their home destinations, but several of us backtracked on the same route to Green Square. The "Troy Mills Red Winged Blackbirds" were STILL on helmet attack, as I saw one swoop down on Larry Potter's helmet, and probably others---they were like that on Swine Trek too! We had a nice ride, nice weather, and thanks to all who participated.

June 18, 2006 John Hunte Anamosa, Central City 40

Riders: Kees Bronts, Terry Whaley, Ron Van Hoeck, Jason Amoriell

Although our group being small "given it was father's day", I expect we all were still very spirited and chose the Farr side to be the chosen route. I mustered up as much courage as I could and managed to hang on to Alburnett where we took a short break. We mostly kept together as a pace line to Anamosa with Jason sprinting up the larger hills and Kees beckoning us to higher speeds on the downward slopes. It was a Dave Dvorak stop at the convenience store for chocolate milk and special ammo concoctions. You would think chocolate milk would make me faster but I swear it just gives me the wrong kind of gas every time. The long route got voted down & we headed back to the Trailhead.

June 17, 2006 Jim Bernstein North Liberty 61

Riders: Joe & Rita Liddell, Dave Dvorak, Gary Roling, Mike Augustine, Ken Klein, Bernie & Sue Smith,
Sean Smith.

Started with 10 riders on a less traveled route to North Liberty: through Mt. Vernon, Lisbon and Solon. We were down to six by the time we got to Sutliff Road and Highway 30, the other four choosing to return to Bever Park. The remaining six staunchly battled headwinds into Solon and on to our breakfast stop outside of North Liberty. Five of the six re-visited on old haunt, Clubhouse 76, the American Legion restaurant on Mehaffey Bridge Road. A hearty breakfast and an even heartier tailwind pushed us back to CR via Swisher.

June 10, 2006 Evelyn Moore N. Liberty 0

Ride canceled due to weather

The temperature was less than 50 degrees, with winds of 30 mph from the East. Bob & Denise Potter and their daughter, who was visiting from Peoria, showed up, but after discussion decided to drive to the Blue Strawberry for breakfast. Evelyn Moore decided to dive back home to N. Liberty, a good thing because it rained the whole way.

June 4, 2006 Connie Bird Anamosa 55

Riders: Denise Potter, Sue Henderson, Steve Davis, Dan Tucker,
James Bernstein, Terry Whaley, Kevin Morgan, John Hunte, Joel Eldred, Jim Neiderhiser,
Joe Liddell, Dave Dvorak, Gerald Falta, Jason Amoriell

Could we have been so lucky to have two such beautiful days in a row? Yes, we were! Mother Nature provided the headwind from the east as we made yet another trip to Anamosa. We stopped prior to our descent into Stone City for our photo-op, with the hill of ascent in the background. I'm sure Grant Wood would have approved. Given all the eating choices in Anamosa, we chose the Family Restaurant for breakfast. While dining, several members expressed interest in riding through the Wapsipinicon State Park...so we did. The hills in the park provided quite the challenge but the scenery made it worthwhile. We enjoyed a great tailwind on the ride back to C.R. Thank you to all who participated.

June 3, 2006 Connie Bird Amana 53

Riders: Pat Burns, Fred Julich, Joe and Rita Liddell, Susan Smith, Dan Tucker, Art Sibold,
             Dave Evans, Gerald Falta, John Hunte, Dixie Church, Dave Dvorak, Bill Holley,
             Chuck Johnson, Kevin Westman, Ron Neyens, Natalie Ditmar, Susan Elliot-Bryan,
             Sue Henderson, Ken and Cathy Klein

A balmy, sunny 63 degree morning welcomed 22 riders on this Amana ride. We started at Green Square Park and followed the trail to "C" St. A slight tailwind was behind us, a little crosswind also. We followed "C" where we took a right on Wright Bros. Blvd and regrouped at the Handimart off 6th St. Plenty of fluids were chugged at the stop. Continuing on Wright Bros., one of our newer riders fell victim to a flat tire. Thanks to those who stayed back and offered support. It was much appreciated. We took a left on Hwy 151 which led us into Amana. Hwy 151 has a wonderful bike lane, by the way. Most ate a hearty breakfast, served family-style, at the Colony Inn. Others opted for lighter fare down the street at the bakery. The majority rode the same way back to our starting point. The ending temperature was 83 degrees. Thanks to all who attended and we continue to welcome new riders!

May 28, 2006 (Sunday) Art Sibold Central City 37

Riders: Kevin Westman, Jerry Falta, Jim Boulet, Eileen Boulet, Chris Miskimen, D. Miskimen, John Hunte, Natalie Ditman, Terry Whaley, Kees Bronts, Bob Potter, Denise Potter, Steve Junge, Tris Dows, Lisa Paulos, Laurie Telchin, Kevin Morgan

Eighteen “Linn Mar Lions” wanna-bees assembled at the high school parking lot for the 11 a.m. start. Joel Eldred made a special drive from Urbana just to audition for the job of group photographer.

Route was north on Tenth Street to County Home Road, then east to Whittier. Whittier to Waubeek was a downhill, tailwind run – we hardly had to pedal!! Rest stop at Waubeek, then a giddy ride into Central City, again aided by favorable tailwinds - riders were 5, 6 abreast at times.

Lunch stop was Montana’s Family Restaurant (Central City), where there was an unexpected demand for crispy french fries.

The midday, post-lunch run from Central City to Alburnett taxed the strength of many riders. We took an especially lengthy break at the convenience store, before tackling the final run south against a strong headwind. It was a tight, streamlined group on the last 7 miles. We rode through Lowe Park and past the new Marion Arts and Environment Center before ending our ride at the concrete lion.

May 27, 2006 Denise Potter Lisbon 43

Riders: Denise Potter, Dave Dvorak, Kevin Westman, Terry Whaley, John Hunte, Art Sibold, Pat Burns, Dave Evans, Natalie Ditmars, Bob Potter, Sue Henderson, Ron Van Hoeck, Kevin Morgan, John D?, Dan Tucker, Joseph R?, Dorie Kelcher, Jerry Falta, Ken Klein, Phil Seidl.

The weather today was questionable. It was raining at 6:30 am, Weather humid, temp in the 60s. I decided unless it was pouring rain, or lightning we were going to ride. By 8:05 we had approx 20 riders and decided that the Ride must go on. We headed out to Highway 100 (Secrist Rd.), and on Springville Rd. to Mount Vernon, then only a scant mile or so to Lisbon. We had a head wind going south. We all arrived safely in Lisbon. We had breakfast brunch at Gwen's in greater downtown Lisbon. The company and food was great! We then headed back the same route, with a nice tailwind. We only had one flat tire for the group, and all arrived safely back to Marion Square Park. It was a nice ride, and we did not get wet. Mileage was approx 37 miles.

May 21, 2006 Dave Dvorak Iowa City 75

Riders: Dave Dvorak, Kevin Westman, Connie Bird, Joel Eldred, Terry Whaley, Mike Wesner, Dan Tucker, Chuck Johnson, Kevin Morgan, Natalie Ditmars, John Wauer, Gary Recker, Linda Recker, Stuart Wheeler.

The group started out from Green Square just after 8:00 am. The route took us out to the Blue Strawberry where a picture was taken. After the event was captured in digital format, 12 of the group ventured on.

The route then took us to Wright Bros, Blvd, Ely Road and into Solon where the grocery store met our needs. We were down to 10 when leaving Solon.

The route then took us out the SW side of Solon to Lake McBride an up the first large hill to Sugar Bottom Rd.. Sugar Bottom Road was nice and smooth and gave us a chance to hit our top speeds down the first large hill and get our blood moving even faster climbing out of the two valleys.

From Sugar Bottom Road we road down and up two more valleys on Newport Rd. and Prairie du Chien Road which brought us to Interstate 80 where we regrouped for our ride into Iowa City. Riding in on Praire du Chien Road, down the hill on Kimball Road, then to City Park, and the trails and sidewalks to The Village Inn on the south side of Iowa City. There was going to be a 25 minute wait to eat at the Village Inn so the group split up to other fast food restaurants in the area.

After satisfying our hunger the group retraced the route to City Park and ventured on to a combination of trails, residential streets, shopping center parking lots and bike lanes to Coral Ridge Mall. From Coral Ridge, we rode through a tunnel under Interstate 80 and navigated the trail system to North Liberty.

At North Liberty we took a break at the grocery store with some individuals fulfilling their need for ice cream at the Dairy Queen.

The group then split in half fro the ride back to Cedar Rapids. One half rode to Solon and home from there. The other group took the shorter route down 965, the back roads into Swisher, then to Shueyville, and back into town.

Statistics:

· Mileage GSP To GSP 71 miles

· Average Speed Between 16 and 17 mph

· Start Time 8:10 am

· End time 2:30 pm +

· Beginning temp 52 Degrees F.

· Ending temp. 68 Degrees F.

· Winds NE @ 10-15 mph

· Precipitation 0 inches (not including sweat)

May 20, 2006 Jerry Falta Root River 66

Riders: Jerry Falta, Larry Potter, Diane Potter

The three of us car-pooled to Root River. We left Cedar Rapids at 6:10 A.M. and arrived at Lanesboro at about 8:30. We set-up our tent to reserve a place as the campgrounds were full. Lanesboro was having the "Blue Grass Music Fest" and Whalen was having their "Stand Still Parade". We had breakfast at the Chat n’ Chew, then went back to the campground and finished setting-up our tents. We headed east on the trail and rode to the end town of Houston. Along the way we saw deer, turkey and an eagle. We had a great lunch there at German restaurant and then headed back to Lanesboro. Shortly after we got back to Lanesboro it started to rain. Thankfully the rain was short-lived. Back at the campground, we made a fire and had some beverages and snacks. We didn’t eat dinner as we were still full from the lunch. After a good night sleep, we awoke, took down our tents, loaded up the van, went to the Chat n’ Chew for breakfast and then headed back to Cedar Rapids. We were back in town at 12:30.

Saturday, May 20, 2006 Rita Liddell Sokol Park To Solon 40

Riders: Rita Liddell, Dan Tucker, Carson Christen, Mark Crane, Dave Dvorak, Kevin Westman, Kees Bronts, Connie Bird, Bill Holley, Terry Whaley, Mike Vesner, Kevin Morgan, Art Sibold, Stuart Wheeler, Mike Augustine, Shannon McGraw, Bob Keller, Ryan Braumann, Randy Braumann

Considering we had a lot of ride competition, with spring events going on all over the city it was really good to see 18 riders meet me in Sokol Park. We rode out on Bowling Street and regrouped in Shueyville. The hills were a great warm up for our legs. We continued on the Ely blacktop and the lovely new road into Solon with a good sized biking lane -- which is very much appreciated. Had breakfast at the Family Diner and returned through Ely, ending on the trail back to Sokol Park. We had a little bit of a head wind both directions, south in the morning and switching a little from the north on the way back - but not like it had been earlier in the week. Head winds and hills are bikers' friends.

May 13, 2006 Connie Bird Center Point, Robins 40

Ride Canceled due to rain.

May 7, 2006 Dave Dvorak West Overlook 60

Riders: Dave Dvorak, Jason Amoriell, Kees Bronts, Stuart Wheeler, Bill Hawk, John Hunte, Mike Augustine, John Bryant, Larry Howe, John Wayer, Joel Eldred, Jim Neiderhiser, Terry Whaley.

We had 13 riders on our ride to West Overlook. The group started out just after 8:00 with a temperature around 40 degrees. We rode down to Solon with a gentle headwind and had a break at the grocery store. From there we rode out the south side of Solon to Sugar Bottom Road. The group then got stretched out pretty far.

John Bryant and Bill Hawk, a new rider with the club, almost took a shortcut to North Liberty by missing the turn on Sugar Bottom Road. The ever-vigilant ride leader was there to correct their mistake. They would have missed some of best part of the route.

The Web Guy made a left turn on Prairie Du Chien Road and was almost to Iowa City when he discovered his mistake. He was probably thinking of the double blueberry pancakes at the Village Inn. He will just have to wait for two more weeks when the ride goes to Iowa City.

The group ate lunch at the deli at the grocery store in North Liberty. After lunch, the group split up with half of the riders going back through Solon and the other half going through Swisher. The ride back was a real joy with the south wind picking up some speed.

It was a pretty fast ride with most averages around 17 miles per hour or better. It was also a very scenic route with some good size hills to make it interesting.

May 6, 2006 John Bryant Anamosa 50

Riders: John Bryant, Rita Liddell, Joe Liddell, Denise Potter, Dan Tucker, Jerry Falta, Sue Henderson, John Hunte, Dave Dvorak, Joel Eldred, Scott Huebsch, Bernie Smith, Sue Smith, Kevin Westman, Art Sibold, Chuck Johnson, Mark Crane.

Seventeen riders joined the ride at the CVNT trailhead for the ride to Anamosa. The group rode north on the CVNT to County Home Road and then east to Anamosa.

The group was warmly dressed for the forty degree weather. The WNW wind from earlier in the morning moved to more of a NE wind, giving us a slight headwind most of the way to Anamosa.

Two more riders joined us on the way and the group enjoyed a hearty breakfast at The Family Restaurant.

After breakfast the sun provided some warmth for the ride back. For most of the ride we got help from an easterly wind, but, lost the boost as the wind continued to rotate to the south.

John Hunte used the ride to test his new touring bike and Burley trailer. He will use the new equipment for a ride to the St. Louis area later this month.

All in all it was a very pleasant and sociable ride.

May 6, 2006 Judy Bryant/Kay Nelson Center Point 26

Riders: Judy Bryant, Kay Nelson

The ride was from CVNT (on trail) to Center Point. There was on 2 people to participate in the ride. Judy Bryant and Kay Nelson rode to Center Point on a cool morning, but; had no problems. Had breakfast on the Family Table restaurant, and rode to Cedar Rapids. It was an enjoyable ride at a slow pace.

Saturday April 29, 2006 Bernie Smith Panera on Edgewood 22/34

The ride was canceled because of rain.

Sunday April 30, 2006 Dave Dvorak Sutliff Loop 45

The ride was canceled because of rain.

Sunday April 23, 2006 Joel Eldred Brandon 48

Riders: Ron Van Hoeck, Carson Christen, Dan Tucker, Chuck Johnson, Sue Henderson, Kees Bronts, Connie Bird, Dave Dvorak, Glenn Wiltgen, John Hunte, Jerry Falta, Todd Erickson, Joe Liddell, Rita Liddell, John Bryant, Art Sibold

The weather was great, sunny, mid 60’s. We had 17 riders. Left Urbana on Hwy 150 headed over to Brandon. We picked up two riders just outside Urbana. We got pretty strung out pretty quickly, but all made it to Brandon all right. We had a short break at the local two pump gas station, and then went to the world’s largest skillet for our photo ‘op.

Drafted a poor guy on a motor scooter to be our photographer. We got a picture suitable for framing, but unfortunately we did not receive a parade out of town. We then proceeded west to Mt. Auburn, that ride was very nice with no traffic. Had a regroup at Mt. Auburn in front of some bushes shaped like chocolate kisses. We then proceeded to Vinton on a very scenic road, again very, very light traffic.

Went to Pizza Ranch for lunch, just beating he church crowd. We had a room to ourselves, toasted the ride leader and Art, the new Web Master. Then proceeded out of Vinton to the Benton County Alps. Surprisingly not much grumbling about that. There was more grumbling about the head wind back to Urbana, rather than the hills. Everyone mad it back to Urbana without incident. A good time had by all. The tour ‘de Benton County will be a go again next year for those of you that missed it.

Saturday April 22, 2006 Steve Davis Center Point 20

Riders: Jim McLaughlin, Art Sibold, Bill Holley, Sue Henderson, Kay Nelson, Scott Huebsch, John Hunte, Vern Rotert, Joel Eldred, Denise Potter, Stacy Hanna, Glenn Wiltgen, Dan Tucker, Kevin Westman, Connie Bird, Todd Erickson, Kevin Morgan, Jerry Falta, Dave Dvorak, Jan Green, Terry Whaley, Rita Liddell, Colleen Holmes, Linda Thomas Recker, Gary Recker, Kelly Wilfekuhle, Owen McLaren, Richard Woodward, Shawn Bruner

No Report

Saturday April 15, 2006 Rita Liddell Palo/Hiawatha 40

Riders: Art Sibold, Connie Bird, Carson Christen, Vern Rotert, Darren Wander, Terry Whaley, Joel Eldred, John Hunte, Jim McLaughlin, Shawn Bruner, Kevin Morgan, Sue Henderson, Denise Potter, Bob Potter, Jerry Falta, Joe Liddell, Sue Smith, Bernie Smith, Dan Tucker, Rick Paulos, Jim Bernstein, Dave Dvorak, Jan Green, Fred Julich, John Dicus, Todd Erickson, Mark Crane

Started from Cherry Hill Park on a lovely spring morning. Weather was great, as was the turn out of riders. Was really great to see so many new club jerseys :-) We rode into Palo and regrouped at the gas station there, than onto Blairsferry to Tower Terrace and back to Oscars for breakfast on Center Point Rd. Had two big breakfast tables and a great meal. Went back to the park via Edgewood and Ellis Blvd. Just a great day to be on our bikes.

Saturday April 8, 2006 Dave Dvorak Alburnett 26

Riders: Sue Henderson, Denise Potter, Ron Van Hoeck, Dan Reints, Joel Eldred, Connie Bird, Sue Smith, Bernie Smith, John Hunte, Kevin Morgan, Jerry Falta, Jim Overbey, Carson Christen, Dan Tucker, Jim McLaughlin, Terry Whaley, Michael Wesner, Chuck Johnson, Tim Martinek

It was a cold day in April. 32° at 9:00 and 40° at the end of the ride. At least the sun was shinning and the wind was mild out of the NE. The ride went smooth after Kevin was almost hit by a car coming out of Kennedy parking lot. Most of the group ate pancakes at the Historical Society in Alburnett. The group scattered after breakfast with only one person and the ride leader making it back to Kennedy. The ride was 26 miles long and 20 riders participated.

Sunday April 9, 2006 John Bryant/Connie Bird Lisbon 40

Riders: Joe Liddell, Jim Bernstein, Rita Liddell, Carson Christen, Dave Dvorak, Dan Tucker, John Hunte, Kevin Morgan, Joel Eldred, Sabine Amoriell, Darren Warder, Michael Wesner, Terry Whaley

Sunny skies and 42 degrees brought out 15 riders for a morning of good ol' HBA camaraderie. Several members met at the Boyson trailhead for the "pre-ride" to Green Square Park to meet up with the others for the "official" ride. The ride took us from GSP to Otis Road, through Bertram area to Mt. Vernon Rd. and onto Lisbon for a bountiful lunch buffet at Gwen's. The breeze was from the southeast on this relatively flat route. After our fine dining experience we started back on Mt. Vernon Rd where several Marionites turned off toward Marion and the rest of us carried on toward C.R. via Mt. Vernon Rd. to GSP. Sorry to say that the Marionites missed out on the CCC break by the former KC Hall. Too bad....so sad.....It was a great day for a ride! It was nice to see some new faces and we most certainly welcome them back!

Saturday April 1, 2006 Bernie Smith Blue Strawberry, C St. 18

Riders: Rita Liddell, Joe Liddell, Bob Potter, Denise Potter, Connie Bird, Jerry Falta, Sue Henderson, Jean Hachey, Deb Moore, John Hunte, Terry Whaley, Dave Dvorak, Kevin Morgan, Joel Eldred, Scott Huebsch, Sean Turner, Sue Smith, Jim Bernstein, Gary Roling, Bob Lehman, Frank Wilson, Mike Augustine, Vern Rotert, Kevin Westman

Cloudy skies and temperatures hovering around 40° didn’t seem to bother the 25 cyclists who turned out for our April 1 ride. After meeting at the downtown Blue Strawberry for a 9 a.m. start, we rode the city trail south to the C St. Blue Strawberry, all of about 6 miles. Most of the gang then added a 6 mile loop that took us to Wright Bros. Blvd, Kirkwood Blvd, 76^th Ave, Dr. and back to C St., and the Blue Strawberry. Adding 6 more miles back downtown gave us an official 18 mile ride-plus various distances back home.

Sunday April 2, 2006 Kevin Morgan Morgan Creek Park 20

The ride was canceled because of rain.

2006 St. Joes Ride Report

March 25, 2006 Jerry Falta Shueyville, Ely 25

Riders: Jerry Falta, Joel Eldred, Sue Henderson, John Hunte, Denise Potter, Art Sibold, Gary Roling, Jim Overbey, Kees Bronts, Connie Bird, Rick A., Kevin Morgan, Jim McLaughlin, Vern Rotert, Bill Holley, Terry Whaley, Dan Tucker.

This relatively flat ride started at Sokol Park. We went south on the trail, onto C Street, Club Road then into Shueyville where we regrouped. From there we fought our way into Ely against a slight headwind. There we had a convenience store customer take the group photo. We also worked on a riders shoe; so that he could clip into his peddle. He had lost one of the screws that hold the clip to the shoe.

The ride ended back at Sokol Park. Most of the group then went to the Chrome Horse Saloon for lunch. Several rides had other commitments and returned home. The rider with the shoe clip problem headed to the local bike store to obtain some professional help. We couldn’t get his shoe released from the pedal.

For the record: temperature 43° F, overcast, wind from N at 10-12 mph.

February 11, 2006 Art Sibold Toddville 19.4

Riders: Joel Eldred, Sue Henderson, John Hunte, Owen McCarron, Jerry Falta, Noel (Farmboy), Denise Potter, Art Sibold (ride leader)

Found seven bagel eaters at Java Creek Café, and they just happened to have an assortment of Specialized, Trek, and Litepeed bikes among them, so I signed them up and off we went to see the sights. Our route went north on Council Street / Mentzer Road thru Robins to County Home Road. The pavement got a bit nasty along County Home Road (where are those plows when you need them?). The group easily made the hill climb above Toddville, where we flagged down a Chicago Bears fan in a pickup to take our group picture.

The return ride to the brisket emporium went fast due to: (pick one) 1) hunger or 2) tailwind. The return route included Tower Terrace Road and East Robins Road where we practice formation pedaling (sort of).

As has happened to HBA in the past, we ended the ride with one less rider than we started with. Not to worry - a replacement rider (Connie Bird) joined us for lunch and sedate conversation at BBQ-This. I think plans were hatched for the Mechanical City ride later this year. We all received a ration of chocolate.

For the record: temperature 29 F, light snow flurries, wind N at 5-10, wet pavement

Ride King: Owen McCarron Yeah!!

January 1, 2006 Dan Tucker NEW YEARS DAY RIDE 15