Delirious ducks finish 50 miles

Yesterday morning we woke up, a bit nervous about the University of Okoboji Cycling Classic. We registered for the 50 mile route earlier in the week, and had planned to do it for some time, but then the implications started to sink in. It was double the length of our longest ride previously, and we weren't quite sure if we were ready. But Gus and Betty talked us into it, so we headed down and got rolling at 9. (Strangely enough, we never heard from Bus and Gutty).

We started out in a ferocious head wind, and little did we know this would pretty much continue for the whole ride - except for about 2 miles. There was actually a wind advisory, and people remarked that they'd never seen such crazy weather in all 24 years of the annual ride. As we traveled down Lakeshore Drive, we honestly wondered if somehow we'd been transported to Chicago. Our ride continued around West and East Lake Okoboji, around Spirit Lake, then back South to finish the loop. It really was a beautiful ride, even with the wind, and we had a great time.

A couple more details:

• Matt took one break to lay down in a farmer's yard on the East side of Big Spirit. Thankfully the Clif Bar provided some motivation for him to get back on the bike.
• Minnesota Ironman was our buddy, although we ended up beating him to the finish (it still took us over 5 hours, but hey).
• It started raining on mile 49, so we were glad to be nearing the end when it started to come down.
• Before you clean out your fridge, consider biking 50 miles. Anything borderline in there will be unquestionably delicious upon your return.

Today we're a little sore but feeling really happy about the ride yesterday, and feeling optimistic about our training progress to date. Ready to take it to the next level and still pretty freaked out about that second 80 mile day in September.

you like the bike?

I know you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats for the last 24 hours wondering if we found my bike. Well, we DID! We drove to Lawrence after work tonight, and picked up my new wheels. Beautiful!

Now, for those of you that don't know the rules of bike buying the right way, listen up:

1. Never buy a bike at the first shop. The 3rd shop is the best bet.
2. Always get there with only a minute or two to spare. Skate in no sooner than 20 minutes before closing.
3. Don't listen when one shop says you won't find another Trek 1.2 WSD 50 cm in the entire nation. Follow steps 1 & 2 and you will get a sweet bike. Repeat if necessary.

I'm really not sure why steps 1 and 2 work, but they do. Some people might say you have less time to get a feel for the bike if you follow piece of advice #2. Pish posh - you must be skating in. It's just the way the bike energy is flowing.

P.S. Our bikes are named Gus and Betty.

Get A Life

The best show in TV history, aside from Strangers with Candy.

duc-ky's dream

I have my eyes on this oh so pretty bike, the Trek 1.2 WSD. I'm sure you've already taken in the beautiful design - pearl white and electric blue. I need a 50cm and we're searching far and wide. Apparently everyone else thinks this bike is amazing too.

In case you want to help, we've already been to two shops in KC and left messages for the others, called all the dealers in Omaha/Council Bluffs (will be driving through later this week), and left a message for the shop in Spencer, IA. Tomorrow we're checking Columbia and Lawrence. Those college girls better not try to snatch this bike up. If they try, I'm going to tell 'em to SCRAM!

The people we've talked to aren't very hopeful we'll find one in stock, but I'm keeping the faith. Do a chant or something for me.

Squeaking up the summit

Today we rode to the top of Grandview Mountain, I mean, the city of Grandview. 24 miles roundtrip, with a nice stop at TJ's diner for some french toast. The place came recommended by our cyclist neighbor, Abby. It was a serious workout, sprinkled with hills and duck crossing signs. In fact, we passed Duck Rd on our way (no joke, we didn't know that street existed before today). Cars were generally friendly too, which was super nice. A good day!

what's happenin'

The ducks have had an okay week thus far.

Tuesday: 15 mi down Gregory, Starlight, Swope back to Plaza, back home
Wednesday: 15 mi through Hyde Park, west to Karnes Blvd, south to home - an extra couple miles thanks to chasing a run-away Greyhound that was almost hit by several cars on Wornall. We didn't catch him, but maybe we wore him out...
Thursday: off
Friday: We were shooting for 20 miles - didn't get there. The Riverfront Trail was a bit confusing. We started by the Isle Capri casino and thought we could head west for 10 miles, making a 20 mile ride. It wasn't marked well, and the elevator that would take us up and into the River Market from down below wasn't working. A walker told us the elevator doesn't always work after business hours....and that the trail only continued for about 5 blocks once you crossed the bridge anyway. It was a slight disappointment, but perhaps we'll discover a better section of the trail later, and it is good to explore and try new routes.
Saturday: Today we're going on a breakfast bike ride. Not sure where we'll end up, but need to get some miles in since yesterday we only got 5.5. Yikes!

Duck-billed Plateau-pus

We only took 1 day off this week. Actually have been on the bikes the last 9/10 days...60.5 miles this week and almost 100 in the last 10. We're a little tired, maybe a little cranky. So we may be hitting a plateau.

BUT, these ducks aren't average. This week both of us surpassed the average raised by riders last year. Big thanks go to our recent donors: Gramps, Cecilia, THE DUCK DALE & Mrs. Duck, and Ray Kuhn. The best news of all is that we have a new team member - introducing J GARV! Justin, you little bro, we're pumped you've signed up. All your kickball experience will come in handy as you flex your quads on the bike! Ride fast, little guy! (*note, Justin is nearly an entire month younger than Kylia)

Now that we've got an odd number of mates, we're going to get crazy. Gatorade AM in the PM and who knows what else!

This week's goal is more miles in fewer rides - shoot for 70?



The little guy, himself

Business of Biking

Special shout out to Ray Kuhn at Kuhn and Associates, who printed our business cards at no charge. Can you believe he even made them double sided for us? Thanks for the support, Ray! With your help, we'll be able to share what we're doing with even more people.

For those of you that don't yet know about the awesomeness of Kuhn and Associates, check them out: http://www.kuhn.com/index.html

The evolution

Today was not as much about the ride (13 miles), as it was about the process of becoming part of the cycling community. As you know from earlier posts, we're breaking in our bike shorts. Two people honked at us today, and a lady asked for some bike advice (like we know!), and we're getting more waves from true cyclists - we call them jerseys.

The wind this weekend has been fierce - good to experience it before the ride in September. Put in 50 miles this week. Not too bad considering all the rain. We've got our eyes on 60 this week.

Friendly Fortunes

Last night we had to get some miles in, but we were also invited to Emily's for happy hour. So, we stopped by and hung out before heading out for our ride. It was fun, but I feel really bad because I think Cecilia is REALLY jealous of my helmet. I told her not to be, but she really was eyeing it. At times it made me feel a bit uncomfortable!
When we left we headed west to Ward Parkway and then south for some Chinese food. Our fortune was awesome and we think it was definitely a good omen. We got home before dark and enjoyed being able to see our friends and also get our miles in. It was a friendly fortune Friday!

Ducks Crossing

These ducks crossed over a thousand bucks! We're over halfway to our goal!

Our friends and family have been so quick to respond, and so generous. Thanks to everyone - Kylia's mom and dad, Shlee, Connie and Curt, Heather, Jerri, Doug Renee and Jacob, Dan, Sue, and of course, Dr. Quacker, Daffy Duck, and Quacky Robinson. You guys rock!

Spinnin' with Spandex in Suburbia

Yo. Boy were we happy to arrive home after work to a package! That's right, our spandex arrived. We pulled on the shorts and went for a 13 mile ride around Leawood and then South KC. Some dangerous grates on some of the streets, hot hot heat (not the band), and some evening traffic all made for an exciting ride. We probably won't travel on Bannister again, but it was good to get in some hills in the heat. Challenging!

Share the road. Look twice, save a duck's life.

Smithville Lake 17

17 miles at Smithville Lake today. More bikes, less birds than last week. We did see one guy riding a handbike - he was an amputee and seemed to be in good spirits. It's hard not to be when you're whizzing around that trail! Today wrapped up 59 miles for the week.

P.S. We'd like to give a shout out to doggie drop off, aka Stella and Dale's Dog Haven. Boji needed to run around - we appreciated your help!

New Wheels

Saturday - 3 bike shops to find this sweet Giant OCR-3 for Matt. The second shop only had purple in his size... The Civic (al dente) needs freon, and it was pretty hot, but totally worth driving from Brookside to Overland Park to River Market to snag this bike before someone else did. It's that nice! We were also racing against time, since the shop downtown closed at 4, and by the time we left there it was 4:20 or so. Thanks River Market Cyclery!