Stupid Boy Adventure

Back in the day we coined the phrase, Stupid Boy Adventure. It might have been the time we rolled out against the wind on a 100 miler, only to suffer through a strong cold front that totally flipped the 25mph wind into our faces as the day wore on ALL DAY...These are typically rides that better sense would say stay home, or turn around early before it gets bad...But no...we must persevere -overcome the odds, hence Stupid Boy Adventure. When you get home from one of these, you know you've had an experience you won't soon forget.

Today was one of those days. As Bonsall said as he was changing his flat, and Butch discovered his tube going flat and MW realizing his tube had gone flat as well...and MA was again trying to salvage a torn der hanger by splicing a chain and creating a single speed, his second time..."This is Defcon level 3"...

It started out 36 degrees and fog with slight drizzle @ 8:00am. No big deal, it was relatively warm, we were all looking forward to riding out MoPac because of the slight East by Northeast wind. As we got further out East on the MoPac we began running into snow and ice patches. At first they didn't seem slick, as we got a little further along though, the top of these patches had iced over enough that it would pitch the bike sideways without warning when you'd hit a hard icy patch obscure from view.

We had a couple crashes including me. Got a little lump on the hip and abrasion on the forearm for my acrobatics. We regrouped at the shelter 3-4 miles out of Elmwood. Modern Marvel shelter? Interesting shelter. Not much protection. We decided to get off MoPac and seek gravel to finish our journey into Elmwood to refuel. As we made our way further East we happened upon an unmaintained gravel road. Now normally these are fine and it's been dry enough it shouldn't have been an issue...but as we hit the low spot in the valley, it was wet, and the top layer of dirt was a little moist...folks started packing up a bit on their wheels. Another JB quote "we all knew we shouldn't have taken the unmaintained road", but like moths to fire we did anyway. We've all been burned by these bad decisions before...you'd think we'd learn.

It was at this point MA's der decided to twist and tear the Der Hanger off the bike. Thanks to Butch, who was prepared with a tool kit including a chain tool ( good tool to carry...this should be a lesson to us.) we were able to convert MA's cross bike into a single speed.

By this time the group split into two groups. One group made into Elmwood, the rest of us, MA, Butch, JB, MW, and I didn't make it. MA's Chain came apart again under load on the remainder of the unmaintained Road, JB flatted, then as JB was changing his tube using Butches spare tube, Butch realizes he has a flat, then MW's tire goes soft as well...Defcon level 4? Butch relies on a slime tube and pumps tire up. MW patches a bad tube...just as they were finishing repairs, JWinklepleck and PC roll up from Elmwood.

Finally we start rolling, aborting Elmwood...picking up 272nd north over to A street and rolled it back to Lincoln. MA's massive single speed gear forces the pace while trying to keep pressure off the chain over the climbs. We ended up boogieing in...with the JB, Butch, and MW and JW group behind MA, PC and I. Big and Tall, TK, Craigio, Marc W, Taylor? not sure who else end up making their way in on Holdredge and getting home about the same time we did.

We got into town just as the wind began to pick up. My jacket, mitts and cap were frozen over hard from the steady drizzle and falling temps. It was 26 degrees when I got home. 55 mi

Stupid Boy Adventure.