2003 Illinois AITC ride report(long)

[harryo]

I just completed the 2003 Illinois AITC ride and it was a great one.
The ride started at the Radisson on John Deere Commons in Moline,
Illinois, Tuesday, Sept 2nd, after a kick off banquet the previous
evening. I rode the long route, which followed a southern route
through Rock Island, Mercer, Warren-Henderson, Knox & Henry Counties,
and ended up back at the Radisson after 113 miles. The roads were
generally very good to excellent and the terrain was quite hilly and
challenging but a group of 8 of us, including 3 bents, rode a pretty
fast pace. Afterwards, we enjoyed a great reception at the John Deere
Pavillion, complete with plenty of liquid refreshments and appetizers,
and then had an equally great pizza and pasta buffet at Finney's.
After that, I joined some of the other rider's for a soak in the
hotel's spa, along with a few beers, before a well deserved night's
sleep.

The next day, the long route went east and north, through Henry,
Bureau and Lee Counties. The organizers had planned to load the bikes
on trailers and then bus the riders 25 miles from Moline to Geneseo
but a group of 14 of us left early and rode there instead. No sense
in in putting a perfectly good bike on a trailer when you can ride!
From Geneseo, the route continued to Dixon and then to Rock Falls,
where we spent the night. 108 miles for the day and my first back to
back centuries. The roads were again very good to excellent, pretty
hilly, although not as much as the first day, and the winds generally
favorable, so it was another fairly fast paced day. However, the last
16 miles, from Dixon to Rock Falls, were right into the teeth of winds
over 20 mph. I, on my Baron, and another rider on a homebuilt lwb
lowracer, easily pulled away from the lead pack as we were able to
comfortably maintain 20-21 mph while the lead pack struggled to
maintain 16 mph in a paceline. That evening, we were again guests of
John Deere Company, who bused us to the John Deere Historic Site, at
Grand Detour, where we enjoyed a great bbq supper & a tour of the
site. After returning to our hotel in Rock Falls and enjoying ice
cream, compliments of Culver,s, and a few beers, I hit my bed and
slept like a baby till the next morning.

The final day, from Rock Falls back to Moline, was supposed to be an
easy day, with only a few hills, mostly flat to rolling terrain for 58
miles and light winds. However, the roads were again excellent and
the longest leg between stops, for most of the day, was 14 miles.
Those riders that rode centuries the previous two days, including
myself, had every intention to ride an easy pace and were doing so, at
about 18-19 mph, when a group of about 8 riders, whom had ridden the
short routes the 2 previous days, blew by in a paceline. Well, we
could not have that so a group of 5 of us, including the 2 lowracers
and a faired GRR broke out, reeled them in and then continued to put
them well behind us. My legs were feeling pretty good so I continued
to push the pace and pulled away and hammeered the the last 10 miles
to the rest stop. The rest of the ride that day continued to follow
the same pattern and turned into a series of long sprints, culminating
with a 20 mile stretch on the bike trail from Port Byron to Moline,
where I joined a group of 5 DF riders and we hammered all the way to
Moline, back to the Radisson. A wild ride and quite fun. A
particularly memorable event was when the group passed by a very large
group of about 30 golf carts full of senior citizens, which was parked
by the trail, apparently getting ready to head out on it in their
carts. Tom Sherman, what is the deal with these golf carts on the
path? The funny thing was watching them whip there heads around as
the group of bikes when flying by. After a hot shower, some
refreshments and farewells to the other riders, I, and two friends
carpooled and drove the 140 miles back home. My favorite ride was
over again for another year.

Out of the approximately 100 riders in the AITC ride this year, there
were 7 bents, my Baron, a homebuilt lwb lowracer, a GRR, a Tour Easy,
a Rans Rocket, a Cycle Genius STX-24 and a Volae Club. It would be
great to get some more bent riders involved in what I feel is the one
of the best supported, most fun multiday rides in Illinois. It is a
midweek ride, follows a differnt format because of the school stops
and presentations and is mainly a fund raiser for the AITC program,
but most new riders that do this ride end up coming back the next
year. The route changes every year but it is always somewhere in
Illinois and always takes place the 3 days following Labor Day. There
are options for 1, 2 or all 3 days. Think about it!

Harry Jiles

[Tom Sherman]

harryo wrote:
> ... A
> particularly memorable event was when the group passed by a very large
> group of about 30 golf carts full of senior citizens, which was parked
> by the trail, apparently getting ready to head out on it in their
> carts. Tom Sherman, what is the deal with these golf carts on the
> path?...

I have driven along this path for work during the day many times and
have never seen a golf cart on the path. I have seen the "P-38 Squadron"
a few times, and on one trip to the 3M plant I saw 7 recumbents between
Rapids City and Cordova.

> Out of the approximately 100 riders in the AITC ride this year, there
> were 7 bents, my Baron, a homebuilt lwb lowracer, a GRR, a Tour Easy,
> a Rans Rocket, a Cycle Genius STX-24 and a Volae Club....

Were the Rocket rider's initials E.E?

Tom Sherman - Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers

[Tom Sherman]

harryo wrote:
> ... A
> particularly memorable event was when the group passed by a very large
> group of about 30 golf carts full of senior citizens, which was parked
> by the trail, apparently getting ready to head out on it in their
> carts. Tom Sherman, what is the deal with these golf carts on the
> path?...

I have driven along this path for work during the day many times and
have never seen a golf cart on the path. I have seen the "P-38 Squadron"
a few times, and on one trip to the 3M plant I saw 7 recumbents between
Rapids City and Cordova.

> Out of the approximately 100 riders in the AITC ride this year, there
> were 7 bents, my Baron, a homebuilt lwb lowracer, a GRR, a Tour Easy,
> a Rans Rocket, a Cycle Genius STX-24 and a Volae Club....

Were the Rocket rider's initials E.E?

Tom Sherman - Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers

[Eigsti]

Great report of the ride Harry. I would echo every kudo that Harry
gives to the ride. This was my 4th and I have enjoyed everyone. Here
is a link to the AITC site that has info and pictures of the ride.

http://www.ilfb.org/viewdocument.asp?did=6569


(harryo) wrote in message >...
> I just completed the 2003 Illinois AITC ride and it was a great one.
> The ride started at the Radisson on John Deere Commons in Moline,
> Illinois, Tuesday, Sept 2nd, after a kick off banquet the previous
> evening. I rode the long route, which followed a southern route
> through Rock Island, Mercer, Warren-Henderson, Knox & Henry Counties,
> and ended up back at the Radisson after 113 miles. The roads were
> generally very good to excellent and the terrain was quite hilly and
> challenging but a group of 8 of us, including 3 bents, rode a pretty
> fast pace. Afterwards, we enjoyed a great reception at the John Deere
> Pavillion, complete with plenty of liquid refreshments and appetizers,
> and then had an equally great pizza and pasta buffet at Finney's.
> After that, I joined some of the other rider's for a soak in the
> hotel's spa, along with a few beers, before a well deserved night's
> sleep.
>
> The next day, the long route went east and north, through Henry,
> Bureau and Lee Counties. The organizers had planned to load the bikes
> on trailers and then bus the riders 25 miles from Moline to Geneseo
> but a group of 14 of us left early and rode there instead. No sense
> in in putting a perfectly good bike on a trailer when you can ride!
> From Geneseo, the route continued to Dixon and then to Rock Falls,
> where we spent the night. 108 miles for the day and my first back to
> back centuries. The roads were again very good to excellent, pretty
> hilly, although not as much as the first day, and the winds generally
> favorable, so it was another fairly fast paced day. However, the last
> 16 miles, from Dixon to Rock Falls, were right into the teeth of winds
> over 20 mph. I, on my Baron, and another rider on a homebuilt lwb
> lowracer, easily pulled away from the lead pack as we were able to
> comfortably maintain 20-21 mph while the lead pack struggled to
> maintain 16 mph in a paceline. That evening, we were again guests of
> John Deere Company, who bused us to the John Deere Historic Site, at
> Grand Detour, where we enjoyed a great bbq supper & a tour of the
> site. After returning to our hotel in Rock Falls and enjoying ice
> cream, compliments of Culver,s, and a few beers, I hit my bed and
> slept like a baby till the next morning.
>
> The final day, from Rock Falls back to Moline, was supposed to be an
> easy day, with only a few hills, mostly flat to rolling terrain for 58
> miles and light winds. However, the roads were again excellent and
> the longest leg between stops, for most of the day, was 14 miles.
> Those riders that rode centuries the previous two days, including
> myself, had every intention to ride an easy pace and were doing so, at
> about 18-19 mph, when a group of about 8 riders, whom had ridden the
> short routes the 2 previous days, blew by in a paceline. Well, we
> could not have that so a group of 5 of us, including the 2 lowracers
> and a faired GRR broke out, reeled them in and then continued to put
> them well behind us. My legs were feeling pretty good so I continued
> to push the pace and pulled away and hammeered the the last 10 miles
> to the rest stop. The rest of the ride that day continued to follow
> the same pattern and turned into a series of long sprints, culminating
> with a 20 mile stretch on the bike trail from Port Byron to Moline,
> where I joined a group of 5 DF riders and we hammered all the way to
> Moline, back to the Radisson. A wild ride and quite fun. A
> particularly memorable event was when the group passed by a very large
> group of about 30 golf carts full of senior citizens, which was parked
> by the trail, apparently getting ready to head out on it in their
> carts. Tom Sherman, what is the deal with these golf carts on the
> path? The funny thing was watching them whip there heads around as
> the group of bikes when flying by. After a hot shower, some
> refreshments and farewells to the other riders, I, and two friends
> carpooled and drove the 140 miles back home. My favorite ride was
> over again for another year.
>
> Out of the approximately 100 riders in the AITC ride this year, there
> were 7 bents, my Baron, a homebuilt lwb lowracer, a GRR, a Tour Easy,
> a Rans Rocket, a Cycle Genius STX-24 and a Volae Club. It would be
> great to get some more bent riders involved in what I feel is the one
> of the best supported, most fun multiday rides in Illinois. It is a
> midweek ride, follows a differnt format because of the school stops
> and presentations and is mainly a fund raiser for the AITC program,
> but most new riders that do this ride end up coming back the next
> year. The route changes every year but it is always somewhere in
> Illinois and always takes place the 3 days following Labor Day. There
> are options for 1, 2 or all 3 days. Think about it!
>
> Harry Jiles

[Eigsti]

Great report of the ride Harry. I would echo every kudo that Harry
gives to the ride. This was my 4th and I have enjoyed everyone. Here
is a link to the AITC site that has info and pictures of the ride.

http://www.ilfb.org/viewdocument.asp?did=6569


(harryo) wrote in message >...
> I just completed the 2003 Illinois AITC ride and it was a great one.
> The ride started at the Radisson on John Deere Commons in Moline,
> Illinois, Tuesday, Sept 2nd, after a kick off banquet the previous
> evening. I rode the long route, which followed a southern route
> through Rock Island, Mercer, Warren-Henderson, Knox & Henry Counties,
> and ended up back at the Radisson after 113 miles. The roads were
> generally very good to excellent and the terrain was quite hilly and
> challenging but a group of 8 of us, including 3 bents, rode a pretty
> fast pace. Afterwards, we enjoyed a great reception at the John Deere
> Pavillion, complete with plenty of liquid refreshments and appetizers,
> and then had an equally great pizza and pasta buffet at Finney's.
> After that, I joined some of the other rider's for a soak in the
> hotel's spa, along with a few beers, before a well deserved night's
> sleep.
>
> The next day, the long route went east and north, through Henry,
> Bureau and Lee Counties. The organizers had planned to load the bikes
> on trailers and then bus the riders 25 miles from Moline to Geneseo
> but a group of 14 of us left early and rode there instead. No sense
> in in putting a perfectly good bike on a trailer when you can ride!
> From Geneseo, the route continued to Dixon and then to Rock Falls,
> where we spent the night. 108 miles for the day and my first back to
> back centuries. The roads were again very good to excellent, pretty
> hilly, although not as much as the first day, and the winds generally
> favorable, so it was another fairly fast paced day. However, the last
> 16 miles, from Dixon to Rock Falls, were right into the teeth of winds
> over 20 mph. I, on my Baron, and another rider on a homebuilt lwb
> lowracer, easily pulled away from the lead pack as we were able to
> comfortably maintain 20-21 mph while the lead pack struggled to
> maintain 16 mph in a paceline. That evening, we were again guests of
> John Deere Company, who bused us to the John Deere Historic Site, at
> Grand Detour, where we enjoyed a great bbq supper & a tour of the
> site. After returning to our hotel in Rock Falls and enjoying ice
> cream, compliments of Culver,s, and a few beers, I hit my bed and
> slept like a baby till the next morning.
>
> The final day, from Rock Falls back to Moline, was supposed to be an
> easy day, with only a few hills, mostly flat to rolling terrain for 58
> miles and light winds. However, the roads were again excellent and
> the longest leg between stops, for most of the day, was 14 miles.
> Those riders that rode centuries the previous two days, including
> myself, had every intention to ride an easy pace and were doing so, at
> about 18-19 mph, when a group of about 8 riders, whom had ridden the
> short routes the 2 previous days, blew by in a paceline. Well, we
> could not have that so a group of 5 of us, including the 2 lowracers
> and a faired GRR broke out, reeled them in and then continued to put
> them well behind us. My legs were feeling pretty good so I continued
> to push the pace and pulled away and hammeered the the last 10 miles
> to the rest stop. The rest of the ride that day continued to follow
> the same pattern and turned into a series of long sprints, culminating
> with a 20 mile stretch on the bike trail from Port Byron to Moline,
> where I joined a group of 5 DF riders and we hammered all the way to
> Moline, back to the Radisson. A wild ride and quite fun. A
> particularly memorable event was when the group passed by a very large
> group of about 30 golf carts full of senior citizens, which was parked
> by the trail, apparently getting ready to head out on it in their
> carts. Tom Sherman, what is the deal with these golf carts on the
> path? The funny thing was watching them whip there heads around as
> the group of bikes when flying by. After a hot shower, some
> refreshments and farewells to the other riders, I, and two friends
> carpooled and drove the 140 miles back home. My favorite ride was
> over again for another year.
>
> Out of the approximately 100 riders in the AITC ride this year, there
> were 7 bents, my Baron, a homebuilt lwb lowracer, a GRR, a Tour Easy,
> a Rans Rocket, a Cycle Genius STX-24 and a Volae Club. It would be
> great to get some more bent riders involved in what I feel is the one
> of the best supported, most fun multiday rides in Illinois. It is a
> midweek ride, follows a differnt format because of the school stops
> and presentations and is mainly a fund raiser for the AITC program,
> but most new riders that do this ride end up coming back the next
> year. The route changes every year but it is always somewhere in
> Illinois and always takes place the 3 days following Labor Day. There
> are options for 1, 2 or all 3 days. Think about it!
>
> Harry Jiles

[harryo]

Tom Sherman > wrote in message >...
> harryo wrote:
> > ... A
> > particularly memorable event was when the group passed by a very large
> > group of about 30 golf carts full of senior citizens, which was parked
> > by the trail, apparently getting ready to head out on it in their
> > carts. Tom Sherman, what is the deal with these golf carts on the
> > path?...
>
> I have driven along this path for work during the day many times and
> have never seen a golf cart on the path. I have seen the "P-38 Squadron"
> a few times, and on one trip to the 3M plant I saw 7 recumbents between
> Rapids City and Cordova.

My guess is the carts were somewhwere around Fulton. There was a
double line of 15-16 carts each, right along the path with seniors in
them. It appeared they were just getting ready to head down the path
and there wasn't a golf course in sight. One of the ride organizers
had warned us that there might be carts on the path.

> > Out of the approximately 100 riders in the AITC ride this year, there
> > were 7 bents, my Baron, a homebuilt lwb lowracer, a GRR, a Tour Easy,
> > a Rans Rocket, a Cycle Genius STX-24 and a Volae Club....
>
> Were the Rocket rider's initials E.E?

Yes, indeed, Eldon was on the Rocket.

I will add that Eldon and I both had a chance to ride the Volae Club.
I only rode it around a parking lot because the frame was too small
for me and it was difficult to keep my feet on the pedals with the
smooth bottomed road shoes I had on and mismatched cleats. Eldon did
actually ride it for a section of the ride but the frame was also too
small for him and he couldn't get the seat back quite far enough
either. For the small amount of time I was on the Club, I was
impressed. It accelerated quickly and seemed to handle quite well.
The fit, finish and attention to detail on the bike is excellent, as
is the component selection. IMO, the Volae line is defintely worthy
of consideration. The tweener bars are a bit different but I felt
they were something to which I could adapt. I defintely want to spend
some more time on a highracer.

Harry Jiles

[harryo]

Tom Sherman > wrote in message >...
> harryo wrote:
> > ... A
> > particularly memorable event was when the group passed by a very large
> > group of about 30 golf carts full of senior citizens, which was parked
> > by the trail, apparently getting ready to head out on it in their
> > carts. Tom Sherman, what is the deal with these golf carts on the
> > path?...
>
> I have driven along this path for work during the day many times and
> have never seen a golf cart on the path. I have seen the "P-38 Squadron"
> a few times, and on one trip to the 3M plant I saw 7 recumbents between
> Rapids City and Cordova.

My guess is the carts were somewhwere around Fulton. There was a
double line of 15-16 carts each, right along the path with seniors in
them. It appeared they were just getting ready to head down the path
and there wasn't a golf course in sight. One of the ride organizers
had warned us that there might be carts on the path.

> > Out of the approximately 100 riders in the AITC ride this year, there
> > were 7 bents, my Baron, a homebuilt lwb lowracer, a GRR, a Tour Easy,
> > a Rans Rocket, a Cycle Genius STX-24 and a Volae Club....
>
> Were the Rocket rider's initials E.E?

Yes, indeed, Eldon was on the Rocket.

I will add that Eldon and I both had a chance to ride the Volae Club.
I only rode it around a parking lot because the frame was too small
for me and it was difficult to keep my feet on the pedals with the
smooth bottomed road shoes I had on and mismatched cleats. Eldon did
actually ride it for a section of the ride but the frame was also too
small for him and he couldn't get the seat back quite far enough
either. For the small amount of time I was on the Club, I was
impressed. It accelerated quickly and seemed to handle quite well.
The fit, finish and attention to detail on the bike is excellent, as
is the component selection. IMO, the Volae line is defintely worthy
of consideration. The tweener bars are a bit different but I felt
they were something to which I could adapt. I defintely want to spend
some more time on a highracer.

Harry Jiles

[Robert Milligan]

The golf carts are an event sponsored by River Action...enables
seniors to travel the river on the bike path for a one day outing that
happens only once a year. On Wed afternoon you passed a
group of bikers from the Quad City Bike Club., going in the opposite
direction. ` Bob Milligan V2

[Robert Milligan]

The golf carts are an event sponsored by River Action...enables
seniors to travel the river on the bike path for a one day outing that
happens only once a year. On Wed afternoon you passed a
group of bikers from the Quad City Bike Club., going in the opposite
direction. ` Bob Milligan V2

[harryo]

(Robert Milligan) wrote in message >...
> The golf carts are an event sponsored by River Action...enables
> seniors to travel the river on the bike path for a one day outing that
> happens only once a year. On Wed afternoon you passed a
> group of bikers from the Quad City Bike Club., going in the opposite
> direction. ` Bob Milligan V2

Thanks for the information, Bob. I wondered why they would allow
carts on a trail. We actually were on the trail on Thursday
afternnon. Wednesday we were riding east of Moline, through Walnut,
Dixon and Rock Falls.

Harry

[harryo]

(Robert Milligan) wrote in message >...
> The golf carts are an event sponsored by River Action...enables
> seniors to travel the river on the bike path for a one day outing that
> happens only once a year. On Wed afternoon you passed a
> group of bikers from the Quad City Bike Club., going in the opposite
> direction. ` Bob Milligan V2

Thanks for the information, Bob. I wondered why they would allow
carts on a trail. We actually were on the trail on Thursday
afternnon. Wednesday we were riding east of Moline, through Walnut,
Dixon and Rock Falls.

Harry

[Robert Milligan]

We started in Moline went to Geneseo, Hillsdale and back home on
Weds. We saw you on highway 92. Bob
milligan V2

[Robert Milligan]

We started in Moline went to Geneseo, Hillsdale and back home on
Weds. We saw you on highway 92. Bob
milligan V2

[harryo]

(Robert Milligan) wrote in message >...
> We started in Moline went to Geneseo, Hillsdale and back home on
> Weds. We saw you on highway 92. Bob
> milligan V2

Yep, we were on 92 from just north of Geneseo to south of Dixon. I'm
sorry but in 3 days we passed by several groups of bikes and I don't
recall exactly where we passed by your group.

Harry Jiles

[harryo]

(Robert Milligan) wrote in message >...
> We started in Moline went to Geneseo, Hillsdale and back home on
> Weds. We saw you on highway 92. Bob
> milligan V2

Yep, we were on 92 from just north of Geneseo to south of Dixon. I'm
sorry but in 3 days we passed by several groups of bikes and I don't
recall exactly where we passed by your group.

Harry Jiles