25 years!
In the early years the ride was organized by KGAN, the local CBS-tv affiliate. The ride alternated starting cities. Waterloo/Cedar Falls vs Cedar Rapids/Marion. They catered the saturday night meal and had music entertainment. For some years, the promo was the "missing link". A bit of trail that some farmer fought to return to some distant owner farm. The ride had to 'go around' on gravel roads. No biggie. Now the trail follows the property line around that field. One year I remember is when I only rode on sunday. I headed north following the group that mostly left long before me. I ran in to a local rider I knew, Paul Healy. me: "I don't know how I'm getting back home" Paul: "I have 2 cars in Cedar Falls, I don't know how I'm driving both back". Cool, problem solved. Paul's son drove himself to CF and was too exhausted to ride back on the sunday. Another year I rode up on saturday and by the time I got to Cedar Falls, my back was really bad. By pure co-incidence I ran in to my mother in Cedar Falls by the book store near campus. She had a lunch date with one of my sisters's now ex boyfriend's parents. Thanks for the ride home mom. But I forgot my car in Hiawatha so that was another trip to get that. KGAN ended the sponsored the ride after 6 years. They would have their hairdoos ride and do the nightly news on the lawn at the motel. KGAN used to have a satellite up link truck (KCRG had the helicopter). Once KGAN quit, members of the HBA kept the ride going. The last year the Werner's led the ride, they took their pre-teen daughter who obviously ran that family. I made the mistake of throwing my bag in their car. I got in many hours before them, took a shower and washed my cycling clothes. Well it was 4 or 5 hours of nothing but towels to wear and boring saturday afternoon tv to watch. I also learned that motel rooms are terrible for drying clothes. That convinced me to offer to take over being ride leader.
It is amazing how little rain this ride has received. Iowa spring rains are done by mid July. The biggest annoyance is the bugs in the tree covered sections of the trail. Mosquitoes have subsided but gnats have exploded. You learn pretty quick to keep moving but ride slow enough so you can keep your mouth shut and breath through your nose. I've been thinking a full mesh windshield would be nice. If you want to experience an extreme example, ride the Cedar Rapids trail past Mount Trashmore some summer evening. Another amazing fact of life in Iowa is the billions of gnats on the CVNT don't follow us on RAGBRAI. The ag industry war on nature really shows all across the state. Despite many efforts to return Iowa to wetlands (bug factories), the chemicals are winning. If you study Iowa geographic history, you find out Iowa has been everything from the bottom of an ocean to all trees, to all swamps to being under 1000s of feet of ice 30 times over that scraped every thing away. Those that think we need to return Iowa to the way it was before have some bizarre notion: pick a random time in recent history and try to roll back the man made changes. Really, every plant and animal and insect, bird and bacteria is invasive. Especially people. The only constant on earth is change. Humans will wipe themselves out long before the sun goes nova and swallows the planets.
The slow creep of pavement continues. More miles are now hard surface. Soon the asphalt weenies will be able to ride all the way. IMO, the middle of the trail is the nicest. More nature, less congealed crude oil slick. Watching for turtles and fish sure beats watching comfort bikes.
See you on the ride. The details are always the same.
July 15 & 16, 2017
Meet up at the Hiawatha trail head at 9 am.
Ride slow, stop in every town for snacks and drinks.
Carry your own change of clothes and tooth brush.
Dinner at Panera across from the motels.
There is no trail pass required for the CVNT.
This is a regular Hawkeye Bicycle Association ride and helmet use is requested.
Trail conditions? We'll find out when we get there.
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