KC CycleQwest [Updated]

Here is the tentative schedule for the Kansas City Tour. Please let us know if you are planning on attending at any point during the trip.

May 5 -
Logan to

Kan-Do Campground
99 Highway TT

Montgomery City‎ MO
Distance: 73 miles

May 6 -
Kan-Do Campground to
Harley Park

Boonville MO

Distance: 75 miles

May 7 -
Harley Park to
418 NE Keystone Drive

Lee's Summit, MO
Distance: 100 miles

Day 4:
Lee's Summit to
Kansas City to

Lee's Summit
Distance: 25 miles

Total Miles: ~300 miles

If you are thinking about going but can't make the whole trip we would love to see you out for just a day of riding and/or camping.

It's going to be Legen...dary!

Sorry it has been so long...

Dearest Fans,

I want to first apologize to all of you who have been patiently waiting for a new post. Secondly, I would like to make it very clear that creativity wears no watch, and if you try to rush perfection you may end up on the ground behind a parker landscaping trailer.

I would like to now thank Logan College of Chiropractic for their continued support of our club. They have gone above and beyond what was expected and installed a brand new bike rack in the back of the student center. I can only assume that our tuition hike is due to this improvement. Fortunately, many of us own ah bike which would necessitate an entire bike rack. I have been told by security that there is a camera that monitors the area and it will be safe to keep your bike their during the day. Let's make good use of this rack in the future.

(The Cycling Club continues their ongoing feud with the Logan MOTORcycling Club. Our hope is that this controversy will soon be resolved.)

The club has also gone on multiple rides in the past few weeks with some mentionable events. Most notably is the inception of two new members, Brian "Magellan" Laiderman and Rick "Hen Waffle" Simpson. Shortly into our group ride we learned that Magellan had essentially explored all of West County and knew the best roads to take. Hen Waffle gained his name from a Sarah Palin Baby Generator, because he is from Alaska.

Also of note, no one has gone to the hospital since Starman's recent disaster. Banana however has found interesting ways to fall over in slow motion while still clipped in to his pedals.

Make sure you guys put your orders in for your kits and get in contact with me to get fitted.

Love,

Johnson

Helmets Save Lives

Ride on 10Apr10-

If only I knew what was about to happen that day I would not have contacted our Master and Commander 'Johnson' to request that we push back the Sat. ride to noon so I could join the crew after my shift in the blood lab. There were only three of us that showed up on this absolutely perfect day, 'Banana', 'The Tool', and I. We started out in the usual manner circling the parking lot like a native american tribe around the tribal fire before a hunt. Once our cycling juices were flowing we headed down the south entrance in search of adventure. As we approached Clarkson Rd. 'Banana' suggests that we take on the larger 27 mile route since it was such an amazing day and we seemed to have the time for it. I had not informed them that I had dropped my wife off at the Pure Harmony Day Spa before my shift and needed to pick her up by 3ish, so I took the lead and tried to set a quick pace. This was no problem for our manly crew, and so the pace was kept with such professional drifting and repossitioning as I've ever seen. The winding downhill of Clayton just before Strecker is a nice place to pick up some speed to carry through the flats before you hit the first Boss(large hill) as noted in the previous blog-Night Ride Two-TMNT. That is unless you catch the light red as we did on this fine day. So our momentum was deminshed and the lead into the Boss was not going to be as pleasant as hoped. I decided to take the lead from here and gather up as much momentum as I could so the 'kick punch combos' wouldn't be so bad to start off.

I however was unable to make it to the Boss...

Just after McBride Pointe Dr. I had lowered my head and devoted all of my energy to getting up to an optimal speed. I looked back in my rearview to check where Banana, and The Tool were, only to look back up in time to see that someone had parked a landscaping trailer on the side of the road. I had just enough time to think "Damn this is going to hurt", and CRASH! Luckily I was wearing a helmet and it took the brute force rather than my skull. Had I not been wearing it I would not be typing this today.

As I dismount the bike in excrutiating pain, I notice a girl walking in the opposite direction about to die laughing, and remember thinking "yeah I'd be laughing too if only I could breathe". I drop to the ground and lie on my back and finally catch my breathe. The two other stop, dismount and rush up to assess the sitation. In no time a cel phone was whipped out and 911 was on the phone. These guys are studing to be medical professionals after all, and I was in good hands.

Then the thought runs throgh my head 'Shit, this is really going to screw up my wifes day at the spa', not to mention I had dropped her off... she was stranded at the day spa. If you really think about it, if I were to be stranded somewhere a day spa isn't all that bad!

Luckily the Chief of an ambulance company just so happened to be driving in the area and was the first on the scene. In no time at all an ambulance arrived, I was on a backboard and rushed off to St. Johns Mercy Hospital.

I've been in the ER a few times, as I'm sure you can imagine by now, but I was in CT'd and out the door in under two hours, that's impressive! Luckily my CT scan came back showing there was nothing broken. By the time I was signing my release papers our fearless leader comes walking in with our "First Lady". They escort me outside where 'Banana' and 'Tool' were just walking up. These two manly men had shaken off the incident and decided to go on and defeat the rest of the 27 mile route as a duet. They then informed me that it was just not the day for me to be out there on the ride, because as they rode up to Kehrs Mill Rd, there stood a deer. I'm thinking it was the same one that had tried to take me down last September, and since she had not been successful was back to finish me off.

For those of you wondering what ever happened to my wife the lovely ladies at Pure Harmony Day Spa were kind enough to drop her off at the ER. A special thanks goes out to them for taking such good care of her that day, and also the lady who held my bike for me while I was at the ER.

Unfortunately my steed was injured on this ride, and I am back to riding the '75 'Mean Green Machine', until I am able to replace her front forks. I have also found the jersey I am saving up to purchace, I think it suits me...

Coming Soon...

Leisurely Roll Through Edwardsville(Solo)

So thursday of last week, was a pretty nice day! I had a 5 hour break between Lecture and Lab, don't you just miss the hell out of ASP?!?! So in the most leisurely attitude I decide to enjoy this day to it's fullest and take advantage of this beautiful weather by of course going on a bike ride. I had noticed another route along the one I usually ride and always wondered where it went... but I've always seen this on a map and never could figure out where it was on the route. Well my urge for adventure now unable to be withstood, I head out in search of this rougue trailhead.

As I got closer to where I suspected this cloaked concrete to be, I slowed slightly crouched ready to spring in any direction at the slightest sight of this man made thoroughfare. Once I spotted the trailhead, I tucked and tilted and hit that corner like a pro sport bike racer. Soon thereafter there was another set of 90 degree snakes. Now my blood was pumpin, adrenaline flowin, senses on the edge. I cross over a small parking lot, and heading down a slight slope, when I see the image above.... then I start to notice the road I am about to merge onto is quite substantially more narrow than the one I am currently navigating. A normal person would have slowed to roughly 5-10 mph, cautiously changing vector. However, this is not the case of an adrenaline junkie that decides 15-20mph is a safe speed as long as he tucks and tilts at a steep enough angle... that is until I got close enough to notice that the surface is, how should I put this, not as securely bonded to itself as it could be. Once again if taken at a slow enough rate of speed you could correct and avert a catastophe. I'm in such a good mood from the begining of this newfound trailhead that, I've started narrating my own ride to myself. As I come careening down this trecherous trailhead, I'm complimenting myself on how "He's pulled off this daring jump for 1st, by tuckin' it in low of this corner".

I hit a loose patch of the new road, as seen in the second picture, in this tucked and tilted possition, and immediately go to stand the bike up hit the brakes and readjust vectoring. But there was just no way.........

Now you're probably thinking, why didn't he just jump the ditch ahead and jump back onto the road once stabablized... So I digress... See I did have that exact thought, only I misread the density of the dirt on the near side of the ditch, and it was to the consistancy of quick sand, and as soon and I pushed downward on my handlebars to jump the ditch, the front tire decided it was tired and stopped right there. I of course wasn't done yet, and felt like I'd like to take flight and try it for a change. Thankfully my parents were gracious to enroll me into gymnastics and karate at a young age, so the "Tuck and Roll B*tch" move saved my ass when I was unable to sustain flight for as long as I had hoped.

Thankfully God foresaw my stupidity and softened my landing pad before hand. I only wish He would have put some Frebreeze in there, because the mudd facial/bath I took didn't leave me with that summer breeze freshness if you know what I mean. Needless to say I am now a hankerchief, t-shirt, and wrist band less than I was at the beginning of that day.

The next ~15mi. back to my car was rather chilly, but on the upside I was able to lift quite a few spirits of those I passed by.