Three more days of this heat and I am out of here...

can't. wait.

that. is. all.

9 days, 9 hours, 36 minutes and 45 seconds...

Starting to feel the burn of finishing all my stuff prior to my departure on 7/17...yikes! Should be okay...projects can handle being on autopilot for a week in my absence.

Good lord it's hot out! Longer rides after work have been brutal. Picture riding headlong into a giant hairdryer...you get no relief whatsoever. You're completely dry with no perspiration to cool you, the heat saps your energy, dries out your mouth until you're tongue is swollen and bakes you on all sides like a prawn on the BBQ. I'm almost looking forward to a little humidity!

Had to replace my bottom bracket...was making a terrible creaking. Big boys run through those things fairly quickly. Bike goes to shop for one final tuning tomorrow and then one more long ride over the weekend before packaging it up and shipping it to IA first thing Monday AM.

Everyone keeping up with the Tour? Proving to be an interesting year so far. Each day we finish, we sit around and drink beer while catching the replay of that day's stage. Funny to see a large crowd of people huddled around a television and reacting every so often.

Cheers everyone!

This is a public service announcement! I need a shower...

Looking for anyone that may know someone in Burlington, IA...

This is our ending point for RAGBRAI this year. Dip of the front wheel in the Mississippi River and a photo of your finish and then hopefully find somewhere to clean up.

This is the one town where we do not have a team acquaintance that will allow us to clean up prior to driving back to Des Moines. A van full of ripe cyclists is not fun. There are public showers in a few locations, but when there are 10,000 riders doing the same, it makes for a long afternoon.

If anyone has a friend, family member or otherwise in Burlington that might allow at the very least myself (if not others) to shower up, I (we?) would be so very gracious. I'd even go so far as to say that we'd gladly pay for their services.

Feel free to email me at pschmiddy@cox.net and let me know if anyone has any contacts in Burlington.

Thanks again.

Getting closer...33 days away

My uncle notified me that this blog has been neglected as of late...thanks, John.

So here we go...

Had some outpatient surgery in early April that had me unable to ride for 5-6 weeks. Terrible! Love that time of year! Was able to keep active with some running. Back on the bike a few weeks ago. Been commuting to work...12 miles one way typically and occasionally will do longer rides going to or coming from the office in Tempe.

Getting hot! Been really nice the past couple weeks and I can just feel the heat that's right around the corner. Nooooo...

We start in Council Bluffs, the location of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, completed in September 2008. Very cool nighttime shot can be found here.

Not a lot to report...just wishing that the airline would stop changing my itinerary for flying out there...bad enough that I have a layover in Minneapolis in both directions. Not that Minneapolis isn't a great city or anything...

Getting some interest generated with different members of my family...both sides! Family team next year? Anyone?

Please forward me your home addresses so I can get postcards out to everyone. Thanks.

Lastly...pay attention when cycling. Don't be an idiot like this guy that one of my coworkers encountered on his way to work this AM...note the green light my coworker has and how the rider looks away while on the phone...

RAGBRAI 2009 route!

Here's a list of the communities we will be passing through this year. If you know anyone in these towns and would like me to say hello to them or otherwise, let me know. Overnight towns have been bolded:
Council Bluffs (Missouri River)
Mineola
Henderson
Emerson
Red Oak
Stanton
Villisca
Nodaway
Corning
Prescott
Williamson
Fontanelle
Greenfield
Orient
Zion
Macksburg
Old Peru
East Peru
Truro
St. Charles
St. Mary's
Wick
Martensdale
Prole
Indianola
Ackworth
Sandyville
Milo
Lacona
Oakley
Chariton
Millerton
Confidence
Iconium
Maine
Walnut City
Moravia
Unionville
Blakesburg
Ottumwa
Hedrick
Martinsburg
Pekin
Packwood
Pleasant Plain
Brighton
Germanville
Lockridge
Mt. Pleasant
New London
Lowell
Middletown
Burlington (Mississippi River)

RAGBRAI in general...

I was asked if I would like to participate in a bike ride across Iowa by a good friend of mine's father who has ridden RAGBRAI for twenty consecutive years.

Here is a link to some general info regarding RAGBRAI...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAGBRAI

Coming soon...

Friends, Romans, countrymen...

This blog will serve as a daily diary of sorts for my annual bike ride across the state of Iowa in late July.

Stay tuned for additional info about the ride, the overnight and pass-thru towns (in the event that you know anyone in these areas and want me to say hello) and a running commentary on what I am doing to prepare for this event.