Jacob Rides for Bluegills

Jacob S. sends this update…

“This last weekend I tried my hand at the 24 Hours of Cumming race just south of Des Moines in Cumming, IA. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a good grind. I have been hitting the road hard since DK with a couple fondos, a century and even rocked Double Triple Bypass.

Being from Iowa I had a pile of friends showing up to this event. Long story short, my pregame nutrition and hydration plan fell apart. Busch Lt is just so damned tastey some times!

The morning started with rain and cool temps, start time wasn’t until 11am so I had plenty of time to regret my decisions. None the less I toed the line and we all took off. 400k solo, relays and 100k racers all hit the same loop to start so there was a decent number of people rolling along. Gravel makes me smile. Even the short, steep, punch climbs you find in central Iowa.

After about ten miles the sun was fully out and it got hot. The cool wet morning had me off guard, not well hydrated or sun screened. None the less I rolled in from my first loop in good spirits, even if I was out of water.

My camelback was reloaded with ice and water, grabbed a couple more snacks and a mixed bottle. After briefly considering pulling the plug to join my friends for more Bluegills (Busch Lt) I headed out for loop two.

The hottest part of the day behind me the temperature was much more agreeable. This loop featured a lot of climbing. If you remember “the bitch” from this year’s DK, there were three or four of those on this loop. Something about seeing 16% on your Garmin and not being able to see the top of the hill makes you question life choices. Just keep pedaling. I rode with Erin from St Louis for a while, saw Kim from Des Moines slamming a Campbell’s Chicken Noodle can on the side of the road and was really enjoying the first half of this loop. After a while though I was all alone, the field was a lot smaller than other races this year. Thinking of the party back at the Tap had me questioning decisions much like that hill. I rolled in around ten or so feeling good-ish.

As I regrouped my thoughts I wondered if 125 miles was enough. There was still time to join the fun, and I could hang out and cheer on other racers? Then I saw Nate from Sioux Center ready to head out, I asked him to hold up so we could ride together. Scrambling to get my act together we rolled out into the dark with Chuck from Des Moines. Nate was leg three of a four person relay, his number two had bailed but he drove all this way to ride a bike so he wanted to ride. Chuck was another 400k Solo rider. Conversation helped pass the time and miles, no records on the line we just kept pedaling. About 25 miles into loop three the rain hit, and it was coming down pretty good. We stopped at one house looking for temporary shelter but were turned away, a mile up a nice family let us in their garage. They even gave Chuck a gatorade and me a Busch Lt. At this point I think my mind was made up to throw in the towel. When the rain subsided we rolled on into the night. We weren’t alone out there though, deer, possum, racoon and even a couple red necks fishing off a bridge stared as we rolled by. A few miles later the rain started again, we were already wet so we just kept pedaling.

We finally rolled in around 4:30 am, the stop and fatigue took a toll on our pace. I briefly considered reloading for loop four but the hills were taking a toll on my knee. Worse than that, wet kit made chaffing a serious issue for my undercarriage.