I live about 2.5 miles off the Ironman Wisconsin route so I headed that direction towards Verona then proceeded to do the Ironman course backwards to Cross Plains. "The Loop" as we locals affectionately call it is a rolling course that goes back country to small town. It's a great double loop course but in reverse offers intriguing challenges as well. I was on the loop for under 20 miles but had the pleasure of going up one the best downhills of the normal course direction. A very long slow climb. Once at the top it was very nice to go down one of the worst climbs of the course. This was shortly followed by the steepest climb of either direction, on race day at the top of the hill they have it heavily marked with "slow down" because the hill is a straight drop followed by a 90 degree left at the bottom. Every year more than one person chances the corner with too much speed and spills, in the opposite direction its granny gear and trying not to tip over.
After some more rollers and going down two of the three terrible climbs on the course and I was in Cross Plains. I stopped at Kwik Trip, gas station, and hit the bathroom. I wasn't looking for speed or pushing any pace, I wanted to enjoy the ride, the scenery and the towns. I quickly got back on the bike and headed north. I was excited to hit some roads I'd never ridden on. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the shoulder from Cross Plains to Dane. There were a couple rough spots but for the most part the shoulder offered plenty of room where I felt safe from upcoming traffic and a smooth enough surface where I didn't have to flirt with being in the car lane. It was a quiet stretch, most of the sounds were a car or motorcycle passing, there were also a number of over protective red wing black birds who'd fly around my helmet and caw at me for short stretches at a time.
I arrived outside of Dane and headed north to Lodi and couldn't have been happier. . . this road was as close to smooth glass as any road I've been on. Really wide shoulder, smooth, some nice rollers, it was cycling heaven and I don't even like cycling that much. I considered getting to Lodi turning around and going back and forth to Dane all day. That 6 mile or so stretch was perfect. I took the head of steam in to Lodi and slid right in to the 25 mph traffic. In downtown there's a four way stop so I had to back down and get in line. As I set off from the stop sign I thought of a friend that lived in town that I hadn't seen for a while. He lives on the edge of town so I swung by. I rang the doorbell but no one was home. Off I went continuing north to Merrimac.
This stretch was my least favorite; old road, minimal shoulder that's all busted up, two lanes, hilly and windy. About the worse situation for riding a bike. It was still before noon so traffic was light and drivers were courteous giving me plenty of room as they passed. This was a tough stretch, crappy roads mixed with lots of quick ups and downs made for a good way to get the heart rate up. Merrimac is famous in Wisconsin for two reasons; it sits on Lake Wisconsin, which isn't a lake at all, its the Wisconsin River at a point that is wide like a lake. It's a mini-resort area of it's own with lake side rentals, some small hotels and vacation homes. The other detail that makes Merrimac famous is the ferry. The highway I had been riding on actually continues across the river, without a bridge. The Merrimac Ferry crosses Lake Wisconsin through the spring to late fall. As I arrived at the ferry there was a long line of cars waiting their turn, the advantage of being on the bike was heading straight to the front on the sidewalk and walking my bike on, no waiting needed. The ferry was a nice break, it's only a 4 or 5 minute ride across but it was good to take my helmet off, rest and enjoy the ride.
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Once across I made another bathroom stop and then was going to hit a small bar on the corner for lunch. I parked the Penguin outside and walked in and noticed a sign that said the ATM was broke, that lead me to assume they didn't take credit cards, I confirmed with the bartender and jumped back on the bike for option 2. Up the road a couple miles was a gas station. This particular gas station is more like a truck stop for campers as it's only a few miles from Devils Lake so they keep a nice stock of beer, camping supplies and just about everything else you could need. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a crock pot with home made BBQ chicken. $3 for the BBQ chicken sandwich and a small bag of chips, I added 4 bottles of water and sat outside on the picnic table and enjoyed my $5 lunch.
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After lunch I was going to do the last couples miles north to hit Devils Lake but as I was finishing lunch and packing back up a woman asked which way I was riding? I said maybe Devils Lake or maybe back towards Sauk City. She mentioned how the MDA Ride where motorcycle riders, mostly Harley Riders, raise money for Muscular Dystrophy were winding around the hills around Devils Lake and I may not want to head that way. This year there were over 1,000 riders taking part. I opted for skipping Devils Lake and starting to head towards home via Sauk.
The highway from Merrimac to Sauk City was another nice one. I had heard this from other riders and it was again nice to have such a big shoulder and quality rode to ride on. The forecast for the day was suppose to stay relatively cool in the mid to high 70's, but it felt much hotter as the sky was wide open and the sun beat down. On the ride up I was mostly protected with some cloud cover and trees along the road, but this stretch was much more open and I remembered I hadn't put sunscreen on my shoulders. Sauk was only about 9 miles out and the time passed quickly. More rollers, open fields and country spaces. Passing through Sauk was quite bumpy, the main drag was garbage and it started to be reminded of my saddle sores I've been battling since Ironman Texas. I won't go in to the details of saddle sores but have offered a link if you're looking to squint in pain.
The road quality continue it's downward spiral from Sauk to Mazomanie (my home town!).
An old road, busted up shoulder and saddle sore made for the most painful 10 mile stretch of the day. . . prior to the crash that is. I spent most of the next 30-40 minutes out of the aero position as the rough ride was too much for my shoulders and crotch. Riding upright offered some reprieve from the conditions but I was ready to get off the bike then and there. This was more or less how the sores have been since Texas. They'd be pretty good for a couple hours then come on really strong! This time is spent shifting around to try and find any way to sit that didn't irritate the situation. Getting off the rough road certainly helped.
Now I had a half mile or ride I wasn't sure about. I am an alum of Wisconsin Heights High School, in the area the school is mostly known for being located on a drag strip of a conduit from rural south western Wisconsin to Madison. It's a busy highway and annually there are accidents that occur as students or faculty are entering the school parking lot from either direction. Last year a young teacher only a year or two out of college lost her life as she was waiting to turn left and cross oncoming traffic when a delivery truck driver wasn't paying attention to go around her in the lane provided, he hit the young woman's car and pushed her in to oncoming traffic. This was still Saturday morning and not a busy commuting weekday, but it was the part of the day I was most nervous about. I made it to the school parking lot safely.
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From there I exited the back of the parking lot to head towards the back roads that can be used to enter and exit the school. This took me to Black Earth and then I continued south to Mt. Horeb. It was another 10 miles stretch much like the previous, beat up road, small shoulder and more saddle sore smashing. I wanted off the bike now! I pushed on and finally got to the hill I had been looking forward to - about a mile climb that steadily gets steeper. I actually looked forward to it since my crotch was on fire and this way I had an excuse not to be down in aero. Arriving in Mt. Horeb meant something that's been engrained in my life since the first time I'd ever been there. . . Kwik Trip. Second Kwik Trip of the day nets a quart of chocolate milk. It was the hottest time of the day that was suppose to be cool. I sat by my bike and enjoyed the milk. I sat on concrete and that felt better than my saddle. After the southwest tour I was less than 10 miles from home and ready to ride it on in and take a nice cold bath.
I was able to find some comfort after a short rest and was ready to get home. Riding from Mt. Horeb to Verona is another scenic route, not unlike the rest of the day. I was really appreciative of how lucky I/we cyclist/triathletes are in this area. Training wise there is everything you could ever want with hills, scenery and local drivers who are willing to share the road with bikes. As I entered Verona from the West on the same road I exited hours prior, I rolled to a four way stop next to another cyclist. An older gentlemen who I quickly chatted with and who commented on how up ahead it looked like rain was coming. We laughed at how good that would feel. We both took off and said our good bye and wished each other well. I got up to speed and before I knew it. . . hit a rock and crashed.
Does crashing suck, yes, but it was a great day that I'd never change and wouldn't take back. As much as I've always ripped on cycling and my displeasure for it, this ride really opened my eyes to the joys of cycling. I look forward to logging more miles in his same manner. Going to new places, new roads. . . me, my bike, some water bottles, iPhone, credit card and ID - I can't wait.
