All Night Ride (Or Not.)

Posted Mon, June 28, 2010 - 8:18 PM
gnomehunters, advracing, biking

I skipped competing in the Tri-Loppet this year because I was going to join Rick, Brian, and Corey for the (now 2nd!) annual All Night Ride.

It doesn't get any prettier.

Start: Brian's house, South Minneapolis, 7:30 PM.

Turnaround: Somewhere near Hutchinson, McLeod County. 2:30 AM.

Finish: Bryant-Lake Bowl, Uptown. 9:30 AM. Breakfast and celebratory beer.

Distance: About 140 miles.

Chafing Factor: Severe.

Rick, Brian, and I started out on time, and rode down the parkway and around the chain of lakes up to the eastern terminus of the Luce Line extension. It was a bit more exciting than usual because there was a strong line of thunderstorms bearing down on the Twin Cities right about that time. As we crossed I-394 on Wirth Parkway, we could see a dark black storm to the WSW, with a disturbing amount of lightning on the horizon. The storms were blowing rain up out ahead of them, so we were fighting a little bit of wind and spit.

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Another Year at the Tri-Loppet

Posted Sun, June 27, 2010 - 9:08 PM
paddling, running, biking

It's that time of the year again - high summer. Bright sun, thick humid air, plenty of mosquitoes, and the annual City of Lakes Tri-Loppet offroad triathlon. In a change from last year, I decided not to compete, and instead showed up to take photos and videos of the intrepid MNOC gang and any other folks who happened to wander into my field of view. The decision was motivated by my plan to do the Gnome Hunters All Night Ride that evening, and sealed by letting the June 23rd registration deadline go by without sending anything in.

More photos behind the link.

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