andy reagan only the interesting stuff

Clay Center, KS

Today was super short, at 40 miles, and we got to sleep in until 6! In fact, the ride was so flat and short that it really felt like another day off haha.

In the morning I was going to try to swap out my chain, which I thought was going to be real easy but turned out that I could not break my master link.  It's a link in the chain that should come apart so that I can take it off.  I was hoping to re-use that master link on the new chain, since I didn't know where the Shinamo break-off pin went.  After 20 minutes of trying and no luck...I gave up on changing the chain.  I really wanted to get it done though, because chains wear more quickly than the other gears, and can wear those gears if you run a stretched chain on them.  If you change your chain on time (before it gets too bad), it is possible to get three chains on one cassette.  Meaning, I only have to replace the back gears ($70) every three times I replace the chain.  But, my chain is way past gone (very stretched) so every mile is just wearing away my cassette.

I remembered the guy from the bike shop in town last night telling me that he would be in early in the morning to do a fit, and if any of us needed anything to give him a call.  But his card, with his number, was packed away in my bin in the trailer at that point.  Since it was on the way out (if I made it) I went through town to see if he was there and I could get my chain changed out, and if I needed, a new cassette.

When I got there at 8am, I saw that they weren't open till 10 and was a little bummed.  But I saw him inside and he came and unlocked the door, and I told him that I wanted to see if he could help me change the chain, and get a new cassette if I needed.  He was glad to help, like he said, and let me in.  There was another mechanic there, and a guy getting fitted on a bike, and we put my bike in a stand went to taking the old chain off.  He couldn't get the master link either, and just broke the chain somewhere else to try removing the master link off the bike.  After a little bit, he let the other mechanic try it, and after another little while of messing with it, he realized that it was one of the black SRAM non-breakable master links!! It was a one-use one, actually a power-link! I was cleaning my cassette real nice for the new chain in the meantime, and since I didn't have the breakable pin, or an old quick-link, he had a new KMC one, sweet! So we put that on, he showed me how to size the chain in small-small which was cool.  To test the cassette we looked at how it shifted, which would suffer if it was too warn.  Luckily, it shifted like a beaut and so I was good!  For all the help, I tipped him extra and was on my way.  I reset the odometer to track the new chain.

An hour had passed, but I wasn't worried at all and just cruised along at an easy pace.  The new chain was awesome, it was super quiet and just felt smooth.  After 20 miles of beautiful rolling KS hills, I arrived at lunch and had caught up with sweeps.  After explaining why I was behind them, Emily and Dave and I set out to finish the ride.  We had a noticeable tailwind which was sweet, and really nice roads.  The ride was awesome, we caught up with Raleigh when were getting close and it was starting to get really hot.  Dave sprinted up a few hills and I stuck with him, he's gettin freakin strong for not having ridden at all before the trip! Toward the end, we found Jen with a flat and waited with her to change it, and was we rolled out, my tire was flat! I figured it was another slow leaker, and after pumping it up, I figured it would hold that air for the last 3 miles into town, and it did.  I really do need to get the new tires on there I think.  I'm going to try to patch some of my tubes tonight hopefully.

After we got to the host, the AC was wonderful but I forgot my shorts to go to the showers, and luckily Noah let me borrow a pair.  We played some knock out at the high school there, and after getting back to our host at the First Baptist Church here in Clay Center I've taken a nap, munched on food, practiced on the guitar, worked on the affordable housing curriculum presentation that Will and I will be giving tomorrow, did the mid-trip leader evals, and typed up the day here!

I actually didn't get my camera out, in was in the rain fly because we felt some drops.  The country is pretty, but I guess nothing in particular sparked my attention enough to make me stop haha.  Tomorrow shouldn't be very long either, something like 57 miles to Beloit!

Lawrence and Manhattan, Kansas!

Yesterday we biked into Lawrence, college home of Christina at KU! It was a very interesting ride there, for sure, and I got to swim and check out a cool bike shop at night.  Today into Manhattan was long in miles, but flew by and was a great ride.  Our hosts here had an awesome array of food set out for us, and are making Lasagna right now!

To Lawrence in pictures (yesterday, 6.19)

On the trail, we first encountered lots of dirt, and sections of massive gravel, then there were DOWN TREES!

We cyclocross hiked over them, and Jesse and I were about to hurt Aileen lol (she planned the route)

I was in the front of a group of about 7 when I rounded the corner and saw them, and had to yell STOPPING haha

We decided that we would rename the day Bike, Hike, and Build haha

We could've petted a deer haha

And then after we got off the trail for lunch, they had found a really nice park!

And then after lunch, it looked like rain for sure.  We were on some really nice country roads, out in the middle of nowhere...and they turned gravel.  I wasn't a happy camper about that, but we made it over the gravel without flats so it was all good! We stopped to fill up our tires with air, and were dripping sweat with the heat and humidity after working hard across gravel.  But then, the most insane temperature change that I have ever felt took place, and it was windy and pretty cold immediately! The sweat and coldness made me a little cold, and it was definitely going to rain now.

We came to a closed road, and apparently some motorcyclists had come back and told other people that there was a bridge down.  I rode through the barriers yelling "Never surrender!" haha and really wanted to go check it out for myself (it was only a mile away and I'm almost certain we could have passed it on bikes) but the leaders told me I had to take the detour, lame.

As we were going around the bridge, the skys opened with a rain so cold and hard that people thought it had hailed because it hurt so bad.  I was yelling "OW!" and a few other things as we tried to push through it, Jesse Mark and I at the front now.  After a little bit, the water was getting in my eyes and stinging so bad I couldn't really open them so I reached into my bag and put on my swim goggles lol.  I couldn't see hardly anything with those either, but could see the white line on the side of the road and hugged that.  At a stop sign, a guy in a pick-up asked me if I wanted a ride, that we must be crazy, but I'm still determined to ride every inch although it was a tempting offer.

Eventually the rain let up, Mark must've been feeling great because he had ridden away fast and it was just Jesse and I.  We saw someone coming up to us, and we were by no means going slow, and Zach had caught us! He complained a little bit about how hard we were to catch (kidding) and I was really impressed, it must've been some effort.

Then Steak and Shake! We stopped in Lawrence and I got a butterfinger shake and chili cheese fries, it was good! I thought that I deserved a treat for myself after not getting struck by lightning or getting blown over on the way there lol

Then when we got to the host, they had a POOL!

And after a great swim, some of us went a checked out an awesome bike shop

Gary had owned the shop for 40 years, and showed us all the cool stuff in it. Turned out to be almost a bike history museum, sweet! This was a 10-speed demo thing to show people how to shift it from the table.

A cool wind chime haha

And they had a Di2 demo bike, and he let us ride it around!!

I was in love haha, it was a siick bike

I jammed it hard and the shifting responded effortlessly, I had some onlookers apparently haha, I was dusting off the crit cornering skills

It was a fun little ride, I think the bike came in around 16 pounds

And I had also tossed on the new Giro helmet, lightest one on the market at like half the weight of my Atmos!

Dave was lovin it as well

"I'll take it"

It was a little big for Jen haha, but I think she liked it

This bike, one of 550 made back in 1960, was pretty awesome. In mint condition, this baby goes for 20K!

The first model 10-speed bike ever sold on the left, and a bike he'd built for a midget who wanted a 10-speed back in the day on the right

Gary's first bike haha and one of the first ever Aluminum bikes, from 1930

Just another cool old bike haha, this one had fully functional head lights, tail lights, and horn. Built like a car, and almost as heavy as one haha

Soo cool haha, I'm totally making one next year from a fork!

Then we came back for dinner, another swim to cool off, and I passed out on a couch hard haha.  I barely even woke up for the security alarm that went off in the night.

Today's ride

Today started out again at 5AM, although I was so warm and comfy on that couch I bummed it till 5:30 haha.  They had Honey Bunches O' Oats which are quickly becoming my favorite cereal, and we actually got around to leaving by 6:30! I was on clean up crew, and didn't get out till a few minutes later after sweeping the floor though.

We started out at a relaxed pace, me on the front of a group at about 17MPH just keepin my pedals moving haha.  We saw some awesomely cool clouds, some that looked like glaciers beyond mountains.  I got some pictures when we stopped to prepare for rain (cover the camera, and others put on rain jackets).

Very ominous clouds, but we made it through dry somehow

They were so awesome though. Check this out...

My fellow Bike and Builders!

Lunch 1 at mile 35 (we had two because the heat index was at 104) was good, and we went pretty hard between lunch 1 and 2.  Zach caught up to us and pulled for 10 miles, Mark pulled for 10, and I pulled hard for another 10.  It ended up just being us three by that time, although Emily and Kristen weren't far behind at all.

At lunch a whole bunch of people caught up, and we took off with a big group to try a big paceline haha.  We were doing one mile pulls, and our goal was 17mph but with a strong tailwind, we were soon goin 23! Then not too far along, about 8 miles from the host, Zach got a flat.  Him and I tried to patch it, and after doing all that it was leaking, and we found another hole... So we checked it out again and put another tube in it.  It had been like 20 minutes, so we told the rest of the group to head on.  After about 30 we were back on the road, and basically just cruised into town, movin easily at 23 with that tailwind on the flats.

Our wonderful hosts at the First Methodist Church tonight had all sorts of goodies, an entire kitchen worth, set out for us to eat when we got here! They had gatorade and soda and water on ice and made us lasagna for dinner, it was awesome! Showers were over at the First Presbytarian, and there was only one so it was a wait but no biggie.

I got a chance to call my Dad on this father's day which was nice to chat, and talked to Mom for a little too, and sounds like they're doing well! I'm super glad for their support on this trip, it has been awesome!

That's all for now, I'm going to try to get some pictures in the last post, and check out the video that I'm going to put up of our build day.  Thanks for reading!

Biking to and building in Kansas City, Missouri!

Slated to be our longest day yet on the website (106 miles), we awoke at 5AM to get ready to ride.  I was real tired for some reason, pretty sure that night I saw the RAAM rider come through caught up with me haha, and didn't really get outta my sleeping bag till 5:30.  The church made us breakfast which was good, I had two things of oatmeal and bagel, and was packed in time to get my bin out before they started loading the trailer!

video: final (i'm working on embedding it)

The ride

After getting our cue sheets, on which there were a lot of turns, we found out that it's only a 90 mile day! (the website had said 106) That still means we get two lunches though

It was an absolutely beautiful day to ride today, and we had nice roads! At mile 10, we stopped to stretch and I'm pretty sure that by the end of the trip I'll be able to put my whole hand down in front of my toes with shoes on.

The miles flew by, and I'm pretty certain it was because we had a decent tailwind the whole way.  The terrain was rolling, with some pretty decently sized inclines and declines.  On one of the downhills I hit 46.3MPH still pedaling, in Lance's book I read he said that they break 70 down the Alps...that's craziness.

By mile 30 I was starving, since I hadn't eaten since breakfast and was banking on this lunch stop.  As we passed a gas station at mile 30 and one at mile 31 where he could've pulled over I was thinking "Derrick....you're killing me!" But as we climbed to the top of a hill at mile 32, lunch! It was at a super nice little park, with SHADE: worth the two mile wait haha.

I headed out with the faster group of Noah and Sharif and Emily and Emma and Mark, among others, and we set a good pace for the next 30 miles.  Again the miles seemed to fly by, and possibly the funniest part of the day was when this biker dude passed us on a chopper bike (handlebars higher than his head) going into town, Mark and Noah and I tried to look as cool by putting our hands up and turning them to go faster.  Then he must've stopped somewhere in town, because he passed us again and when he did, all 3 of us immediately put our hands up just like him haha, all in sync.  It was pretty great, I'm sure it was one of those "you had to be there" things.

We caught up with Joe and Aileen and Tio who had left lunch before us, and as soon as we did Joe turned around because his camelbak nozzle had come off.  Noah pulled at a moderately fast pace for like 6 miles, and then when Joe caught back on he asked me if I wanted to crank it.  I thought he meant go up and give Noah a break, so I grabbed his wheel.  But we hit the front and then just kept on cruisin.  Turns out Joe's speedometer wasn't working so he didn't know how fast he was going, and just felt like hammering.  For a good two miles he pulled so hard that I could barely stick, at like 23 up the hills and 28 down them.  After that I pulled and barely increasing my effort, I was going all out.  Sitting in the aerobars, our speed picked up to close to 30 across the flats and after about two more miles I looked back and realized that I had just gapped Joe a little. That was the hardest I have ridden yet on BnB and it felt great.  We happened to be at mile 64, so we waited for the other riders and van to catch up for lunch #2!

My awesome habit of not wanting to hop right back on the bike after eating and cooling down kicked in, and I tried to nap in the sliver of shade next to the building whose empty lot we were in.  It was heating up for sure, and I was trying hard not to get back in the sun.  I did lay my jersey out on the pavement though so it would dry haha.  After an hour and half of eating and with two unsuccessful attempts at a nap (my phone had turned itself off by this point) I wanted to get going again.  Pretty much everybody had come and gone, so I headed out with Jesse and Alyson who were taking it easy(er) for the day.

After we got riding and got some wind, the heat didn't melt us lol and again with the slight tailwind, we made great progress toward our host.  We got in to Raytown, MO and our wonderful hosts at the Blue Ridge Presbyterian Church and I was at mile 93...so I rode around the streets crit style and got in 100 miles! Ended up with 103 on the day.

Building!

The heat was intense, I don't know how hot it got exactly but with humidity I was melting haha.  We rebuilt a porch for a lady who has owned her Habitat home for 31 years, it was the first one that Kansas City's affiliate had built, and they're the 8th oldest in the nation.