Recapping the Baccoon Ride

I’m always up for an adventure. 

Likewise, I’m thankful for friends who are always willing to join me in my adventurous endeavors. Whether it involves a long-distance race (in a faraway place), a late-at-night run (under the full moon), or a day-long bacon-enhanced ride (with no guarantee on favorable weather), it’s great to have such friends. 

Alas, the Baccoon Ride caught my attention and I simply had to check it out!

Now in its 10th year, the Baccoon Ride gets its name from its location on the Raccoon River Valley Trail and the bacon-themed food provided at all the stops along the route. Clever, huh!

ready to ride...with dry clothes and a clean bike

The Raccoon River Valley Trail is one I’m very familiar with. I’ve not only run various segments of it, with the numerous Market-to-Market Relays, but I’ve also ridden it numerous times on my bike. Side note: this very trail was the setting for our Century Ride in 2022 (recap HERE). Therefore, the Baccoon Ride had all the makings of a great 71-mile adventure.

Along with the scenic route was the promise of food at several of the stops along the trail. 

After a week of anxiety-filled (rainy) weather stalking, Saturday’s forecast was finally looking favorable upon wake-up. That said, 66F temps may be ideal for running, but they’re rather chilly on a bike, especially if there’s no sunshine (and that requisite Iowa wind is  present). 

But, with our (figurative) glass(es) half full, Barb and I were looking forward to a fun ride on one of our favorite trails. We were decked-out with “warm-ish” gear (hello, arm sleeves) that could be easily removed when the forecasted 80F temps showed up later. 

Anyways, the ride officially began at 7:00, but it was a “rolling start," meaning the riders could start anytime that best suited them. There were limited time windows, though, when the food would be available at the various stops. 

I met Barb in Waukee, just before 6:45, where the ride would be ending. We were saddled-up and on the road just before 7:00, with an easy 1-mile ride to get to the starting point at the trailhead .

I had brought my funky colorful harlequin-patterned arm sleeves, as a cautionary maneuver… and I was glad I did!  The first six miles were chilly and breezy as we made our way towards the first scheduled stop, in Dallas Center. 

Maple bacon donuts…yum!

Next, as we headed towards Minburn, the wind was starting to feel more breezy and chilly. Although I knew the day would warm up, I was briefly regretting not bringing an extra layer. Also, a few miles into this stretch, we noticed a few raindrops. Thankfully, they were light and random; just enough to leave a few spots on my sunglasses. Our stop in Minburn involved some warm and hearty bacon breakfast burritos. Oh so good! 

By the time we were back on the trail, now en route to Perry, the light intermittent sprinkles were coming a little more frequently. Barb had brought a couple of disposable rain ponchos along. I almost declined her offer, but stashed one in my bike bag. We held off on donning said ponchos, though, hoping the sprinkles would disappear. 

No such luck. 

After arriving in Perry, now about 20 miles in, we caved. Ponchos on, we parked our bikes and got in line for the pulled pork sliders. 

The next leg, to Jamaica, wasn’t too far (about six miles). We held out hope the rain, now a steady-falling reality, would lighten-up. The trail had turned into a wet mess with multiple puddles, fallen mulberry remnants (from the numerous trees lining the route) and mud. Our ponchos kept flapping in the wind, making it difficult to hear other cyclists approaching. My clothing was a saturated mess, and every time I glanced down, it felt like a waterfall was streaming from my helmet. My sunglasses, now more of a windshield, were a blurry mess as well. 

After arriving in Jamaica, we headed into the Just One More bar, and took a break. We hit the bathroom and confiscated some paper towels to clean the splattered mud from our legs. We tried wringing-out our biking gloves, though it was a rather futile effort. 

Before departing Jamaica, we made the command decision to tuck our poncho hoods under our helmets (and the poncho "hems" under our tushes). Quite the fashion statement, but it kept the rain from from going down our necks and sealed-in some heat.

Next up: The venture to Panora. Little did we know, these next 18-ish miles would prove quite challenging. We’d changed direction, and were now headed south. Just our luck, the wind had gradually shifted as well and was coming out of the southeast (instead of the northwesterly stuff we’d been battling for the past 90 minutes or so. Oh, and the rain was still coming down, though not as intensely. The trail was still a muddy mess and there were even more puddles to dodge. 

We kept laughing at our situation, though. I mean, what else could we do?

I can’t remember the exact time or mile count (maybe about an hour out of Jamaica?), we decided to pull over and lose the ponchos. The rain had subsided by then, and the flapping ponchos were proving to be a major wind hazard. 

By the time we pulled into Panora, the sky was starting to clear and there was some (much) welcome sunshine poking through. And we happily indulged in the bacon-infused mac & cheese. 

Leaving Panora had us at the approximate 45-mile count, so we were long past the halfway point. It was only about six miles to the next stop, in Lindon.

After Lindon, it was another six miles to Redfield. By then, the temps were feeling much better so I peeled off the arm sleeves and stashed my (still wet) gloves away. In Redfield, the featured food was a brat burger. It was alright, but probably my least favorite of all the foods that had been offered thus far.

So, onward to Adel, about 10 miles due east. Although we had changed direction, and were no longer fighting a headwind, the side wind was every bit as evil. While any wind, on a bike, is tough...a side wind really tests ones balancing skills. Throw in a double-digit wind speed, and it makes for a very big  dig-deep-and-persevere kind of quest. 

Pulling into Adel felt pretty euphoric! Knowing we only had 6-7 miles remaining was worthy of celebrating. Ice cream sandwiches were given to us, and we also grabbed some adult beverages and toasted ourselves (figuratively).

We camped-out in Adel (at the Brickyard tavern) for a good 30 minutes before remounting and rejoining the others on the trail. Destination: Micky's Irish Pub in Waukee. Holy Wind, Batman! Even though there only a few miles remaining, these were some of the toughest. The wind was brutal! Thankfully, it was a refreshing breeze, or it would have felt really muggy due to the (now) full sun. But the wind was a beast, nonetheless. We pulled up alongside Mickey's around 3:30, with just over 73 miles showing on the Garmin...

...and warm temps, with a hefty 17mph wind showing on the weather app!

yowza!

Poor Krystal (she's my bike) was such a mess! She was covered in mud, mulberry muck and who knows what else. My legs, feet and backside were a splattered mess as well.

the pic doesn't  do justice to just how dirty my legs and feet were!

But, the accomplishment felt quite grand! To think we'd ridden 70+ miles on our bikes, and fought through such adverse weather conditions (for the better part of the day) was pretty amazing. We can do hard things! 

done!

The swag was kind of minimal...a make-up sized waterproof bag! It does have the event logo, and would come in handy for storing belongings, but it's not really anything I have a need for. I think a drawstring backpack would have been more practical. They did offer bike jerseys (short-sleeved and tank top versions) with the event logo, and those were very nice! I regret not ordering one of those.

this year's theme was "Baccoonaritaville" (I'm guessing as a tribute to Jimmy Buffet)

Despite the tough weather conditions, this event was really fun. It would have been a stellar day had the weather been more cooperative. Having done this once, I hope to go back next year for a repeat. I'll be looking for early-bird pricing, though, in the spring when registration opens (I paid $75, registering on May 1st.

A few things to note:

***This event was a ride and not a race. Thus, the time frame was very relaxed.

***The food portions were very conservative, which was perfect considering there were numerous opportunities to eat. 

***All registered riders had wrist bands, which covered the food. A few places offered water, but most beverages were an extra expense.

***My funky arm sleeves were quite a hit, LOL. I should have kept count of the number of people commenting on them.

***This was my first time riding a long distance in the rain. I've ridden a few miles, on occasion, when I've gotten caught in the rain, but never a distance of this magnitude. Thankfully, the unexpected mid-day forecasted) storms were a no-show.

Have you ever done an organized bike ride such as this? Would you have continued on, in the rain, or pulled over and waited it out?

I'm linking this with Zenaida and Jenn for the TuesdayTopics Linkup. 

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