Solo 2 days trip and stuff test.

This is already good tradition to me : make a trip on a Christmas vocation.
Last year exactly in a same dates I  was  in a 2 days bike trip with my girls. In same area.
This year : Dan was in Minneapolis, Nadia at Nordic ski trip, Yeva with grandma. And I needed my wild way to go. Two Harbors area is very good for this kind adventure.

 My plan was more about testing gears than amount of miles.
Bad thing that I had to pack in Two Harbors stuff for full family and Christmas gifts... So I left lots of stuff what I needs: GPS, BarYak  system, down skirt, membrane jacket....
But good part about it - you can learn (or back to the time )when you don't have this stuff .

Gear for endure races in winter. Part #2 Boots and overshoes

"If both shoes are tight, you may have incorrectly selected your legs".(С)

ALL this is ONLY MY experience and opinion.
So in my post #1  I talked about what kind socks better to use in winter time.
In this part I will talk about boots and overshoes
Often I hearing same question " What kind  boots you prefer?"
I am still looking for!!! And also very important for HOW LONG ride|race will be  and what kind TEMPERATURE ?
I did same races 3-4 times year after year.. Same course but always DIFFERENT temperature.
So what could be good one year , because temperature was warm enough..next year is not..

BOOTS!

Socks and boos combination - very important part of winter trips and endure races

So  the MAIN RULE -  WINTER BOOTS HAVE TO BE 2 SIZE up than  your regular size

Gear for endure races in winter . Part 1 SOCKS

 SOCKS ! SOCKS! SOCKS 

Bike trip from Minneapolis (MN) to Aberdeen (SD) 310+ miles

I had dream to ride across MN long time.. SO  this summer I decided to do that. I do not like to make hard logistics of my trips. So when we decided with Dan that we will go in our family road  trip to the Montana I  said that we  (me and girls) will start early (5 days before)  and will meet him at the Aberdeen in South Dakota. So now he do not drive special somewhere just to bring us home. It will be part of our adventure.
 I was little bit scared because it will be my longest trip with my girls for distance  and amount of the days. 
I packed my stuff, camping stuff, some amount food and girls stuff. As always full of stuff )))

DAY 1 We started from home. I do not have exactly route. Just use what phone map recommended for the bikes. So first day we rode just on the bike trail. about 60 miles of BIKE TRAIL!! This country is amazing. They used old railway roads and built bike trails on it. It is so awesome.

For this reason so many small towns on our way (years before it was train station cities)

The DAMn

The DAMn it is a new challenge, new gravel bike race across Minnesota

In a past  2 years I am realized that I am enjoying long distance race more than short. So I skipped race which have less interest to me and concentrate attention for the long distance.
Some other reasons why I am not racing too much:

- money! Looks like every year fee entry grows up much faster than  pay checks )
- I want to spent more time with family
-  race time it is stress time and I do not like it ))

 The Trenton J. Raygor    (what a awesome creative guy and organizer of this race) sent me message few month ago that they have available space for the race and I was at the waiting list. SO I am IN!!!
It will be 1 month after Dirty Kanza 200 and enough time for recovery. 
Long distance race as a long trip. It is take a lot time for preparation . You ride your bike with thoughts about it. You thinking a lot about reasons which could happened during the race  and stopped you... You have lots of  night dreams about race...
 After my finished of Dirty Kanza 200 miles I was not scared to do 240 miles. I know that only broken bike could stopped me.
So  I just keep going ride my bike.
Most  of my "training" this is my bike ride with trailer. I try to work harder and added hills training to my rides and this helps me a lot.
Strava - this is my "community". Because I do not have other people to ride with and too complected to find time to ride with other  guys  I have fun time to see where and how much ride my friends, look new places to ride and also short conversation. And the best part about strava I have my friends everywhere: USA, Belarus,Europe,RUSSIA and other.

Dirty Kanza 200, 2017

Dirty  Kanza 200  

I heard about this race too much  and finally want to try. It sounds like a new challenge to me . I love challenge for myself. I said often before that I am not RACER  , i AM WILD  soul active mamaSveta who love hard way.  So ,to me it was interesting "can I do it?"
 After Arrowhead 135  and  Actif Epica in winter it was my new goal for 2017 . In this year I changed my training plan and focused  on the hills.It is hard to  do in Minneapolis  - flat area. SO I started to looking for  hills around my living place, because first of all I am MOTHER and can ride mostly with trailer.  I never was good about hills and tried to fixed it ).  And month -two later I started to see progress. Also I keeps going with my run practice. I knew mostly hills in my area, I knew numbers of elevation..most of them My neighborhood thinking that I am crazy to rode 1 hill 10 -20 times up. )))

ALMANZO with Nadia DNF expierense

ALMANZO 100 have special space in my heart.Because this is 1st race which I did in USA.
I do not know what waiting me at this race, I just knew that everyone from Minneapolis bike community going to this race.

Bike trip with kids to Mankato

Another trip with my girls DONE. 3 days . About 150 miles. Sun, rain, wind... we got all of this.. Because we are in Minnesota).
 This is like a tradition already - to spent fall, winter, spring and summer breaks at Nadia's school at the bike trip.
I am not person who can buy ticket to the Florida or Mexico and be at the beach all day .. It is boring to ME ( but I still dreaming on day to come to the ocean to swim )  .. I love challenges, new places and traveling.. That is why I love bike trips. And I want to teach my girls that style.. Probably, when they grow up and will make their own choice what to do, may be they will not keep going to do this.. Who knows!?  But they will have experience.
Anyways.. I  planning to go somewhere during the spring break. But I don't have any ideas, routes where we will go... till the  day of the start. I just look at the map and choose course on the  south of Minnesota to Mankato. Why Mankato ? I have no answer.. just because I do not know good that area ...
New thing in that time was our start from home. Regular Dan bring us for the city boarder .. And this time I wanted to make start from home  with all stuff on the bikes. I do not want to be during the work week( for Dan ) so far away from city ... If something will happened he do not need to skip job ... and after work can  pick up us. When you have 2 kids at your trip anything could happen.
PREPARATION
Regular I make "list with stuff" which I have to take with.
Because it is hard to keep in the mind all camping stuff, all for bikes and all for girls and me..
Every time it is much easier to do. But I always have EXTRA stuff...
One day I will made post what I take with for trips.
2 winter sleeping bags, tent for 3 person,3 sleeping pads, cooking stuff, some emergency food + food for Yeva and snacks (most food I buy at the stop - impossible put this all on 1 bike), clothes, medicine, a lot of devices (21 century!!!) .... clothes for different weather for 3 of us....

DAY #1

 So we started in the morning and used mostly bike trails to go out of the city. I was surprised HOW MANY bike trails in each city around Minneapolis ( this is amazing!)..  And sometimes we rode on the gravel in the  city!! My bike was full of stuff + trailer with Yeva and stuff in it ... What is not easy... Especially  first 15 miles... Your speed is slow (about 10 miles per hour) ..

 After Eden Prairie we came at the big road with traffic where I do not want to ride with kids and I had to made decision to take some private road near river which  had our course. I am not big fun to do that , but it was safety way. On that beautiful road we met one guy on the car and asked  him "could we go?" He let us to do this.

 private road

 We came to the Shakopee. I love this town.... because so many small things reminded you about native American .

 Finally we got gravel ... farms ... all what my soul love.

 We had some homemade lunch on the side of the road. Weather on the first day was so beautiful!

 

I used Garmin and just took roads what I liked which had course to the Mankato... It was so funny do not have any plans, routes, plans for night place... Just keep going...

 We had such a good elevation gain in the 1st day (about 2000 ft) and my legs was like a peace of wood. Nadia amazed me - rode non-stop , took all hills pretty easy... Never said "I am tired"... During this trip I believe more and more, that she could to do Almanzo 100.

 Many small nice city was on our way Jordan- New Prague ... In Jordan we stopped at McDonals.
Yes, during the trips mostly we eat at that place or gas station. I do not like spent a lot of money during the trip and Nadia LOVE Mc. Donald's. 

 About 5 pm I started to look place for the night. But , as always, mostly it is private property . If it is not private - it is swam area (
I stopped at one farm house with huge peace of the land and asked woman about permit to put my tent for the nice. She let us to do it. I  saw that she is selling Maple syrup  and bought on big jar (kind of my payment for the night ) .
In that  day we rode 55 miles.

 When I made camp Nadia and Yeva had big fun. With Yeva in her 16 month old now much more better to traveling: she understand all what you say  for her, she can walk, she do not put in her mouth all stuff to try... And also Nadia help me a lot with her sister...

 RADIO!
I bought small radio.. All my mountains trips we always had a radio... It is makes you trip more funny. And  we took  it with and it works nice . I love music at night in the tent.

 This trip I let Nadia to take her Ipad with... And before night 3 of us watched cartoon )

 I cooked dinner ( I bring some food for cook from home) , but mostly I try to buy for 1 day.. because too heavy take for all days..

 We had such a warm and dry night. But in the morning weather was much colder that day before.Bad call... Looks like we will get rain today.. 50 miles to Mankato.

DAY #2

I always use nature stuff to clean dishes .

 Another portion of gravel...One thing about riding with trailer on the gravel. You always have to control your direction and choose more smooth part of it. ... because gravel is not always perfect and  kid inside shakes. If I could choose trailer now - I will buy more expensive but with suspension.

 Nadia love to do her selfie )

 On our way we saw one farm with huge amount of sheep (what is not typical ) . We made stop, asked permit to see sheep . Such a nice owners. We talked about life.. farm.. I helped to feed sheep ( I love to do it)...

 At the end we got dozen of  farms eggs.. Not a good idea to take. But woman was so nice to us and I take.. We stopped at Waterville for the lunch. It was so cold and I need to charge my phone and Garmin. Nice gas station with food area inside. We ordered pizza (very nice service!!! )Spent 1+ hour... But we had 25 miles to go..

 When we leaved this city the rain finally was started,..Also we found BIKE TRAIL to the MANKATO!!! All 25 miles  Sakatah bike  trail! .. At the beginning rain was like a shower and  then harder and harder...
We where wet when we came in Mankato. McDonalds... and I had to make decision -where we will stay at night? Mankato SO  big city..and we had to go out of it..

  We came to the Eagle Lake... Rain started to be harder. And was so cold.. I surprised that Nadia do not say anything (strong girl)!
At the end of this small town I found farm house and asked permit to put tent. They  let us to do it. And HAPPINESS - warm sleeping bags, some food ( I do not cook nothing) and play together and  watched cartoon, and good night...

DAY #3
In the morning  all around were wet , but no rain anymore.

First 10 miles was on the soft, wet gravel and it was hard to me move my bike with trailer and all stuff.

We backed in Waterville and stoped at the same gas station where is everyone remember us. Another pizza... and time to go.

We kept going on the awesome bike trail . I feel more safety with kids at the bike trail. I do not trust drivers.

When I look at this picture  I do not believe that I can move it )))

In our plans where to ride one more day. But life and Yeva changed our plans...
The eggs, which we got from the farm , where at the back of the trailer. During the ride , my pretty silly girl found way to took|crush|and ate some eggs and made mess on my sleeping bag. So our plans had to be changes ? I made call to Dan and asked him to take us in that day after work... I do not thinking that sleep in so dirty sleeping bag was good idea.

silly girl with egg )

So in that day we made 40+ miles. And finished our trip at Faribault .
Little bit sadly that all done.. But I already have in my head another plans..
I am happy that my husband let me do all this trips.  

SO ... we made 150 miles.  I hope Nadia will keep  this in her mind in future like a good memories.

The Lakeville race with kids

 The race L-M-L was the first race in the gravel season on my wish list in this year. But in the last moment the  life corrected my plans  (Dan got sickness) and I have to switched my plans and went with my girls to the short distance of the race (40 miles course).  And this will be good training lessons for Nadia (almost half distance from Almanzo 100 in our wish list on the May)
This race  90% gravel roads, about 2000 ft elevation gain.
This article less about race and more about how to ride long distance with your kids. What to take with?..

Gravel ride for my soul

 I am really tired from city... I'm so missing about my "Belorussian" style of ride. And today I decided to fixed it. I took Yeva, bike and trailer. I found on the gravel map (what a great map!) some place with gravel not far away from my house . Drove to the Elm Creek area, parked my car and just  going ahead.. Garmin 1000 ( what I got from Dan on the Christmas ) the best thing... You no need to worries  to making route  and keep in the mind where is your car...
I was surprised to get first road what is historical Downtown Maple Grove.
During the 27 miles of my ride I will few times see some historical places (I love it, I love history).