Ride #28 - An Iron Ride

Sandhill cranes in a pond. 9/12/26 dwm

 Each time I head toward Madison on the Military Ridge State Trail, there is pond just off the bike path.

 Depending on the time of year and how much rain we've received, it might be full, while at other times, like now, the pond has lost a lot of water.

 The last two weeks, when I passed the pond before sunrise, I saw a cluster of cranes standing in the shallow pond. I guessed the first time that there were roughly 18 birds getting their feet wet. This time, the picture confirms the number.

 There will be hundreds of athletes in the Madison over the weekend getting more than their feet wet as the Half-IRONMAN marathon was Saturday with the full IRONMAN unfolding Sunday. 

Athletes on the 2nd leg. 9/12/26 dwm

I've usually only seen the cycling stage of the half-IRONMAN because it's the only event that leaves downtown Madison. This time I saw a few Iron-athletes early; then saw a lot more 90-minutes later as they headed for the finish and I was heading home.

On my way to Stoughton I added a 6-mile spur to the route which added 12 miles to the ride. At the Koffee Kup I opted for oatmeal with toast for a "second breakfast." I'm not sure a pint of chocolate protein milk and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich count as a 'first breakfast,' but that's what I had at the start of the trip.

It was a nice, uneventful ride. The IRONMAN offered the only distractions and it was fun to see the competitors charging back to Madison so they could run the half-marathon to the finish line.

IRONMAN athletes on Cty MM. 9/12/26 dwm

 Other than the competitors, there were lots of people on bikes yesterday going at their own pace. If we're doing anything on our bike in mid-September it might be a race against the much colder days ahead.

 Tale of the Bike Computer:

 Distance: 73 miles

 2026 miles: 1,610 miles

 Ave. Speed: 16.1 mph

 Time in the Saddle: 4 hours, 31 minutes