I almost didn't even make it to the ride. I spent the night in a hotel and the guy who was in a room next to me kept the volume on his tv very loud. The guy who was on the other side of him was having a small party with a couple of girls. So finally at midnight I went up to the front desk and asked them to tell my neighbors to be quiet otherwise I would take care of it. They did and I finally got to sleep.

I showed up at Dodgeville Middle School. It was a sunny but chilly morning. Temps were only in the mid 30s but it was suppose to warm up into the 60s by early afternoon. So I wore my bike jersey with a t-shirt underneath it. I had leg and arm warmers and that was it. I didn't want to wear a coat because I would get too warm once I got going on the ride. The ride was great. Country roads with very little traffic. It was a mix of riding by farm fields and heavily wooded areas. I enjoyed the wooded areas because they sheltered me from the wind. In all I did over 7500 feet of climbing. None of the hills were so big that I ever felt I wouldn't make it up. Plenty of rest stops and water stations. The volunteers were constantly thanking the riders for their support of the animal shelter. The only problem I had was that I couldn't clip my cleats into my pedals for the last 25 miles. I walked through some mud at a rest stop and it plugged up my cleats.

If you live in the WI, IA, MN or IL area and you want a great early season ride I would suggest this one. They offered 35, 55, 85 and 100 mile routes. Plenty of food and drink and rest stops. Dinner after the ride was offered. Lots of SAG vehicles on the road. Well marked course. I will try to make this ride an annual event.