About 50 cyclists took part in the “Tour d’ Greene” on July 16, doing a 20-mile loop ride from the Jefferson Depot, on paved county roads and then the Raccoon River Valley Trail. The night before, many of them also enjoyed a “Full Moon(less) Ride” on the trail between Cooper and Herndon. Here are a brief story and photos.
JEFFERSON, Iowa, July 18, 2011 — About 50 cyclists used the hot Saturday morning and afternoon of July 16 to get in some final training miles for RAGBRAI by riding the second annual “Tour d’ Greene” ride here. The route was a 20-mile loop starting and ending at the Jefferson Depot, and using paved county roads as well as the portion of the Raccoon River Valley Trail between Cooper and Jefferson.
The ride is sponsored by the Cyclists Of Greene bike club, based in Jefferson, and that group provided participants with a veritable feast at the depot during the morning and for lunch.
As part of the weekend, the club also sponsored a “Full Moon Ride” Friday night, July 15, leaving Cooper after 8 p.m. and riding the RRVT south to Herndon and back, a round-trip of 10 miles. The first half of the ride was in the twilight, and the return trip was in darkness. The full moon was blocked from view by clouds.
For more about the “Tour d’ Greene” you can check the photos and captions below here.
Outside the renovated Jefferson Depot at the trailhead of the Raccoon River Valley Trail, which served as the hub for the 20-mile loop ride on “Tour d’ Greene” on Saturday, July 16.
Cyclist Kyle Orris of Jefferson registers for the ride.
Bill Neese, of Jefferson, and Tom Stringer, of Carroll, are showing riding across the North Raccoon River bridge southeast of Jefferson.
Roadside refreshment stop east of Cooper, where (from left) David Ausberger of Jefferson, host Duane Frantum of Jamaica, Mary Ellen Perkins and Sandy Lowe, both of Panora, and an unidentified man were chatting.
Mary Ellen Perkins and Sandy Lowe ride into Cooper, with farm fields stretching east to the horizon behind them.
The Beebe family of Jefferson hosted a refreshment stand on the Raccoon River Valley Trail at Winkleman Switch, a trailhead located midway between Cooper and Jefferson.
Bob Monthei rode a golf cart over to the Raccoon River Valley Trail and introduced himself to cyclists as “the mayor of Winkleman Switch,” which is a rural trailhead along the trail. “I thought I better come welcome you all,” Monthei said. When asked if he’d won the previous election over Dale Betts, who also lives right there, Monthei said “yes, but the truth is there was only one vote.”
Brothers Mark Naberhaus (left) of Scranton and Pat Naberhaus of Des Moines ride into Winkleman Switch.
Mickey Frantum (left), of Jamaica, and her daughter Tina Kafer after they’d ridden the “Tour d’ Greene.”
