March | 2016 | Steve Tilford

I’ve been riding back and forth to Lawrence from Topeka on the Scenic River Road the past month pretty often. Mainly this is because I love the ride, but also because when the wind is blowing from the south, which it has been, the route is kind of sheltered.

Around Topeka, more and more of these roadside memorials have been popping up along the roads I ride. That isn’t a good thing.

A couple weeks ago I noticed a new memorial at the top of the pavement, right before the road turns to gravel. I was riding with Bill and Kris and asked them what that was all about. They said that a kid riding a 3 wheeler had crashed and died there.

That made me sad. I’d seen those kids a couple times the previous two weeks while riding. I remember even having a conversation with Bill about the last time we had seen a “three wheeled quad”. Those things were pretty dangerous and I think they recalled all of them or something. I don’t think it even had a front shock.

Anyway, I stopped at the shrine the next time I rode by it alone. It is always a reflection of what the person’s friends feel that important to him for them. There were lots of quarters, a cross, of course, a few teddy bears, flowers, etc.

I think the first time I’d ever seen a roadside shrine is when I was racing the Tour of Baja. I was climbing the La Rumorosa, which is a long, barren, rocky climb, just south of the US border. I was dying, barely able to breathe because of all the semis passing me, spewing out diesel fumes.

It was like another world. I just looked off the edge as I was creeping up the climb and saw all the automobiles and buses that were down the cliffs, laying on the rocks below. Most of these accidents were marked by a cross, or a make-shift shrine. Some were elaborate, others just a couple sticks tied together.

I always wondered what the circumstances to each and every one was. But here in Topeka, I can find out, but choose not to. It would be so easy to just google search each of these roadside memorials to find of a little about them. But I won’t.

I would just rather remember waving to those two kids as I rode by. They seemed to be enjoying the day, as I was. That is the memory I choose.

The new memorial along the Scenic River Road.

I saw two more the other day. This one.

And this one.

Tucker and the cats get along great.

Pretty great finish of this race today.

Isn’t it weird how the bike racing season now starts in January and ends whenever. I’m talking about the road season. With all this social media and new events throughout the world, guys are doing stage races in early January and already have a dozen race days by the time that some guys do their first ride on dry pavement. It is only the first of March. Today I’m doing race #4.

Anyway, yesterday, Bill, Kris and I rode over to Lawrence to the 2nd Spring Fling Criterium. The day was nearly perfect. Mid 60’s and pretty calm. Of course, here in Eastern Kansas that means that they burn the fields. Very bad. But, they do it every year and I usually try to bug out for most of it. I’m not sure how much of that I’m going to miss this year, but I hate it.

The race went okay. I woke up yesterday with a super scratchy throat. I was sick for two weeks, felt okay for 3 or 4 days, then yesterday bad. There are three possible reasons. 1, I swept up a bunch of super dusty stuff for a couple hours the day before, 2, the smoke is just making me raspy, or 3, my brother has been pretty sick for the past few days and it is something new. I don’t mind 1 or 2 much, number 3 has me a bit worried.

Like I said the race was alright. It is a points race format, so there are three sprints before the final sprint. I’m not sure how many guys started, maybe 40 or so. The race wasn’t the quickest early season race I’ve done, but it was a nice race. Lots of mini jumps, a few short breakaway attempts, and of course, the sprints.

The Olathe Subaru guys had the numbers again and dictated the race. All of them have a quick sprints and they were just helping each other out. I missed up nearly each one. Most of them I started way too early, bogging down before the finish. Once I was close, think I finished a close 2nd.

The final sprint I was good, but tapped my brakes at the wrong moment and ended up 4th. I think I finished 3rd or 4th in the race, but once again, we had to take off to ride the 1 1/2 back to Topeka, so didn’t see the final points tally. It was an 80 mile day, so that was good.

This morning we’re already gone. 5:45 departure time. It was super smokey in the city, which isn’t that usual, so they are burning a lot. I woke up this morning with a super clogged up throat. Hopefully I feel better by 10 am, the start time of the Tall Chief Road Race outside Tulsa Oklahoma.

I did the race a couple years ago and it is a nice course. 18 mile loop with a couple hard climbs. We do 4 laps, so I guess it is around 70+ miles.

Okay, kind of short of time, so that is all I got. Enjoy your Sunday.