Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19, 2013
Rally Day #1: Friday, May 17, 2013
Lake Geneva, WI to Richmond, IL: 31.25 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 2 hours 26 minutes, average speed 12.7
We arrived in Lake Geneva well before check in and were surprised to learn our room was ready for us. This gave us much needed time to prepare for the wild and crazy weekend ahead. Our room was wonderful with a door out to a private deck overlooking Geneva Lake. We took some time to breathe deeply and enjoy the view before joining the commotion beginning at the registration desk in the hotel lobby. The organization of our rally hosts allowed Dennis and I to take part in all rally activities. As new secretaries of the club, we expected to be on duty during registration times but our fabulous hosts had everything covered.
After having a quick lunch at Gino’s, we rallied to ride with three Missouri teams and a few Wisconsin members. The route took us southeast through rolling farmlands and forests to Pell Lake and then on towards the Wisconsin/Illinois border. We rode through Genoa City and into the charming town of Richmond, IL, stopping at Skoopers for an ice cream treat—Moose Tracks, Yum!
A descent to Big Foot State Park held a beautiful panoramic view of Geneva Lake. Climbing out of the park, we rode past several lakeside mansions before descending back to the lake and our hotel.
We enjoyed a quite supper at Sprecher’s with Kathi and John Johnson which was followed by the COWs social hosted by Dick and Jackie Homan. We enjoyed visiting with old and new club members. Rally day one ended with a quick officer’s meeting and a final visit with Dennis and Ingrid Hughes.
Rally Day #2: Saturday, May 18, 2013
Lake Geneva, Burlington and Powers Lake: 47.16 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 3 hours 32 minutes, average speed 13.2
We awoke to another sun shining day—great for this pedaling vacation! The 59 teams were gathering in the parking lot of the host hotel for a planned start time of 9:00 a.m. We always enjoy the sea of multicolored jerseys and the excitement as the police escort sends us on our way. All routes rode together for the first 14 miles towards historic downtown Burlington, known as Chocolate City, USA. We followed the broad scenic valleys of Como Creek and the White River.
We looped around Powers Lake and the Nippersink Golf Course before returning to Lake Geneva with time to wash up and COW-pool over to Yerkes Observatory for a 3:00 p.m. private tour. The observatory was established in the 1890’s and is known for having the world’s largest lens-type telescope.
Yerkes is a 100-year-old observatory owned by the University of Chicago with five research telescopes, one of which is the largest refractor in the world. The observatory was founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and, using some trickery, was financed by Charles T. Yerkes.
An event social and banquet followed the Yerkes tour and was a wonderful 25-year COWs anniversary celebration and we could not have had a more appropriate setting than Celebration on Wells. We were dining in style with white linen table coverings, a chef-carved roast beef and lighting that surrounded us in an elegant atmosphere. Of the 59 couples attending the rally, 80% join the fun, food and conversation this banquet provided. The introduction of 11 new teams took place following the unveiling of a new tandem song written by Joan Laabs and Susan Pribyl and set to the tune of “Living on Tulsa Time”.
Rally Day #3: Sunday, May 19, 2013
Breakfast Ride to Twin Lakes: 28.97 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 2 hours 5 minutes, average speed 13.8
We set off on a final bike route of this Spring Rally with club members that offered their friendship back when we first joined the COWs in 2006. New members joined in and by the time we reached Twin Lakes for breakfast, the size of our group was too large to eat at the recommended diner so we pulled out our smart phones and quickly found a suitable alternative. The Corner Kitchen Family Restaurant was able to seat our group at one large table where we could enjoy this last meal together.
The packing up and good-byes began once back at our hotel. Many teams stopped to share their rally experience with us and express their thanks for a memorable 25th anniversary rally—this one will be tough to top.
COWs 2013 Spring Rally Ride Statistics
- 5 states were represented: Wisconsin 42 teams, Illinois 6 teams, Minnesota 5 teams, Iowa 3 teams and Missouri 3 teams for a total of 59 teams
- 48 teams attended the Saturday banquet and social (80% of total rally attendance)
- 11 new teams were initiated into the club
Total Spring Rally biking miles: 107.38
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