Inaugural Wrangler Ride

COWS Wrangler Ride—Laabs’ Lake Home: 39.66 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 2 hours 48 minutes, average speed: 14.1

Impressive average when we are not climbing mountains! This COWS Wrangler ride was held near Waupaca, WI and was hosted by John and Joan Laabs, our COWS presidents. It’s never too early to get going when you are promised a scenic bike ride through northern Wisconsin. We were in the van by 5:30 a.m. with the GPS set for Laabs’ lake home on Long Lake (Just south of Waupaca, WI). Five tandem teams planned to join us there at 10:00 a.m. to take part in this inaugural Wrangler ride. John planned a beautiful route through his neighborhood which included a stop for an ice cream treat at the 20-mile mark. We were able to sit on the deck of the shop and visit while we enjoyed our treats. Following our break, we continued along the route which took us over a covered bridge providing another beautiful photo opportunity. A Park was located just beyond the bridge called the Covered Bridge Park and was kept up by locals living near the bridge. I stopped to add a note to their visitor’s book and thanked them for dedicating their time to provide beauty for others to enjoy. On route again, we quickly rolled over hills and into valleys on the roads back to the lake home where Joan served us all a wonderful lunch. Once we were all fed, John took us on a pontoon trip around the lake. It was now getting late so we all said good-bye and thanked our gracious hosts for a wonderful day in the wilds of Wisconsin. This Wrangler ride was a huge success and we hope to see many more offered and possibly plan one in our neck of the woods in the near future.