Lake Pepin is truly a remarkable place to ride and it's nice to see it getting some "air time" here on this forum. I've ridden around it three times, all as two-day jaunts during the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour, in 2006, 2007, and 2008. In 2007 I blazed a dirt road alternate to part of the Day Two route, which became the main route for that stretch thereafter. This started a trend and other quasi Rough Riding alternatives have been added, at least unofficially. You can see my pix and videos from 2008 here, and once in there you'll find links to my 2006 and 2007 pix and reports.
http://www.adventurecorps.com/chronicles/2008/2008pepin.html Here's the blurp I wrote about it at the time: Imagine a two-day cycling event which doesn’t allow Lycra, requires no training (but lots of good attitude) and features riders in 1930s era “street” clothing who stop at every single scenic overlook, roadside historical marker, and café they encounter, while riding old British 3- speed bikes that are commonly seen offered for a few bucks in garage sales. This is the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour and it’s the coolest, most fun, most enjoyable, and perhaps the most thought-provoking bicycle event I’ve ever attended. The sixth annual edition was held May 17-18, 2008 and I rode it with my girlfriend Elizabeth, her sister Alison, and bro-in-law Dave. It was my third Pepin Tour, Elizabeth's second, and Alison & Dave's first. According to the ride website, “The Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour is based on cycle touring in pre-war England. It was a gentlemanly time; few people owned a car and recreation based on automobiles was extremely limited. To get away for the weekend they would pack a few things, mount up and head to the country. Most every farmstead had refreshments or a room to rent, every little village had a family-run restaurant; just look for the ‘Cyclist Teas’ or ‘CTC Recommended’ sign. It’s a romantic image to be sure but firmly based in reality.” The spirit of the “gentleman cyclist” runs strong through the organizers of this event, Jon Sharratt, the “Shirt-Tail Organizer,” and Noel Robinson, the founder. For the third year in a row, Jon and Noel offered to loan classic 3-speed bicycles to our entire group. That amazing generousity once again confirmed for us that the whimsical attitude featured on their website is not just their Internet persona, but an authentic way of life. The route of this two-day event features a 75-mile, clockwise circumnavigation of Lake Pepin, a stretch of the Mississippi River which is wide and distinctive enough to merit the “lake” appellation. "City dwellers need go no farther than this if they seek romantic solitude," wrote panorama artist Henry Lewis in 1848. "One can not imagine a more lovely expanse of water than Lake Pepin in quiet, clear weather." So said one of the many roadside historical markers along the route, and I couldn’t agree more. - Chris Kostman La Jolla, CA http://www.XO-1.org PS We still have a few of both types of 3-Speed Adventure Society hats floating around, if anyone is interested (we had some of those made for the 2007 edition, as I recall). -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
