Hello CR gang!
My schedule doesn't allow me to join the Cirque this year, however I have the very good fortune of just now retuning from the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour, held this past weekend in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Truly,
this was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had, on or off
a bike. Here's some info about it, plus links to three slideshows totaling 250 photos that I have put online. I highly recommend this event and definitely plan to return next year.
From the 3SpeedTour.com 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.
"English cycle touring in the 1930s was punctuated with many stops for
food, water, tea and sometimes a pint at the local brewpub. Scenic overlooks were an invitation to nap in the grass and were seldom missed. For weekend tourists, traveling light was the order of the day
and most people simply carried a change of clothes and rain gear. Fast
forward 80 years or so and it still makes sense.
"The route of the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour begins in Red Wing Minnesota
and heads around Lake Pepin clockwise with an overnight in Wabasha. The
total is 85 miles (actually, 75 miles - CK) for those who are foolish enough to keep track."
From a roadside historic marker along the route which nails it on the
head: "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."
I want to offer a giant "bravo" to Jon Sharratt and Noel Robinson and everyone else involved in the organizing of this stupendous weekend. The 3-Speed Tour is a real pleasure and a true treasure and Lake Pepin
is easily one of the nicest, most charming, and most hospitable areas in which I've ever cycled! Thanks as well for the great company, conversation, and support of all the other riders. My brother Keith, his wife Poosa, and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves out there. (Special
thanks to Jon and Noel for loaning classic 3-speeders to all three of us!!!)
Here's the link to my slideshows:
http://www.adventurecorps.com/
Here's the official event website: http://www.3speedtour.com/
Yours in sport,
Chris Kostman
Oak Park, CA