I just completed the 2003 Illinois AITC ride and it was a great one. The ride started at the
Radisson on John Deere Commons in Moline, Illinois, Tuesday, Sept 2nd, after a kick off banquet
the previous evening. I rode the long route, which followed a southern route through Rock Island,
Mercer, Warren-Henderson, Knox & Henry Counties, and ended up back at the Radisson after 113
miles. The roads were generally very good to excellent and the terrain was quite hilly and
challenging but a group of 8 of us, including 3 bents, rode a pretty fast pace. Afterwards, we
enjoyed a great reception at the John Deere Pavillion, complete with plenty of liquid refreshments
and appetizers, and then had an equally great pizza and pasta buffet at Finney's. After that, I
joined some of the other rider's for a soak in the hotel's spa, along with a few beers, before a
well deserved night's sleep.
The next day, the long route went east and north, through Henry, Bureau and Lee Counties. The
organizers had planned to load the bikes on trailers and then bus the riders 25 miles from Moline to
Geneseo but a group of 14 of us left early and rode there instead. No sense in in putting a
perfectly good bike on a trailer when you can ride! From Geneseo, the route continued to Dixon and
then to Rock Falls, where we spent the night. 108 miles for the day and my first back to back
centuries. The roads were again very good to excellent, pretty hilly, although not as much as the
first day, and the winds generally favorable, so it was another fairly fast paced day. However, the
last 16 miles, from Dixon to Rock Falls, were right into the teeth of winds over 20 mph. I, on my
Baron, and another rider on a homebuilt lwb lowracer, easily pulled away from the lead pack as we
were able to comfortably maintain 20-21 mph while the lead pack struggled to maintain 16 mph in a
paceline. That evening, we were again guests of John Deere Company, who bused us to the John Deere
Historic Site, at Grand Detour, where we enjoyed a great bbq supper & a tour of the site. After
returning to our hotel in Rock Falls and enjoying ice cream, compliments of Culver,s, and a few
beers, I hit my bed and slept like a baby till the next morning.
The final day, from Rock Falls back to Moline, was supposed to be an easy day, with only a few
hills, mostly flat to rolling terrain for 58 miles and light winds. However, the roads were again
excellent and the longest leg between stops, for most of the day, was 14 miles. Those riders that
rode centuries the previous two days, including myself, had every intention to ride an easy pace and
were doing so, at about 18-19 mph, when a group of about 8 riders, whom had ridden the short routes
the 2 previous days, blew by in a paceline. Well, we could not have that so a group of 5 of us,
including the 2 lowracers and a faired GRR broke out, reeled them in and then continued to put them
well behind us. My legs were feeling pretty good so I continued to push the pace and pulled away and
hammeered the the last 10 miles to the rest stop. The rest of the ride that day continued to follow
the same pattern and turned into a series of long sprints, culminating with a 20 mile stretch on the
bike trail from Port Byron to Moline, where I joined a group of 5 DF riders and we hammered all the
way to Moline, back to the Radisson. A wild ride and quite fun. A particularly memorable event was
when the group passed by a very large group of about 30 golf carts full of senior citizens, which
was parked by the trail, apparently getting ready to head out on it in their carts. Tom Sherman,
what is the deal with these golf carts on the path? The funny thing was watching them whip there
heads around as the group of bikes when flying by. After a hot shower, some refreshments and
farewells to the other riders, I, and two friends carpooled and drove the 140 miles back home. My
favorite ride was over again for another year.
Out of the approximately 100 riders in the AITC ride this year, there were 7 bents, my Baron, a
homebuilt lwb lowracer, a GRR, a Tour Easy, a Rans Rocket, a Cycle Genius STX-24 and a Volae Club.
It would be great to get some more bent riders involved in what I feel is the one of the best
supported, most fun multiday rides in Illinois. It is a midweek ride, follows a differnt format
because of the school stops and presentations and is mainly a fund raiser for the AITC program, but
most new riders that do this ride end up coming back the next year. The route changes every year but
it is always somewhere in Illinois and always takes place the 3 days following Labor Day. There are
options for 1, 2 or all 3 days. Think about it!
Harry Jiles