Shuttleguy & Shuttleguy Tours Newsletter  
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In This Issue
What's New?
Featured Tour
2011 Shuttleguy's
Own Tours

WISPRIDE (Wisconsin Parks Ride)

Tri-State Ride

WIND

BREW (Bike Ride Exploring Wisconsin)

Mississippi River Trail Ride



2011 Tours
We Support


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August, 2011
Greetings! 
  

The Shuttleguy crew just returned for RAGBRAI . . .

and are leaving on Sunday for BREW!  

 

Ride Safe!

 
What's New?
 

2011 RAGBRAI is history!

 

Again this year, a GREAT time was had by all in the Shuttleguy camp! A challenging route and challenging weather conditions made that daily dose of rhubarb pie, with ice cream, all the more welcoming. Our 100+ riders also helped Vickie and Jay celebrate their birthdays while on the ride. Cake, ice cream, root beer floats and Grey Goose made the day!

 

birthdays  

 

Don't miss the fun, adventure and that special Shuttleguy service on the 2012 RAGBRAI!  

  

mjdg   

"It was a great adventure, made easier by Shuttleguy's great service and focus on the details of our basic living needs. I met great people, including all of the staff, and really it was a rolling party!" 

Jay  

 

"Had a great time last week, thanks to you and the crew."


 Dennis

 
 

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2011 WISPRIDE Photo Contest  

 

We are excited to invite you to be part of this year's judging panel for the 2011 WISPRIDE photo contest.

 

  photocontest  

Each year on the WISPRIDE and Tri-State Ride we encourage riders to enter our ride photo contest. We even have three cameras to loan out for those shutterbugs that may not have a camera.

 

Here is a link to our Shuttleguy WISPRIDE Picasa page. Please take a minute to browse through the photos and pick which one you like the best!

 

2011 WISPRIDE photos 

   

Then . . . email us the row and column number of your favorite photo and we'll add it to the scoring sheet.  

 

Email winning number 

 

We'll announce the winning photo in a future  issue of the newsletter!

   

Featured Tour: Mississippi River Trail Ride

 

Mississippi River Trail Ride

October 1-2, 2011  

horses
This tour is a shorter version of our popular Tri-State Ride. Our goal is to provide a fabulous, fully supported tour as well as bring attention to the Mississippi River Trail, a 3,000 mile bicycle route starting at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca, Minn. and ending at the great Mississippi delta at the Gulf of Mexico.

 

This weekend of cycling will take you along parts of the Iowa and Wisconsin legs of the Mississippi River Trail. Many cyclists will see this ride as a great training opportunity for week-long summer tours.

   

Experience breathtaking landscapes mrt5sculpted by the Mississippi River and its many tributaries. Immerse yourself in this wonderful, natural area, home to many varieties of plant and wildlife. You can take in bald eagles soaring above, duck and geese at the river's edge and deer in the woods. Enjoy the small-town charm of our friendly host communities. All of the details are taken care of so you can enjoy carefree cycling.

 

This two day loop tour begins and ends in McGregor, Iowa. McGregor will be our friendly host town for registration and pre-ride festivities. After registration and setting up camp you can enjoy the many sightseeing, shopping, and dining experiences McGregor and its twin city Marquette have to offer.

 

 

Day 1:

 

It is southward bound as you follow the Mississippi River Trail. Today you will enjoy some beautiful views of the river, take in beautiful farmland vistas and enjoy the Iowa mrt2towns of Clayton, Guttenberg, Luxemburg and North Buena Vista. Immediately south of McGregor take a left into Pikes Peak State Park and enjoy some stunning panoramic views. In Guttenberg you can view the activities at Lock #10. In "Buenie" as the locals call it, take time to stop and marvel at the amazing grotto that was built into the bluff in the heart of this little hamlet during the great depression. You will end the day's journey with a ride across the Mississippi River on the Cassville ferry.

 

 


Day 2:


Today you will pedal uphill on the Wisconsin side to Prairie du Chien. Just kidding. Tbluff1here are a few downhill sections along the way. You will also ride through the charming towns of  Bagley, Wyalusing and Prairie du Chien. Then you will cross the great Mississippi River back into Iowa.

 

This ride is a great way to see some beautiful scenery, at a great time of year and begin to close down your riding season.

    

This ride highlights many of the most scenic areas of Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. As you ride the challenging route, you will experience spectacular hilltop vistas, meandering streams, and enjoy small town charm.

   

Click here for the complete itinerary

 

Featured Rider: Bill Potere

Bill Potere

 

I am Bill Potere and I guess you could say I am a mountain biker turned road biker!  My adult interest

in bicycling actually came from riding an "off road" motorcycle on motocross trails. However, my concerns for destroying some of nature's finest places and noise pollution eventually led me to try a mountain bike.  One day and I was hooked.

 

The northern suburbs of Detroit where I live have an abundance of public land with hills and trails just right for mountain biking.  I don't have to ride more than half a mile to enjoy unlimited fun in the woods. 

 

billtrail

In 1991, the Detroit Free Press announced that they were sponsoring the first "Michigander", a 350 mile ride across the state.

  Since there would be a combination of Rails to Trails and road riding, my mountain bike would be perfect.  I signed up, trained, and the rest is history.  Even though camping at the end of each day was not something I really looked forward to, the ride was great fun.  I met lots of fellow bicyclers and learned a great deal about bicycling. 

 

One of the early lessons was that the tires on my mountain bike didn't really lend themselves to highway riding.  My next ride was a five day loop around the southern part of Nova Scotia.  I changed my tires to a smoother, hybrid tire and found the going much easier. 

 

In 2001, as my daughter was finishing high school, we decided that it would be fun to do a father-daughter ride.  The Michigander was in its tenth year and seemed like an appropriate adventure for us.  As I reflect on the training and ride, I am sure that the entire experience was one of our most important bonding activities.

 

With each additional ride I began realize that a road bicycle would make life much easier.  So in 2004, as I was planning a northern Wisconsin ride, I finally purchased a Cannondale Silk Road bike.  It took a lot of adjustment, but I eventually got comfortable and learned to ride with toe clips.

 

  

 

There have been lots of rides since with my Cannondale.   I have lost track of the exact mileage but a quick calculation brings me to around 10,000 miles.  The last four years have allowed me to bike year round, as I spend the winters in Florida where my bike club rides three days a week.   

 

billbike

   

As I was finishing the winter of 2010 in Florida, I thought an early summer ride would be a good transition back to the north.  The Shuttleguy Tours offered WISPRIDE in early June so I signed up.  After six months of flatland riding in Florida, the hills of southern Wisconsin offered all the challenge I needed.  Rick, Tym and the Shuttleguy experience made it all worthwhile.  I returned for the second annual WISPRIDE. 

 

In mid-August, I will meet up with my Florida biking friends for a five day tour around the northern tip of Nova Scotia.  Cape Breton Island is as wild as Nova Scotia gets, so this should be one of my most exciting rides.  Too bad the Shuttleguy doesn't support this ride!     


Shuttleguy specializes in superior bicycle touring services for bicyclists with discriminating taste. Let us make life easy for you this summer on one of the many tours we support.
 
Sincerely,
Tym Allison
Shuttleguy and Shuttleguy Tours