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Team Kaos riders Scott Tarry and Doug Semisch recently had a victorious cycling weekend, although it did not involve a race. They rode the usual 50 mile Saturday Bikemasters ride, then on Sunday joined 6 others on the Branched Oak 150. Starting at 129th & Fort Street in Omaha the tough little band rode through Elkhorn, Waterloo, Venice, Yutan, Mead, Ceresco, Raymond, around Branched Oak Lake, and then back through Raymond, Ceresco, Ashland, Yutan, Venice, Waterloo, and Elk City, arriving back at the start several hours later. The brutal conditions tested their determination and stamina. Only Tarry, Semisch and three other riders completed the quest, although Semisch reported having serious internal arguments with himself--why was he still on the bike and not in the van? In the end, though, Semisch was proud of himself for sticking with it, completing the longest, most brutal ride of his life. He was also proud for not quitting on his team/ride mates who rallied around him as they battled that monster wind. In the end, not even rain at the 143 mile mark could get Semisch, Tarry or the others off their bikes. The younger Tarry, a cat IV racer, was clearly up to the challenge. Not only did he help pull Semisch through the wind, but he also sprinted for just about every town sign against the younger riders. This was Tarry's second 150 mile ride this year.
This ride was designed, in part, to be a training/prep ride for Tarry and Bike Masters shop manager, Dave Reinarz, as they prepare for a July cross-country trek over 30 days. |
