2020 Coffeeneuring Challenge - Feeling Groovy

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
The 59th Street Bridge Song, Paul Simon (1966)

I don't need much of an excuse to ride my bike, meet with friends, or drink coffee. So, when Lucas Haan notified me of the 2020 Coffeeneuring Challenge, I jumped in. And, unlike our #CoffeeOutside - Rapid City gathering every Thursday morning, this one doesn't require sitting outside early morning, unless, of course, that's what you want to do.

From her website ChasingMailboxes.com, endurance athlete Mary Gersema describes the concept:  "The Coffeeneuring Challenge is a time to spin the wheels, experience the chill of fall as it pokes at you through your clothes, and linger over a steamy cup of coffee. The challenge offers an opportunity to virtually connect with others as we ride through shorter days and changing seasons."

"Essentially the challenge boils down to this:

• over the course of 7-ish weeks,
• ride your bike to 7 different places,
• at least 2 miles round trip each time,
• drink 7 cups of coffee (or similar), and
• take 7 pictures (or other documentation) as proof of your coffeeneuring."

More information at 2020 Coffeeneuring Challenge.

It's a fun twist. Among other things, Coffeeneuring led me to relax for a change by the "M" on M-Hill, to ride along on another's commute to work, to stop for a moment while scouting remote roads in the Black Hills, and even to ride straight up a temporary construction path to access some single track.

To submit the requested documentation to complete my first Coffeeneuring Challenge, I am Craig Groseth of Rapid City, South Dakota, USA and below are my completed control cards and pictures for seven rides. Thank you, Mary, for creating and nurturing this community of Coffeeneurs.

Ride 1

Ride 2

Ride 3

Ride 4

Ride 5

Ride 6

Ride 7

Here's Simon & Garfunkel "feeling groovy" at The Concert At Central Park in New York City in 1981. For a trip further down and even past Memory Lane for many, watch the second clip of Simon & Garfunkel on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967, where the Smothers Brothers join in.

The 59th Street Bridge Song, Simon & Garfunkel, The Concert At Central Park (1981).

The 59th Street Bridge Song, Simon & Garfunkel, Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967).