Ride across Iowa? On a bicycle? And camp along the way? Really? Back in 1998 I was newly single and getting started with serious bikes. I took the plunge and rode an MS150 2-day ride from Duluth, MN, to Anoka (the NW Twin Cities) one June weekend. I brought my new hybrid bike […]
More of a “let’s get there” day. Got the beer shirt and dipped the tire. Got on the road in West Union at 5:36am on the way to Lansing 65-plus miles away. With lots of hills in between. And lots of downhills on the other side of those big hills! Was able to be in
RAGBRAI Day 7: The Big Finish! Read More »
(This post is a day late because when you put 25,000 guests into towns with populations of 900 to 4000 the cell service can’t keep up!) Charles City To West Union. Sixty-three-plus miles. On the road by 6:15 am and into the last overnight town at about 3:30 pm. A bit slower as we stopped
RAGBRAI Day 6: The Last Overnight Read More »
We are up to Day 5 at RAGBRAI. I never thought I’d think of a 48-mile ride as a cool down ride. But it worked after yesterday’s century. Mason City to Charles City, a pretty little burg on a river. A beautiful bridge to walk and ride over to and from the campground. Out at
RAGBRAI Day 5: The Cool Down Day Read More »
Day 4 at RAGBRAI. We survived the 100-plus miles (actually 105) from Emmittsburg to Mason City. Out at 5:45 am and in around 4:00pm. Beer stops helped! And stops for pie, ice cream and a great brat. Music by the Eagles, Queen and Willie, ABBA, Gordon Lightfoot, Pearl Jam, among others. Met Chewy, the tandem-hauled
RAGBRAI Day 4: The Century Read More »
More stops for food and beer and conversation. Learned about the beer tent firsthand. Added another wristband to the collection. What a vast improvement over the medical and hospital bands from just 3 years ago. Almost prophetic. Out at 6:30am with a temperature of 69 degrees (a far cry from the 80s back home in
RAGBRAI Day 3: Tutu Tuesday Read More »
After arriving around 2:00 pm in Pocahontas, the ride part was finished. Another 72 miles added to the tally.Waiting out the rain at camp. Most of the climbing was done early. Roads are clean and glass free! It is as if the state DOT buffed the roads clean just for us! I am so used
RAGBRAI Day 2: College Day in Motion Read More »
Day 1 is in the books. Pancakes, beer, corn, beer, steak, beer…you get the idea. And hills, wind and…wait for it…gobs of traffic. This first day was the hottest day of the week. Sergeant Bluff to Ida Grove. 53-plus miles. Started at 6:30am and got off the course at 2:00pm. Ended up camping on the
RAGBRAI Day 1: Getting Rolling Read More »
Practice, practice, practice. While I’m not looking to get to Carnegie Hall, being ready for RAGBRAI will suffice. And doing a bit of planning and preparation before the ride is a good idea. My hiking-and-camping friend, Jody, suggested that I rehearse setting up my tent and gear before I got to Iowa. This actually was
RAGBRAI: Rehearsal Read More »
Maybe it was when I started making the Thursday training laps a drag race. I got carried away with the speed and competition between riders. Then I remembered: this is supposed to be fun. Somewhere along the way of piling up the weekly miles (nearly 200 per week) and climbing hills and attending rallies, it
RAGBRAI: Remember, this is supposed to be fun Read More »
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