It’s official. I traveled across Iowa on a bike. A used 1980s Schwinn 10 Speed to be exact. I was a little nervous at first taking the bike after purchasing it less than a month ago and only riding 1o miles. It held up just fine and performed well.
The last day was extremely easy compared to the previous routes. Covering 42 miles with a tail wind, flat & smooth road wasn’t hard at all. I would guess we averaged 15 mph compared to 11-12 the other days. Burlington greeted us with an opportunity to go up Snake Alley which is famed the “Crookedest Alley in the World”. I put the gear in easy and went for it. Man was it tough but I made it without falling. Others were not so fortunate. For my effort, I was rewarded a koozie and a “good job”. From there, we went down to the Mississippi River to finally complete our week. The sense of accomplishment was huge, but also bittersweet knowing my adventure was about over. I think the reason I am drawn to RAGBRAI is the challenge of riding a bike great distance but more so leaving behind everything and just enjoying life. The atmosphere and people are great. Whatever kind of mood you are in someone else is with you. You can crank it up and go fast on the left or you can ride on the right and enjoy the company of others.
- Covered 442 Miles from Council Bluffs to Burlington.
- Camped every night in my 6′x5′ tent with a sleeping bag and inflatable pillow.
- Got rained on 3 out of the 7 nights.
- Showered at a host house, friend’s apartment, shower mobile, and camp hose. Skipped two days.
- Zero flat tires.
