Long & Hilly & Wet. But no sun to further my red legs! Greenfield is the overnight town w/ a population of 2,000. They just got hugified w/ 21,000 riders. Not much going on except a pizza hut buffet and a free rain shower. With 77 miles staring me in the face tomorrow it’ll be an early night. 72 miles covered today.
Posted via email
The ride into Red Oak was hilly but short. No complaints to mother nature who provided a cloudless sky and virtually zero wind. On the food front, we got some good home cooked fuel from a local host. The warm shower was very refreshing. I’m still in awe of the ultimate runner who made the 50+ mile trek on foot! Some other oddities include a rollerblader, 2 unicyclists and a banana bike. Can’t wait for the Farm Bros. Coffee tomorrow.
Posted via email
Hopefully I have all the gear needed ready to go. We’re off to Council Bluffs for the pre-ride gathering and maybe some Bare Naked Ladies (the band that is) later tonight.
Posted via email
This year’s 442 mile route through the hills of southern Iowa will require the following. Most of it will be carried in one giant duffel bag via a shuttle. The rest will be carried on a rack attached to my bike.
Biking Gear:
Clothes:
Bathroom Supplies:
Camping Equipment:
Energy:
Essentials:
There will also be plenty of stops for Fat Tire Beer, Casey’s Pizza, and Fair Trade Coffee.
Meet the newest addition to the family, Schwinn Caliente.
After scouring craigslist for the last two months, I finally found an adoptable bike. He comes from a one owner who took care of him. He’s a little heavier than his counterparts but will do me just fine. I hope to have him in RAGBRAI shape in a couple weeks; some fresh air will do him good.
Yesterday we got a taste of bike riding, bar hopping, and Fat Tire. Katie, Mike, and I rode approx 35 miles with stops at Mahoneys, Chrome Horse, The Shack, and Shueys. We even had time to refuel w/ jello shots at the oasis (really just a gravel road).
Posted via email from John’s posterous
The RAGBRAI complete route is now available. One of my favorite things about the ride is going through the towns and rating them in my head on which ones I like best. My criteria is pretty simple…
1. Ample bike parking is a must
2. Plenty of FREE water
3. Bar on each side of the road to avoid crossing in front of riders
4. Must be able to find a large tenderloin for under $5
I believe Le Grand, Belle Plaine and Mechanicsville were good towns last year.
This year I have my eye set on Milo…it’s the halfway point on Wednesday, which is only 44 miles for the whole day. I’m thinking this will be a “more than one beer stop”. Unless that one Miller Lite sponsored singer is there. In that case I’ll be shifting up and speeding through town.
