RAGBRAI Day 7: Taking a dip in the Mighty Mississippi

After a week of biking, tent camping and more biking, my RAGBRAI adventure has finally come to a close.

I got into Dubuque around noon today, having survived the 47-mile trek today that included the hill everyone's been talking about his week: Potter Hill just outside of Graf (also known as "Potter Hell" by the locals). By any measurement, it was far and away the most difficult incline of the week, with a mile straight of incline and more than half of that with grading in the 10-14% range.

Here is the mapmyrun.com of today's route; you'll see what hill I'm talking about. If the steepness of the incline wasn't enough, the road also wrapped around a hillside. To put that in perspective, imagine taking the Lee Blvd hill in North Mankato, adding a few degrees of incline to it (Lee is estimated at about 9% at its steepest), adding a turn in it AND making it about 2,000 feet longer. Oh, and to top that off, you have to navigate around hundreds of other bikers while going up it.

So yeah, Potter Hill was indeed a challenge. A good portion of riders found the hill to be too difficult and opted to walk their bike up it rather than biking up it. I am proud to say that I was one of the riders that didn't have to hop off their bike. I had to shift down into the lowest gear possible and visualize my high school football coach yelling at me during 2-a-days, but I made it to the top.

So, with the big hill out of the way and nothing but smaller inclines the rest of the way, I did what many other RAGBRAI riders did to celebrate: I went to the nearest beer vendor and grabbed a drink. Once I got to Dubuque, I dipped the front tire of my bike into the Mississippi, then decided to join my bike in the cool river (pictured right). I only waded in most of the way up to my waist (there was no swimming allowed in the area), but the quick leg cool-down was refreshing.

Other highlights of the day included seeing the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, taking batting practice on the field (got one to the outfield, I feel pretty good about that), and stopping at a RAGBRAI staple food stand called Peanut Butter Jam. For the cool price of $4, you get a loaded pb&j with any of about 15 toppings to choose from. My pb&j sandwich (pictured right) also had the following toppings on it: marshmallow sauce, honey, raisins, gummy bears, Teddy Grahams, chocolate chips and banana slices. Sounds delicious, right?

RAGBRAI Day 6: Biking (and very little singing) in the rain

Sooner or later, Mother Nature had to make things tough.

RAGBRAI has had exceptional luck with weather up to this point. It's been sunny, but not terribly humid, moderately windy and the only time it rained before today was while everyone was asleep in Storm Lake.

That all changed today. It started raining early this morning in Waterloo and didn't relent for the entire 62 miles to Manchester. It never turned into a complete downpour, nor did it ever get very windy, but the constant rain wore on people as the ride progressed.

The majority of riders weren't as talkative as they have been in days past (myself included) and people seemed a lot more easily agitated by one another. I heard an older rider berate a young rider today for "clogging the passing lane" for bikers. The kid couldn't have been more twelve years old.

Like many riders, my pace today was considerably more brisk than it has been this week. Aside from an all-you-can-eat pancake stop just outside of Waterloo, I never hopped off my bike and made it to Manchester just a shade after 11 a.m, more than an hour earlier than I have been getting to host communities. Pass-through towns, which would normally be jam-packed with bikers and hopping with food and drink vendors, were instead putting an emphasis on "pass-through" part of their namesake. Most bikers just wanted to get the ride done quickly.

I'd be curious to see how much money pass-through towns made from riders today compared to the towns on previous days. I would guess the number would be very different.

On the bright side, the rain now let up in Manchester and other riders are beginning to come out of their tents to dry their clothes and explore the town. The general consensus around the campsite is that people are considerably happier to be in Manchester than they were in Waterloo.

Out of all the host communities we've stayed in this week, Waterloo would be at the bottom of the list for me, and probably would be for a lot of people. The main campground was on a plot of open land next to the Lost Island Waterpark and Isle of Capri Casino, which was south of the city several miles away from anything else in town that riders would've wanted to see in Waterloo.

If you weren't taking a $1 shuttle bus into town (and I haven't been because most towns are small and I'd rather save the money), you were forced to navigate confusing city streets and bad traffic to get anywhere. The Waterloo/Cedar Falls area does have a lot of bike trails, but none of them were anywhere near the waterpark area. It took me 40 minutes to bike to the library in Waterloo and, thanks to shoddy directions from the librarian, it took more than a hour to bike back. Most towns do their best to roll out the red carpet to RAGBRAI riders; Waterloo not so much.

The main campground was also a pretty poor setup. It was on bumpy, uneven ground with little grass and even less shade. On top of that, the campground was close enough to the main stage area where the music was making it difficult for riders to fall asleep. The waterpark area looked nice, but with a $20 entry fee, it was a bit out of mine, and probably a lot of other rider's, price ranges.

I belive Waterloo's intent was to funnel all the RAGBRAI activity to the casino/waterpark area. All it really wound up doing was making it tougher for riders to explore the town.

RAGBRAI Day 5: A little dose of reality

An unwritten rule about RAGBRAI is that you don't mess with another person's bike.

Oh, indecencies occur from time to time. Some people aren't big on communicating with other riders on the road (seen plenty of near-crashes this week). Others might over-serve themselves and get a little too loud at campsites. But your bike is your transportation for the week, and everyone respects that.

I commented on this realization in an earlier blog entry, when I came to conclude that I wouldn't need a bike lock during RAGBRAI because theft is almost never an issue.

In a way, I've been living in a cycling utopia this week. It's a culture based on mutual respect and understanding of the difficulty of what lies ahead. Riders come in all shapes and sizes, but that doesn't matter because we're all striving for the same thing: Getting to the Mississippi. Everyone is equal on RAGRAI and nobody worries about theft or other misfortunes that may occur in the real world. This isn't the real world, this is RAGBRAI. Even casual bystanders in host communities have respect and admiration for people bold enough to take a week off from life to do something as crazy as biking across a state.

However, reality came back to bite last night when the unthinkable happened: Someone walked off with my bike in Charles City. I left it parked in front of the town's library to go read in a nearby park, and it was gone when I returned about 45 minutes later. Instead of biking the 82-mile section of RAGBRAI today, I had to pay $25 to catch a charter bus to Waterloo (Iowa's landscape is considerably more boring from the window of a bus).

In the normal world, an incident like this would be met with people wondering how I could be so careless as to leave my bike unlocked and unattended. But on RAGBRAI, news of my bike's disappearance was met with some sort of variation of "That is so ******* weak, man" from just about everyone I talked to about it. A 15-time RAGBRAI rider told me that this was the first time he'd ever heard of a bike getting stolen during the week.

Thankfully, my lucked turned earlier today, when the Charles City police found my bike on the other side of town and had it immediately shipped to Waterloo. Whoever stole my bike apparently tired of it quickly and realized that it was essentially worth nothing (the brand of bike doesn't even exist anymore and it weighs almost 30 pounds). The bike is currently in possession, parked 15 feet from the chair I'm currently sitting in, and should be good to go for the rest of the week.

However, even though my bike may be unscathed, the comfort and security I had in my surroundings has been noticeably damaged. I hid my bike in grouping of bushes in downtown Waterloo tonight rather than risking it again.

I guess I needed that bike lock after all.

RAGBRAI Day 4: A little inspiration on the road

Prior to this week, whenever I told people I was biking across Iowa, the common response I'd get was this: "I'd never be able to do that."

People look at the sheer mileage (442 miles this week) and immediately believe it to be an insurmountable distance for them. They either don't think they're in shape for it or they don't think they have the motivation to submit themselves to a week's worth of biking.

Make no mistake: This is no picnic. We're more than 250 miles into the trip so far and signs of fatigue are evident in both myself and everyone else. We're all sun burnt and sore from biking and I can't imagine anyone is looking forward to the 82-mile ride tomorrow (the longest day of the week) from Charles City to Waterloo.

However, if there's anything I've learned from RAGBRAI this week, it's this: Anyone is capable of making it across Iowa if they really want to.

Want proof? Take a look at the photo on the right. I saw the guy in the photo while biking into Swaledale (first town after Clear Lake) today. To be clear, that's not Photoshop; he really is riding a recumbant bike with no legs. He apparently lost them in Iraq and has to pedal with his hands.

I didn't get a chance to talk with him (it's tough finding people again on the road, it's a never-ending wave of bikes), but a friend of his assured me that he's not a daily rider. He is in fact doing the entire bike ride. This also isn't his first RAGBRAI. His friend said he's completed "several" of them over the years.

I've seen some inspiring riders on the road this week. A 10-year-old boy trying to keep up with his dad, a just-married couple using RAGBRAI as their honeymoon, a 75-year-old man participating in his 20th RAGBRAI.

But there's something incredible about a person doing something like this with no legs. Rather than complaining about the knee pains I have while biking, I should be thankful that I have knees that can feel pain.

RAGBRAI Day 3: Tougher than it seems

When I woke up this morning, I wasn't the only RAGBRAI biker excited for today's ride.

All signs pointed to an easy day of biking after a tough 79-mile ride the day before. The ride was supposed to be 20 miles shorter, there weren't a whole lot of hills and the skies were overcast in the morning. I even managed to depart from the campsite in Algona by 6:30 a.m., a personal best for me this week, in an attempt to hammer out a quick day of biking. I figured I'd get to Clear Lake early, hang out on the beach there (pictured right) and possibly hit up the Tiki Bar

However, despite the easier logistics, the ride today was far from a cake walk for two reasons: Wind and humidity.

Wind turbines are a regular site in Iowa, and after departing from Gardner (22 miles away from Clear Lake), the turbines along the road began spinning furiously as the wind started blowing in our faces. The temperature had already risen into the 80's at that point (with a heat index several degrees warmer thanks to humidity). Add in a 15 mph head wind, and those last 22 miles seemed pretty darn long. I'm not sure if it was the same for other riders, but I had to refill my water bottle twice after Gardner.

Other thoughts on the day:

• I checked a food stop off the RAGBRAI bucket list today when I pulled into the Pastafari stand just outside of Gardner. I had been told about Pastafari by several experienced riders, all of whom sang high praises to the pasta's incredible taste and generous proportions. It was an expensive roadside meal ($12 for a pasta bowl and an orange juice), but other rider's claims about its wonderful taste weren't lying. The pasta was seasoned with a garlic/herb sauce similar to the kind you'd find in Italian bread and was topped off with grated Parmesan, grilled zucchini and squash. To top it all off, the stand had some pretty cool reggae music playing in the background. Considering I was hungry enough to eat a shoe at that point, it was definitely a welcomed stop.
  
• I've seen some strange bikes this week, but none quite like the banana bike pictured on the right. Adding to the fruity three-wheeler's getup was its owner, also dressed as a banana. I imagine the people at the free banana stand today got a kick out of that.
  
• Every host community has a "theme" it tries to cater its festivities around. Clear Lake's "Surf's Up" slogan captures the town perfectly. For being a relatively small town of less than 10,000, it's a pretty cool lake community. The downtown area funnels down to the lake and the beach is the best I've seen so far this week. While RAGBRAI riders (myself included) took a dip in the lake to cool off, a live band kept us entertained with Beach Boys covers and a limbo contest.
  
• Quick history lesson: Clear Lake is just south of the site of the plane crash that killed rock legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake was actually the last performance venue for the three musicians.

RAGBRAI Day 2: The Grotto gem of West Bend

For the most part, towns you pass through on RAGBRAI are pretty similar.

All of them have a town festival of some sort, numerous food stands to choose from, and a beer garden to help quench you thirst. If you're lucky, the town will have a free water fill-up station and short lines to the bathroom. It's a welcome site for riders, but can get to be a monotonous one, especially when bike traffic gets congested.

At first glance, the small town of West Bend was a lot of the same. Since I spent $5 on some homemade ice cream (delicious, by the way) a few miles back, my intent was to pedal through the town on press on to Algona. I figured a full water bottle and last granola bar would tide me over for the last 18 miles of a surprisingly flat 79-mile day.

My intentions held true until I got to the east end of town. That's when I came across the Grotto of Redemption, a massive stone monument next to the town's church. I was told about the Grotto by a few seasoned RAGBRAI riders earlier in the day, but dismissed it as being being a run-off-the-mill statue of religious significance. After all, how cool could a monument be in a town of a little more than 800 people?

Well, after seeing the Grotto, I will tell you this: It ain't your average statue. I spent an hour walking around the park taking pictures (only posting a few of them because it's time-consuming to do so). Aside from maybe the Basilica in St. Paul, I don't think I've ever seen a religious monument so impressive.

Construction of the Grotto began in 1912 when Fr. Paul Dobberstein, a Catholic priest, gathered stones from around the world and built the Trinity part of the monument to fulfil a promise he made to the Blessed Mary for curing him when was stricken with pneumonia. The rest of the monument was construction was completed over the course of the next 70 years, first by Dobberstein, later by his predecessor Fr. Louis Greving.

There are numerous stories of Christianity depicted on the Grotto. The 14 stages of the cross, Adam and Eve, the Ten Commandments and Jesus Christ's birth are just a few of the stories told through stones and petrified wood. The Grotto is the size of a decent-sized church, draws thousands of tourists every year and is proudly referred to by some of the locals as being the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

I don't know if it's quite as awe-inspiring as the actual seven wonders, but it's certainly impressive.

RAGBRAI Day 1: Rolling hills, a useless bike lock, and free beer

A few scattered thoughts after my first day of RAGBRAI:

• I'd love to tell you that there was some sort of epic starting ceremony where 10,000 riders biked out out of Sioux City at once, but that simply wasn't the case. People are pretty much allowed to depart from camp whenever they wish. Some of the bikers camping in my area were gone before I even woke up (and I was up by 5:30 a.m., no small feat). For non-team riders, the only time element to be mindful of is the baggage truck. The truck departs from the campground at 8 a.m. every morning, so my usual sleeping habits of waking up at 10 probably won't work here.


• The item I will probably come to regret packing the most is my bike lock. There's been a fear of theft just about everywhere I've ever been with my bike. But after one day of riding, I can see that bike theft is the last thing I'll have to worry about. At stopping points, riders pretty much leave their bike wherever there's an open patch of grass (see first photo).


• The RAGBRAI culture summed up in one statement: The small town of Kingsley (population 1,245) was hopping like the 4th of July when I passed through at 9 in the morning. Live music was playing at several locations, pancake breakfasts were readily available, and there were literally beer vendors at every corner. There was also a wonderful special on Bloody Marys.


• The mix of people at an event like this is beyond description. In the span of one day of riding, I conversed with a Georgia Tech rower, talked about The Beatles with a 10-time RAGBRAI rider from Colorado and had a drink with a family from Independence, Iowa (near Waterloo). And that's just the start of it.


• Difficulty-wise, 69-mile first day of RAGBRAI was tough, with rolling hills at every turn and the sun shining all day. But it was hardly unbearable. I stopped multiple times throughout the day, and still made it to Storm Lake by 2 p.m. I've heard from experienced riders that the next few days are considerably flatter, so hill haters rejoice!


• The RAGBRAI book advises budgeting $35 for food per day, which made me nervous going in that I'd have enough money to make it through the week. But so far, that hasn't been the case at all. I spent $5 on breakfast at a Burger King in Sioux City, ate granola bars I brought with during the ride, ate a $1 ice cream sandwich at a random ice cream truck stop and got free watermelon and brats along the way (more on the brats stop later).


• The passing towns have a variety of quirky free activities for cyclists to engage in. The second photo on the right is a picture of me dunking my head into a large tub of ice water in Washta. Considering the temperature was a balmy 85 degrees throughout the day, the quick cool down was greatly appreciated.
  
• You can't go more than a mile on RAGBRAI without seeing signs for homemade cheesecake, pie, or other goodies to stop for. $2 stops for food here and there can add up in a hurry, so you can imagine my skepticism when I saw the sign in the third picture less than 2 miles outside of Storm Lake. I was in such disbelief, I asked three other riders whether or not the sign was a hoax. A few beers and brats later, I found out that it was indeed the real deal. On top of that, the stop also featured a live band playing covers of everything from The Rolling Stones to Eric Clapton. Easily my favorite stop of the day.
  
  

Evening plans are to check out the beach and lighthouse in Storm Lake, find a reasonable place to eat and hit up the downtown area for a free Johnny Holm concert.