The Spoke Easy

RAGBRAI 2010 - Day 7: Manchester to Dubuque

2010-08-04T17:51:00.000-05:00

First, let me apologize for the tardiness of this post! I guess life got in the way upon my return...

Our trip from Manchester to Dubuque was short; less than 50 miles. We rode into Dubuque around 9:45AM and rode for about 10 miles through town. What a picturesque town with beautiful old buildings, winding streets and hills. Justin and I rode together for the whole route (much to Justin's chagrin, I'm sure) so we would not waste any time dipping our front wheels in the Mississippi River and getting out of town.

My folks were there waiting to take snap shots as we rode to the river and dipped. It was by far the shortest and fastest dipping line I've seen in my 4 complete RAGBRAI rides. Way to go Dubuque! We dipped and posed, then dad and I loaded up the bikes while Justin and mom went t-shirt shopping. We found our luggage at The ShuttleGuy drop point and just like that, we were done with our 7 day adventure and thrust back into our 'normal' lives. I believe that is the hardest thing about RAGBRAI. One minute you're wearing spandex head to toe without a care in the world, oblivious to any news of the day, and the next minute you're back in the real world. It feels like there should be a debriefing session to help make the transition.

Due to our expeditious dipping, I was back in Vermillion around 5:30. Already I am looking forward to RAGBRAI 2011. The route should be in central Iowa. My wife has the time off on her calendar, which is great! This is the first time I've ridden a complete RAGBRAI without Trish along and I really noticed her absence. I'm looking forward to the anticipation of registration, route announcements, overnight community announcements, pass through town announcements and receiving our rider information packets. Even though I just completed the ride, I cannot wait until the next one.

RAGBRAI gets in your blood. It isn't for everybody, but once you find out it is for you, it is hard to imagine a season of riding without including the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, the WORLD'S oldest, largest, longest organized bike ride.

Don't be surprised if I try to recruit you for next year's ride :-)

RAGBRAI 2010 - Day 6: Waterloo to Manchester

2010-07-30T21:22:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's fitting that the day started in 'Water'loo. We woke up to a light rain and figured this would be our rain day, and we were right! But more on that later. We lost Scott today. Not that way, but he is no longer with Justin and I as a rider. He received a phone call early this morning from Jodie that their basement had flooded over night. After a few calls back and forth, Scott made the decision to head back to SF and help with the flooded basement. Connie picked him up in Waterloo and I made arrangements for my parents to head back to Iowa so Justin and I could finish the ride.

After the details were nailed down, Justin and I headed out. Yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck! It rained and rained and poured and poured on us all morning. I've been rained on harder, but not as long with such intensity. In addition, the temperature fell to an uncomfortable 68 degrees. I haven't come closer to wanting to quit riding during RAGBRAI, but there really isn't a choice. You have to keep going to stay warm. Luckily, the weather broke at noon and our cool rainy day was replaced by a brisk headwind. The only good thing about that was that it worked really well to dry us out.

Upon arrival at our campground I found a grinning Justin waiting. He didn't have a good day either, but both of us agree that the rest of the week was so nice that we weren't going to let 1/2 a bad day ruin our experience or our impression of RAGBRAI 2010.

We saw a lot of bikes being loaded up along the route today and the crowds in Manchester seem pretty light tonight. I think a lot of eastern Iowans packed it in due to the weather. The ShuttleGuy had a wine and cheese party for the group tonight, but we missed it due to a loooooong wait at a local chinese joint. The food was great but the portions were small and the wait excruciating.

We're planning on pedaling by 6AM so we can get the 47 miles to Dubuque out of the way and get on the road back to SD!

I'll post about our last day when I can, so until then.... Thanks for reading!! I hope my ramblings weren't too boring. Next year Matt Dreke will be riding with us. Right Matt? :-)

RAGBRAI 2010 - Day 5: Charles City to Waterloo

2010-07-29T22:02:00.000-05:00

The forecast predicted that today would be one of the best days of RAGBRAI 2010. I believe it turned out to be so. Winds were light until the early part of the afternoon, giving everyone a good chance to get out and log some miles early on. Scott and I stuck together through lunch, and Justin was out in front of us somewhere.

In my opinion, the best pass through town so far is Parkersburg, which we went through today. They had a great setup and very friendly volunteers. If you're not familiar with the story of the shooting of Coach Ed Thomas, I urge you to Google it. It is truly a touching story of the perseverance of Parkersburg Iowa and many lessons can be learned from the Thomas family and their actions during the aftermath of an EF5 tornado and the subsequent murder of their husband, father and coach, Ed Thomas.

The route today was almost entirely south and packed full of nice little 'rollers'. I arrived in Waterloo around 2:30 to find Justin waiting under the shade at our appointed campground for the evening. After relaxing for a bit, Scott showed up not feeling too well. He blamed the chocolate milk at PB Jam, but I had it too, so I'm not sure...

We cleaned up and headed for the shuttle buses with a destination in mind of The Red Lobster. We finally got there after making a shuttle transfer and walking a few blocks. We had a great meal and then began our journey back to camp. It took a bit longer as the shuttle didn't show up for about an hour. Once it did, we were back at camp in short order.

In a way, things begin to wind down tomorrow, but they also pick up. We're ready to tackle the final 2 days of RAGBRAI and dip our front wheels in the Mississippi River. It is hard to believe that there are only 2 days remaining, so things are winding down. I also know from past years that Friday and Saturday tend to bring more riders out. People of Waterloo and Dubuque who want to take in a piece of RAGBRAI will take Friday off and ride the last day or two. So things are also winding up. The bad part about this is that many of them are first time riders and haven't been 'seasoned' with the rest of us for the whole week. That reintroduces an element of danger to the ride so we will all have to be extra careful of the new riders.

Tomorrow we head 62 miles to Manchester, the smallest overnight town on this year's ride. I've passed through Manchester before and it seemed like a great town so we'll see what they can do as an overnight host. There's a chance that Gary will be meeting us in Manchester if he can find a place to stay. I hope it works out so he can experience an overnight town aside from the ending town. There's just a different feel to the ride during the week than during the culmination at the destination community.

I'll check in from Manchester and then follow up with the last day's commentary sometime before the weekend is up. As always, thanks for reading!!!

RAGBRAI 2010 - Day 4; Clear Lake to Charles City

2010-07-28T21:37:00.003-05:00

A late night thunder storm with a lot of lightning and heavy rain paved the way for a much less humid and cooler ride. We didn't even suffer any damp gear. Our tents kept us and our gear dry. Today was a short 51 mile run with pretty favorable winds.

Justin had a good ride on his test Trek bike. We were all at our camp ground before 12:30, and many of the ShuttleGuy group were in early as well. The ShuttleGuy crew was working furiously to get things setup and they were quite interesting to watch. Again, these guys are amazingly efficient, and work horses!

None of us saw any emergency vehicles running with lights and sirens today! That is amazing considering how much emergency traffic there had been the first 3 days. We were informed late tonight that no one has died yet this year on the ride, which is great news. Unfortunately, injuries are way up. Also, according to the same source, there are over 20,000 confirmed riders this year, which is a record!

So, here are some interesting things we have seen along the way. We've seen unicycles, people with dogs in baskets riding along, old fashioned bikes with really big front wheels and tiny back wheels, tandems, recumbents, tandem recumbents, bikes built for 3, 4 and even 5 people, and a really strange elliptical/bicycle mix.

We've managed to eat the assorted RAGBRAI food along the way as well. Pie of all kinds, Chris' Cakes, PB Jam, Mr. Pork Chop, Beekman's Homemade Ice Cream, church meals, Flavor Ice, Popsicles, Gatorade, sodas of all kinds and on and on and on.

As we prepare for bed tonight, we're finding that Chuck Town's younger residents are less than hospitable. They are apparently riding around in the back of pickup trucks yelling and honking at all the tent cities. It is a good thing that the owner of ShuttleGuy offered us all ear plugs last night to help dampen the loud music from a neighboring bar.

We're looking forward to the last long day of the ride tomorrow. 82 miles to Waterloo. In the past, larger cities along the route seem less organized. Maybe it's because everyone is more spread out. We'll see what Waterloo has in store.....

RAGBRAI 2010 - Day 3: Algona to Clear Lake

2010-07-27T18:01:00.003-05:00

Scott and I got underway by 7, and Justin was on the road by 6 (we found out later). About 5 miles out of Algona, the tone was set for my day. My chain slipped off the big chain ring going up a small hill. As a result, I lost Scott, but was able to catch up to him and blamed him for pulling a 'Contador' on me (if you followed the Tour De France, you'll get it).

Shortly after that, I had a flat tire, and didn't see anyone from our group the rest of the day. I had an incredibly frustrating day in the saddle. I had 2 more flats after the initial one, all in the first 15 miles of the ride. I finally came upon a mechanic tent and spent $70 on a new tire, rim strip, 2 tubes and 2 CO2 cartridges.

I have to shout out a HUGE Thank You to team Air Force. Part of their mission while riding RAGBRAI is to assist riders who need help. They gave me 2 tubes and used a can of fix-a-flat to get me in to the mechanic. Those guys and gals were awesome!!!

The ride today felt like a series of 5 mile rides. I never felt like I got into my groove completely. And the heat. It was darn hot today. 91 degrees with a heat index of 103. Add to that a swift wind from the south, which has a head-wind for a 6 or 7 mile stretch, and you've got a pretty challenging day in the saddle.

Justin however had a great day. He made it to Clear Lake by 11:30! I'm not sure when Scott got in, but I didn't get in until 3:30. Mom and Dad showed up around 4:45.

The ShuttleGuy was setup at a UCC church and Clear Lake is hopping. There aren't many roads around the lake, so we were battling more vehicle traffic than usual, which was interesting. But most importantly, Justin got his bike. Tomorrow he will ride a carbon fiber Trek Madone and he is looking forward to it. I suppose the only down side is that it is one of the shortest days of the week at 51 miles.

We are planning on walking down the road to a Chinese restaurant after showering up. As I type this latest post, my battery is giving out so that will be all for today. I'll charge things up and continue posting tomorrow. We're looking forward to another light day tomorrow, 51 miles to Charles City. The wind is forecast to by NNW at 10-20, which should suite the day's route well...

RAGBRAI 2010 - Day 2: Storm Lake to Algona

2010-07-27T17:49:00.003-05:00

Our 100 mile day was a good day. Favorable winds, nice weather, not too hot. Justin, in his quest for a test bike, opted not to do the 100 mile loop in favor of pushing on to Algona in hopes of getting a test bike for the next day.

Scott and I got to the loop in good time, but had to battle a head wind into Rolfe, the town on the loop. Once there, we were back in favorable winds and pushed on. We stopped in Plover, which rhymes with lover, where the men are good looking, and the grandmas have balls (ham balls that is). So, we had to try the ham balls. They were similar to meat balls made of ground beef and very good.

The weather looked liked it was going to rain, so we pushed on. We made it to Algona in good shape and found the ShuttleGuy campground behind a Catholic high school waaaaaay on the other side of town. Luckily, Algona isn't that big, so we made it just fine. We found Justin, who once again didn't make it in time for his test bike. He will try again. We also found my parents waiting for us! They are riding the next day and had already checked in to their hotel and made their way to our campground.

We all took a shuttle bus to vendor row and enjoyed sweet corn, spam shish ka-bobs, pizza, chocolate covered bananas, fajita grill gyros, you get the idea. We were again pretty hungry after our ride.

We know the wind is going to pick up for tomorrow's ride, and the humidity was bordering on stifling, so the sleep will probably not be good quality. Scott and I plan to leave after we get up, with no alarms set, and Justin plans to be on the road by 6 to try again with the test bike. We're looking forward to a short 59 mile day to Clear Lake. Here's hoping...

RAGBRAI 2010 - Day 1: Sioux City to Storm Lake

2010-07-27T17:31:00.002-05:00

Well our 6AM wake up time did come early. After a short and fast night's sleep, we did get on the road around 7. The route wound through the north end of Sioux City for awhile before really getting 'out on the road'. The early morning fog was still hanging around and as the sun burned it off, reveled a beautiful cloudless morning. Pam, from LA, whom I met later on the ride, said the early morning day brought tears to her eyes. She's not used to wide-open spaces and is loving her first RAGBRAI experience.

Justin did great the first day. He wanted to 'test-drive' a carbon fiber bike for a day, but they were all spoken for in Sioux City, so he will try again in Storm Lake. He said RAGBRAI was pretty much what he expected, but some of the teams, buses and weird bikes, etc. were a surprise.

We got to Storm Lake in good shape and found our campground easily. The ShuttleGuy service, for those who don't know, is a full service luxury cycling tour operator. They provide the tents, which they setup and take down. They provide air mattresses, which they inflate. They fill your camp shower bladder and let it heat in the sun. The provide towel service, air pumps, complimentary snacks and beverages after each day's ride, and camp chairs, which they put away. They are 'uber' organized and provide an amazing service. Highly recommended!!! There are 76 tents on this year's ride and the 15 or so employees work very hard to keep us happy and oblivious. In Storm Lake our campground was setup at the middle school, which was an easy shuttle bus ride to the main action.

I don't think any of us took in enough calories on day 1, so we sought out a baked potato bar at a local church. Unfortunately after spending over a half hour in line, they ran out. As we were walking to vendor row, we saw another sign for baked potatoes at the historical society and we got there just before the line grew. It was a good cyclist's meal.

We slept wonderfully Sunday night in preparation for our 100 mile day on Monday.

More later.

RAGBRAI 2010 - The Journey to Sioux City

2010-07-27T17:16:00.002-05:00

Now is the time. We will find out if the training miles have helped us or not. Are we ready? Only a few miles in saddle tomorrow will let us know.

Thanks to the Colwill's for picking me up in Vermillion and hauling my stuff to Sioux City! We arrived in good shape and found the ShuttleGuy campground straight away. More on the ShuttleGuy service later...

After getting settled, we made our way downtown. We took in the sites at the bike expo and food vendor area. After Connie and Jodie left us, Scott, Justin (Scott's 17 yo nephew) and I took in the movie "A Million Spokes". This film is a great way to 'experience' RAGBRAI without riding a bike. The documentary was filmed during RAGBRAI 2009 and highlights many of the experiences that make up this crazy 'festival of bikes across Iowa'. I highly recommend it and I'm sure Scott and Justin would back me up.

After the film, we hooked up with our college buddy Matt Kann for the SmashMouth concert, which was smashmouthy at best. Matt's dad Roger dropped us off at our campground where we didn't enjoy a restful night. I guess the area of town in which we camped wasn't the best part of town. Someone in the neighborhood shot off bottle rockets, cars kept honking as they drove by the campground, at one point there was a loud scream from a girl somewhere. I suppose when RAGBRAI starts in a bigger city, this is what happens.

We planned on starting out at 7:00AM, which will come very early with all the ruckus going on around us.

More later!

Day 6 Nothing But Nets ride to Rapid City!

2010-06-10T23:11:00.003-05:00

Well, this is it. The last day. Neener neener rain. Neener neener wind. We beat you. We made it.

The first let of our 62 mile ride from Wall to Rapid City was incredible. Tail wind, sun and really nice down hills. The views were spectacular. You've all seen them because we rode straight down I-90. Byron had a rear flat tire just as we pulled into the Wasta rest area, which we promptly fixed.

If you're familiar with the drive, then you'll know that immediately following the Wasta rest area is the Wasta hill. I didn't take note of the actual mileage of the hill, but I haven't ridden an incline that long since the early 90s in Spearfish Canyon, Aztec Hill to be exact. It was an arduous climb to say the least.

Once atop the Wasta hill, things flattened out, but by then the wind had switched and was quite a strong crosswind. I had a rear flat tire somewhere along the way, which was promptly fixed. We arrived at New Underwood short 3 riders and when they finally showed up we found out that Terry had a flat front tire. We enjoyed a lunch of sandwiches made by the women of 1st Lutheran Church of Wall.

After lunch we rode old highway 14/16 to Box Elder. I was out in front and trying to beat the rain and lightning but shelter was scarce so I waited for the other riders along a service road. They finally showed up and I found out that Byron had a flat front tire. For those of you keeping track, that is four flat tires in one day, after going the whole week without any! There is a lot of junk on the shoulder of I-90!

We made it into Rapid City and Woyatan Lutheran Church without any further trouble.

The trip is done. We will soon find out if we met our goal of raising $10,000 for Nothing But Nets. We had a great week and made great new friends. We will all sleep tonight.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for entries from RAGBRAI during the last week of July.

Kyle.

Day 5 Nothing But Nets ride to Rapid City!

2010-06-09T18:20:00.002-05:00

Oh day 5. Sweet, sweet day 5. Today we rode from Philip to Wall. The terrain was surprisingly flat on day 5 and we enjoyed a tail wind the whole way! In addition, the daily mileage was a meager 31 miles :-)

Today's unique sighting for me were a pair of antelope keeping watch over us between Cottonwood and Quinn. They were pretty big for antelope, I'm pretty sure, because they were the same size as the white-tail deer I'm used to seeing on our end of the state.

Due to the short day, we arrived in Wall pretty early. Half of our group setup for sandwiches to help consume some of the copious amounts of food churches have sent along with us. The other half, myself included, were drawn in by the famous Wall Drug Cafe. I enjoyed a non-guilt ridden hot roast beef sandwich, several glasses of free ice water, a couple 5 cent cups of coffee and some hand dipped home made ice cream. A real treat after five days of riding!

After lunch we spent time people watching on a bench outside of Wall Drug. As we were sitting there, we met a young man riding his bike solo from Virginia to Oregon. We had a nice conversation with him about routes and bike adjustments and things that bikers tend to talk about. I really admire someone that sets out to do a ride like that solo! Wow, what an experience.

We're staying at First Lutheran Church of Wall, Missouri Synod. The hospitality here has been outstanding! We're sharing the church with VBS this evening, so life abounds! We're happy to be around people again as the last couple nights have been a little lonely.

Tomorrow is our last day of riding. We'll head out around 7:30 and ride 53 miles to Rapid City, arriving at Woyatan Lutheran Church as registration is taking place for our synod assembly. It looks like we'll have a head wind most of the day, so we'll have a good work out to round things off. There could also be some storms, so if we caught by hail, I better remember to keep my helmet on!

I'll have final thoughts sometime tomorrow!

Day 4 Nothing But Nets ride to Rapid City!

2010-06-08T20:55:00.003-05:00

Today we rode from Hayes to Philip. We bucked a strong head/cross wind for the first 5 miles of our journey, and then turned south. By turning, we were able to use the wind in our favor for a nice 22 mile stretch into Midland. Because of the extra help from the wind, we decided not to lunch in Midland, but to press on. Unfortunately, Midland was the end of our Southerly travels and we turned back into the wind, which by now was much more of a headwind. We made 12 miles and stopped for a great road-side lunch (pics available on Facebook). After lunch we had an absolutely grueling 13 miles into Philip. Windy and hilly. Fortunately we didn't see any rain all day and the skies were mostly sunny.

At one point along the way, I was riding alone and passed by a herd of cattle eyeing me with great curiosity. As I have been known to do while riding, I gave them a couple great 'Moos' which to my surprise started a mini stampede! The cattle began running straight towards me and I didn't think the measly 3 foot fence was going to do anything to stop them! I had several thoughts racing through my mind, but luckily they stopped at the fence as abruptly as they starting running. I should really rethink my roadside antics ;)

Philip is a bustling town of 800, and the people at the church have treated us well. A great meal of Indian Fry Bread Tacos and homemade brownies made the ride seem like a distant memory. We had great shower facilities at our disposal at the local ambulance garage and I was able to launder my smelly cycling clothes at a local laundromat.

We are anticipating tomorrow's ride to Wall. A very short 30 miles with the wind predicted to be a very brisk TAILWIND! C'mon weather guys, come through for us!!

A huge THANK YOU to my mom and dad for driving the support vehicles all the way from Madison to Philip!!! We will meet our new driver tomorrow morning, and I'll check in again from Wall Drug U.S.A!!

Day 3 Nothing But Nets ride to Rapid City!

2010-06-07T21:13:00.004-05:00

What a great day for a ride! Our 35 mile ride from Pierre to Hayes was very smooth, thanks to a wonderfully smooth black top surface. In addition, the weather cooperated! We had a decent tail wind, overcast skies and cool temps.

We didn't leave Pierre until 10 as we received reports that arriving in Hayes too early would make for a long day. As we left Pierre we saw a sign that read 'No Services For 67 Miles'. That is not the kind of sign you like to see on a bike, but we are well taken care of with our roadie crew.

We had a nice long lunch stop along the way. The rancher whose land we stopped at came by to see if everything was OK. He pointed out the original wagon ruts from the Deadwood trail and let us know that some of the Dance With Wolves scenes were filmed 4 miles straight north of our lunch stop.

We arrived in Hayes pretty early and confirmed the reports. The atlas claims a population of 40, but I highly doubt it. We are staying at Grace Lutheran church, which is only one of maybe 6 buildings and about 4 houses. On the east side of town is the Hayes International Airport, so the signage claims.

A peaceful rain shower moved through after our homemade spaghetti meal and left a beautiful double rainbow in it's wake. Out here with very few obstructions, the rainbow was magnificent!

My sightings from the road today included a HUGE spider which I thought was a mouse as I came upon it! YUCK! I also saw my 2nd dead rattle snake on the shoulder! I hope that's the only variety of rattle snake I see!!!

As I post this, we are bedding down in anticipation for tomorrow's ride into Philip. At this point it looks like we're going to get wet, I will let you know...

Day 2 Nothing But Nets ride to Rapid City!

2010-06-07T21:00:00.003-05:00

One word best describes the second leg of our trip to RC, 'grueling'. We departed Wessington Springs at 6AM into a brisk headwind that didn't let up all day, in fact it got worse as the day wore on. Our elevation change from Wess Springs to Pierre was severe, in the upward direction. And, our total mileage for the day was 103 miles. It was probably the hardest single day ride I've done, or at least a tie with day 2 on Tour De Kota 2008 (Wags knows).

The facilities and hospitality at Lutheran Memorial church in Pierre made up for the difficult time in the saddle. We were welcomed with a hearty meal of taverns, awesome potato salad and other treats that help nourish our starving bodies. We all crashed pretty early in anticipation of sleeping in a little bit as day 3 will be much shorter, registering only 35 miles. We'll need it after this day.

The most interesting thing I saw on the road today was a deer that came upon our group. There were four of us riding together, and spread out a little bit. I was in back and saw the deer coming up to the road. I started shouting a warning because I didn't think the lead rider saw the deer coming. The deer paused, sized us up, and the proceeded to bound onto the roadway. This is the moment where things could go either way. I held my breath as the deer bounded onto the roadway, passing cleanly between the lead rider and the second rider. Thankfully there was not a deer vs. bicycle accident! Quite a sight indeed.

As a side note, BlogSpot was down while we were in Pierre, so this post was a day late. I'll post day 3's ride shortly.

Day 1 Nothing But Nets ride to Rapid City!

2010-06-05T19:15:00.003-05:00

One word sums up today's ride from Madison to Wessington Springs; RAIN. The first 50 miles of our ride was very wet. We rode through some very heavy rain about 15 miles after we started. So heavy that it was difficult to see anything at times. My shoes never did dry out for the remainder of the day.

We logged 76 miles and pulled into Wessington Springs around 3:45. Our Saviours prepared a great meal for us of lasagna and all the fixings, which was welcomed whole heartedly!

After dinner we took a side trip to The Shakespeare Gardens in Wessington Springs which is a wonderful attraction! If you're ever in, or driving past, you really need to stop.

We're all wondering about tomorrow's ride to Pierre. It will be our longest day at 104 miles, and it sounds like there is only one town along the way. The wind forecast doesn't sound too good either so we'll have to see what tomorrow brings.

Thanks to everyone who has donated to Nothing But Nets!! If you haven't yet and would like to, follow this link: http://www.nerdifiable.com/site/page.aspx

I'll check in tomorrow...

Nothing But Nets!

2010-06-04T11:22:00.003-05:00

OK, here we go. The day before the Nothing But Nets ride across South Dakota. I have the usual questions. Am I prepared? Probably not, but that won't stop me. How will the weather treat us? We won't know until we know, but it is South Dakota so I'm expecting wind, rain, wind, sun and wind.

Tomorrow morning 12 of us will set out from Madison and make the trip westward to Rapid City in 6 days. We're raising awareness and funds for the Nothing But Nets initiative. You can find out more information, and even donate online here: http://www.nerdifiable.com/site/page.aspx

Marilyn and Chadman have graciously volunteered to drive support vehicles for the first 4 days of the ride! It will be great to have family around :-)

I'll attempt to post a daily entry, and maybe even some shorter entries from my phone directly from the route, depending on signal availability.

I am most looking forward to riding the western side of SD. What a beautifully stark landscape to experience from the saddle! It should be amazing, exhilarating and humbling all at once.

More to come ;-)

Day 7: Tipton to Le Claire!

2008-07-29T19:56:00.001-05:00

Miles: 52
Feet of Climb: Who Cares? We can do it!
High Temperature: 82
Sky Conditions: Sunny and beautiful, with TAILWIND!!

This was a biking day that could go down in the annals of RAGBRAI history! Wags was on a mission, as was Donna. In fact, almost the entire group of 15,000 riders seemed to be on a mission! Everyone seemed to be pushing harder and faster than on any of the six prior days. I'm sure it helped that it was the last day, the miles were short, and the weather was perfect for biking.

I believe we were all done with the ride, and dipping our front tires in the Mississippi River by 11:00. After arriving and regrouping, Donna was able to reach our additional rider, Tim. She met Tim earlier on the ride and we agreed to give him a ride back to Missouri Valley.

All-in-all the week was good. One rainy day out of seven is great. The days of climb got easier as the week went on. Having the last day be such a great riding day works out well, as the last memory of RAGBRAI XXXVI will always be a good one, and leave us all looking forward to our next chance to ride RAGBRAI again.

Our group was diverse, our personalities vastly different, but our goal was the same, and I think everyone on the ride this year would do it again. I know I would do it in a heart beat, and in fact I will do it again. Unfortunately, I won't be able to ride again until RAGBRAI XXXVIII in 2010 as every 3 years I am involved with the National Lutheran Youth Gathering, which happens the same time as RAGBRAI.

Until then, I'm sure you'll be able to catch me casually biking the Turner County roads near Centerville, taking in the sights, sounds and smells that can only be truly enjoyed from the saddle of a noiseless human powered vehicle.

Day 6: North Liberty to Tipton

2008-07-26T17:41:00.001-05:00

Miles: 64
Feet of Climb: [look for edit later]
High Temperature: 82
Sky Conditions: Cloudy and windy all day (headwind again!)

I could not ride this morning. I have no idea what my problem was, but I just could not find my 'wheels'. This is the closest that I've come to sagging in a long, long time. After a horribly slow morning, the bratwurst with sauerkraut at Lisbon managed to pick me up, then a long rest at Mt. Vernon (great town!!) helped to renew my spirit. The afternoon was much better. In fact, I managed to raise my average speed for the day to almost what it had been the other days.

Enough about me though! The group seemed to have a pretty good day. Chad rode in the morning, and Trish and Marilyn drove in the afternoon. We passed through 3 Amana Colonies, where some of our group took in the culture, while others of us kept on cycling.

The weather was dreary, but not too chilly, and not rainy. We did have another cornering headwind most of the day. Upon arrival at Tipton, we settled in to our host house. Our accommodations for the evening were a vacant rental property which we shared with a couple other groups. Lucky for them, and not for us, the solitary window a/c unit was on the first floor, so our digs were very hot and very sticky.

The group split up for dinner. Marilyn and Chad went to 'vendor row' and picked up vittles from vendors they hadn't hit yet, and returned to some of the favorites, since this would be our last night with vendors. The rest of us went to our favorite childhood restaurant, Happy Joe's, and had a wonderful buffet of pizza. Wags mentioned that even the smell as he entered the doorway brought back memories of us 'hanging out' at our local Happy Joe's, many years ago.

After our bellies were full, we again parted ways. Wags and Scott had very good massages, while Trisha accompanied me to a great little coffee house where I proceeded to actually work for a couple hours. In this age of the Internet, it seems one can rarely dodge work for too long, or blogging for that matter!

Wags, Scott and myself then reconnected and went to the beer garden just sure that one of us would win the Miller Lite Party Bus that we registered for earlier in the week. After waiting with great anticipation and having a couple beers the time was at hand to find out which one of us would be driving this great RAGBRAI bus home! Of course, none of us won the thing, some jerk from California did. We all hoped that it would cost him more to drive it home than it was worth!

We returned to our host house empty handed, and dreading a long hot and humid night of barely sleeping, but knowing that the last day's ride would be short and we would on our way home after a great accomplishment!

Kyle.

Day 5: Tama/Toledo to North Liberty

2008-07-24T22:41:00.000-05:00

Miles: 76
Feet of Climb: 3,123
High Temperature: 68 Degrees
Sky Conditions: Raining in the morning, cloudy and windy all day (headwind again!)

Rainy days are never welcomed when you're on a multi-day bike tour, but I have learned something about these damp, dreary days - believe it or not, they are pretty good biking days. Aside from the winds today, the ride was good.

We started off with a great breakfast provided by our host family, which was a great surprise! After eating, we trailered the bikes in to Tama, and started riding at the main campground. Unfortunately, we wouldn't get under way until 7:00AM, but that didn't affect us too much. The rain started almost immediately, and lasted until about 11:00. Because of the rain the temperature was cool, almost chilly, especially with the stronger than usual easterly headwind, again.

Scott Colwill had another mishap with a tire. Coasting down a nice hill, he had a blow out, and had to walk his bike 2 miles into Vining, and then wait in line for bike repair for almost 2 hours! Of course this series of events set him back for the entire day.

The day's route took us through the Amana Colonies, which are great to ride through. Some of our group went through a couple art galleries and gift shops in West Amana. The first real evidence of the horrible Iowa flooding was also noticeable on the route today.

Once our group reached the destination of North Liberty, we threw the bikes in the trailer and then headed to our hotel in Coralville, about 5 miles down the road. After a nice soak in the hot tub, we found a good Chinese restaurant and had a wonderful meal.

As I write this, we're hearing that we'll have a mostly cloudy day with South winds, and possible rain in the afternoon. Hopefully the weathermen around here get the forecast wrong as often as that goofy Trobek does back in Sioux Falls.

As a post script to yesterday's ride, there was a stretch of the route early in the morning where a surprising number of people were pulled over fixing flat tires. We found out later in the day that someone had dumped thumb tacks all over the highway the night before. The newspaper reported that well over 100 people had flat tires, but luckily no one was injured as a result of any of the blow outs. The county rushed a street sweeper to the affected stretch of highway to clean up the mess as soon as the prank was discovered. High school kids must have way too much time on their hands in Iowa.

Kyle.

Day 4: Ames to Tama/Toledo

2008-07-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

Miles: 78
Feet of Climb: 2,869
High Temperature: 80 Degrees
Sky Conditions: Sunny most of the day, headwind of 10 - 15 :-(

Well, it never seems to fail. This part of the country very rarely has wind out of the east during this time of the year, but it happened today. I can't help but feel that I am jinxing the weather!! Tour de Kota was awful for headwinds this year, and now RAGBRAI is getting spoiled!

The ride today (other than the wind) was pretty good. It was a day that took an awful long time for everyone to finish. This was our first day with a host family, and I think everyone was worried about finding the house, so we all waited for each other, which caused the quicker riders of the day to do a lot of waiting.

I think for the most part, we all rode separately, which was nice for a change. Again, the pass through towns were great, the food was plentiful, as were the hills. When we finally made it to our host house, we were delighted to find that our hosts were real people! Marian and Frank Duhacheck (sp?) were wonderful hosts! There was plenty of room for all of us to sleep (including the camper in the backyard), and Marian went way out of her way to make sure we were fed with cookies, coffee, and just about anything else we wanted.

We unhitched the trailer and took the van to town, where we all found some good food to eat, and some even witnessed a good old fashioned bar fight! Once back to the Duhacheck's, we were quick to bed down for the night, hoping that tomorrow's leg to North Liberty would be less windy, but most of all, that the forecast for rain would not come true!

Kyle.

accomplishments

2008-07-22T21:55:00.000-05:00

It's hard to say what is a real accomplishment on this trip... is it surviving sleeping in a tent with no air mattress? Is it working with 7 other people to get to our destination, set up "camp", and figure out what we're doing? Or is it simply moving outside our regular life routine and doing something a little counter-cultural? I'm not sure. But I do know that zipping down a fairly steep hill in the Des Moines River Valley and then climbing back up the next mile counts as accomplishment for me this year.

Coming on a trip like this is considered crazy by most. After all, who would find solace and respite in working up a sweat, climbing up and descending hills, and trusting in the good graces of communities when we are most tired - and yet here we are. I think the real accomplishment rests in the heart of these Iowa communities. They have all tried to put their best foot forward when issuing hospitality - and most have succeeded. There are plenty of food vendors, lots of churches with home made pie, and some kind of entertainment for potentially crabby RAGBRAI riders. And then there are the sheer logistics of hosting people who all need showers, mass transportation, maps, meals, and bathrooms. What a chore! But each of these "through towns" and each overnight community bids for the chance to have RAGBRAI come through their town - to display their community pride, raise a little money, but mostly to welcome strangers into their town.

I guess the real accomplishment is that people still offer and accept pie as a true matter of hospitality and welcome...

Day 3: Jefferson to Ames

2008-07-22T21:15:00.000-05:00

Miles: 57
Feet of Climb: 1,377
High Temperature: 85 Degrees
Sky Conditions: Sunny all day!

Ahh... this is what biking is all about. Once we had camp torn down (yuck!!), we were ready to roll out of Jefferson. This morning's ride was one of those moments; the sun was bright, the air was just a touch chilly and the crops were seemingly giving off a mist giving the appearance of a light, wispy fog.

This was a great day of biking. Knowing the mileage was short and the climb was small, we took our time. We stopped more frequently, and for longer periods of time, than we normally would have. We enjoyed a wonderful pork chop breakfast provided by Mr. Pork Chop, and were surprised to actually find Mr. Pork Chop giving his famous "PORK CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!" call, since he retired last year! Another great stop was at Peanut Butter Jam. Some of the alternative additions to a standard peanut butter and jelly sandwich enjoyed by our group were: marshmallow fluff, banana slices, chocolate chips and pretzels! It sounds weird, but it was a wonderful carb-o-licious treat when we needed it most.

We were in Ames by 1:30 and after some hunting, we finally found our hotel. We've enjoyed a fairly lackadaisical afternoon. Some enjoyed the pool while others napped. We all enjoyed a great Mexican dinner at a restaurant across the street. We're just now winding down and it won't be long now until we're renewing our muscles through much needed sleep in preparation for tomorrow's leg from Ames to Tama.

Kyle.

Day 2: Harlan to Jefferson

2008-07-22T20:58:00.000-05:00

Miles: 83 (longest day this year)
Feet of Climb: 5,239 (most this year)
High Temperature: 84 Degrees
Sky Conditions: Cloudy early and late with sun in between

We knew day 2 was going to be tough. The route profile was warning us that this day had the most climb on this year's route. It was right. The profile also indicated that this was the longest day on this year's route. Check. What could make this day any worse? Knowing that when you get to the overnight town you have to stay in a tent. That's right, this day was also the only day that we had to camp. Luckily the temperature and weather cooperated, for the most part anyway.

The food along the route is one of my favorite things. When you spend all day biking, you feel like you can pretty much eat anything you want and not worry too much about how bad it is for you. The food vendors along the way help a great deal in accomplishing the task. There is Mr. Pork Chop, Tender Tom's Turkey, Peanut Butter Jam, Tropical Sno, The Smoothie Guys, The Farm Boys, Pastafari, Mrs. Raphael's and on, and on, and on.

Upon arrival at Jefferson the authorities were warning everyone about some impending weather. A storm did roll through, but we were lucky to be on the very edge. They were preparing us for 3/4 inch hail and 60+ mph winds, but we only got a brief downpour and then everything was all clear.

Some of us found a great meal at the 1st United Methodist Church. $7.00 bought a plate absolutely piled high with mashed potatoes, green beans, and the best chicken and noodle dinner, with home-made noodles, that I've ever had! All that was topped off with a great slice of rhubarb pie. Did I mention that RAGBRAI food is great?

After that big meal, and the long day of biking, I was pretty tuckered out. I went down early so I could have plenty of time to dream about the next day's route, which is one of the flattest and shortest days.....

Kyle.

Who would've thunk??

2008-07-22T20:13:00.000-05:00

It's day 3 of RAGBRAI and this is my first night of posting on the blog. I'm proud to say that I've biked every single day and all of the miles (not counting the 3 hills, I walked up w/my bike - 2 the first day & 1 yesterday). Now that I've got my biking legs back in order, I'm hoping will be good for rest of the tour. It's been a wonderful experience (notice that I'm saying this after the bike riding is done for the day) :)
Yesterday, I'm not going to lie... there were ALOT of hills & some of them were a b*%! but we got through it & have a good sense of accomplishment that I was able to do it.
When people heard I was doing RAGBRAI, one of their first thoughts... "Are you crazy?" and "Man, I heard that's pretty wild." Well I must be a party pooper because I'm so exhausted at night, I drink 1 beer and then it's bed at 9 PM to be up and going at 5:30 AM. I can't be all that crazy because there is 10,000+ other crazy people out there with me.
4 days left, 200 miles down & 270ish miles left to go. :)

sweet sweat

2008-07-20T21:59:00.000-05:00

I am not a person who typically sweats a lot. Very seldom does water drip profusely off my head while soaking my hair. And even less frequent are the occurrences where my shorts and shirt are drenched with perspiration. Yet there is a sense of accomplishment when the salty water rolls into my eyes or drips off my nose. Miles were crossed, hills were climbed, and much food was eaten... par for the course during RAGBRAI. I saw people chatting while riding, people walking their bikes while conquering hills, lots of laughing groups, and some infrequent - though obvious tears (the heat and hills and hunger can get to any novice or seasoned rider). One thing in common to everyone: the element of sweet sweat... Maybe tomorrow we can ride like the wind:)

Day 1: Missouri Valley to Harlan

2008-07-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

Miles: 59
Feet of Climb: 3,797
High Temperature: 101 Degrees
Sky Conditions: Sunny early to mostly overcast by early afternoon

Day one was a nice short day, but what it lacked in distance, it made up in hills! We had been hearing varying reports of how awful and horrible the hills were on this segment. I usually try not to worry about such matters until I'm under way, but the talk was absolutely everywhere! Well, I'm happy to report that in my humble opinion, the hills were way better than I expected. They were hills to be sure, but nothing like what they were 'built up' to be.

The pass-thru towns were great host communities and I have to say it is absolutely great to back on RAGBRAI again! The number of cyclists is always mind numbing. As far as you can see in front of you, and behind you, the line of cyclists stretches, seemingly ad infinitum.

We saw some RAGBRAI oddities today: a gentleman riding a unicycle with a 36" wheel, another gentleman roller blading the entire route, and a family riding a five person cycle! We saw the myriad team buses, colorfully painted with bicycle cages welded atop the two decade old chassis. Team names spotted today ranged from Team Wind to Team Me-Off, Team Checker to Team Pirate, and Team Kwetchersnivlen to Team More Cow Bell. I talked to people from California to New Jersey, and passed a couple from Germany. However, we haven't had a "Lance Sighting" yet. We will keep you posted.

I should mention that we had one breakdown even before we were underway this morning! Scott Colwill's front tire completely blew out, destroying the tire, probably due to heating up while in the trailer the day before. Luckily, he was able to replace the tube and ride about 3 miles to a bike repair stand along the route where they promptly sold him a new tire.

Another problem happened with Marilyn's bike later in the day. She rode her bike to the meeting town, and then trailered her bike so she and Trish could drive the rig to Harlan. The fork mount must not have been tightened properly because when the trailer was opened at Harlan, her bike was lying down, and her fork was bent severely enough that her front wheel could not be attached. Luckily a bike stand at the main campground was able to straighten it, and gave the green light for use, at least for the rest of the week. She's only had the bike for a few months, so she is very glad that it was not worse!!

Once at Harlan, we regrouped and ate at the high school where they were serving a baked potato bar and all-you-can eat taco salad bar. We then shuttled to the main campground to check out vendor row, and the downtown area, before returning to the Forrest Inn (yes, there are two R's in this Forrest - we must be in Iowa), where we made our plans for tomorrow.

We're still having fun, and we're hoping everybody in Sioux Falls is dried out after hearing stories of an inch of very rapid rain fall on Saturday evening!!

Kyle.

tinkering

2008-07-19T23:32:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I spend half my time at the beginning of bike tours just messing around with my stuff. My dad always used to say he was "tinkering" in the garage, and I guess I've adopted that practice to my outdoor activity of biking. Today, it seemed we messed with stuff to get it all loaded in our 15 passenger van and trailer while I was fiddling with things at work to wrap up details before I left town. Then on the way down, we danced in our seats while we settled into a groove before arriving at our destination.

Once we developed a game plan (imagine another hour passing...), we grabbed a bite to eat after discovering some of the sites on a tired and hot shuttle bus. Along the way, we were jostled in the crowd, scrounged for correct change, and confused along the route. But we found our way back to the hotel - no worse for the wear.

I guess the tinkering helps us to get into a groove - a biking rhythm. And once that happens, I won't be weaving all over the road while changing my ipod, adjusting my sunglasses, and searching for my camel-back. And day 1 of riding will help us to get to that comfort place where we just enjoy the ride for what it is; where the food tastes rich, the drinks are wet, and the sweat doesn't bother us anymore.

Ride safe. And don't worry about the tinkering... your rhythm is right around the next corner.

Preparations and Traveling

2008-07-19T23:12:00.000-05:00

Well, the planning phase of RAGBRAI is over. Sometimes the planning is the best part. Thinking about actually getting out there and pedaling is a little daunthing, but having ridden Tour de Kota already this year, I know I can do it physically, I'm worried about the mental part a little bit though.

We made it to Missouri Valley around 4:30 this afternoon and immediately found our hotel. The Rath Inn is a nice little motor lodge with very friendly owners. After figuring out our plan for the evening, we set out. We walked about a mile to a shuttle stop and waited. Once the shuttle finally arrived, we boarded a very packed, standing-room-only, very illegal and unsafe, shuttle. We took our dangerous shuttle to the 'Celebration Garden' where we had our choice of the usual suspects wherever food vendors gather. Some of us enjoyed a couple beers at the beer garden as well.

We then boarded the shuttle again and headed for our home for the night. After figuring out some last minute details with the bikes, Wags, Scott, Trisha and Kyle went next door the bar sponsored beer tent and enjoyed some more adult beverages ;-)

Meanwhile, Donna decided to lay low and stayed in the room, while Marilyn and Chad waited for Dennis to return from the expo area so they could take him to his pre-arranged housing location. Along the way, they got a preview of the first 5 miles of the ride tomorrow, and all reports seem to suggest that the hills are not nearly as daunting as we have been led to believe. That is great news, but we'll report our actual findings on the matter tomorrow after the ride.

5AM wake time and riding by 6 is our plan. 59 miles to Harlan. Ready or not, here we come!!

Kyle.

RAGBRAI 2008

2008-07-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

Well.... we are leaving for Ragbrai tomorrow morning & I am quite nervous about the new adventure. I am excited about the experience but am a little nervous on the biking. I haven't been on my bike at all for about the past month so am hoping I can complete the whole thing. I DO NOT WANT TO SAG! Everytime I think about the bike ride across Iowa, I think of the movie Bucket List. I will be able to cross this off my list but am hoping I don't kick the bucket along the way.

It will be a great adventure & I'm sure ALOT of fun but the nerves are kicking in. It will be pretty cool since the route is going close to my hometown and having helped with the flooding in Cedar Rapids last week, it may work to hook up w/some friends I made there as well.

Beautiful sights & wonderful people..... do we have to do all that pedaling though?

See ya on the road!

weeds or wind?

2008-05-17T20:35:00.000-05:00

It is a new season of wind and blowing dust, of sunshine and weeds, of summer schedules and camping gear. Although I didn't do the scheduled bike ride today, Kyle went out with a group and faced the wind head on - and later enjoyed the wind-powered energy that pushed him home. I couldn't help but notice red stripes on his head when he removed his helmet. That, and the familiar clean burn lines from his shorts as the sun bites REALLY set in. I'm reminded that bike riding can be fun and social. Biking also requires the necessary precautions of taking care of one's self. Water is essential, and on really challenging days, a couple of packets of 'goo' or a salted nut roll can go a long way to pick me up. And there is the all important sunscreen as well...

I must admit, I would rather have been riding than pulling the weeds out of our garden!

The "spokin" word

2008-05-16T10:34:00.000-05:00

Last night, I started thinking about how little time we have to prepare for our summer rides. It put a pit in my stomach... Although I love tours, the getting ready for it can sometimes seem like a job; once started, it is a great job. But getting back into shape after a long winter and wet spring has been no easy task. I don't know if anyone else is experiencing a sharp learning curve right now, or if it is just my body that forgets how to be active over a long hibernation period. Good luck with all your training! And I'll wish a good mindset for you as well. Let's RIDE!

2008-05-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

Hi. My name is Kyle. This is my blog. But I won't be the only one posting here. This blog is called 'The Spoke Easy' [credit to my very clever wife for the great name idea] and will primarily cover organized bike rides, and training rides leading up to the 4th annual Tour de Kota, and RAGBRAI. There will be photos posted, stories posted and thoughts posted.

Don't be surprised if the content deviates from time to time, as I do have interests other than biking. You have been warned.

Tour de Kota begins June 8th, so there is very little time left for training! My friend Mark Wagner (Wags) and I will be riding the 7 day ride which winds around eastern South Dakota this year.

I'll be attempting a training ride of about 55 miles this weekend and will post some photographs of the people and sites I find along the way. Stay tuned...