[bike] ragbrai: unloaded

More than 18,000 bicyclists attended this year's Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), including Lance Armstrong. We rode a total of 477 miles in 7 days. The main essence of Ragbrai, however, is in 1) the ride itself and 2) the people you ride with.  

 

The Ride Itself

Ariel and Seager had been obsessing about Ragbrai for weeks, and now I have finally discovered the glory of Ragbrai. On Saturday, everyone started storming into Rock Rapids with their bicycles. Every patch of green in the town was covered by tents, bicycles, and buses. The streets was bustling with crowds of people and bikes. As the cars were trying to meander through town, it seemed as if the cars were bowing to the bicycles. They all drove slowly past, being sure not to seem "in the way" of the bikes.

 

Sunday was our first day of riding. Even when I woke up before 6 am, I had to stand in line for the port-a-potties! Once we got on the road though, I was so happy to see so many bikers. I could be immersed among friendly strangers and not have to smell any exhaust from cars! Alongside the road, there were all sorts of signs: handmade signs made by the locals who were advertising their food. "Free Water--3 miles! Dad's Belgian Waffles at Denver Fire House! All you can eat Breakfast-$5 next right!! Smoothies: Free Samples!"...and so forth. And as you passed each sign, you would get hungrier and hungrier, so you would bike faster and faster to get there.

 

Each day, we would bike 50-80 miles from the start town to the overnight town, and there were about 5-6 towns interspersed within the day's ride. Boy was it fun to stop in towns about every 10-15 miles!! Each town had its own mini county fair: all sorts of BBQ foods and activities. Often we stretched and napped under trees. But even more often, we ate. Pie is a Ragbrai specialty (especially with ice cream on top), so we were sure to have it daily, sometimes even 3 times a day. My other favorite activity was buying corn on a cob and eating it while watching streams of bikes go by.

 

It was impossible to get bored riding on Ragbrai, even though the scenery of corn, soybeans, and hog farms never changed. Cornfields were famous for being nature's port-a-potty. The corn stalks were tall, so no one on the road would see you. And the smell of corn overpowered the smell of urine. Everyone peed in the cornfields! On top of that, all sorts of interesting teams were present on the ride. Team Roadkill decorated all the roadkill on the pavement with beads, leis, and flowers. Team Killer Bees were dressed in yellow and black stripped spandex...and they road so fast in a pace line that it really sounded like bees going past.

 

 

THE PEOPLE YOU RIDE WITH

Our team was Team Roadshow. Our team was founded by some jugglers and unicyclists, who decided to do road shows in the overnight towns on Ragbrai. I didn't know the tiniest bit about juggling or unicycling, but by the end I must admit, I was a bit obsessed. On the first night, everyone on our team was practicing their stunts--juggling, hula hooping, and unicycling. I felt left out, so I started to teach myself to juggle by watching others. I kept on practicing, and I learned to juggle in a night! Every night I'd practice, and get a little better, but I'm still far away from doing any shows.

 

Each night our shows had the same setup: some juggling with balls and clubs, then Bak Choy would hula hoop. Then they would juggle and hula hoop with fire! Our team members are very talented. However, my favorite part about our road shows was the fact that we came up with new tricks to do every night. We would perform our shows, then spend the rest of the night experimenting with new stunts for the shows. It is very empowering to discover the many things that you can do, just by having your friends around you. 

 

On our last night, the crowd was amazing. A huge ring of elders, adults, and children surrounded us. When Team Roadshow members started screaming, the crowd would answer back in a roar. At the end of the show, a lot of people stuck around to talk to us, and a few were even very eager to join our team! I became friends with many of the team members just within these 7 days of riding together, and I wouldn't be surprised if they became lifelong friends. Somehow bicycling always makes the world seem like a better place.

 

I love Team Roadshow, You should too!