Some Pictures

The full album can be found on facebook.

Day 4

I waited to post about yesterday until all family had been notified.

Aunt Karol was involved in a cycling accident yesterday when another cyclist cut her off. Their wheels crossed and Aunt Karol was thrown from her bike. As of this morning, Aunt Karol was in the Iowa City hospital resting. She had a concussion and some bleeding around the brain. The good news is the bleeding has not increased over the last 12 hours and the doctors believe it has gone down. Please keep her in your prayers as she still has some severe headaches due to the trauma of the crash.

God did work yesterday in keeping Aunt Karol safe. Here are a few blessings in the storm:

-The first two cyclists that "arrived" on the scene were a doctor and an EMT. They were able to move her the correct way and keep her from sustaining further injury.

-When Karol crashed, she was only a mile or so from the next stop which allowed Jack to get there quickly and ride with her in the ambulance to the hospital.

-Some of Karol's friends who were riding behind her were some of the first there as well so they were able to contact Jack and myself.

-After I heard, I cycled hard to a town closer to the hospital (I was ahead of her at the time of the accident). There I was able to re-charge my phone in a sovereignly appointed home and receive a ride from a local farmer to the hospital. Great thanks to the wonderful people of LeGrand, IA!

-Aunt Karol was able to be transported by helicopter to the University of Iowa hospital in Iowa City...probably the best hospital for head injuries in Iowa.

-Due to Aunt Karol being transferred to Iowa City, Kendra was only a short drive away and was able to be there shortly after Aunt Karol arrived.

I saw Aunt Karol in the hospital this morning and it appears she's already talking about RAGBRAI 2009...for those of you who know her, doesn't she already sound like she's back to normal!?

While RAGBRAI didn't end as we had planned, I am thankful that God kept Aunt Karol from further injury and kept our group safe throughout the week. I am comforted in knowing we have an all-knowing and all-powerful sovereign God who loves us and cares for us. In the midst of an eventful day 4, that was very evident to me.

Because I don't want to finish this site off with a "downer" of a post, I will post some great pictures later of our mostly-good week!

Day 3: Recovery

We logged 53 miles today. Only one good climb...it was 1.25 miles and curvy. Challenging, but nothing compared to the rolling hills of western Iowa.

We are in CY-Clone Country...Ames, IA. Rumor has it Lance Armstrong rode today. I didn't see him...although, I did see a really fast blurr of yellow go by around 50 mph...perhaps I did see him.

Today was a "take it easy day." We went about 25 miles and then stopped for breakfast in a town called Ogden, IA. Ogden was a great little town! They really pulled out the red carpet for us. We had some great breakfast burritos from the people at "Relay for life." Since Uncle Jack is a cancer survivor, he got to sign the wall and was offered a free t-shirt. Pretty cool. He still had to pay for his burrito.

Our next stop was Boone...only 8 miles away. This 8 mile stretch had that 1.25 mile climb. Again, long, but not overpowering. I think if it was Day 1, I would have soared up the hill, but day 3 means some sore legs and I only averaged 8-10 up the hill.

Boone, IA was another favorite town. Lots of kids on the side of the road giving you "5" as you rode by and also a lot of sprinklers helping us cool off as we rode through town.

Then it was 19 miles to Ames. Ames is of course home to Iowa State University. I believe Ames is our largest overnight city.

Tomorrow we will depart around 7 AM. Our route is just a hair under 80 miles. The good news is there are lots of little towns in between. The bad news is we head mostly east and there's going to be a 10-15 mph head-wind tomorrow. Oh well.

I've compiled a list of my favorite Iowa cities thus far. They are, in random order:
-Boone
-Coon Rapids
-Ames
-Ogden

We will see which ones get added to my list!

Day 2: FIRST CENTURY!

According to the Des Moines Register, today's RAGBRAI route (without the 18 mile "Century Loop") was the 7th hardest in RAGBRAI history.

With the century loop, there was talk it was one of the top 5 hardest days in history.

What made it hard?

-The hills
-The heat
-The distance
-The hills
-The hills
-Did I mention, the hills!?!

But, you all voted that I should attempt it so I did...so did my Aunt...and we BOTH finished!

101 miles! My first century. We spent a little under 7 hours on the bike and my average was 15 mph. We did stop quite a few times with the warm weather and the ridiculous hills, but 100 miles is under our belts!

Part of the RAGBRAI experience is all the good food you eat. Here are some staples of RAGBRAI I've had already:

-Mr. Pork Chop's Pork chops!
-Pancakes at a firehouse
-Danish pancakes...can't remember the names of these, but they're AMAZING!
-Sweet Corn
-More Pork Chops
-Gyros
-Mr. Smoothie's Smoothies
-Turkey Tom's Turkey (I plan on having this tomorrow!)

I calculated today's calorie intake (I had a lot of time to think on the bike), and I figured I probably consumed almost 4,500 calories...mostly protein, carbs, and of course, Gatorade. I hope I burnt that much!

Tomorrow is a shorter day...only 55 miles. We also get to sleep in. We don't plan to leave until around 7 AM. I'll try and post pictures tomorrow...Blogger is being difficult.

Day 1: In REVIEW

Day 1 is over.

57 total miles...averaged 14.7 mph. That average is a bit deceiving. In most towns you have to get off your bicycle and walk it through because of the traffic. I would say my average would have been 16-17 today if it weren't for that. No big deal though...this isn't a race.

Lots of rolling hills today. My goal was to use the flat and downhills as opportunities to recover and really attack the hills. Overall, I think it went well. Tomorrow is the 100 mile day. We plan to get out and ride early (5:30 a.m.) to avoid heat.

The weather was ideal today until about the final 4-5 miles. The temperature got to about 92 and it was getting hotter when we finished around 2:15. I'm glad we rode early.

I'll post pictures later tonight. We are off to dinner!

Day 6 Preview

We got up early today (4:30 a.m.) and left at 5 AM to beat Chicago traffic. We made it to Omaha in just a little over 7.5 hours. We passed several RV's and cars with bikes attached to the back. My guess is most are driving across state tomorrow.

I rode 25 miles on both Monday and Wednesday. I had originally planned on riding tomorrow...short, quick, easy ride, but I've changed my mind. My goal tomorrow is to hydrate and give the legs one more day of rest.

For a complete day 6 preview, check out the link below. They summarize it well:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=ragbrai&template=landing

Less than 36 hours....

Day 5 Preview

Quick update on Day 3...just got word Lance Armstrong is riding Day 3. What a wimp...one of the shortest days. Oh well, I guess he doesn't have much else left to prove...

Day 5 departs Tama/Toledo and heads onto North Liberty. Total mileage is 76.2 miles and includes 3,123 feet olf climbing. There are 9 stops. The nine towns visited are:

Vining, IA
Chelsea, IA
Belle Plaine, IA
Luzerne, IA
Blairstown, IA
West Amana, IA
South Amana, IA
Homestead, IA
and
North Liberty, IA

Day 5 is the last "long" day. The last two days only total 116 miles.

I packed everything up tonight and Teressa and I will depart for Omaha, NE tomorrow morning at 5 AM (hopefully beating Chicago traffic).

It's time to ride!

Day 4 Preview

Day 4 will take us 78 miles from Ames to Iowa's twin cities, Tama & Toledo. Here is how the RAGBRAI website describes the day:

"This day's 78-mile ride sets out on one of the longest of RAGBRAI's traverses of the Lincoln Highway, through Nevada, Colo and State Center, to name just a few of the towns. All along the way are remnants of businesses that sprang up along the old two-lane highway in the first half of the last century. The route will take riders along the fringes of the Meskwaki Indian Settlement on the way to the overnight in Iowa's twin cities of Tama and Toledo."

The routes goes something like this:

Ames to Nevada: 12 miles
Nevada to Colo: 7 miles
Colo to State Center: 8.5 miles
State Center to Albion: 16.5 miles
Albion to Green Mountain: 10.6 miles
Green Mountain to LeGrand: 9.4 miles
LeGrand to Montour: 6.1 miles
Montour to Tama/Toledo: 7.8 miles

My mom will be joining us for RAGBRAI on Wednesday night/Thursday so it will be great to see her, (she's not riding, just there to gawk). Wednesday is also "laundry day" since we are close to Aunt Karol's house as well as Grandpa's. After day 4, we will be over halfway there and headed for the home stretch!

Day 3 Preview

Day 3 is only 57 miles, the second shortest of the week. The organizers also made this the flattest of the week too as we only climb 1,317 feet. Here is a synopsis of the route:

Jefferson to Grand Junction: 8 miles
Grand Junction to Dana: 5.6 miles
Dana to Ogden: 15.9 miles
Ogden to Boone: 8.3 miles
Boone to Ames: 19 miles

We will arrive in "Cyclone Country" on Tuesday evening. I look at Day 3 as a possible "recovery day" as it is low on mileage. Combine that with only 1,317 feet of climbing, and this might be a good day to take it slow, hydrate, and recharge for the rest of the week. That's my strategy now. We'll see how my strategies evolves as the week progresses.

Day 2 Preview

Day 2 of RAGBRAI

After a short Day 1 with a few climbs, Day 2 seems to be the most brutal of the week. The day boasts 83 miles and over 5,600 feet of climbing. Those 83 miles are the minimum...as you've read on my web poll, there is an optional 17 mile loop which would make the day be an even 100 miles. The "Century," as it's referred to by cyclists, is a huge milestone the first time it's accomplished. It appears you all want me to suffer as you've overwhelmingly voted for me to attempt the route. What you all don't know is that my vote is the only one that matters!

Stops along the way are:

Harlan to Kimblallton: 14.4 miles
With the Loop: Optional 14.5 miles
Elk Horn: 3.1
Exira: 9.9
Heartland Tower: 11.3
Coon Rapids: 17
Scranton: 17.3
Jefferson: 9.9

As you can see, the last 45 miles only have two stops. Those 45 will be a test, especially if the century is attempted.

In some ways, it's great to have the century on day 2. The legs will be loose from a light Day 1 and with only 60 plus miles on the saddle, I'm sure many will attempt. However, I do wish it was at the end of the 82 miles, not at the start.

Today was a good day of training. I was able to ride home from work (25 miles) and averaged 18.2 mph. I snagged a 40 mile ride on Friday and averaged 17.5 the entire distance. My goal is to ride Tuesday, Thursday, and take a short ride on Saturday. Hopefully, I'll be fresh for the start!

Check out the Preview for Jefferson, IA

7 Days and Counting

Training:
On the Ragbrai website, they recommend getting 600 miles of training in before the actual ride. My guess is this is to give people who may just get a spontaneous urge to ride across Iowa a pause to think. My original goal was to log 1,000 miles by July 20. I was on pace for that until a couple of weeks of travel set me back. To date, I have logged 831 miles. I am hoping to ride 5 days this week with rest days scheduled for Wednesday and Friday.

RAGBRAI DAY 1 PREVIEW

From what the website says, Day 1 will include some climbing. We start in Missouri Valley, IA. This is on the banks of the Missouri River. The tradition in RAGBRAI is to dip your tires in the Missouri River at the start of the ride, and then dip them in the Mississippi at the end. Shortly after dipping our tires, we will traverse the 59 miles of Day 1 out of the valley.. As is the case with valley's...the only way is up! In fact, we will climb 3,797 feet in day 1 ALONE!

Our overnight stop will be in Harlan, IA. Between Missouri Valley and Harlan, we will pass by several Iowa small-towns. They are:

Beebeetown (9.4 miles)
Underwood (14.5 miles)
Neola (5.4 miles)
Minden (4.5 miles)
Shelby (7.9 miles)
Tennant (5.8 miles)
Harlan (10.9 miles)

As you can see, the longest road without a stop is only 14.5 miles. I'm not sure I'll stop at every town for long, but my goal now is to get a picture in every town we pass through. It is my understanding that towns LOVE it when RAGBRAI comes through because of all the money that comes with it.

Check out Harlan's Page for RAGBRAI

Stop by tomorrow for a Day 2 Preview.

8 Days Away

As many of you know, I am attempting to complete RAGBRAI this year.

RAGBRAI stands for:

R egister's
A nnual
G reat
B icycle
R ide
A cross
I owa

The Des Moines Register is the big newspaper in Iowa and this ride is an annual tradition. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find an Iowan who did not know about the ride. For the route and more info, you can visit: http://www.ragbrai.org

My goal is to post daily updates from RAGBRAI. Check back in the evening for the day's full report. The ride goes from July 20-July 26.