What is RAGBRAI?
It is a mysterious acronym, even among cyclists. What is stands for is on the back of this truck. A 7-day ride in late July across Iowa that annually attracts over 15,000 bicycle enthusiasts. This year would be my second time to ride in it.
RAGBRAI (second syllable has a long “i” sound) was a chance to indulge myself in two passions; cycling and fundraising for Parkinson’s disease. Since my 2014 PD diagnosis, I have come to many realizations about the disease, with the primary one being that the diagnosis is NOT a death sentence. As terrible as it is, there are many things you can do to fight it. And, I learned that lesson early on, thanks to the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s. DPF has educated me, inspired me and helped me in so many ways to battle PD. And, to such a degree that I donate to, and fundraise for, DPF to continue their mission of helping others with PD.
PEOPLE
There is a case to be made that RAGBRAI is all about the people you meet during the 455 mile route across the state. The ones you re-connect with and haven’t seen since the last ride. And, the new friends you meet by pure chance.
Mississippi’s Best… plus one Marylander. L. to R. Ed from Cumberland, MD, me, Billy, Gaines, Ronnie, Frank, Lee and Jim.
Diane Mills from Meridian, MS. Met Diane through our BBB ride in Greenwood by helping her with purchasing the Mississippi kit she has on. When she inquired about a good outfitter to use to ride RAGBRAI, I recommended Pork Belly Ventures. A year later, I hear Diane calling my name in the Pork Belly camp. Cool!
FOOD
When veterans talk about their best memories of RAGBRAI, they always talk about the food. Easy to imagine for even a non-cyclist, but discovering what food awaits in the next town is a real motivator to get you through miles of peddling.
Starting in the upper left corner, I’m holding a waffle cone of mint chocolate chip that goes a long way in proving the claim that LeMars, Iowa is “the ice cream capital of the world”. Ice cream cone sculptures like the one in front of the arts center are so plentiful that one is never out of sight. Smoothies are great, but I found a food truck where they make a cool refresher called a “pineapple whip”. Think of a frosty from Wendy’s, and switch it from chocolate to pineapple.
THE EXPERIENCE
Phat trailers have 5 Phat rooms.
Phat rooms have a/c that runs all night!
There are many options to consider for your accommodations at RAGBRAI and none of them perfect or easy. You can go super low budget and bikepack your way through the week. Or, try getting a hotel or AirBnB in every town the minute the route is announced, then figure out how to move your belongings from one town to another. Yikes!
I was fortunate to have Frank Jarman’s assistance in securing a room in one of the trailers operated by the outfitter, Pork Belly Ventures. At Frank’s urging, owner, Tammy Pavich, connected me with Doug Kirkpatrick, an ob-gyn doctor from Colorado. That worked great in 2019 when I bunked with Doug and his sister, Jean, from Maine.
This year Doug had other matters on the home front more pressing than cycling, so I jumped at the chance to use his “Phat” room when he offered it to me.
THE RIDING
The common theme of the entire week is to enjoy riding a bicycle. Just like you did as a kid, only it’s a heckuva lot more expensive these days and you ride further than you ever dreamed. Across an entire state, for gosh sakes! This year, the route for all 7 days was 450 miles. And, more than 15,000 cyclists from all 50 states participated.
Get an early start to beat the heat!
Iowa is not totally flat!
This bike can go 60 mph. Can yours?
There are many beautiful sites in Iowa. Uhhh… this is not one of them!
Lush green countryside in every direction.
The beauty of small-town America.
The “finally we made it” beauty of the finish line at the Mississippi River in Clinton, Iowa!
The beauty of a Delta sunset in Mississippi.
Finally, the not so pretty inside of my suitcase that exploded open. Great trip!
DPF Fundraising Event - July 2021
Chuck & Barbara Inman from Oxford, MS celebrating their 42nd anniversary in Iowa.
Dave Sherrod from Ohio who I met on the road because he saw my Team DPF jersey. Dave’s father had PD, thus the motivation for his fundraising with Team DPF, too.
Me with Lee Nabors, who owns a B&B on the Tanglefoot Trail in northeast Mississippi. Claude Gunter from Oxford, MS making a great point during an evening when we found solutions for most of our state’s biggest problems. Well…. not really, but we had a great time trying! Leo from Chicago who I met 2 years ago when he had ridden in 25 RAGBRAI rides. Frank Jarman, the main most proponent of RAGBRAI and equally adept at convincing people to use Pork Belly for their accommodations.
Everybody talks about pork as the favored food in Iowa and it’s great, but during the week I explored other options.
Bottom row is the 2nd best Cuban I’ve ever had in my life! Tops is in Greenwood at Veronica’s.
If homemade ice cream is calling you, then it must be saying, “Beekman’s”. It is truly made the old-fashioned way and the taste is exactly spot on the way I remember from my childhood. They have a saying that if there isn’t a long line, it ain’t Beekman’s! True enough, the bottom right photo is the line and I would have waited in one twice as long.
Phat rooms don’t have bathrooms.
Food is good and beer free!
Tents are everywhere at Pork Belly camps.
So is luggage at trip’s end!
Over 100 members of the U.S. Air Force Cycling Team rode RAGBRAI, but not just for leisure. The Team was literally a rolling SAG. Their mission was to aid cyclists by fixing flats performing other minor repairs. I salute you for a job well done.
Probably my best day - Thursday. The second time the daily mileage exceeded 80 miles. My best average mph day, too. Almost got to 16mph for the 5 hour, 19 minute ride.
A brutal first day of 87.2 miles that took me to the brink. I left camp at 6am and didn’t pull in to camp until after 4pm. Over 10 hours later!
Looking down the road on a very long, hot 1st day.
This guy needs to look for a mirror.
Talk about rushing the season. Christmas in July!
A fundraiser idea for the Lion’s Club in Greenwood?
Plan B fundraiser idea?
