The Adaptive Sports Iowa RAGBRAI team made it to Glenwood today and is ready to begin the great ride across Iowa. Today was an exciting day, but not free of obstacles. Obstacle number one reared its ugly head as the team was meeting to leave. The ASI team loaded their gear in the Ankeny DMACC parking lot in the rain. That was not expected! Hopefully it is not a sign of things to come.
Obstacle number two showed up on the interstate. Everything appeared to be going as anticipated until traffic in I-80 turned into a parking lot. What?! As the team moved down the road, they saw the culprit. Four (possible five) semis had been in an accident. They were scattered about the median and the ditch next to the westbound lane. Eventually traffic started moving at a frightening 20 mph and the caravan moved past the accident.
Finally - GLENWOOD!! Sleeping arrangements for tonight were made with the On With Life facility in Glenwood. What wonderful hosts!! The room that was reserved for the team fit the specific needs of the team perfectly. The staff was extremely kind and the team was set up in no time. Oh - and the AC in the building was working beautifully. What a a relief.
After a tour of the facility, everyone set off to see the sights of RAGBRAI. The first night of the ride features an expo of the different vendors of RAGBRAI. The excitement at the expo is unlike anything else! Everyone is enjoying the different gear that the vendors have to offer. The team definitely turned some heads as the hand cycles rolled through the crowd. Everyone was interested in the bikes and wanted to ask questions. This just fueled the team exciting for the first day of the ride!
The expo no only features bike and gear vendors, but there is a ton of FOOD as well. A few members of the team had just gotten their giant turkey legs when the tornado sirens started to go off. Enter obstacle number 3. An ominous cloud started to roll in over the riders. Given the siren and the cloud, the team started to cycle back to the On With Life facility just as the wind started to pick up. Luckily, everyone made it back safely and was able to ride out the rest of the weather inside. After it passed, the team loaded the vans and headed back downtown to find food again. Unfortunately in the midst of cycling away from the storm, they had to ditch their turkey legs. Sad.
Overall the attitude of the team is super excited! Everyone has been planning and training for a while now. It's time to let the momentum carry them forward and just experience the ride.
Stay tuned for photos!
Where others see limitations we see possibilities.
