How do you spell that?

One of the largest programs that Adaptive Sports Iowa offers each year is a RAGBRAI team. If you mentioned RAGBRAI in certain cycling circles it's like a secret password. Right away the strike up a conversation about pie, pork chops or that year they had to ride in a 30 mph headwind. Those who know about RAGBRAI understand the joys and challenges of the weeklong cycling event. Those who don't know about the bike ride just nod and smile. Or politely ask "how do you spell that?"

So where did this great bike ride come from? It started as an idea in 1973 between two Des Moines Register writers who always happen to be avid cyclists. John Karras and Don Kaul thought it might be a good idea to ride a bike across the state of Iowa and write about the experiences along the way. With the help of public relations director, Don Benson, they set out for their ride calling it "The Great Six Day Bicycle Ride." That first ride attracted 300 riders, 114 of which completed the entire week.

The ride and the columns written about the ride were so population that letters poured into the newspaper. Some where upset because of the timing of the ride - during the first week of school and the final weekend of the Iowa State Fair. In short, more wanted to participate! Thus, SAGBRAI or the "Second Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa" was planned for August 4-10 of 1974.

By the 1980's, the name of the ride and evolved to the "Register's Great Bike Ride Across Iowa." Since it's inception, nearly 300,000 riders have riden almost 17,000 miles. It goes without saying that this riden has grown in popularity.

So where does Adaptive Sports Iowa come into the picture? We at ASI had a dream of providing the opportunity for physically disabled riders to participate in the event. They were not shut out from the ride, but logistically it was there were more challenges facing those cyclists when they considered RAGBRAI. For example, the housing along the way is typically not accessible. Majority of people camp in the public campground or in someone's yard. Few people see air conditioned housing during the week.

ASI wanted to provide a team that secured indoor, accessible, air conditioned housing in each overnight town. They wanted to provide support in all the pass-through towns that would allow a hand-cyclist to transfer into a wheelchair for a break. Basically provide a more comfortable experience for those who were already participating in RAGBRAI and provide the opportunity for those who had considered unattainable. In 2011, ASI launched the first ever organized adaptive team in RAGBRAI history and it was a resounding success! Word has spread and the 2012 team is twice as large.

This year's ride has a total mileage of 471.1 miles, which is the shortest route in RAGBRAI history. The cyclist will climb a total of 16,125 feet of hills, which happens to be the 11th flattest route ever. To the see the route and more stats, click here.

Members of the 2011 Adaptive Sports Iowa RAGBRAI team. 

Special thanks to http://ragbrai.com/about/ragbrai-history/ for the history information summarized above. Visit the RAGBRAI website for more information on the ride or more historical factoids.