RAGBRAI Day 2
68.7 Miles
2,173 feet of climbing.
5 flat tires
1 broken chain
1 lost wallet
1 ambulance ride
Quote of the day: “it’s stifling out here!” said by everyone on RAGBRAI
Last night we stayed in the Wellness Center in Cherokee. Hands down
this overnight facility was the best our team has ever had. The staff went out
of their way to ensure we were taken care of. And with this heat an air
conditioned space of any kind is appreciated.
There’s no getting around it… IT IS HOT. Our support team is working
overtime service the needs of our team and they are doing a fantastic job under
the circumstances.
First and foremost our riders are all in an accounted for. Unfortunately
one on our team has succumbed to the heat and needed medical attention as a result.
They will make a full recovery, however we are now down one rider. I’m grateful
everyone is safe tonight.
The heat of the summer of 2012 will likely go down in history as the
hottest summer on record. This ride is already being labeled the hottest
RAGBRAI in its 40-year history.
Though the day ended in some extreme heat we were welcomed this morning
with very pleasant weather and a cool breeze. As we worked our way through the
first half of the day it truly was a gorgeous morning with the rolling hills
Iowa corn capped with white blades of the spinning turbines. The out of starters
are always impressed with Iowa and it’s fun to watch the stereotypes of our
great state be broken constantly on RAGBRAI.
A common occurrence for our riders has been the interaction between our
riders and the military teams. It seems
that all branches of the military have teams of riders on RAGBRAI and each one
has made a point to talk to the Adaptive Sports Iowa team as they encounter
each other on the route. On one occasion a member of the Air Force team used
the example of one of our handcycl-sts to
motivate their son to keep going. Upon making the comparison for his son the
father realized after hearing his words that that same example can be applied
to himself.
Due to all the RAGBRAI riders, it it difficult to hold a strong internet signal. Blogs will be posted as quickly and timely as possible.
