RAGBRAI Day 3

Tuesday July 24^th

RAGBRAI Day 3

85.23 miles (109 with Karras Loop)

1,657 feet climbed

0 flat tires

1 busted brake cable

1 ambulance ride

Quote of the day “Sunscreen is my best friend and Goldbond is my lover.” Said by a passing cyclist on the route.

Today was another hot day, but a little bit cooler than yesterday. They say that RAGBRAI isn’t a race, but when you’re expecting triple digits by noon, it becomes  arace against the heat. This morning our team left at 5:00am, an hour early than our normal 6:00am start time. It’s impressive to see how RAGBRAI continues to motivate our team to get up so early, get their gear on, bikes checked and ready to ride all in less than an hour. All of this without coffee and before the sun is up.

This morning was an especially memorable ride for one of our blind riders, Denna. As she rode tandem with her pilot Richard, he was able to describe the sunrise as they rode out of Lake View. He described the stars, the rolling fog and sun as it rose above the clouds. Denna commented that she could even feel the warmth of the sun on her face as he was describing the scene.

Just two days in and you can already see many of our riders beginning to strategize their individual rides. They are recognizing their strengths and weaknesses and planning their rides accordingly – keeping their pace, where and when are the most efficient places to stop for water (and pie!!!) and how long they can afford to spend on their stops. All of this in a constant race against the heat as the day gets later and more unbearably hot.

Today was the longest, hardest and hottest century ride in RAGBRAI history. With a mileage total of 109, yet still had one hand cyclist and 2 support riders complete the Karras Loop.

Unfortunately one of our handcyclists, who also planned on complete the century ride this year, a 17-year RAGBRAI veteran was hurt today. We are sad to send another team member home, but happy that he will be okay.

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.