Friday July 26th
RAGBRAI Day 5
42.2 miles
1,907 feet climbed
1 flat tire…on the hand cycle on the bike trainer at the
support tent
1 busted brake cable
0 ambulance rides!!!
Today was (weather wise) the best day of the week. Since it
was a shorter day, we were able to leave a little bit later out of Cedar
Rapids. It was nice to have a shorter day to recover a bit. There were more
hills on the route, but the cooler weather and shorter route made them very
tolerable.
Mount Vernon was the meet up town today and it was hoppin’. People
felt like they had more freedom to stay longer and enjoy the festivities since
they didn’t have as far to go to the overnight town. The ASI support crew set up
the tent with a hand cycle on the bike trainer. Putting a hand cycle on the
bike trainer allows anyone to stop by and try powering a bike with their arms.
This is extremely popular! Especially after other cyclists have been seeing the
ASI team member completing the route.
So today when the hand cycle was set up on the trainer, a
group of Marines went by and the support guys tried to get them to come over.
They didn’t come over at first, so the support guys moved on to the Army. When
the Army wouldn’t do it, our ASI team member said “Well I guess the Army is
just like the Marines then.” Well that got them to come over! And before long
the Air Force came to show their strength as well. Both the Army and the Air
Force teams were there at the same time talking smack to each other as there
cyclists tried the hand cycle. It was a lot of fun! We truly appreciate the
service of each branch of the military and value their participation in
RAGBRAI. We felt honored to have a little fun with them today.
As I sat at Mr. Pork Chop today looking at our team, it
stuck me how many different states we had reporesented. From Arizona, Florida, Missouri, and
Iowa…all sitting in a farmer’s yard enjoying an Iowa pork chop sharing stories
from the road. It was a very cool moment to observe and something that can
really only happen on a ride like RAGBRAI.
Today we’re staying at the Maquoketa Valley Rural Electric
Cooperative. This facility contacted us and invited us to stay in their
building. They have gone out of their way to make sure we had everything we
need. They catered in a lasagna dinner, brought in an accessible port-a-potty,
we have a dedicated Wi-Fi signal and we can see the main stage from driveway.
On top of all that, one of their employees is in a wheelchair, so we had the
opportunity to interact with him and let him try one of the hand cycles.
And finally...photos from the day!
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| The set up in Mount Vernon. |
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| A RAGBRAI'er trying the hand cycle. |
