US Paralympic Update

Have you been watching? The Paralympic Games are attracting more followers than ever! We are proud of report that Matt Stutzman is moving forward in the Men's Compound - Open. For details on his results, go here.

The US men's wheelchair Basketball team beat Italy 77 to 51. Iowa native Josh Turek put 10 points on the board. To review the bracket, go here.

And in case you haven't hear, Oscar Pistorius set a new world record in the men's 200m. Go here to learn more about Pistorius. You won't want to miss the the final for this event. Details here.

Athlete to watch for - Josh George. Josh came to Iowa over Memoria Day weekend this year to help with a Paralympic Track and Field clinic. Josh is competing in several events over the course of the Games. With four gold medals under his belt, Josh will be sure to deliver during these games.

Stutzman ranked first!

Photo courtesy of www.london2012.com

After the first day of competition in the men's Individual Compound - Open, Matt Stutzman has moved to the top of the leaderboard. Read about the archery competition so far here.

So how exactly does Stutzman shoot his compound bow? Check out Matt's website, Inspirational Archer for videos and to learn more about him.

Josh Turek and the US Wheelchair Basketball team lost their first game against Turkey. To follow the bracket of that tournament, go here. The US team will play again on September 1st against South Africa.

Time for the Paralympics!!

The Paralympic Agitos across London Tower Bridge.
Photo courtesy of www.london2012.com 

We all saw and got excited for our US Olympic team. It's now time to support our US Paralympic athletes. While there is no primetime television covered, you can live-stream the entire games at www.london2012.com. The games are schedule to begin tonight with the Opening Ceremony. Stay on top of all the latest results here.

Iowa has a lot to br proud of in these games! Here are some Iowans to watch for...

Matt Stutzman (Fairfield). His schedule can be found here.
Adam Bleakney (Mason City). His schedule can be found here and here.
Josh Turek (Council Bluffs). His schedule can be found here.

If you have any Paralympic news, results or stories you would like us to highlight, please let us know! You can find us on Facebook or leave a comment on this site.

RAGBRAI Day 6

Friday July 26^th

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! 

The set up in Mount Vernon. 

A RAGBRAI'er trying the hand cycle.