RAGBRAI Day 5

Thursday July 26^th

RAGBRAI Day 5

85.8 miles

3,576 feet climbed

0 flat tires

0 busted brake cables

0 ambulance rides!!!

First day without ANY equipment issues!  

Quote of the day:  “Wow, it’s hot today.” Said by cyclist who clearly was NOT on the ride yesterday. Are you kidding me???

We got another early start today. The first riders on our team rolled out of Marshalltown around 5:20am. When I rode out of town with Tai and her pilot, we noticed how the roads were not nearly as congested. At first we thought it was due to the storms, but after a while we figured that a lot of people went home after the heat yesterday. It picked up later in the day, but this year’s heat has definitely taken its toll.

We had to move pretty quickly into Vinton as we had a TV interview set up with KCRG. The reporter talked to Tai and then was able to see Alan roll into town and talk with him as well. We love being able to tell the story of Adaptive Sports Iowa as we make our way across the state.

Several of the riders took today off or only did a portion of today because so many were just wiped out after the wind and the heat of yesterday. The ride into Anamosa is a shorter day so many are trying to rest up with the goal of completely tomorrow’s entire route.

Tonight we are staying at Edgewood Family Fellowship in Cedar Rapids. We are one of a few teams staying here, but they are prepared! They have on-site massages, live entertainment and food ready for everyone. They really know how to make a team feel welcomed. Our team is using the showers at a senior living facility near the church. In fact, they gave us access to their spa rooms. Most riders have been able to sit in an accessible Jacuzzi tub. When they walk back from to the church to say they look relaxed is an understatement. We are spoiled tonight!

Overall today was a really good day. It was great to have some relief from the heat, rest up, soak some aching muscles and gear up for the final two days. 

And now...some photos from today...

A 5:00am start time comes early!!

One of the things RAGBRAI is famous for is the food. 

Our hand cyclists can be a little strange....

A woman at the church giving David a hug to thank him for his service. 

Mario on the home stretch into Cedar Rapids. 

RAGBRAI Day 4

Wednesday July 25^th

RAGBRAI Day 4

77.1 miles

1,997 feet climbed

1 flat tire

1 busted brake cable

0 ambulance rides!!!

Quote of the day: “Does every Iowa town have a water tower named after it?” said by a passing cyclist from California.

We left this morning at 5:00am again trying to beat the heat that we knew was coming. The morning was amazing, it felt a little cooler with a light breeze. The hand cyclists, for the first time this week, worked together as a group to move along. At one point, we had 7 hand cyclists all drafting off each other. We held that draft line from Webster City to Story City, the meet up town. Think of it like a flying V of geeze; each one helping to bring the wind to move the whole group. Everyone that got to see the draft line was impressed by all the hand cyclist, lead by the tandem of Deena and her pilot. Very cool way to start the day.

Hand cycle draft line. 

The second half of the way, the weather took a turn for the nasty. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any hotter, the mercury rose a bit more. Many of the riders decided not to finish the entire ride because the temperature was so extreme and the winds were picking up to about 30 mph. The ones that did finish are an inspiration to every rider that sees them cycle into the overnight town. 

I am happy to report that everyone arrived in the overnight town safely with no medical emergencies. That was a relief to the entire team after losing two team members in town days. We stayed at the Marshalltown Senior Center and they didn’t hold anything back. When we arrived they were working in their kitchen preparing a meal for us. We didn’t pay them a dime – they covered it all for us! A penne chicken alfredo pasta with veggies, a cup of fruit, orange juice, milk…talk about a spread! A welcome site after such a hard day.

The building we were in was an old, brick building, so when the severe storms rolled in we really didn’t have any idea. Needless to say, we were thankful not to be in the campground as many were moved into evacuation centers due to high winds.

Lastly, we want to give a special thanks to a local Marshalltown upholstery shop for giving one our cyclists some memory foam that he needed for his hand cyclists to alleviate some back pain. He was able to get a large amount of memory foam at no cost. What a HUGE HELP!!! 

On the road to Cedar Rapids

The ASI RAGBRAI team is on their way to Cedar Rapids today. Here are some pics taken along the route.

Tai and her pilot.

On the route every day there is one town that is the designated "meeting town." This is a town where support drivers can drive in and park in order to meet up with their team. The ASI Support crew sets up a tent with these flags each day so the team can take a break, refill their water and have a snack. Our support crew is definitely THE BEST on the ride!

Tai giving an interview to KCRG. We'll post a link to this when we can! 

Alan giving an interview to the same KCRG reporter. 

Most of the team is half way done with today's ride. Stay tuned for a report of yesterday's ride and today's ride!

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.