RAGBRAI: Days 2 & 3

Day 2

I knew yesterday was going to be interesting because Rick was acting squirrelly and froggy (basically like an animal), as we were riding our bikes out of camp, even before we were on the route. He had some energy and he was ready to leave it all on the road. It was a century day for Rick and Susan, an 83-mile-day for me.

They dropped me like a bad habit around mile 10. We got passed by an ambulance that had about 3 bikers "chasing" it. (Get it, ambulance chasers? Sorry.) Anyway, Rick sped up to also get in the draft, Susan took off and I tried to follow. I was going about 22 mph and couldn't bridge the gap, so I let them go along their merry way.

I should probably explain that car traffic on RAGBRAI is generally much slower than normal traffic. Rick said he hit 30 mph a couple of times right behind the ambulance on a two-lane county road as it manuevered carefully through the hundreds of bikers on that section of the pavement.

I ended up riding with a couple of different groups of people, because there are no strangers on RAGBRAI. I was okay with the idea that I might not see them again until I got to camp after the ride, but I pulled in to the town of Pocahontas and just happened to see them about a half a block away.

Now on any normal bike ride this might not seem like a big deal, but on RAGBRAI when there are at the least hundreds and quite probably a thousand or more people in town on bikes covering several blocks of the downtown, it's actually quite amazing.

They had been in town for quite a while waiting on me, so I had a quick piece of blueberry pie (yummy!) and we took off. They were well rested, I was tired and keeping pace with them totally wore me out. We blew through the next town, Plover, because Rick and Susan were anxious to get on the Karras Loop. The loop extended the day's route to 100 miles.

They dropped me before the Karras Loop, and I had to stop for a Gatorade shortly after (love the many roadside stands on RAGBRAI) and regroup. I took a little rest and made it into the next town, West Bend, joining a group of riders from Illinois and Colorado. There I found an excellent pulled pork sandwich from one of the many street vendors downtown and I found a shady spot to watch for Rick and Susan.

Apparently Rick and Susan flew through their extra miles, forming a paceline with a couple of guys. They claimed to be toasted, but I still had a hard time keeping up with them getting to our final stop of the day, Algona. I ended up with 83 miles at an average speed of 17.4 mph. It was flatter, and I was on my own more, so it was a pretty good day!

Day 3

Today is my birthday, so I think Rick and Susan were being extra nice to me and stayed with me the whole day. I also appreciate that RAGBRAI made the route short and flat, obviously in my honor. Since it was a shorter day, advertised as 58 miles, we agreed to stop and enjoy the towns along the route (Rick, as you might have guessed, is always in a hurry.)

We had our first real breakfast stop of the week in Wesley: pancakes, OJ and sausage at the firehouse. Excellent. Then when we walked through downtown Britt, Rick had the old guy with the microphone wish me a happy birthday. He even sang to me, and according to Rick I am only 29. Yes, Rick scored bonus points. Britt had major personality with a photo op at the "Mayberry Jail" with Otis and a deputy, plus the Andy Griffith Police Car with Aunt Bee and Opey impersonators. Fun.

They also had a lot going on in the park, but we'd already had our plates of spaghetti, and Rick was getting antsy. We did hear the local talent sing "Don't' Stop Believing," the version from Glee, as we pedaled out of town.

We are in Clear Lake for the night, but I didn't check my stats for the day because it was too hot! I couldn't take the extra minute to push the button on my computer, when the shuttle to town was just around the corner. We put the tents up, showered and left the campsite for air conditioned destinations downtown. Yes, I am at the library once again!

It's been a hot day, but an excellent birthday. We've already eaten (again) but are planning some birthday dessert later before we head back to camp. It has been in the mid-90s this afternoon, but is supposed to cool down tomorrow. I hope so!