Now that it has been a few days, I’ve been thinking about what RAGBRAI is all about. It is a weeklong carnival, freak show, street fair, county fair, frat party (for some), spring break (at the wrong time of the year) bike ride with the nicest people you’ll ever meet. I never saw anyone grouchy or mean all week long…and there were plenty of reasons to be grouchy….humidity, heat, head winds, hills, lines, crowds, bumpy roads. The riders were all cool, the townies were happy to see us come (and go) and we were truly welcomed everywhere. I met scads of people who I’ll likely never see again and all were friendly. In each town I tried to find locals to say “hey” and see what they thought of the RAGBRAI invasion. I think it has become a normal thing in Iowa (if that is possible) and the locals are proud of the event. In each town people came out to see us and wave hello, sometimes lining the streets into town; on the way out of many towns we saw folks waving goodbye and saying thanks for coming by. In the afternoons when it was so hot, people set up sprinklers or stood outside with hoses and squirt guns to cool us off. It was like being in a VIP parade of 10,000+ bikers.
I was surprised at the variety of riders…all shapes, sizes, level of fitness and style of bikes. I saw folks who struggled up hills on squeaking bikes and teams of fast riders in pace lines. Somehow, all were biking together in a smooth flow of lycra and spandex…although some of the spandex was stretched to the max! The heat was hard for a lot of riders; I heard the first day many had to drop out. I saw folks walking their bikes into town up the last little hill at 7:30 at night. I saw ambulances every day with flashing lights on the road taking someone off the road. I only heard “rider down” twice both were minor…but not something you want to hear. Overall though most folks did OK, I think those who were in good shape did just fine.
The small towns we passed through were the most fun. Each was different and had its own charm. From mermaids in a pool to a whiskey distillery there was something to see in each town. Everyone was proud of their town. Many towns put together something special for RAGBRAI: a bike Ferris wheel, the world’s largest bike, recycled bikes as decorations, gateways, huge American flags… There were cub scouts, boy scouts, girl scouts, pom teams, cheerleaders, FFA, rotary groups, K of C, Shriners, firemen (everywhere), high schools, middle schools…and kids selling stuff for their college funds.
The overnight towns were a mixed bag. The best towns were the smaller ones where I felt we were in a real town. Grinnell was the best…nice small town feel and the main entertainment area was right in town. We got to visit local shops and bars and restaurants and mingle with the locals. Some overnight “towns” were suburbs of a larger city and it was hard to mingle…the set up was always nice, but it was a little like being in a very nice ghetto. We were all in a designated camping/entertainment area set off from a real town. I talked to a woman in our camp whose bike was stolen in an overnight town, and she knew of another rider who lost a bike. The RAGBRAI tradition is to not lock bikes, which is fine in the small towns, but was a problem for a few riders in overnight towns.
People have asked will I do it again…and I sure will. I’m sorry I waited 60 years to do my first. I’ll see if anyone wants to go with me next year…although I enjoyed doing it alone this year; it was nice being on my own schedule…leave when I want, stop when I want, not have to wait for others, just go at my own pace. I think it is 349 days until RAGBRAI XL
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