Pull Tight

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RAGBRAI DAY 7 July 26, 2008 53 Miles – sunny, no wind and mostly level, an easy ride It was a great experience. Would I do it again? Yes. If you are reading this, think about taking a bike trip sometime. The friend who couldn’t ride because a recent bike injury reminded me of my first bike ride 5 years ago after many years of not much activity. I rode about 5 miles and when I got back home, I was too tired to lift my leg over the bike. I had to roll the bike out from under me. I have just completed 471 miles in a week and am looking forward to the next ride.

RAGBRAI DAY 5 July 24, 2008 66 Miles – overcast cool with calm winds, perfect day for a bike ride The forecast for the night and early morning was 60 % increasing to 80% chance of rain. Not a drop all day. I am reminded of an interview I saw a couple of years ago with one of the local television meteorologists. To paraphrase him - we now have such elaborate computer simulation, radar and satellites that we can forecast the weather 20% better than guessing. To many on this ride, it is a linear party more than a bike ride. There must be many that only ride part of the days, but make most of the night time festivities. And, for many coming for the ride - What happens in IA stays in IA.

RAGBRAI DAY 5 July 24, 2008 74 miles - cool, rainy and windy. Good day for a ride. Goin' places that I've never been. Seein' things that I may never see again And I can't wait to get on the road again....... .....Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway from On the Road Again by Willie Nelson To add my own line.......... Making friends we may never see again Setting up a tent in a new town every day, meeting dozens of people along the way, being a gypsy for the week is not so bad. If you have never slept in a tent during the rain, you have missed a great experience. Packing up a wet tent during a rain is another thing . Started in the rain today and the whole day was cool and overcast. It was not a good day for roadside vendors selling bottled water and energy drinks. The beer gardens seem to open about 9 AM everyday. Some of the riders will stop for hours. You have to wonder how they ever find their way to the final town of the day. The music, drinks and food are

RAGBRAI DAY 4 July 23, 2008 78 Miles – hilly and into the wind, some thought this was tougher than day 2 With vacations you might sometimes say “Getting there is half the fun”. With this trip getting there is the vacation making it all the fun. And, it is, most of the time.

RAGBRAI DAY 3 July 22, 2008 58 Miles – mostly flat, still into the wind, but pretty easy compared to yesterday Elvis has left the …….cornfield? Seems almost every small town festival we pass through has an Elvis impersonator. Some are OK and most are pretty bad. I was telling my daughter and she asked what is the deal. Although, I don’t really understand either, there will still be Elvis impersonators when she is an old woman. Sounds You would think a 471 mile bike ride would be a pretty quiet affair. It’s not. An amazing number of bikers have some sort of music on there bikes. Everything from store bought systems that are compact fitting in a water bottle cage or behind a bike seat to some very elaborate home made systems, sometimes requiring trailers behind the bikes. A lot of old rock and roll, some country and one old guy listening to a symphony is what I remember from the day. I didn’t see it, but I heard there was a large group riding and singing along to Johnny Cash. Sirens. Wit

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July 21, 2008 82 Miles (officially) We logged a little over 84 The road goes on forever and the party never ends Lyrics from a song by Robert Earl Keene The day started off at 2:30 AM with a siren and an announcement by loud speaker of an upcoming storm with high winds and large hail. We all left out tents (did I mention the tents?) and were directed to a storm shelter near the campsite we were in. A couple thousand of us crowded into a Quonset Hut (spell?) for a half hour while the main part of the storm passed near but didn’t hit us. Back into the tent until about 6 AM when we broke camp and began cycling again. I am doing this trip with my niece, Ave, from Mass who met me here. We contracted with a bike club to haul our gear and find a campsite each day. Ave is a teacher, pretty organized, very easy to get along with and an excellent traveling companion. We are both enjoying the trip so much we are talking about our next and who might or might not invite. This day was rated

July 20, 2008 59 Miles. And I thought Iowa was mostly flat. Of the 59 miles today, I read that 52 were uphill. Spin classes paid off. I will post pictures later, when I can get to a place to download. Friendly people, festivals in every town we pass through just for a start. 18,000 cyclists on the road at one time is amazing, bicycles riding at least 3 or 4 abreast as far as you can see in either direction. I Met one guy riding a unicycle for the entire 471 miles. Saw a family of 6 on a bicycle built for 6 that could have been designed by Dr Seus himself. One bike club was in costume as pink flamigos. Festivals of the day included pretty good muscians, with one stop having a pretty decent Elvis impersonator. And food everywhere, there must have been at least one food vendor for every mile of the route. Bicyclers get really hungry. After day one I would say this is a great way to spend a vacation. It makes me feel bad for all of you that spend your time lounging on the beach o

To anyone thinking of driving to iowa from texas, one word of advice.... FLY

Last weekend was my last real ride before IA. 2 flats including the blowout pictured here. Had to catch the sag wagon to the end (first time ever). Hope this is not an omen of the upcoming ride. At the mile 30 rest stop of this ride (Peach Pedal), I stopped to rest under the shade for a few minutes with a few other riders. There we were, in our expensive bike clothes with our multi thousand dollar bikes complaining about the heat, humidity, wind, how tired we were etc. Up rides this wiry almost toothless old man in a beat up straw hat, cut off jeans, an old T shirt and a bike that was probably rejected from Goodwill years ago. I don't think he was even sweating.

Looks like the RAGBRAI is really on for this year. Am leaving for Iowa on July 18. My plan is to post thoughts, observations, and pictures of the ride each day if I have some kind of computer access (or maybe I will just text from my phone). I started spin classes a few weeks ago, thinking I have been riding recreationally for 4 or 5 years now; I can do that. Riding 40 or 50 miles is pretty easy, but exhausting. The first hour long spin classes really knocked me on my butt. My weight is not down quite as far as I had hoped at this point, but I'm still losing so guess it is OK. My resting heart rate has gone from the mid 70s to the low 50s. I am in the best shape I have been in about 25 years.