Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

Ragbrai, the Monday After

Biking (with pedals!), Ragbrai July 30th, 2007

So.. what does someone think about Ragbrai two days after it’s all over? Here’s some of it…

My right knee is tight and my left little toe is a little puffy — Neither particularly hurt. I call that success.
The right shorts make all the difference in the world. I brought 4 pairs along, ended up wearing my Trek’s 4 of the 7 days because they didn’t rub weird.
Shoes with clips are the way to go. If I were to re-buy them I’d get recessed clips or ones I could put one of those little rubber covers on. Oh well. The clip sandals are neat, but apparently “no one in the rest of the world would ever think of using them even though it seems like everyone on Ragbrai does” (according to one conversation I overheard.)
I have a “trunk” on the back of my bike. Everyone should have one. It’s perfect for snacks, sunscreen, little purchases, raincoat, etc., etc.
Speaking of sunscreen - my 15 is a lot more comfortable than my 40. I started out with the 40 but just didn’t like the feel of it and decided I’d go with the 15 and apply it every stop. Worked fine. I got burnt a little on Tuesday(?) but it wasn’t bad and was a result of poor application. I do, however, have killer tan lines from my shorts and jerseys.
I might have sunburned my lip one of the days… or I might have just burned it on a hot Gyro. I’m not sure.
Some people are crazy… All of those crazies ride Ragbrai. There were single-gear bikes, pull-along trailers with gigantic sound systems, beads (yea, the mardi gras kind), stickers, custom jerseys, an estimated 25,000 people… yep, that many!
I saw lots of bikes and never saw one like mine. (Strange, huh?)
Most of the people who wear biker’s shorts and jerseys are the kind of people that don’t look good in them (I include myself in this category). There may be a couple hundred “hot, good looking” people on the ride… I didn’t see them. The vast sea of spandexed bodies were made up of every shape, size, age, etc.
Eating enough is an absolute must. I didn’t eat enough on the first day and suffered for it. The rest of the days I must have ate plenty — I gained about 4 pounds.
Drinking well is another absolute must. I did fine here. LOTS and LOTS of water. Every town has a hose hooked up to a piece of PVC pipe with holes drilled in it to fill water bottles. Works great.
One of the towns had a really cool sweet corn roaster. I didn’t take a picture (the only picture I REALLY wish I had taken) . It looked kind of like this. It was also the best corn I had all week.
People rave about the pie on Ragbrai. Most of it isn’t as impressive as I’d hoped. The Menonite/Amish booths are the best.
“Homemade” ice cream (on Ragbrai) is almost universally churned with a John Deer gas engine.
People who rush through each day miss the fun of talking to other riders and enjoying the scenery. I can only assume the enjoy the rush.