Ragbrai XXXVI is now officially over
What makes me say that? Well, the ride is over. But even more, I’m home and the wristbands are cut off. I could pretend Ragbrai was still going as long as the wristbands were still there, but once I cut them off, I suppose it’s official. It’s good to be home - It was great to see JJ and Phia again, of course. I wish I could have just had that and a few more days of Ragbrai fun.
In any case, I put up a few more pictures on the flickr set - I’m home now, so dialup forces me to shrink them a little. You’ll be able to see them fine though. I have dozens more if anyone’s interested - almost 800 MB of pics and vids.
If you’re wondering about mileage the magic number is 500. I dipped my tire at a little less than 500 miles but rode around a couple more to make sure I reached it! I couldn’t stand the thought of being that close and not quite making it.
The weak of heart may want to stop here. The rest of you feel free to keep reading. I’ve found myself wondering a few things over the past couple of days:
- Considering biking is such a “green” activity. I wonder if Ragbrai can actually be called a “green” event. Why? There are dozens (hundreds?) of team buses (mostly old school buses that have been psychotically painted) that drive from all corners of the US. People drive, fly, ride the train and ship their bikes from all over the world. I wonder if the green-ness of the riding is actually less than the pollution caused getting to and from it!
- Ragbrai is filled with crazies. These are people - presumably normal people - who take a week out of their life to ride their bikes around 500 miles across Iowa at the end of July, pay for showers, and sleep in tents. Many of them wearing clothing and costumes that would never be acceptable in “real” life. I have a sneaky suspicion there are a lot of lawyers, CPAs, Professors, etc. who, for a week each year, live their lives in lycra, dresses, kilts, banana outfits, loin-cloths and pretty much anything else you can think of and then go back to their “normal” lives as if nothing unusual had taken place. I actually think it’s healthy.
- Port-a-potties (called Kybos on Ragbrai) are a great invention. In one town they actually put little tubs of talcum powder in them for people to use. Nice idea (albeit a little gross despite the fact that they provided spoons for “distribution”). Sometimes the simplest inventions are the best. I actually got to use one right after it was emptied and cleaned… an unexpected blessing.
- “Adjusting.” One of the first things a young boy learns is that it’s simply not appropriate to “adjust” in public. Apparently that rule is suspended on Ragbrai - for both boys and girls. Lycra/Spandex apparently has that effect on both genders. I found myself wondering how long it takes the average Ragbrai rider to cease such behavior after returning home.
Things to remember if I ever do it again:
- Pack less. or not. I didn’t use everything I brought but could have. I would probably use the exact same list.
- Bring something pillow-y. Using my bag or a rolled up sweatshirt works fine but it’s just not the same.
- If I run across a wad of extra cash, It’d be great to have a solar charger for my cell phone. Dead cell phones are miserable and plug-ins are usually full by the time “the tortoise” rolls into town.
- Tortoise tempo rocks. A comfortable pace coupled with stopping in nearly every town may get me into town later than a lot of people, but it’s a lot more fun.
- Get a small, fold-able lawn chair. Matt brought one and it was great.
- Make sure someone on the team has a good pump. We had one this year and it was definitely worth it!
- See if someone will follow in a truck/van/u-haul/bus/camper/??? - it would be great to stay outside the main campgrounds and have someone to make sure our stuff is ready when we get there and there’s cold drinks available when we arrive — maybe even shade?!
- Invite people carefully. We had a good group this year - a great group actually - but I can imagine that, as groups get bigger, it would be more and more important to ensure everyone is compatible.
- Get some kind of speaker system. Riding with music is fun and other people seem to have boring play lists. I want something eclectic - sure, a lot of people are going to think my play lists are dumb… oh well.
- Sandals are awesome. I loved my Shimano/SPDs - WAY more comfortable than my biking shoes and the recessed SPDs are great.
- Don’t bring more than a pair or two of socks - I brought WAY too many socks and didn’t even wear them on the cold day.
- Bring several swimsuits - they’re the only comfortable thing to change into after riding all day and they wash/dry easily.
- Find some kind of light-weight top. Cotton T-Shirts seem too heavy; jersey’s are too tight for a comfortable evening; loose long sleeves are ok, but not optimal. I don’t know what - something has to be a better option.
- Consider being one of the crazies. I’m not into dresses or loin-clothes (aren’t you all relieved to hear that?!) but it would be fun to come up with a great costume/gimmick.
Well, there you go. Likely the last post for Ragbrai XXXVI - 2008. Thanks for listening.
I’m spending the rest of my “vacation” on a church campout at Cran Hill Ranch.
***Back to Normal Business***
Grace and peace,
`tim
2 Responses to “Ragbrai XXXVI is now officially over”
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July 28th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Welcome back. Glad you had fun. I find it ironic that you began your list with the words “Pack less,” then just kept thinking of more things to pack, while only dropping socks from your luggage.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Typical of me
I’m a notorious over-packer!
Grace and Peace,
`tim