[hepcatbent]

I'll be picking up the largest rolling party in the world... RAGBRAI tomorrow in Algona, IA. I wasn't able to make the start in Sioux City due to business obligations... but it's gonna be a GREAT ride! I'm taking my Greenspeed GTO and my Burley Nomad... :thumbsup:

My plan is to photograph as much of the trip as possible... and I'll hopefully have those photos up on Flickr later... I'll post the link when I get back!

Wish me well!

 

[RagbraiNewB]

Wish I could be there this year. Hope you have a blast. Corn+Brats+Beer + Pie, plus some beautiful riding thrown in.

 

[atpjunkie]

if you see a really

tall slim guy riding an elliptical say hey to him. (his name is Carl Yee) and a friend of mine.

 

[misterdangerpants]

I'll be picking up the largest rolling party in the world... RAGBRAI tomorrow in Algona, IA. I wasn't able to make the start in Sioux City due to business obligations... but it's gonna be a GREAT ride! I'm taking my Greenspeed GTO and my Burley Nomad... :thumbsup:

My plan is to photograph as much of the trip as possible... and I'll hopefully have those photos up on Flickr later... I'll post the link when I get back!

Wish me well!

Wow, have fun! The RAGBRAI is on my list of rides I want to do. I lived in Iowa when I was a kid, right in Sioux City. I haven't been back to Iowa since my family moved back east.

 

[Kurious Oranj]

I will keep my eyes open but I will be joining in Waterloo for the last 2 days.

 

[kbollox]

I'm s'posed to drive down tomorrow after work to join up in Clear Lake. The weather is really looking perfect for the week - just me an my Land Shark Trucker.

 

[SRay]

I did RAGBRAI back in 2008 and had a blast, its hard to put in to words the full size of the ride. I hope to be able to do RAGBRAI again in 2011.

 

[brewster]

I'm joining in Charles City. If you see a utility blue Surly Long Haul Trucker fully loaded, be sure to say hi. I'm doing it self supported this year. This will be my 20th RAGBRAI. Usually, by Thursday of the week I tire of the big rolling circus show that is RAGBRAI, but then look forward to next year once it's over. So, an abbreviated tour this year seemed like a good idea.

 

[-dustin]

tall slim guy riding an elliptical say hey to him. (his name is Carl Yee) and a friend of mine.

I've sen him a few times. That thing looks tiring.

 

[been200mph]

Could not get away from work to ride it this year, but the route passed about a mile west of where I work today. Tons of riders taking other routes in to Waterloo/Cedar Falls were still filing in as I rode home just after 6pm. Sad day though as the father of a person I know fell and died today from head injuries just outside of Charles City. Also a salesman at work found a Scott road bike that had fallen off a vehicle likely on the way to the campground area in Waterloo. He's taking it to the lost & found tonight to hopefully be reunited with it's owner. It got a little dinged but not horribly bad.

 

[-dustin]

4hrs of riding in the rain today. Didn't realize that tomorrow is the last day. Never got one of those pork chops.

 

[been200mph]

Am in Galena, IL this weekend. Saw the riders between Waterloo and Manchester on Friday when we drove over. Lots of them here today in Galena after the end of the ride in Dubuque. Talked to a couple guys from Kelowna, BC who had ridden it. Talk about a haul to get to Iowa, wow.

 

[brewster]

I saw more unbanded riders this year than ever. It really irritates me. I know that people are free to ride on the roads if they want but RAGBRAI is a huge production to put on. Why people can't register and pay the measly $25 a day to participate the right way I don't understand. Of all the major bike tours in the country, RAGBRAI is probably the cheapest by far. The emergency services, the police, and all the organizing and hiring of special events are there because the RAGBRAI fees pay for it.

 

[hepcatbent]

I saw that, too brewster... lots and lots of expensive rides, nice kits, expensive shoes and no bands...

I rode from Algona to Dike (20 miles from Waterloo) this year, a total of 180 miles in three days on the Greenspeed GTO... I was self-contained and averaged about 11.5 mph over the 180 miles. That's a little less than the average rider, but I figured my trike, trailer and load at about 80 lbs. vs. the average rider's 25 lb (or less) bike...

Here's a link to about 160 photos I took on the route:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roger_h/sets/72157624498492369/

 

[hepcatbent]

tall slim guy riding an elliptical say hey to him. (his name is Carl Yee) and a friend of mine.

Oh... and he passed me about four times a day, all three days I rode! :thumbsup:

What a cool ride!

 

[been200mph]

Guessing maybe due to the fact that they only have 8500 week-long tags and 1500 daily ones? I'm sure there are some who do pirate it because they could not get a tag. As another sidenote... we had a new guest tonight at the B&B we're at in Galena, IL. A lady from San Fran who took a 2-month work furlough (said she is a city planner) and flew to Bemidji, MN and rode the Mississippi to Dubuque. Then got a lift to Sioux City to do RAGBRAI. Monday she's off again following the river to New Orleans! And, she's done the ride on a folding bike and has been pretty much self-supported. She said she stays once a week at a B&B or the likes as a treat to herself. Very, very cool story she told us about her experiences thus far. She's ridden RAGBRAI 5 times now. We told her if it goes near Waterloo/Cedar Falls again to contact us and she's welcome to stay at our house in the spare bedroom if she'd like.

 

[hepcatbent]

I got to chat with Kathy Schubert from Chicago who rides RAGBRAI every year on her Bike Friday with her schauzer... last time I saw her in '08 the dog was "Joey"... and now she has Suzy... Quite an interesting lady... and one hell of a cyclist! She's an amazing ambassador for the cycling world.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/roger_h/4847210524/" title="P7286844 by chief1120, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/4847210524_bea89b04a6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P7286844" /></a>

BTW, this photo of Kathy was taken with the now-infamous Hanig pond in Cartersville, IA in the background about two hours before the pond activities were closed down.

 

[PomPilot]

Dang it hepcatbent. It was a page of her's that inspired the hard-shelled helmets I've made for my Pomeranian, Merry. And yes, Merry loves to go riding with 'daddy' just as much as Joey (and now Suzy) with their 'mommy'.

If you see her again, let her know that I carry a hard copy of that page (with url info on it) for people who ask me how to make one. :wink:

 

[brewster]

I'm sure there are some who do pirate it because they could not get a tag.

I wish that were the case. I registered for day passes one day before the deadline and none of the individual day limits were full. oh boy, but do they ever have the kits. Cheapos that can't buy a band, but are wearing $10,000 worth of bike and gear. .... ....

 

[hepcatbent]

Oh... and... my perspective may be skewed... I'm a touring and recreational cyclist... not a weekend warrior who dreams of being on the TDF. The latest hi-tech frames hold no interest for me, really don't care how fast I'm capable of going, and I don't do "group rides" or whatever the latest name for the go-fasters who do pace lines is... but at one point on the route I was riding along at a pretty good pace (for me with the recumbent trike and Burley Nomad) of about 14-15 mph on a flat in the middle of nowhere with no other riders near... when I heard the sound of a passing bus coming... a double-paceline of about 30 or so riders probably moving at 25 mph or so... when I hear the pace line leader sing out "road furniture!!!!"... I nearly crashed LMAO!!! Road furniture... that was pretty good!

I've gotta tell ya tho... I've become a "true believer" in the recumbent world... and this particular tadpole is nothing short of amazing for touring. Other than some minor knee problems caused by having one cleat adjusted poorly, and the boom 1/2" too long, I had NO pain in 180 miles of riding in three days... NOTHING... ANYWHERE. And even my knee pain subsided immediately after figuring out what was going on and getting those adjustments right...