That’s where I meet Iowans or other cyclists. Some of my local club riders asked me what I did for the rest of the day once I reached the overnight town. During the last half-mile of our ride, the team rode along chanting, “We’re Number Last! We’re Number Last!”Īs the Ben & Jerry’s tagline reads, “If it’s not fun, why do it?” That means plenty of time for a few relaxing beverages followed by an afternoon nap.) A few years ago we were escorted to the river by the police motorcycles that were sweeping the route at the end of the day. (On the last day our team also waits for all of the group to collect a few miles from the end town, including the unicyclists, so that we can ride to the Mississippi together. Very interesting to observe (and participate in) the varying dynamics across times of day.Īs for the last day of the ride, I’m never in much of a rush to go home and I tend to linger. I’ve even noted a marked difference in the playlists and volume of music between the early riders and the later ones. When riding on the back side of the curve, or what I’ve become fond of calling “the Dark Side,” there is a more relaxed feeling among the riders. The head-down intensity among the riders seems to peak early and decrease as start times get later in the morning. There really is no mistake, you do Ragbrai the way you want to.Ī look at the numbers of riders leaving the start towns at times ranging from 4am to 10am will certainly show a bell curve that peaks at six or six-thirty, but the thing that the numbers won’t tell you is what I’ve found to be more influential in deciding when to ride.įor me, the ride has an entirely different “feel” depending on which side of the curve I’m on. I’ve been accused of “making a rookie mistake” of going to fast. So, I plan to get there, dip and get out of town! You probably will want to dip your wheel in the Mississippi, and that can be a long line. The end town is a madhouse with all the support vehicles, friends and family and riders driving their cars. If anytime, the last day is a good day to get there fast. I still plan to ride fast this year, but stop for interesting things this time. There are water/mud slides and cornfield mazes that might be fun instead of trying to be first at the overnight town. One year there was an inflated rock wall to climb, but I ride solo and didn’t have anyone to watch my bike. The down side is that I may miss activities that start later. Going early avoids the crowds and gets me to shorter or no lines. It IS a spectacle! In that case, start at 0630. Of course, you should go later at least once to see the mass of riders. That is why I get out early (5:45 or better) to beat the crowd. Typical pace of the pack is about 12 to 15 mph. Everybodie’s Ragbrai is different: it’s what you make of it.
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