RAGBRAI? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Posts: 131
Bikes: 2018 Salsa Marakesh / 2006 HooKooEKoo / 2005 CoMotion Nor'wester / 1987 Trek 520 and 560EX (1 ea.)
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
RAGBRAI? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
It's almost that time again, anyone going?
Other than me...... hate to be the only one out there.....
Other than me...... hate to be the only one out there.....
#2
Senior Member
I've always wanted to do this ride, but alas, I'll be working. This seems to happen on a daily basis and gets in the way of riding.
#4
El Duderino
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 492
Bikes: 84 Raleigh Portage, 83 Trek 620
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'm going to be riding it for the first time. I'm going to ride my 1983 Trek 620.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: CA SF Bay Area
Posts: 476
Bikes: 2014 CDale EVO, 2007 System Six, 2004 Litespeed Solano, 2002 Burley Duet
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Watch for the Air Force Cycling Team and Larry Gallo and Scot Anthony on the road.
#7
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NW Chicagoland
Posts: 15
Bikes: Specialized Hardrock, AlpinaSport Univega
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My condolences
To all the RAGBRAI participants, past and present.
I was so sorry to hear about the fatality during this illustrious event.
I was so sorry to hear about the fatality during this illustrious event.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: CA SF Bay Area
Posts: 476
Bikes: 2014 CDale EVO, 2007 System Six, 2004 Litespeed Solano, 2002 Burley Duet
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Yeah, the team prides themselves on being on course until the last rider is in, and helping where ever it is needed. I think they had 136 riders and another 20-30 support people this year.
If you are on Facebook, go to the "Air Force Cycling Team" page. Lots of pictures and video from the ride, and Larry Gallo did almost daily updates from the road.
If you are on Facebook, go to the "Air Force Cycling Team" page. Lots of pictures and video from the ride, and Larry Gallo did almost daily updates from the road.
Last edited by turkey9186; 08-02-16 at 09:44 AM.
#10
Senior Member
I got the urge to try this in 2020 now that I've retired so I do a search. And the first result that comes up I posted in 3+ years ago when I don't think I've ever thought about doing it before.
So, anybody in 2020? And is this worth it?
So, anybody in 2020? And is this worth it?
#11
working on my sandal tan
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,627
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3870 Post(s)
Liked 2,563 Times
in
1,577 Posts
It's a pretty silly event at times, but the people you run into are great, and my first RAGBRAI was transformative. Once I got back from riding 400 miles across the state for the first time, it felt silly to drive a car for everyday trips. It's what got me bike-commuting.
__________________
RUSA #7498
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
Last edited by ThermionicScott; 09-10-19 at 09:06 PM.
Likes For ThermionicScott:
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,214
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18397 Post(s)
Liked 15,492 Times
in
7,316 Posts
I've never done the event, but having done Cycle Oregon four times I think I can say that you need to have the temperament for such a large event. CO has about 2,200 when it sells out. By the last time I did it (2012) I realized that I was no longer interested in dealing with that many people. And keep in mind that, from what I understand, CO is far more structured than RAGBRAI. E.g., Things like showers, meals are pre-arranged. I am sure it's fun if it's your sort of thing. It's just not my sort of thing. Also, having ridden in IA in July while crossing the country, I am familiar with how hot and humid it can get. We had one of our hottest days of the trip in IA. And corn provides no shade.
#13
Senior Member
I've never done the event, but having done Cycle Oregon four times I think I can say that you need to have the temperament for such a large event. CO has about 2,200 when it sells out. By the last time I did it (2012) I realized that I was no longer interested in dealing with that many people. And keep in mind that, from what I understand, CO is far more structured than RAGBRAI. E.g., Things like showers, meals are pre-arranged. I am sure it's fun if it's your sort of thing. It's just not my sort of thing. Also, having ridden in IA in July while crossing the country, I am familiar with how hot and humid it can get. We had one of our hottest days of the trip in IA. And corn provides no shade.
I'm more likely to want to do it "glamping" style, but given the size of the ride and the small towns that isn't likely. It is the camping aspect that worries me the most, I just don't do that, nor do I have any equipment.
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,214
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18397 Post(s)
Liked 15,492 Times
in
7,316 Posts
CO does offer what's called tent and porter service. For extra $$ you are provided with a tent and camp chair for the event. The service has your tent set up each day and retrieves your luggage from the luggage area. It sells out incredibly fast. AKAIK, RAGBRAI offers nothing like that. One of the worst things that can happen is to end up tenting next to a really loud snorer. Tents provide zero sound insulation. When I crossed the country with a group of 12 others we discovered on the first night that we had four loud snorers. From then on they had to segregate themselves from the rest of the group.
Re: the number of riders, a guy I met who did RAGBRAI told me a funny story. His was in the thick of the crowd one day and stopped to relieve himself in a cornfield on the right. He told me it took him several minutes for a large enough gap in riders to open so he could start riding again. That taught him a valuable lesson: Use the cornfields abutting the opposite side of the road.
Likes For indyfabz:
#15
Senior Member
I hope you had fun. I did it once, that was enough. It was like spending a week at the state fair, and just happening to have your bike with you. After a few days I found myself wishing I could get away from the encroaching hordes and just ride my bike.
Likes For BlazingPedals:
#16
Senior Member
I've given this some thought and at this point I'd rather do a bike/wine tour of Tuscany. It's a lot more expensive, but it'll be more my style, plus my wife would do that. Brunello di Montalcino is my favorite wine, and there's a lot of Chianti out there too. And a side trip to Umbria for Sagrantino Montefalco... And pasta, and cappuccino, and formaggio and prosciutto and salami and pizza and and and... It's making me hungry already...
And I almost forgot Gelato and dolci and brioche con crema and and
Now I'm totally salivating.
And I almost forgot Gelato and dolci and brioche con crema and and
Now I'm totally salivating.
#17
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,605
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10947 Post(s)
Liked 7,473 Times
in
4,181 Posts
CO does offer what's called tent and porter service. For extra $$ you are provided with a tent and camp chair for the event. The service has your tent set up each day and retrieves your luggage from the luggage area. It sells out incredibly fast. AKAIK, RAGBRAI offers nothing like that.
https://pkbelly.com/ for example.
#18
For The Fun of It
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Louisissippi Coast
Posts: 5,845
Bikes: Lynskey GR300, Lynskey Backroad, Litespeed T6, Lynskey MT29, Burley Duet
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2134 Post(s)
Liked 1,643 Times
in
825 Posts
I love bicycles. From that standpoint it was fantastic. All manner of pedal craft flowed through the streets. The riding is great as well. You can go as fast or leisurely as you wish. I enjoyed the social aspect of it more than anything else. I loved chatting with the locals in the pass through and stopover towns. I made up a point to strike up conversations during the ride too. I met some truly interesting people. I have a soft spot for festival food, so to that end it delivered. The spectacle of it all was something to behold as well.
I went with a charter in Bubba's Pampered Pedalers. That was unquestionably the right thing for me. Having someone handle the logistics allowed me to focus on the ride and the people.
#19
Senior Member
Indy, if you want amenities, the charter companies offer a wide range of services. Bubba's (which has announced it won't be at RAGBRAI next year in favor of doing Iowa's Ride,) offers put-up and take-down service like you describe. Other charters may offer baggage, chairs, drinks, etc. Generally the ones with more services will cost more. RAGBRAI organizes the routes and stopping places, and that's about it. There are RAGBRAI baggage trucks, but I've never talked to someone who said they resorted to using them.
I agree that it's not for me either. The year I did it, I described riding the crowded roads as being like "a fly in amber." Getting to camp was no help, as the crowds pressed in opressively, even in the slightly-roomier charter camps.
Zacster, the difference between your commute and RAGBRAI is that nobody deliberately goes to New York to ride their bike. Natives just don't realize what a wasteland it is because it's what they're used to.
I agree that it's not for me either. The year I did it, I described riding the crowded roads as being like "a fly in amber." Getting to camp was no help, as the crowds pressed in opressively, even in the slightly-roomier charter camps.
Zacster, the difference between your commute and RAGBRAI is that nobody deliberately goes to New York to ride their bike. Natives just don't realize what a wasteland it is because it's what they're used to.
#20
Senior Member
Zacster, the difference between your commute and RAGBRAI is that nobody deliberately goes to New York to ride their bike.
Anyway, what defines the amenities? Will it be rooms in a B&B or just a bigger space in a tent? I'm just not looking to sleep in a tent for a week, even a comfy tent. It was that particular thing that is making me not want to do this. The food, the party, the riding, even the crowd, was all going to be part of the experience. Even the farmland and small towns, which is so unlike my daily living here in the big city. But sleeping in tents with how many other people nearby? Nah, no thanks.
#21
Senior Member
Yeah, it's all tents, unless you can find a 'host' family in every town. I'd be a poor candidate for that. I was really grouchy by the end of each day. Which is why I'm not going back. Cycling is supposed to be fun. People who like RAGBRAI don't talk about the ride, they talk about the crowds. I function best in small groups. Standing in line for an hour for dinner isn't my idea of fun.
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Evanston, IL
Posts: 5,084
Bikes: many
Mentioned: 63 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1441 Post(s)
Liked 1,386 Times
in
758 Posts
What's up with RAGBRAI? I saw this a few days ago:
https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/RA...563155231.html
but don't see any discussion here along these lines. I ask mostly because one of my riding buddies invited me along for next year.
https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/RA...563155231.html
but don't see any discussion here along these lines. I ask mostly because one of my riding buddies invited me along for next year.
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,433
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times
in
2,079 Posts
What's up with RAGBRAI? I saw this a few days ago:
https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/RA...563155231.html
but don't see any discussion here along these lines. I ask mostly because one of my riding buddies invited me along for next year.
https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/RA...563155231.html
but don't see any discussion here along these lines. I ask mostly because one of my riding buddies invited me along for next year.
I'm not defending the article that made them mad but I know I wouldn't give one plugged nickel to the former organizers of Ragbrai or their ride. They are seeking to damage a fine state institution that has been in existence since 1973 because they disagreed with a newspaper article published by the Register.
Last edited by bikemig; 10-22-19 at 07:56 AM.
Likes For bikemig:
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Evanston, IL
Posts: 5,084
Bikes: many
Mentioned: 63 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1441 Post(s)
Liked 1,386 Times
in
758 Posts
Thanks. Just the same, will their departure have a serious negative effect on RAGBRAI? That's more my concern. Despite the rightness or wrongness of the opposing perspectives, it seems like the event might suffer with the loss off several key people.
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,433
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times
in
2,079 Posts
By the way, I wasn't expressing an expression on who had it right. I do think that the organizers were disloyal to an organization that is an institution in the state. It bugs me that they did this because they disagreed with a news article published by the Register. The paper may well have been wrong in what it did but offending people and sometimes making mistakes is the job of the press.
Last edited by bikemig; 10-23-19 at 06:08 AM.