THE NICEST MAN IN IOWA

Meet Larry, the nicest man in Iowa. He lieves on the family farm 10 miles west of Cherokee. When RAGBRAI announced the 2012 route would pass in front of his home Larry turned his shaded front yard into an unofficial rest stop for hot, tired cyclists headed for Cherokee.

He built a dozen 2x12 benches under the trees in his yard. He put a livestock tank in front of his house where riders could dip their heads or their caps into refreshing, cool water. He filled picnic coolers with ice and bottled water. He stocked home freezers and refrigerators with more ice and water and stayed busy ferrying refills on his farm 4x4 to restock the coolers.

The price for this service? Zero, zilch, nada. No donations accpted. Larry said he did it because he likes to help people and enjoys giving a thirsty person a cold drink of water and a comfortable place to rest.

There are Larrys all over the world. The 12,000 or so riders who passed by this front yard oasis really appreciated finding this one.

As I finish writing this in a Cedar Rapids park a teenager walks up carrying a big tray and asks me if I want a slice of fresh pie. "Do you have rhubarb?" He doesn't but says he will be glad to go get me one. "Is your name Larry?", I ask. "No, Ben Geiger.", he replies. I guess that would have been way too over the top.

Ride on and do something nice for someone even if your name isn't Larry.

THERE'S NO WHINING ON RAGBRAI

But there might be a few teeny tiny exceptions.

1 It is 94F when you get in your tent at 9PM.
2. Thunderstorm hits at 9:15 with 40mph winds. Driving rain crushes tents.
3. Camp portable toilets topple in the wind.
4. Screams emanate from general vicinity of toilet area.
5. Police cruiser drives into park announcing "SEEK SHELTER, SEEK SHELTER" and then speeds away as over 200 riders run from their tents and try to get in his backseat after realizing there's no shelter in this park.

It was a long, long night. But I didn't whine. I was too busy hanging on to my air mattress promising to be good for a long, long time.

Ride on and promise to be good.

ROUGH RIDE IN IOWA

It is 104F in the Iowa shade, if you can find any. That means the temp out on the roads (asphalt with no shade at all) is 120. Six of our 70 riders have thrown in a sweaty towel and left the ride. Two others have spent an overnight in the hospital and one (me) was in the ER for about three hours. Heat related all.

In past years nine-passenger vans filled in as sag wagons. They pull trailers that can hold a dozen bikes. If the the riders are small or willing to sit in laps the sag drivers can cram 12 riders into the vans.

Today, Wednesday, so many riders are dropping out that yellow school busses are replacing the nine passenger vans. Instead of bike trailers at least one 53 foot semi has been pressed into service to haul the bikes to the overnight town.

All in all, a rough day to ride in Iowa.

THAT FUNNY FEELING

You know that funny feeling. Something is not right but can't quite figure out what it is? I had that feeling twice Monday morning. The first time was when I put my bicycle shorts on backwards. It was pitch dark when I got dressed and I didn't want to light up my tent. I kept wanting to sit on my bike facing backwards.

After I turned my shorts around I rode 12 miles to Aurelia for a big plate of Chris Cakes, an Iowa favorite of mine. I felt fine but the moment I swung off my saddle I boinked. That word isn't in my dictionary but it means listless, weak, dizzy and otherwise not fit to crank out another five miles.

Thus boinked I walked slowly to the EMT's at the Aurelia fire house. A blood pressure, a glucose test and an oximeter reading later I was in an ambulance headed to a nearby hospital.

My ride partner and pastor, Fr. Pat Connell, called my wife and told her not to worry. How do you say that and not worry someone?

Two hours later I was discharged with a diagnosis of Inadequate electrolytes and fluids which caused a drop in blood pressure and some irregular heartbeat.

I knew better. Last year on RAGBRAI I drank a bottle of G2 ever hour I rode. Not this year. I cheated. I figured I could get some G2 later, drink some more water later. Actually the ER doc said water wouldn't have done much good. I needed the blue, red, yellow or azure stuff. Don't Like the taste? Tough. Cowboy (or girl) up and drink your electrolytes. No rhubarb pie until you finish your azure stuff.

Don't like rhubarb pie? There's some obscure RAGBRAI rule you have at least one slice. I love it.

Drink and Roll on.

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE NIGHT BEFORE

This is about as exciting as two nights before Chrisistmas. There's nothing remotely bikie to do, nothing to check, clean or adjust. Everyone's bikes are loaded safely in the moving van. We are waiting in a motel for the Iowa bus to arrive at 5:30 AM. At least everyone will be with their own kind on the bus. Conversations will drift back towards great rides of the past. Everyone will pull out their best story ("No kidding, there I was...")and those stories will travel up and down the aisle taking care of our hunger for at least a little while for one more ride.

Before the sun rises on Sunday morning that day will will start it's own story and I think it will be a good one.

Tomorrow: the biggest, baddest bike store in the world.

WHY?

In the spring of 2010 I was scooping up paperwork after a church vestry meeting when I casually asked a fellow vestry member if he wanted to ride his bicycle across Iowa with 12,000 other cyclists. With as litte forethought as I had given the question he answered, "Sure." Thus friendships are sealed and mighty quests are set upon.

All that Peter and I knew about RAGBRAI was a little we learned on the web. It was a long ride, 450 miles or so, but we had a whole week and Iowa was pretty flat, right?
Peter and I rode about 650 miles from April to July preparing for the big ride. That seemed like ample practice, right?

After we had ridden up and down Iowa for five days Peter told me he cursed me under his breath the first two days for tricking him into going on RAGBRAI. Then he spent the rest of the week cursing that he might not be able to finish the ride. I guess that was the quest part kicking in.

NOTICE: Iowa is not flat. Iowa is actually borderline mountainous from the viewpoint of someone sitting on a bicycle seat, AND 650 miles might seem like quite a distance to ride if you are a newbie, but it doesn't even start to be enough for RAGBRAI.

I remember after the first day I hurt all over. I wondered what a rider did who wanted to throw in the towel, tuck his rear wheel between his legs and quietly go home. That's when someone mentioned there is no whining allowed on RAGBRAI. The next morning I found enough energy to ride one more day, and one more and another until I rode my bike into the Mississippi River on the last day. That is the tradition. You dip your rear wheel in the Missouri when you start and your front wheel in the Mississippi when you finish.

This ride is not fun but it is a wonderful adventure. The only thing that is scripted about the ride is where you will spend each night. Somewhere in the next campground there is a tent space with your number on it. In between camp sites there are sites to be seen, people to be met, incredible food to be eaten and ample libations to be libated.

Last year I rode a while with a 76 year old woman who had done 26 rides across Iowa in a row. I rode along with a woman from Chicago who carried her little Terrier in a basket on the back of her bike. If anyone wanted a photo of this cute critter they had to fork over a donation to the Chicago animal shelter. There was an entire team dressed in banana costumes. Really. I met a recently retired preacher, the last circuit riding Methodist minister in the state of Iowa. He rode the last few years of his circuit on his bicycle. Susan Farago was staying in our campground. She is one of the greatest cycling athletes in the US. Check her training site online.

This is Thursday night. Early on Sunday morning another adventure begins.

That's why. That's why I do it.

Roll on.

Sent from my iPad

PREPARING TO GET READY TO START TO BEGIN - PACKING FOR RAGBRAI

1. The Habitual Cyclist, has ridden road bikes for 39 years. He lives in western Kentucky with his wife and two Border Terriers, despite advice from friends "never get a dog smarter than you are". He is riding his third RAGBRAI starting July 22, 2012. Write him with questions and comments at cycle habit@gmail.com

   
   I have a peculiar way of packing for long tours like RAGBRAI, the 470 mile ride across Iowa. I start weeks ahead putting things I will need or think I might need on a bed in the spare bedroom. As I think about it I pile it on -- jerseys, riding shorts, socks, gloves, t-shirts and regular shorts for more formal occasions, and even a small D-battery powered fan (a great creature comfort on a hot night inside a tent).
   
   
   There's a pile for soap, toothpaste, prescription drugs (and a lot of aspirin, my analgesic of choice). Everything (bar light, seat post light, handlebar computer, saddle bag, pedals) has to come off my bike for the truck trip to Iowa. That takeoff gear goes in with my clothes.. My saddle bag always has a spare tube, tire tools, CO2 cartridges, allen wrenches, some wipes and two Clif bars. I pack extra tubes, cartridges and food bars in my luggage. 
   
   
   Each day's riding clothes go into two-gallon size ZipLoc bags. After I shower each evening I turn my dirty clothes inside out put them back in the clear bag (with a hefty sprinkle of baking soda). I can tell at a glance these clothes need washing and for the sake of all the 15,000 riders at RAGBRAI should not be worn a second day . It is possible to wash a jersey and have it be dry the next morning but if you wash your shorts the pad will most likely still be damp. I take along a long sleeve jersey in hopes that the weather will turn cool enough along the way that the long sleeves will feel good. I carry a Gore-Tex rain jacket in a string bag if the day's forecast has more than a 40% chance of rain. Less than that and I will take a chance on getting wet. 
   
   
   Plastic bags are a good friend on a long ride. Everything in my luggage goes into a sealed plastic bag. If something is not in a bag, it will get rained on and soaked. If it is in a plastic bag, it probably won't rain. Luggage doesn't magically go from the shuttle truck to inside your tent. It sits in the great outdoors until you pedal into camp at the end of the day and put it inside your tent. Only seasoned riders privy to the whims and fancies of the rain spirits know this kind of secret stuff so pay close attention.
   
   
   Before I get the pile on the bed packed into the ZipLocs I look for something I can leave at home. A 7-day 470 mile ride has to be pretty minimalist. I have learned the hard way I don't want to lug something along that I might not use. No books (I have a Kindle), no camera (I have a smart phone), no towel (the shower vendors have them), no long pants (why?). On a long tour my life pretty much revolves around ride-shower-eat-sleep-repeat. If some belonging doesn't support one of those activities I don't bother to bring it. I don't need much in the way of bike tools, just the tire levers and the two allen wrenches. There is a well equipped repair stand staffed by a good mechanic at almost every major rest stop along the way. If you start wondering whether or not you will need something while you are packing, lean strongly towards "no".
   
   
   In short, keep it simple, keep it light, keep it fun and roll on. 
   
   
   Sent from my iPad.