|
|
Post by gpickle on May 4, 2005 17:14:37 GMT -5
As part of my deal with the prosecutor I have to write at least one post on the IBC discussion board every day for Bike Month so here we go! I have been going on RAGBRAI for about 15 years now and in those 15 years I have managed to complete around 48 or so "RAGBRAI" as near as I can figure. I have always found the ride to be good for my tan and fitness, bad for my liver. Years ago I sought to make RAGBRAI a bit longer by leaving my home the Thursday or Friday before the start and riding out to the ride. I loved the experience. Riding in Iowa is fantastic most of the time but in the middle of July it is downright better than fantastic. Call it fantasticer or fantasticalicious if you like. Anyway, I would ride out to the start, do RAGBRAI, and then hop in a vehicle to take me home. After a couple of years of riding out to the start I began to realize that I liked the ride out to RAGBRAI just as well and maybe more than I liked RAGBRAI itself. Imagine that! No beer gardens or kybos, no scary pacelines, just me and miles and miles and miles of empty Iowa roads and a few good friends to share it with. We still used a support vehicle to carry our junk and keep the experience "racy" if you know what I mean. The camping was great with no one around and it seemed that every Iowan I encountered knew exactly what I was up to. "Heading out there for that RAGBEE?", they would ask. "Yep!", I would answer, "Can I use your shower?" Well the last few years I have found myself with a bit more responsiblilty in my life than I am comfortable with and that is okay but it has led to me changing my RAGBRAI habits yet again. Nowadays I like to leave my home and ride my very heavy and fully loaded bike out to the start and, because I can not afford to take a week and a half off every summer every year, I leave on Saturday night. I don't race out there all Trans-Iowa style to be there when the start pistol is fired, I just get there when I get there. When RAGBRAI is found I follow it along and then, when it gets close to Iowa City again, I ride home. No cars involved in my trip each year and I get to see Iowa as it is and also as 10,000 or so bikers can make it. Its a nice way to do RAGBRAI so try it out if you think you would like it, maybe I'll see you out there on one of those empty Iowa roads and we can spin some miles together, tell some stories, drink a few beers. I'm looking forward to it already-the LIT! (That's Little Iowa Tour)
-Gpickle
ps: just kidding about that prosecutor deal thing, honest!
|
|
|
|
Post by cootie on Jul 15, 2005 10:32:26 GMT -5
A couple days ago I heard Lisa P. say, "Once you go self-contained on RAGBRAI, you can never do it any other way." This is a woman with many years of cycling experience in her pocket as well as many self-contained RAGBRAIs.
My first RAGBRAI was last year, and I went self-contained. It was a blast. On the first day I rode alone 80 miles and camped. On the second day I rode 80 more and caught up with my friends on RAGBRAI. The peace and beauty of those first two days was exhilirating. Then, the whirlwind of bicycles and celebrations was a stark constrast but, indeed, a good one. When the route got close to home, I veered off with my friend, Ira, and had a lovely ride back to IC that took a few slow hours. A nice wind-down to the previous five days.
I am all about unbelievable fun, and, believe you me, I look forward to more of it while riding to and on the Ragby this year.
And, as Junior Member gpickle points out, no cars involved in this kind of trip. Behold the power of humans!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Timmy on Jul 15, 2005 18:30:21 GMT -5
Argh!
I was looking forward to joining a group leaving from DM on Thursday. Their itinerary is DM to Jefferson, Jefferson to Breda (gotta stop at Little Gus's, of course) and Breda to ?, ? to ?, ? to ?, etc.
The late time I truly "did" 'brai (i.e. rode more that a couple of days of the ride, or the ride out), I left from Solon the Monday before, met up with some friends along the way out, then linked up with my old riding paisans in Council Bluffs. Rode the ride, then veered off to return toward IC. I made it home the day after the official ride ended. Two weeks on the bike, no rest days, and spend zero time in a car.
That Monday, I had to figure out which was the brake pedal, and which was the accelorator. It took about ten minutes of sitting in the driveway before I figured that one out.
|
|
|
|
Post by 1eftcoastgrave1 on Jan 14, 2006 14:54:14 GMT -5
truely the best part of iowa cycling is riding to and from ragby. the feeling you get from leaving from your front door and returning to your front door a week anf a half later and seeing a large chunk of Iowa in between is infact wonderful. I have never done it solo as it is great to ride along and gab with another person or two but thats just fine. after spending a couple days just riding and camping it can be a bit of a shock to roll into ragbrai (tm). it's kind of like finding a crazy cycling circus in the middle of a corn field complete with beer tents, porta-johnnys and popcorn.
|
|
themostlyreverend
Senior Member
if i COULD post an avatar, you'd be laughing now.
Posts: 39
|
Post by themostlyreverend on Feb 7, 2006 0:03:46 GMT -5
well, with all due respect and all that crap, way back when i did the first of my over 50 ragbys, back in ought-and-74, before the roman numeral was invented, they called it sagbrai, or the sagby, and i went self-contained. did it like that for the first 20 or 30 ragbys that i did. rode west from wherever i lived to the start, turned around and headed east, then turned around again and headed back west. 12, 13 days on a bike, and all that. self-darned contained.
well, i'm tired of that. so the last 25-30 ragbys have been completely non-self-contained. except for my 50th ragby, when i rode the same 50 year-old bike i rode on sagbrai. well, it weighed a ton, and i hated it.
i'm all about speed nowadays. go fast, and terrorize everyone else. all across iowa.
now THAT'S fun!!!
seriously, the best part of the ragby is the before and after. choose your companions carefully, take a lawyer, someone with money, and leave your barts behind. stay away from big crowds, go bowling whenever possible, and never pay for a shower. never take part in anything that needs a wristband.
and life will be good.
|
|
fully
New Member
Posts: 2
|
Post by fully on Feb 7, 2006 10:25:40 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by gpickle on Feb 7, 2006 20:33:36 GMT -5
Wow! I don't know if its hardcore or not, but what a great idea! Maybe this will be like the Rags of old.... Not that I have ridden FIFTY or anything like that.
Many a time I have rolled into the last town of the ragBee and talked with me riding friends about continuing. Just stopping the next night in some unsuspecting IL town and knocking on doors, asking to use their shower and camp on their lawn. Scamming free beers from the local bars, etc.... Who knows where it could end! I hope this thing is properly managed, if so the NIR seems like a slam dunk.
gpickle
|
|
|
|
Post by 1eftcoastgrave1 on Feb 7, 2006 21:19:59 GMT -5
why stop there.... er i mean start there....... anyone willing to start at the pacific and ride to the midwest ragby style is welcome to join us. june 19ish 2006
|
|
