| Riding RAGBRAI |
| Day Five - Tama/Toledo to North Liberty Thursday, July 24th 76 miles; 3,123 feet of climbing |
The weather finally turned on us during the ride from
Tama/Toledo to North Liberty. We'd dodged storms earlier in
the week and enjoyed relatively pleasant temperatures, but our
day of rain came shortly after we hit the road on Thursday
morning. The light rain and cool temperatures were enough to
bring out my light rain jacket, which I wore the entire day.
My first in-person view of the dangers of RAGBRAI came
shortly after we left Toledo. During a moderate climb on a damp
country road with no shoulder, an oncoming car crested the hill
and caused a few riders to scramble to move into the right lane.
One lady lost her momentum just as the car was nearly upon us
and drifted left, straight into the car's path. She began to
correct her line, but I was sure it would be too late to avoid
riding into the side of the car. The car sped by almost quickly
enough to avoid the bicycle, but the woman's front tire clipped
the car's rear quarter panel with a distinct "Whap!"
Fortunately, she was unharmed, and her bicycle also seemed to
be ok. But it reminded me of the risks of riding in a large group.
It was a rolling accident waiting to happen. Every day we had to
move over for ambulances.
The rain set in for the morning, light enough to annoy us but not
enough to do any good. Most of Team Joyride met for breakfast
burritos at a fire station somewhere in the first 25 miles, but
Larry Baerveldt was so cold that he skipped the burrito and
kept on riding. He never really did stop until North Liberty.
Larry's physique is similar to mine, meaning he has little natural
insulation. In fact, I'm not sure he has any body fat at all.
He's in his 40's and is more physically fit than most men half
his age. As best I understand it, Larry helps US Bank buy tax
credits from third parties, many of which are historical tax
credits used by real estate developers to finance the rehab of
commercial buildings that have historical significance. The bank
buys the tax credits to reduce what they pay the U.S.
government for income taxes. Or something like that...it's too
complicated for my feeble mind. Outside of the tax credit gig,
Larry runs marathons, competes in triathlons, skis most
excellently, and dates an awesome gal named Peggy. And he
shivers when cold and wet.
After Matt powered his way through the strongest headwind of
the week, I was left by myself for the duration of the ride to
North Liberty. Pace lines were forming everywhere in an
attempt to beat the wind. I jumped into various lines that were
either too fast or too slow, and eventually gave up and rode solo
most of the way. Every so often I'd turn my head and see
someone directly behind me, using my draft for a free ride. I
didn't particularly care for that kind of freeloading. Had they
simply asked, I would have gladly let them draft for awhile and
take turns leading. But if I sensed freeloading, I sprinted until
I couldn't see them anymore. That there's roadie etiquette,
Stichnoth style.
The second half of Thursday's route included the historic Amana
Colonies, where I planned to take a long break. At 50 miles into
the ride, I was beat. When I arrived at the Colonies, they
appeared mostly uninterested in RAGBRAI. West Amana had
nothing of any significance to a RAGBRAI'er (i.e. no pie). South
Amana had one food vendor at the U.S. 6 junction with a long
line, so lunch became a Clif Bar and water from my Camelbak.
Homestead had a full array of food and drink, but by that time
I just wanted a hot shower. I settled for a fruit smoothie from
two college girls who had been working a roadside stand the
whole week, then found Matt Kavan on the road. Good thing,
because I had no idea where to find our host family in North
Liberty. Matt's iPhone was my ticket to that hot shower.
In North Liberty, we were treated to an elaborate pirate
display at the official RAGBRAI entrance. The locals did a great
job of congratulating us for completing a tough day, and I really
did appreciate that, but I just wanted a damn hot shower
already. Matt was able to navigate us to a townhouse subdivision
and a street address so new that it wasn't on most maps yet.
Our hosts for the night were Jason and Kristin Mueller, a young
couple who are typical of what makes North Liberty one of the
Tama/Toledo to North Liberty. We'd dodged storms earlier in
the week and enjoyed relatively pleasant temperatures, but our
day of rain came shortly after we hit the road on Thursday
morning. The light rain and cool temperatures were enough to
bring out my light rain jacket, which I wore the entire day.
My first in-person view of the dangers of RAGBRAI came
shortly after we left Toledo. During a moderate climb on a damp
country road with no shoulder, an oncoming car crested the hill
and caused a few riders to scramble to move into the right lane.
One lady lost her momentum just as the car was nearly upon us
and drifted left, straight into the car's path. She began to
correct her line, but I was sure it would be too late to avoid
riding into the side of the car. The car sped by almost quickly
enough to avoid the bicycle, but the woman's front tire clipped
the car's rear quarter panel with a distinct "Whap!"
Fortunately, she was unharmed, and her bicycle also seemed to
be ok. But it reminded me of the risks of riding in a large group.
It was a rolling accident waiting to happen. Every day we had to
move over for ambulances.
The rain set in for the morning, light enough to annoy us but not
enough to do any good. Most of Team Joyride met for breakfast
burritos at a fire station somewhere in the first 25 miles, but
Larry Baerveldt was so cold that he skipped the burrito and
kept on riding. He never really did stop until North Liberty.
Larry's physique is similar to mine, meaning he has little natural
insulation. In fact, I'm not sure he has any body fat at all.
He's in his 40's and is more physically fit than most men half
his age. As best I understand it, Larry helps US Bank buy tax
credits from third parties, many of which are historical tax
credits used by real estate developers to finance the rehab of
commercial buildings that have historical significance. The bank
buys the tax credits to reduce what they pay the U.S.
government for income taxes. Or something like that...it's too
complicated for my feeble mind. Outside of the tax credit gig,
Larry runs marathons, competes in triathlons, skis most
excellently, and dates an awesome gal named Peggy. And he
shivers when cold and wet.
After Matt powered his way through the strongest headwind of
the week, I was left by myself for the duration of the ride to
North Liberty. Pace lines were forming everywhere in an
attempt to beat the wind. I jumped into various lines that were
either too fast or too slow, and eventually gave up and rode solo
most of the way. Every so often I'd turn my head and see
someone directly behind me, using my draft for a free ride. I
didn't particularly care for that kind of freeloading. Had they
simply asked, I would have gladly let them draft for awhile and
take turns leading. But if I sensed freeloading, I sprinted until
I couldn't see them anymore. That there's roadie etiquette,
Stichnoth style.
The second half of Thursday's route included the historic Amana
Colonies, where I planned to take a long break. At 50 miles into
the ride, I was beat. When I arrived at the Colonies, they
appeared mostly uninterested in RAGBRAI. West Amana had
nothing of any significance to a RAGBRAI'er (i.e. no pie). South
Amana had one food vendor at the U.S. 6 junction with a long
line, so lunch became a Clif Bar and water from my Camelbak.
Homestead had a full array of food and drink, but by that time
I just wanted a hot shower. I settled for a fruit smoothie from
two college girls who had been working a roadside stand the
whole week, then found Matt Kavan on the road. Good thing,
because I had no idea where to find our host family in North
Liberty. Matt's iPhone was my ticket to that hot shower.
In North Liberty, we were treated to an elaborate pirate
display at the official RAGBRAI entrance. The locals did a great
job of congratulating us for completing a tough day, and I really
did appreciate that, but I just wanted a damn hot shower
already. Matt was able to navigate us to a townhouse subdivision
and a street address so new that it wasn't on most maps yet.
Our hosts for the night were Jason and Kristin Mueller, a young
couple who are typical of what makes North Liberty one of the
| We all had to sign the waiver. |
| We found these free laminated route guides in Toledo. They showed mileage between all the towns on the route, which roads we'd be taking, a graph of elevation changes, and total feet of climbing. |
| I'll never be mistaken for a true roadie. |
| If the pedals didn't give away my mountain bike tendencies, the shoes certainly did. |
| An appropriate t-shirt for Iowa. |
fastest growing communities in Iowa. Jason is a medical student at the University of Iowa, Kristin a teacher in Cedar
Rapids. North Liberty's proximity to both cities makes it an ideal place for the Mueller's. They were the most
accommodating hosts of the week. Offering floor space inside the house is one thing; offering floor space in their
bedroom was going above and beyond our expectations (we let them have their privacy). Darren Van't Hof was spot-on in
his observation that their place in life - one year removed from college - probably had much to do with their ease in
opening their entire home to a group of strangers. Darren's Iowa upbringing was, in my mind, at least partly responsible
for a number of interesting observations throughout the week. In his youth he'd had his taste of power washing the crap
(literally) out of hog houses, which apparently produced the sort of personal epiphany that causes kids to graduate from
college. At some point Darren found his way to St. Louis and US Bank, but the Iowa in him never left.
We took the Mueller's to dinner at a local bar, slept like babies on their living room floor, and awoke to sunny skies on
Friday.
Read On....
Rapids. North Liberty's proximity to both cities makes it an ideal place for the Mueller's. They were the most
accommodating hosts of the week. Offering floor space inside the house is one thing; offering floor space in their
bedroom was going above and beyond our expectations (we let them have their privacy). Darren Van't Hof was spot-on in
his observation that their place in life - one year removed from college - probably had much to do with their ease in
opening their entire home to a group of strangers. Darren's Iowa upbringing was, in my mind, at least partly responsible
for a number of interesting observations throughout the week. In his youth he'd had his taste of power washing the crap
(literally) out of hog houses, which apparently produced the sort of personal epiphany that causes kids to graduate from
college. At some point Darren found his way to St. Louis and US Bank, but the Iowa in him never left.
We took the Mueller's to dinner at a local bar, slept like babies on their living room floor, and awoke to sunny skies on
Friday.
Read On....
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