July 22-28, 2007
http://www.ragbrai.org/
RAGBRAI®, The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, is an annual seven-day bicycle ride across the state. RAGBRAI is the longest, largest and oldest touring bicycle ride in the world. RAGBRAI is sponsored by The Des Moines Register.RAGBRAI begins somewhere near Iowa's western border and ends along the eastern border at the Mississippi River. The seven-day total mileage for RAGBRAI averages 472 miles while the daily mileage averages 68 miles. RAGBRAI is limited to 8,500 week-long riders and 1,500 daily riders although renegrade riders increase that limit.
Over the past 35 years, tens of thousands of otherwise sane, well-adjusted people have spent the last week of July cycling 500 miles across Iowa, in the “Granddaddy” of all rides. They ride 70 miles or so during the day, camp at night in tents on fairgrounds or ball fields, eating church food and making do with gritty hygiene conditions. Our group of seven was fortunate to have a motor home as our base then pitched tents nearby. We chose the “home-stay” option meaning our leader arranged in advance to stay in people’s yards or at churches.
The ride itself is amazing. We move from town to town at a speed allowing you to take in all of the surprisingly beautiful, un-flat Iowa scenery. Sometimes we moved amoeba-like among hundreds of bikes rolling down the road close together. Other times, if you choose, you can join a pace line and zip along at high speeds. We chose to start later in the morning and when camped on the road leading out of the town we could view a steady stream of cyclists for two hours while eating breakfast and preparing for the day.
Each year, the ride's route varies and the towns bid to be included on the route. A town of 200 will see more than 10,000 bicyclists spin through. Many towns decorate their streets with old bicycles hanging from the light poles or they make an entrance arch of bicycles. Many homeowners decorate bikes for their yards. For drinking water, townspeople drill holes in PVC pipe and run a fire hose or garden hose to it, creating small geysers just right for filling water bottles. For restrooms, there is a traveling caravan of portable toilets.
There is a party-hearty element of RAGBRAI as there is usually a band and beer garden in each overnight town and often in two towns along the ride each day. I’ll never forget stopping at 9:00 a.m. at the first beer garden of the day to music blasting and people dancing on the picnic tables.
Source of statistics……… Des Moines Register
- In 35 years, RAGBRAI has had 286,000 participants.
- 65 percent of the riders are 40 or older.
- The oldest rider this year was 87.
- The youngest was 6 years, 4 months.
- Over its history, RAGBRAI had visited nearly two-thirds of Iowa's towns.
- Riders come from every state and 21 nations.
(Mileage data will be available on March 4, 2007.)
http://www.ragbrai.org/
RAGBRAI®, The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, is an annual seven-day bicycle ride across the state. RAGBRAI is the longest, largest and oldest touring bicycle ride in the world. RAGBRAI is sponsored by The Des Moines Register.RAGBRAI begins somewhere near Iowa's western border and ends along the eastern border at the Mississippi River. The seven-day total mileage for RAGBRAI averages 472 miles while the daily mileage averages 68 miles. RAGBRAI is limited to 8,500 week-long riders and 1,500 daily riders although renegrade riders increase that limit.
Over the past 35 years, tens of thousands of otherwise sane, well-adjusted people have spent the last week of July cycling 500 miles across Iowa, in the “Granddaddy” of all rides. They ride 70 miles or so during the day, camp at night in tents on fairgrounds or ball fields, eating church food and making do with gritty hygiene conditions. Our group of seven was fortunate to have a motor home as our base then pitched tents nearby. We chose the “home-stay” option meaning our leader arranged in advance to stay in people’s yards or at churches.
The ride itself is amazing. We move from town to town at a speed allowing you to take in all of the surprisingly beautiful, un-flat Iowa scenery. Sometimes we moved amoeba-like among hundreds of bikes rolling down the road close together. Other times, if you choose, you can join a pace line and zip along at high speeds. We chose to start later in the morning and when camped on the road leading out of the town we could view a steady stream of cyclists for two hours while eating breakfast and preparing for the day.
Each year, the ride's route varies and the towns bid to be included on the route. A town of 200 will see more than 10,000 bicyclists spin through. Many towns decorate their streets with old bicycles hanging from the light poles or they make an entrance arch of bicycles. Many homeowners decorate bikes for their yards. For drinking water, townspeople drill holes in PVC pipe and run a fire hose or garden hose to it, creating small geysers just right for filling water bottles. For restrooms, there is a traveling caravan of portable toilets.
There is a party-hearty element of RAGBRAI as there is usually a band and beer garden in each overnight town and often in two towns along the ride each day. I’ll never forget stopping at 9:00 a.m. at the first beer garden of the day to music blasting and people dancing on the picnic tables.
Source of statistics……… Des Moines Register
- In 35 years, RAGBRAI has had 286,000 participants.
- 65 percent of the riders are 40 or older.
- The oldest rider this year was 87.
- The youngest was 6 years, 4 months.
- Over its history, RAGBRAI had visited nearly two-thirds of Iowa's towns.
- Riders come from every state and 21 nations.
(Mileage data will be available on March 4, 2007.)
Sun. 7/22
Rock Rapids > Spencer
75.7
George > Ashton > Melvin > Hartley > Moneta*
Mon. 7/23
Spencer > Humboldt
77.4
Dickens > Gillett Grove > Webb > Marathon > Albert City > Laurens > Havelock > Rolfe > Bradgate > Rutland
Tue. 7/24
Humboldt > Hampton
71.1
Dakota City > Thor > Eagle Grove > Clarion > Cornelia* > Alexander
Wed 7/25
Hampton > Cedar Falls
68.2
Aredale > Dumont > Kesley* > Aplington > Stout
Thu 7/26
Cedar Falls > Independence
62.9
Denver > Klinger* > Dunkerton > Fairbank > Otterville*
Fri 7/27
Independence > Dyersville
64.7
Winthrop > Lamont > Dundee > Manchester > Earlville
Sat 7/28
Dyersville > Bellevue
56.6
Worthington > Cascade > Garryowen* > Bernard > LaMotte
Rock Rapids > Spencer
75.7
George > Ashton > Melvin > Hartley > Moneta*
Mon. 7/23
Spencer > Humboldt
77.4
Dickens > Gillett Grove > Webb > Marathon > Albert City > Laurens > Havelock > Rolfe > Bradgate > Rutland
Tue. 7/24
Humboldt > Hampton
71.1
Dakota City > Thor > Eagle Grove > Clarion > Cornelia* > Alexander
Wed 7/25
Hampton > Cedar Falls
68.2
Aredale > Dumont > Kesley* > Aplington > Stout
Thu 7/26
Cedar Falls > Independence
62.9
Denver > Klinger* > Dunkerton > Fairbank > Otterville*
Fri 7/27
Independence > Dyersville
64.7
Winthrop > Lamont > Dundee > Manchester > Earlville
Sat 7/28
Dyersville > Bellevue
56.6
Worthington > Cascade > Garryowen* > Bernard > LaMotte
Pictures can be viewed at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8KZt3Ddu0Yf8.
Click on “View Pictures”
Click on “view as slideshow”
You don’t need to log-in
Click on “view as slideshow”
You don’t need to log-in
No comments:
Post a Comment