My first RAGBRAI

I rode the world famous XXXIVth (Des Moines) Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa and I'm here to tell you it was an experience. Some 10 to 20,000 people or more rode along with me (and Lance Armstrong for a couple days) over the weeklong 444 mile journey. It wasn't Sturgis, but "Mardi Gras on wheels" would still be a pretty apt description.

I say world famous because there are riders from every state in the country plus many from foreign lands. There was a large contingent of Italians from the sister city to Des Moines, a number of Australians that I overheard and I camped with the River Bend Bicycle Club from Clinton and 2 foreign exchange students from Germany.

Did the whole traditional thing including dipping rear tire in the Missouri River and front wheel in the Mississippi plus all the up and down of the Iowa landscape. I came to realize during the trip that what goes down must come up. Monday was a killer with relentless hills and headwind, but my tent was watertight through the storm in Waukee (6 hours of pyrotechnic lightning and thunder plus 3" of rain) Tuesday night.

I did see Lance on stage in Newton, IA, but never saw him on the road. I did see folks with cell phones and cameras lining up along the way, so figured he was coming, but must have been buying a Smoothie when he swooshed by. I did see the ambulances come for a group of victims who crashed while trying to keep up. I never had a chance to ask him why he split up with Cheryl Crow.

I met Mr. Pork Chop who is almost as famous as Lance Armstrong in the bicycle touring world - at least as famous as RAGBRAI itself. The ride was hot and hilly and challenging, but the only side effects so far have been sunburned lips - I'm coping. Ate the pies, drank the free trade coffee made by hippies from NW Missouri, listened to the music, stood in line for 150 degree portable toilets (called "kybos," but that's another story) and loved every minute of the cold showers. Other staples of the ride include homemade ice cream, kolaches, corn on the cob, chris cakes (pancakes), breakfast burritos, spaghetti dinners, lasagna dinners, root beer floats and the ever popular beer.

The remarkable thing is that everyone seemed to get along very well and the locals were always welcoming and hospitable. Small towns prepared as best they could despite resources strained to the max and always put a best face forward. I suppose the fact that a horde rides through town, but drops lots of cash helps a little. Boy Scout fundraisers, High School cheerleaders and roadside lemonade stands do very well for a day in the high afternoon heat. The ever welcome garden hose and sprinkler could never be passed up nor any sign that had the word "free" on it.

Riders of all ages and sizes participated. Some decorated their bikes and wore costumes or other props to get a little attention ? red face and panting doesn't qualify. Some pulled 40 pounds of boom box, power supply and amplifier. Others pulled baby carriers or rode 4 seat tandems (?), or unicycles or pedaled with their arms or rode various handicapped accessible bikes. No matter how hard the going someone was always doing it harder - but doing it.

Some T-shirt sayings said it all: "Forget France Iowa has Lance," "If you aren't having fun on RAGBRAI you need to lower your standards," and my personal favorite "On your left Lance."

(by Marc Adami, Guest Columnist)