Jay’s Note: This is part seven of a running two-week adventure log for RAGBRAI. Each day I’ll be posting a journal entry and some pictures from our trip that begins in Virginia, lands us in Iowa for a bike ride, and then eventually gets us back to the East Coast. Part six is here.
Woke up at 5am (not 4:30 — we’re only human), had a granola bar and some tea, took down the boys’ tent, and got everything stowed in our new loadout now that we’re not hauling extra bikes and people. On the road by 6:30.
The ride in from our desolate state park was actually the nicest part of the morning: easy pedaling, right past the lake we stayed on. A peaceful way to start the day. I joined the rest of the RAGBRAI group in town at about 7am, where people were dipping their tires in a baby pool supposedly filled with Missouri River water and clogging up some of the road. Tradition finds a way.
Early in the ride we rode the Mile of Silence — a quiet mile honoring the cyclists killed or injured on Iowa roads this past year. Always a powerful and thoughtful moment.
The rest of the ride out was uneventful. I said goodbye to the guys after about 10 miles — not with my words so much as by just pedaling on — and hit the pavement. Skipped the first few towns, then walked through the rest mostly looking for water. I drank probably 4 liters of water, Gatorade, and soda today and probably didn’t put a dent in my 3,000+ active calorie deficit. I got mostly to the front of the pack, where there isn’t as much of a chance for collisions, dangerous behavior, and the rest of it.
I got into Harlan at around 11:30. We’re staying at Prairie Rose State Park, about 10 miles outside of town — and on the bright side, it’s 10 miles into tomorrow’s ride, so we ride 10 miles shorter tomorrow. That may turn out to be a godsend: tomorrow is the hilliest day of the week, 56.3 miles with 3,590 feet of climb into Guthrie Center, and the forecast says 97 with a heat index around 105. The rumor mill around camp says 117. Either way.
One catch: once I got to town I realized the campground was too far for the whole crew to ride — another 40 minutes in the saddle. So I contacted Sarah, she emptied the car so we could fit bikes in it, and we made it work. The SAG wagon giveth.
Back to town, though: I grabbed a burger, fries, a Coke, and a water and ate under a tree, then cycled over to the local pool, where I met up with Sarah and we swam for a while. After Andrew and Rudy got into town, they swam too. Sarah drove me back with the kids and my bike, then doubled back to pick up the rest.
In camp: tacos, a spot in front of the mist fan, and planning the ride for the next few days. A night-time shower is next on the docket.
Early to bed again — 8, maybe 8:30 — so we can get an early start on those hills. One day down.