Lake View (Auburn) to Fort Dodge: 70.5 miles

Day two was almost a carbon copy of day one in terms of weather...perfect for cycling.  Since we stayed in Auburn, we decided to ride as a group to and meet the official route rather than caravanning back to Lake View.  We decided to drop Jim off in the meeting town of Rockwell City to give him a little head start, this way if he had a mechanical members of the group would come upon him throughout the day.  Turns out this was a good decision as Jim’s trike only lasted about 3 miles and the wheel again fell off.  I saw Jim on the side of the road talking to a farmer and I yelled hello to him and he pointed to his sad and lonely trike about 50 yards down the road.  The farmer was more than happy to help us; so we loaded Jim’s trike up for a rendezvous with Darrin.  Ironically, the farmer suggested they meet at a cemetery down the road; the rest of the group wondered if Jim was going to bury the trike.  Our host in Fort Dodge was Bruce and Roxanne Aden, fortunately for Jim and his trike, Bruce had a neighbor who was a magician with tools and he and Darrin fixed the wheel while Ralph worked on the shifting problems.  By nightfall the trike was ready to go and performed perfectly for the rest of the trip!!!  Bruce’s smoked ribs and beef and the rest of his spread were absolutely terrific.  The trend of gracious hosts continues.

Steve’s World

7-26-04

Maxine Stewart’s house accommodated the whole gang very well.  In the brief time I’ve been on this trip, I developed a core competency at finding a spot in the house that looks entirely uninhabitable but in reality is the perfect resting place.  Day 1: the tool room, then the laundry room, then the utility room, and last night it was the tool room.  Each of these hovels had just enough space for one person.

After a good night’s sleep, Pat and I blasted down the course.  On this day my training plan called for a long, fast bike day.  We broke the ride into three 40 mile portions, 70 of which were on the RAGBRAI course going in the correct direction, 30 going in the opposite direction, and 30 miles repeating the course.  Pat tortured me the whole day.  Many people tried to catch on to our wheel and Pat dropped them without mercy.  The whole ride went by in a blur.  In fact we finished the regular route before they could put up the direction signs.  This could have been a disaster for two men afraid to ask for direction in the middle of Iowa.  Nevertheless, we completed a long tiring day from Lake View to Fort Dodge, Iowa, twice.

Somehow I feel like I’ve included too many pain and suffering stories into these journals.  At the risk of committing a journalistic U-turn, I’m going to switch gears (sorry for the ill-placed bike humor) and sing the praises of some heretofore un-sung heroes.

The first heretofore un-sung heroes are our support crew, Jason and Keyton (pictured below) and Darrin “Don’t Call Me Darrell”.  These men drive the RV, trailer and van between our hosts’ homes and the ending point.  At the end of our long, hot rides the support crew was there with cool drinks, assistance to load our bikes and unload our bags, and a lift back to our next host’s house.  20 peoples’ bikes, clothing, food, drink and bedding are quite a haul.  In appreciation for their untiring work, we complain about our tired muscles and feign exhaustion when it comes to lifting our bags, but regain our strength when it comes to running in our hosts’ house to claim the best sleeping spots and grab the choice-est food and drink.

The support crew hero-among-heroes is Keyton, a rising three-year old pistol with a spirit that has warmed the team.   Keyton rides his big wheel down the ramp of the trailer like Evil Knievel.  I can personally attest to his proficiency in chase, hide and seek, tickle monster and Gotcha Nose.  However, his thumb-wrestling skills still need a little help.  Many of the riders have kids and they have unanimously agreed that Keyton’s behavior is awesome.

The second un-sung hero is the weatherman.  The RAGBRAI veterans that I’ve talked to say this is the best weather they’ve ever seen.  The temperatures have consistently been in the 70’s, with sunny skies and low humidity.  By my estimate, 80% of RAGBRAI-ers camp outside in small tents.  Apparently the last few RAGBRAIs have been either soaking wet or stifling temperatures.  How one treks so long on a bike and then crawls into an uncomfortable tent is beyond me.

Speaking of rest, I’m signing off for the night.

Contact Pedaling for Parkinson's. 404.441.8096

Contact Frazier Cycling Inc. 770.513.8640