Fort Dodge to Iowa Falls: 71.4 miles

After enjoying a hearty dinner last night the group was eager to start Day three of RAGBRAI.  We had a couple of changes in the group, we were joined by Keely Greenslade (Kelly’s twin) and my wife decided that after 10 years of marriage she could go one day without riding the tandem with me.  So my brother Joel, from Minneapolis, agreed to be the stoker.  The fact that Joel is riding RAGBRAI is another inspiring story in the Pedaling for Parkinson’s group.  In February of 2003 he was cleaning snow off his roof to prevent ice dams (he had to explain to the Southerners in the group what an ice dam was and how if gone unchecked can wreak havoc on a roof and ceiling) and slipped and fell off the roof.  He suffered a severe bilateral calcaneal fracture (e.g. shattered both heels).  The first thing he said to me on the phone while he was in the hospital was that he didn’t know if he could ride RAGBRAI, but he would still like to be part of the team in some capacity.  So today as I rode off with him on the back of the tandem I was a little teary-eyed thinking off all he had endured and battled through over the past six months to get to this point.  I am proud of his commitment and work ethic and he performed like a champ all day.  He asked how he compared to Janelle as a stoker, and I gave the careful answer, “you are different.”  Cathy was performing great on the bike and her energy levels were high.  She was beginning to experience some discomfort on the bike as was the rest of the group after having spent ~140 miles in the saddle.

Contact Pedaling for Parkinson's. 404.441.8096

Contact Frazier Cycling Inc. 770.513.8640