Day 5: Altoona to Grinnell

Today was day 5 and it has been a hot, humid week. When we woke it up it was still in the 80's and I decided that I was not up to a 65 mile ride, so I went back to bed to rest. 3 people in the group did decide to do the entire day and took off around 6AM. I decided that I was more in to the 75 mile ride on Friday. I then spent the morning seeing my nieces and their children (and enjoyed coffee). About noon, the remaining 3 of us decided that we would ride the remaining 20 miles of the day, so off we went and got on a little beyond Baxter. Our first stop was in Rock Creek State Park and we took a rest along the lake. Then in was 13 miles into Grinnell on a relatively level track. When we reached Grinnell, it was still very hot and humid. Everyone was either camping on the Grinnell campus or sleeping in the dorms. The dorms were not air conditioned but did have showers. From there, I headed to the memorial union and found a nice air conditioned lounge to read. It seemed like the heat was getting to a lot of people as every air conditioned place was filled with people. We then wandered downtown for dinner. It was Susanna's birthday and her mother had arranged for a bakery there to deliver bicycle shaped cookies. Happy 18th Birthday, Susanna!

Day 4 Ragbrai - Boone to Altoona

Today is the shortest ride (only 54 miles) and a nice set-up – towns every 7-8 miles. We all decided that we could do this ride, but we wanted to minimize time in the glaring sun, so we started out by 6:30 AM with the hopes of being into Altoona by 1PM. The morning was nice – cool, breezy and we were in Slater by 9AM where we stopped for breakfast. The bands were playing and Kristen heard what she thought was a Penn State fight song and was amazed until I told her it was ISU and not PSU.

It was Valerie’s birthday today and she had wandered off in town when she came upon the Speedo guys and met another woman who was celebrating her birthday as well. The Speedo guys helped them to celebrate. Happy Birthday Valerie!

Part of being on the road is watching all of the different teams and seeing the costumes. There was this cute tamden bike with both bikers wearing cow outfits. The bike was also a cow with the head on the front handlebars and the tail out back. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera today to catch a picture.

The day got hotter as it went on and as we rolled into Bondurant, there was a sign to come and enjoy the library – free AC, restrooms, and Wi-Fi. Now this small town library was amazing – large volume of books, reading room with a fireplace, and a large multipurpose room that was set up to welcome bikers. There were volunteers welcoming us to their community and it was obvious they were so proud of their community and their library. Bring on the donations! The AC was just what I needed to be able to do those last 5 miles into Altoona in the 100 degree heat.

In Altoona, we again had family to stay with and beds to sleep in which was another welcome respite.

Sorry this blog is not nearly as interesting this year. The heat has been bad and it is hard to be as creative. What is amazing is that by the next morning, I have "forgotten" what it feels like to be in the heat and go out and do it again. I can tell you that I am not nearly as sore this year as I was last year. Last year I could hardly move by the end of each day. I credit my improvement not to increased conditioning but to an article that I read in the Patriot News in the past month. There was an article on bicycling and it talked about how most people make the mistake and use too difficult a gear and how it should always be an easy pedal and to minimize muscle strain, one should average 80 rpm. For the flats, I had always used my big deraiuller assuming that I would get more distance per stroke and thus more mph. But I changed my style after that and shifted down and it is amazing how much better I am doing in regards to muscle pain. I do think I am a bit slower so it is a trade-off.

Well it is off to Grinnell and spring break for adults...

Day 3 Ragbrai

Day 3 Ragbrai – Tuesday – Carroll to Boone

HOT is what continues to describe this ride, so we took off early from Carroll. We also wanted to be on the road, so maybe there was a chance that we would see Lance whiz by. About 20 miles into the ride, a Livestrong entourage did whiz by going fast. Maybe Lance was in that group – couldn’t tell. Kristen thought one of the bikes looked really expensive and was sure it was him. It was just a black and yellow blur.

I was biking along when someone came up next to me and recognized me. It was Mark Hannasch, a good friend from high school. He has done this ride for the last 17 years. His mother had told him that I was riding (she had heard it from my sister) and he was on the look-out for me. We road together for about 10 miles and caught up on each other’s lives.

By noon, it was really hot and the sun had broken through the clouds. The day was also really flat riding and so no coasting down a hill and feeling the breeze. Shade was also few and far between. We needed to stop every time we did see a shade tree and so the biking was slow. We bailed out again near Pilot Mound and sagged the last 15 miles into Boone.

Ragbrai - Day 2 Atlantic to Carroll

Today was much, much better. Temperature in the 80’s, overcast with a light breeze until about noon. The hills were fun and rolling. The humidity was much less. It reminded me of last year’s ride. Our first stop were the twin towns of Elkhorn and Kimballtown – the 2 towns of Danish heritage. I toured the Danish Mill in Elkhorn. We then met at the Little Mermaid fountain (in Hans Christian Anderson park) that is said to be a replica of the original in Copenhagen. From there, we headed up through some of the most beautiful farmland of Iowa where the hills are rolling and the crops are lush.

The last 20 miles of the trip were through Carroll County, my home area. We started in Manning where the highlight was having State Fair winning pie in the Senior Center. I tried the peach which was out of this world. Outside Manning, they celebrated their German heritage with their rendition of their Hofbrau Haus. We then went on to Templeton. When I was in high school, Templeton was known as the party town, but its real claim to fame is that it is the home of Templeton Rye, the Prohibition banned whiskey. The making and selling of Templeton Rye during the time of Prohibition was a way for the farmers of Carroll County to supplement their income during the Great Depression. In 2001, Templeton Rye was introduced as a brand of whiskey and is distilled in Templeton and is the largest employer. Rumor has it that this Templeton rye is not quite the real recipe and that the “real recipe” whiskey is still made secretly in Carroll County.

From there we biked on to Dedham and Willey. Both towns are known for being on top of big hills with beautiful Catholic churches, ball fields, and beer gardens. In Willey, they were taking people on tours through St. Mary’s Church. It was hot and the church was air conditioned, so I went on the tour. It is a remarkable small town church. We then got to bike the infamous Dedham-Willey blacktop which is composed of 13 hills leading to Carroll.

Susannah and Valerie got into Carroll a little behind the rest of us and weren’t sure where to go. Susannah wandered for a while and there was no cell phone service. She finally stopped at Holy Spirit Church at the supper and asked if anyone knew where the Comito’s lived. She was given directions.

So that it is it for day 2 – my nephew says that Lance Armstrong is in Carroll and will be taking off at 8:30 tomorrow morning.

Ragbrai Days 1

Sunday July 24, 2011 – Day 1

Day 1 from Glenwood to Atlantic can be summed up as being the worst of the heat, humidity, hills, and headwinds. Although we really needed that big thunderstorm on Saturday night, it did not come and so Sunday was still hot and humid. We took off eager with our beautiful hats designed by my sister. It became clear as we were heading down a big hill that the hat was not aerodynamic and I might become windborn. They were a hit with the crowds and it was easy to spot each other.

The hills were horrific – bigger and more frequent than anything we met last year and with the heat, by noon, I was ready to quit. We were traveling slowly because I could only go about 5 miles and then look for shade. In Griswold, the highlight was that city hall was open, air conditioned, with cold water. We finally made it to Lewis where we saw the world’s largest bike. We called it quits in Lewis and sagged into Atlantic for the last 10 miles. I had my doubts as to whether I could do it again tomorrow. I was exhausted and went to bed without bothering to blog.

July 23, 2011 – Pre-Ragbrai Events

Today, we headed down to Glenwood. There will be no dipping tires in the Missouri River with the recent flooding of the river. When we arrived, it was incredibly humid – a humid I hadn’t experienced in a long time. The type of humid that can only mean a big storm is coming (must come). We headed down to the bike expo only to have to seek shelter in the high school as the storm moved in and then cooled things off. After eating at the high school, we headed back to our host’s home and prepared for the upcoming day. We put our hats on our helmets and got our bikes prepared. We should be able to see each other in the distance as we ride. We are a little worried about what they will do to our aerodynamics and what will happen if it rains - oh well. The hats at least need to make it 2 days so Laura can see them when we ride into Carroll. The Fishcious Cyclers are set!

Team Fishcious Cyclers ride RAGBRAI July 24-30, 2011

We are gearing up for RAGBRAI 2011 and we have formed a team called the "Fishcious Cyclers". Our team is Dr. Mel and my friend, Sandra Fish (who took me on my first RAGBRAI last year), Kristen Brown and Monika Martin (our 2 faithful drivers and support persons last year) and they recruited their friend, Susannah McLin. My husband, Spencer Brown, has graciously agreed to do the support vehicle this year. We wanted to call ourselves the Viscious Cyclers, but alas, that name was taken. So my friend came up with the Fishcious Cyclers. My sister, Laura, designed a logo for us (which you will see in the near future). We then decided that we would ride to bring awareness of those viscious childhood brain tumors and the need for funding for research initiatives. Thus, we are riding to support the efforts of the Kyla Miller Foundation.

So again, we will be heading to the state of Iowa and will attempt to ride 445 miles as we cross the state from west to east again. The route is unique each year and this year's route will take us to my hometown and the University of Iowa among other places. It will be quirky and I hope fun. We hope you enjoy the ride and we look forward to hearing from you.