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...