Anyone Doing RAGBRAI This Year?

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Rocbola
Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I ask this every year, but it's that time again. RAGBRAI is only a few months away!!!

For those who don't know, RAGBRAI is a 7 day bicycle ride across the very hilly state of Iowa in late July. It is the oldest and largest bike ride of it's kind. It's commonly called "Mardi Gras on Wheels" because the thing just turns into a huge traveling party.

Anyone else going? Anyone have any cool stories from years past? Meal ideas? Training tips?
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  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    I ask this every year, but it's that time again. RAGBRAI is only a few months away!!!

    For those who don't know, RAGBRAI is a 7 day bicycle ride across the very hilly state of Iowa in late July. It is the oldest and largest bike ride of it's kind. It's commonly called "Mardi Gras on Wheels" because the thing just turns into a huge traveling party.

    Anyone else going? Anyone have any cool stories from years past? Meal ideas? Training tips?

    Yup, I'm going again this year (will be my 5th time riding the full week in the past decade).

    Training tips? Ride a few hundred miles a month from now until July. Get some nice 3-5 hour weekend rides in with a distance of 40-70 miles in June and the first two weeks of July to build up your stamina. Then taper into the "event". Not that you need all that much stamina for RAGBRAI - especially this year's short and flatter days.

    Meal ideas? Eat enough to fuel your cycling, but don't go to too much excess unless you're laying down a Zone 3/Zone 4 pace each day. Best meal I had last year was in Fairfield at one of those sprouts and organic stuff corner restaurants downtown. Worst meal - Harlan Hy-Vee that ran out of everything in the deli/cooked food department. So did all of the church basement meals. Harlan simply was not prepared to feed the mob. Only tip I have after last year's crowd is to eat as soon as you get into the overnight town before you go shower and relax - that way you are sure to get a meal before the locusts have devoured everything.

    I had a few pictures to post, but Flickr seems to have changed the HTML/BBCode thingamajig in the last week or so. Oh well...
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I can't wait to go. Your pics didn't embed, but i was able to click on a couple. I stopped at a place where they were doing the pig kiss last year. I didn't kiss the pig, i just got a strawberry banana smoothie. I'll try to embed your photo...
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Well no luck embedding your photos, but i saw a couple. A big wheel bike and a pig kiss. I can't wait!!! I have friends coming this year, in previous years i was with family or alone.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Well no luck embedding your photos, but i saw a couple. A big wheel bike and a pig kiss. I can't wait!!! I have friends coming this year, in previous years i was with family or alone.

    Got it.

    Kissin' Pigs...

    9382628799_ff1c21f5e2.jpg

    Ridin' with fun People...

    9382631719_dfa97d86af.jpg

    Seeing what you see...

    9382601069_0a90bbb57c.jpg

    All smiles after coffee and Dutch Letters in Pella...

    9385380328_30a8b338e9.jpg

    It's a fun time and the variety is so vast, that the event unfolds in different ways for every rider. No two experiences are the same, so everybody has their own unique twist on the day, the week, and the event.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Good work!

    It truly is an experience everyone should do at least once in a lifetime. I will do it much more than once, hopefully.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Good work!

    It truly is an experience everyone should do at least once in a lifetime. I will do it much more than once, hopefully.

    Are you riding with a team? I'll be with Team Simpson on the ride again this year.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Not really doing a team, just a few friends. One of them has been talking of bringing his RV, which would be super nice. I'd love to have a cold gallon of water waiting for me in town, and to not have to drag my bag and my bike to the main truck in the morning. Just get up, eat some breakfast, and go.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    I've gone twice, it's great fun but won't be attending this year. Maybe next year.

    I really enjoyed all the food!

    Pie!
    4e25fef95e215.preview-300.jpg

    Porkchops on a stick
    More-Adam-Ragbrai-pics-026-550x412.jpg

    Bacon on a stick
    tumblr_mboos7nF4P1rflddbo1_1280.jpg

    More pie....

    ALLL THE FOODZ!

    It was a great ride. Brought my daughter on the last one.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Yea, the food is great! It's part of the draw. All those homemade pie slices!

    524056_10150979122498170_2136838048_n.jpg

    The creative bicycles (My Dad's solar phone charger)

    544452_10150979121923170_2074391113_n.jpg

    My ride:
    533653_10151570328368170_511242653_n.jpg

    The huge party in the last pass through town, on the last day.
    1003345_10151570327773170_1313879683_n.jpg

    And the Amish making Ice Cream on the side of the road.
    970793_10151570326548170_1483164969_n.jpg

    And of course, what's RAGBRAI without MORE pie?
    534766_10151570326528170_2123690061_n.jpg

    My images have NOT been moved or deleted, and i have them on public setting. Not sure why this isn't working.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Test post:
    sstg.jpg
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Another test:

    Steak_N_Shake.jpg
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,667 Member
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    With all the meat and dairy farms around, are you going to have a "vegans rule" sign on attached to your bike?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition    s
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Well, sharing images seems to be a bust. I can share from my bucket, but if it's not in the main album, the photos wont share. **** Photobucket.
  • Jane2285
    Jane2285 Posts: 187 Member
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    I ask this every year, but it's that time again. RAGBRAI is only a few months away!!!

    For those who don't know, RAGBRAI is a 7 day bicycle ride across the very hilly state of Iowa in late July. It is the oldest and largest bike ride of it's kind. It's commonly called "Mardi Gras on Wheels" because the thing just turns into a huge traveling party.

    Anyone else going? Anyone have any cool stories from years past? Meal ideas? Training tips?

    Hilly state of Iowa? Lol...yes in the northern part, in the Southeast part, not so much. I wish we had hills....:) I would love to RAGBRAI some year, but no one ever wants to with me around here.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    With all the meat and dairy farms around, are you going to have a "vegans rule" sign on attached to your bike?
    Hadn't planned on it, you think i should?

    You meat eaters would LOVE this ride. Just google "Mr. Pork Chop". The great thing for me is that the lines to get pulled pork, ribs, gyros, pork chops, etc are often longer than the lines for the local Thai restaurant, the watermelon, or the bananas.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Well, sharing images seems to be a bust. I can share from my bucket, but if it's not in the main album, the photos wont share. **** Photobucket.

    The problem isn't actually Photobucket, its MFP. There is % sign in the link. For some reason, links with the % do not show up on MFP.

    I don't know why or how. You can change the name of the album I think but again, this is just stuff I've been told by people who actually know.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Well, sharing images seems to be a bust. I can share from my bucket, but if it's not in the main album, the photos wont share. **** Photobucket.

    The problem isn't actually Photobucket, its MFP. There is % sign in the link. For some reason, links with the % do not show up on MFP.

    I don't know why or how. You can change the name of the album I think but again, this is just stuff I've been told by people who actually know.
    OK, i changed the name of the album, let's see if it works. No % sign now.

    533653_10151570328368170_511242653_n.jpg
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Thanks!!!! That was it!
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Hilly state of Iowa? Lol...yes in the northern part, in the Southeast part, not so much. I wish we had hills....:) I would love to RAGBRAI some year, but no one ever wants to with me around here.
    I remember some pretty big hills going from Fairfield to Fort Madison, IA last year. And the Southwestern part is where my family is from, and it's VERY hilly over there.

    You can get day passes, and do individual days, or you can find a team to join if no one from your local pool of friends wants to join.
  • hawkeyegal1995
    hawkeyegal1995 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    I'm only doing day 1 this year as I made plans to head to the Baseball hall of fame induction. Kind of bummed as it looks like an easy ride on paper. Of course I have said that in year's past and mother nature brought out those Hs--headwinds and heat to make up for the lack of hills or distance.


    I love the ride but am the odd ball who cannot stand to camp so I make the trek to hotels however far away each night. I know I miss out on the overnight town fun but I want electricity and a nice bed.

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