May 2004 RAGBRAI E-Newsletter - David Harrenstein, Editor

Welcome the May 2004 issue of the RAGBRAI E-Newsletter. In this issue:

• LOTTERY RESULTS AND WRIST-BAND NUMBERS POSTED
• IOWA TROOPER REFLECTS ON RAGBRAI
• WHAT'S UP WITH THE DREAM TEAM?
• WHAT I'M DOING ON MY SUMMER VACATION
• BIKE TO WORK DAY CELEBRATIONS PLANNED IN IOWA
• GETTING IN SHAPE FOR RAGBRAI - NOW'S THE TIME!

LOTTERY RESULTS AND WRIST-BAND NUMBERS POSTED

May 1 has become a benchmark date in the ritual of preparing for RAGBRAI. That's the date when the results of the lottery are announced, and the wrist-band numbers are posted. Participants are required to submit wrist-band numbers when applying for various RAGBRAI services.

Applicants whose completed registrations were postmarked by April 1 can confirm whether they have been selected by clicking the link on the RAGBRAI home page. Be prepared to enter your name and your date of birth. USE CAPS ONLY If you find your name in the lottery results, it will list your wrist-band number. If your group applied for vehicle passes, the number of passes will be shown as Veh0#, under the name of the group contact person.

Wrist-band packets and jerseys will be mailed to the Group Contact in late May. The Group Contact is responsible for distributing the materials to team mates.

LATE APPLICATIONS:
Applications postmarked after April 1, are added to the waiting list. As openings arise from cancellations, we will pull applications from our waiting list in order of postmark date. (Everyone is required to sign and mail a waiver of liability.) Payment by check, or by credit card online must be submitted, but will not be processed until we are able to confirm a wrist band is available.

DAILY WRIST BANDS:
Daily wrist bands are not subject to the April 1 lottery. Applications will be accepted by mail or online until July 1. After July 1, the only way to obtain daily wrist bands is by purchasing them during the event from 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. at The Des Moines Register RAGBRAI baggage truck in the main tent campground. Or daily wrist bands may be purchased from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Des Moines Register RAGBRAI merchandise van in the main tent campground each day as long as they are not sold out.

REFUNDS:
You must return your Participant Packet with wrist bands no later than June 12. If we are able to resell your tag, we will issue a refund, minus a $25 processing fee per applicant. No refunds issued after June 12. The Register is not responsible for lost, delayed or misplaced application forms and materials.

Private Housing
You must remember that RAGBRAI is a camping ride and private in-home housing should not be expected. Most overnight towns have forms on their home pages to complete. Here is the link to the list of overnight towns and their RAGBRAI event pages. Look for their Housing section and follow their instructions to submit requests.

If you do arrange private housing or camping, PLEASE extend the courtesy of notifying your hosts if you will be unable to enjoy their hospitality. Unfortunately, we have had instances when guests have failed to show up. This is unfair to the hosts and to other riders who might have had their request turned down because of lack of facilities.

VENDORS AND VENDOR FEES
Many folks have asked about the how's and why's of vendor fees charged on RAGBRAI. If you're curious, you can read up on the subject by going by clicking here.

Lots more RAGBRAI topics are available to you through the Info Index, such as what to pack, baggage transport, etc. Just click on About RAGBRAI and go to the Info Index to view all of the possible topics!

IOWA TROOPER REFLECTS ON RAGBRAI

This is the second in a series of articles penned by the men and women of the Iowa State Patrol, without whom our great ride would not exist. This month's submission is by James Kipp, Safety Education Officer assigned to District 11 in Cedar Rapids:

Come on folks, it's time to get out and start getting those legs in shape! July 25 will be here in no time. Doesn't it seem like the last one just ended.

As a Safety Education Officer with the Iowa State Patrol, I have helped with ten RAGBRAI rides, going from start to finish on all of them. While there are a few bad stories to tell, the good ones far outweigh the bad. This one is very typical.

Some years back while standing at a corner in Dike, a man approached me to say he had left his billfold containing all of his money and credit cards at a farmer's stand approximately fifteen miles back. I called one of my fellow officers who happened to be near that location. To make the story short, another biker had found the wallet and turned it in to the farmer. All of the money and credit cards were still in the billfold. This is not an isolated incident throughout its 32-year history. As professional football player Ben Davidson once said, "The nice thing about RAGBRAI is that I can lay my bike down and come back thirty minutes later and it is still there."

It has been a pleasure to have had the opportunity to help keep the riders safe. While at times you may wonder why we do things certain ways, your safety is always at the forefront.

This will most likely be my last ride, as I'm eligible to retire before the next ride. Who knows, you may see me out there as a rider next year!!!

Trooper James Kipp
District 11
Cedar Rapids

Riders may not know that the men and women in those hot, brown uniforms are part of the Uniformed Safety Officers of the Iowa State Patrol. When not assisting RAGBRAI, they spend much of their time in our schools, teaching safety education to our youth, especially bicycle safety. Their efforts have been used as a model for other states, 21 of them, through the Uniformed Safety Education Officers Workshop, an annual event to be held in Des Moines in June of 2005.

This educational effort receives no government funding. It is presented entirely with private fundraising done by the officers themselves. This is a call to all RAGBRAI'ers to help these safety professionals out by sending even a small donation. If every RAGBRAI rider donated five dollars, the workshop would be completely paid for. Click here for more information and how to donate.

WHAT'S UP WITH THE DREAM TEAM?

The team is wrapping up the first month of our outdoor training schedule. Our six weeks of indoor training finished up at the end of March. We've completed nearly 300 miles so far; with lots more still to come. We haven't had to ride in the rain yet, but we've managed to work in some rides with strong head winds and lots of hills.

We have over 40 young people participating on the team this year, with about half as many mentors along for the ride. The group consists of youngsters ranging in ages from 12 to 18 years old, and a group of adults who are all young at heart.

The Mayor’s Annual Ride for Trails presented a few new challenges for the team members. For some, it was the first experience riding in a big group. The team had a ton of fun, and found the route much more enjoyable than previous years. Food is always a good motivator when dealing with young people, so the promise of a tasty meal at the end of the ride kept most of them on pace.

We’re looking forward to our first overnight trip in mid-May. We'll make our way to the YMCA camp near Boone Iowa where we'll enjoy great food, lots of activities, and hopefully an uneventful night of sleeping under the stars.

The Dream Team wants to thank everyone for the support we receive. Without your help, we'd have trouble keeping the dream alive!

Scott Garner

WHAT I'M DOING ON MY SUMMER VACATION

I remember each September, as a child returning to school, I would be required to write a paper “What I did on my summer vacation.” It was a chance to reflect on the trip I would take with the family to Wildwood, NJ, each year and describe all the interesting things we did together. It was also a chance for the teacher to give us the first test score in English grammar.

Over the past few years, I have participated in four “summer vacations” by myself. Call me stupid or weird, but it has always been the most challenging and rewarding vacation I have ever taken. I call it a pilgrimage or retreat. I also finish the week long expedition telling myself that I will NEVER do it again! Yet, here I go, preparing for my fourth trip back to the heartland of America IOWA.

Anyone that has ever lived in Iowa knows exactly what I’m talking about. The biggest bicycle ride in the world is held, of all places, in Iowa. Thousands of people from every State and several foreign countries descend during the last week of July for the annual event, now in its 32nd year. (And they use Roman Numerals no less! XXXII.)

The ride route changes each year but always starts somewhere on Iowa’s western boarder heading east. The annual ritual starts with dipping your rear tire in the Missouri River to start the ride and, seven days and some 500 miles later, dipping your front tire in the Mississippi River on Iowa’s eastern boarder. It’s not a race, per se, but rather a continuous pumping of your legs, from one farm to the next, through the heart of America. It’s not uncommon to go the entire trip without sighting a McDonald’s or Holiday Inn. And the overnight towns blink your eyes and you’ll miss most of them. Except for the one night when thousands sleep over in tents, of all shapes and sizes, on any level ground that they can find. Most town folk will admit this is the biggest thing to happen in 10 years (since the last time RAGBRAI rolled through)!

So I ask myself, why in the world did I sign-up to ride in RAGBRAI XXXII? Was it because I miss the smell of cow manure, the rolling hills or the 90 degree summer heat? Was it because I couldn’t wait to ride my bike in a 3-hour thunderstorm or sleep in a tent on the ground for seven days? Was it because I wanted to ache from head to toe and notice muscles that I never knew existed before? WHY DID I SIGN UP?

As I said earlier, for me it’s a pilgrimage or retreat. A chance to get away from work, children and home to reflect on my life and to challenge myself to ride a bicycle for 6 to 8 hours a day for seven days in a row. While I always say I won’t do it again, I also find that I return home with a new and better appreciation for my life. Sure, I’m sore until the middle of August, but I also realize that I’ve accomplished something that not everyone can do. I’ve peddled my way through 50 or so little towns and villages (many of which I can’t even pronounce), and met some of the nicest people in the world.

For those of you that are considering riding in this year’s event, and for those of you living along the route, here is a list of things that most RAGBRAIer’s hate:

• Having to ride ANY distance going westward.
• Riding into the wind even if it’s a light breeze.
• Riding uphill (and all the hills seem to be uphill).
• Long lines for the porta-johns (also called KYBO’s).
• Cold showers (and I’m talking about water that is only 1 degree above freezing).
• Rumble strips in the road.
• Car and truck drivers stupid enough to try driving on the route.
• A vendor charging $1.00 for a banana (when there’s someone a mile ahead giving them away for free).
• Bike riders that don’t know their left from their right.
• Putting up a tent in 12” of grass.

My fondest RAGBRAI memories:

• Stopping in a dry cleaning business with a ripped Camelback (backpack full of water), having it sown, and being charged $0.00.
• The “singing nuns.”
• Tornado alarms in Hawarden and an elderly woman coming out of her house shouting, “Run to your tents for cover!”
• Free Blue Bunny in LeMars.
• Riding down a hill at 43mph, scared to death, and getting passed like I was standing still!
• Waking up in tent with an inch of water following a full night of rain.
• Corn, corn everywhere.
• Seeing people ride a bicycle built for 5.
• POOOOOOORK CHOOOOOOOOOPS.

So with about 80 days before July 25th, I’m taking the bike down from the rafters and training as much as possible. I’ll see you on RAGBRAI XXXII!!

About the Author
John Mantica, who will turn 46 on the 3rd day of RAGBRAI this year, is from Cape Coral, FL. He is the Director of Human Resources for Apollo Information Services, in Fort Myers, FL. The father of two teenage children (both of which think he’s crazy for riding a bike across Iowa), he has ridden in 3 previous RAGBRAI’s. He can be contacted at jfmantica@aol.com.

GETTING IN SHAPE FOR RAGBRAI - NOW'S THE TIME!

--- by Randy Catron

A great way to prepare for RAGBRAI is to develop a regular training routine. So, here’s a potential weekly training routine for a recreational cyclist:

Monday-active recovery; Tuesday-ride; Wednesday-active recovery; Thursday-ride; Friday-day off; Saturday-ride; Sunday-ride.

An ideal, higher-volume training week for a recreational cyclist might look like this:

Monday: No riding, 30-minute walk.
Tuesday: 20-mile ride after work on a semi-hilly course.
Wednesday: No riding, 30-minute walk.
Thursday: 20-mile ride after work on a fairly flat course; averaged 16 mph.
Friday: Day off; eat carbs to fuel up for weekend riding.
Saturday: Ride in a charity ride, 50 miles.
Sunday: Ride with friends/team, 20 miles.

This would be a 110-mile training week, with four days on the bike. During RAGBRAI, you’ll do more than four times this mileage!

During May, your goals should be:

• Ride a minimum of 200 road miles. This is time out-of-doors, on your bike. Spinning does not count.
• Participate in at least one organized charity/community ride.
• Do at least one ride of 50 miles.
• Make sure you have good rubber on your bike. If you need to replace your tires, do it this month.
• Make any “big” changes now. A big change would be a new style of pedals, changing the stem length, a new seat. This gives you time to get used to them before RAGBRAI, or if necessary, change back.

Randy Catron is a licensed USA Cycling expert coach and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He is also a competitive cyclist and has ridden many RAGBRAIs. He can be reached at RAGBRAICOACH@IowaCyclingAcademy.Com. Randy lives in Urbandale, Iowa with his wife, Terri, sons Kyle and Cody, and sphynx cats “Sammy” and “Diva.”