RAGBRAI's DREAM TEAM

Planning

The 2002 Dream Team started at the end of 2001 planning equipment needs, recruiting mentors and meetings to improve the experiences of the youth and to increase the number of youth to train and successfully complete RAGBRAI.

Increased youth participation means recruiting of additional mentors who will work with the riders to achieve the goal of riding RAGBRAI 2002. During outdoor training the mentors will spend a minimum of fifteen hours a week working with participants. The weekend of the longest overnight campouts they will spend over three full days with the youth.

Mentors are strongly committed to helping the riders by offering guidance, help, and life's lessons. Mentors volunteer all of their time and effort. By the end of the season they will be repaid by knowing that they helped the participants have a great experience, the result of learning to work to achieve a grand goal.

Seeking Applicants

The Dream Team seeks applicants in the school system by working with teachers and employees of the SUCCESS and PACE programs. Prospects and their parents and guardians are invited to meetings where the program is explained to insure that the prospects understand the commitment required to participate.

Participants are not required to pay for participation in the Dream Team. Costs for equipment, food, some bike clothing, and all of the expenses for RAGBRAI are supplied from funds donated to support the Dream Team.

Preparing Equipment

Part of the planning stage results in acquiring bikes, helmets, gloves, and other related items needed to supply the participants. All of the bikes are tuned and cleaned before participants are fitted and assigned their equipment.

Equipment is stored at the Register and Tribune building where all of the outdoor training rides start and finish.

Indoor Training

At the end of January the participants and mentors start meeting twice a week at the Downtown YMCA for ninety minutes of training. Thirty minutes is devoted to each of the three workouts: spin classes on stationary bikes, weight training, and running around the indoor track.

Indoor training lasts until the weather turns warmer and Daylight Saving Time offers an additional hour of sunlight for rides after school and work. The last day of indoor training was April 4.

Outdoor Training

A typical week involves three rides. Monday and Thursday night rides are completed before dark. Saturday rides offer an opportunity for longer rides and later in the season plenty of heat.

A number of routes are used at different times of the year. Early season outdoor rides utilize flat routs on bike paths to learn safe biking habits and riding in groups. Participants learn to communicate to other bikers to insure alert riders. Shifting strategies are learned for efficient riding.

The next routes will incorporate riding in streets and roads to prepare the participants for a long life of safe riding. Hills are later added to routes to increase fitness levels and prepare for whatever RAGBRAI offers.

Overnight Campouts

Plans for the 2002 training season include three overnight campouts. The first one is a fifty mile trip to the YMCA camp near Boone. Equipment is driven to the camp and riders sleep in tents and experience whatever weather is offered.

The second trip is a three day affair involving a hilly ninety mile trip on Friday to southern Iowa and beautiful Sun Valley Lake. Saturday is spent with a short ride in the area followed by recreation in the lake. Sunday means a long hilly return to Des Moines.

The final planned overnight campout is out the Raccoon Valley Trail to Panora and camping at the youth camp west of town.

RAGBRAI

A charter bus carries the team to the start of RAGBRAI in Sioux Center where they meet the truck with bikes, tents and clothing for the week. The Des Moines YMCA supplies a camp master to set up the Dream Team area in each overnight town and scout out showers and food for the approaching tired riders.

After a week of meeting the challenges of miles of wind, hills, and weather the riders will arrive in Bellevue to culminate six months of commitment and hard work. For many of the Dream Team this experience will be remembered as one of the best experiences of their youth. Successfully completing RAGBRAI is a great accomplishment for most adults. For the Dream Team participants it may be more special because it represents learning the value of preparation and achieving a great goal early in life.

Mentors

Each year the success of the Dream Team depends on volunteers who are committed to helping the youth learn and work towards a goal. The mentors will give up to 450 hours of their time to insure a successful program.

Mentors come from a number of professions including education, legal, financial, insurance, public institutions, medical, and various other professions. They offer the youth examples of various life experiences. They also represent adults who are interested in seeing the participants succeed and are willing to give of themselves to insure that success.

Junior Mentors

For the 2002 Dream Team we have established a new position of Junior Mentor. A Junior Mentor is a past participant who wants to also learn the benefits of helping young rider achieve their goal of finishing RAGBRAI. The Junior Mentors will experience the same feeling of accomplishment that mentors have.

The 2002 Dream Team has selected six experienced participants for the first Junior Mentors. Their responsibilities will include teaching riders safety, helping mark routes, and assisting mentors in various activities.
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