The Hazards of Packing

Ragbrai is now 26 days away (I got tired of typing Ragbrai in all caps). I have a small pile of things on my garage floor. I also have a checklist with a whole bunch of unchecked boxes. The hazard I have run into is that it is hard to pack everything that I will need until I get close to the event. I still need my cycling clothes, for instance. It feels like I am not ready, though I think I am closer than I realize.

Today I got up and looked outside. The ground was wet, but it was not raining. The air still felt like it could rain at any moment. I decided to break out my rain gear and go for it, figuring that it would be good to know how to deal with the rain in case that happens on Ragbrai. I remember the weather varied from a pretty powerful thunderstorm to intensely hot and dry when I did this before.

So, just as your car never makes that irritating sound as soon as you pull into the mechanic's lot, after donning all of my gear, it barely sprinkled on me. I was more soaked from perspiring under the non-breathing material than from precipitation.

I feel the excitement building for the trip. We did a 50+ mile outing last Saturday, and it felt good. I need to pull off a few more long trips, even up into the 60 and 70 mile range. But overall, I am pleased with my progress.

Two by Two

The last time I did RAGBRAI in 2008, I ventured out on my own. This time around, I will have company. My friend Mark from my church will be literally along for the ride. It's kind of fun, since I feel like I contributed a lot to his interest in riding. Or you might say that I'm to blame!

I'm looking forward to having someone along to ride this time around. There are so many unique and fun experiences to this trip that will be fun to share.

The ride is now 30 days away. I have printed out a checklist of things that I had from 2008 and have started to amass a pile of stuff in my garage that I will need to take along. It is nice to have done this before and realize that I really don't need to bring a bike lock, but I would benefit from bringing some sort of chair. For the former, you really feel secure the whole time, even though there are people riding from all over the country and world. I never had reason to think that my bike would be stolen. It must happen, but being in the heart of Iowa is a pretty safe. The values are different. I do want to bring along a chair. I can remember having time to read and such, but not having a place to sit with a back on it. That becomes important, especially as you have spent so much time riding and need some comfort.

We've had some really hot days this week, and I'm grateful for them. RAGBRAI is usually very hot, being in July. I want to be conditioned for the weather as much as I can.

I've more to write, and hopefully I will be back here a few times before the ride commences. I hope you can follow my progress!

This is the year...finally!

It's really hard to believe that the last event that inspired me to blog, that of RAGBRAI, was six years ago! But now after all this time, I find myself about 50 or so days away from doing this again.

If you don't know, RAGBRAI is the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. You pack up your clothes, a tent, and jump on your bike for between 400 and 600 miles over 7 days. You do so with somewhere around 20,000 other lycra-clad pedalers. My inaugural participation in this took place in July of 2008, and it was a blast.

My intention is to write down some thoughts in this blog leading up to the ride that begins July 20. Then, while I'm out there in the wilds of Iowa, I hope I can make entries as well, with pictures and pithy comments about anything and everything that happens. You may also be subjected to my observations on God's creation, the hospitality of small town people, and how many slices of cherry pie in which I indulge myself.

So I hope you read on with me.