In Which 85 PSI and RAGBRAI Legs Speed The Journey

The Sky this morning as I rode my bike to the gym. Sumbeans shining down on my faster, slow bike.

I’ve commuted to campus a few days this week, and weather willing will again tomorrow. It feels like I’ve been flying on Francis when I go—my RAGBRAI legs have not worn off yet, and I’m worried I might pop a spoke or break a chain.

I’m sure by most bikers’ standards, I’m still slow, but for me I am traveling fast.

RAGBRAI legs—the strong muscles leftover from the ride across Iowa last week—aren’t the only factor. Cate noted one day during RAGBRAI that my back tire looked a bit low. It felt fine to me, but feeling isn’t enough. I didn’t know what the recommended inflation was—mud on the tire—but Eldon found it—85 PSI.

And his pump pressure gauge said I was at 50. “Getting close to snakebite territory,” Eldon said, and he is probably right.

Snakebite is jargon for the double puncture you get if your under-inflated tube allows the tire to pop out of the wheel frame—you get two small punctures were the wheel rim presses on the tube, hence, snakebite.

Well, I pumped up to 85 PSI and flew that day, and on the last day pumped up again (the tires had lost about 5 PSI in two days).

If you have properly inflated tires, the ride is a bit rougher, but it is also much more efficient—soft tires cost a lot of extra mushy friction, and on hard ones you fly. Or so it seems.

The mighty Francis has been riding again. Grandkids are over tonight, and maybe I’ll put the toddler bar and seat back on and give Amelia a morning ride before they have to go home. We’ll see. But I’ve been enjoying riding at the speed of RAGBRAI legs on my newly inflated tires.

The mighty Francis in my driveway after the ride home from the gym--it has gotten sunnier.

In Which Four Or Five Heads Are Better Than One

The mighty awesome Team Joe at the end of RAGBRAI 2013. Brandon Kent, Cate Sheller, Brigid Rocca, Eldon Rocca and your correspondent.

My son-in-law could have borrowed my sweatshirt—I would have been warm enough in my sleeping bag. As it was, he got very cold in his thin sleeping bag liner and airy summer tent that night in Fairfield. I was fine.

Then again, while he mostly rode and camped alone, I was with a group. And again, as in last year, my RAGBRAI 2013 experience reinforces the idea of a group experience being the better way to go.

Not that groups are always better. The first year I did RAGBRAI, the young men from Seattle who I was with would sleep until almost 8, whereas I awoke at 5. I would hit the road by 6. They would always finish before me anyway, being young and strong on nimble road bikes, whereas I am old—still strong, but in biking terms “old” is almost synonymous with “slow”—and ride Francis.

My bike, Francis, is very reliable: a solid, sturdy bike that is ideal for commuting. Maybe Francis is not quite as ideal for RAGBRAI, although, on the other hand, Francis is of a style that promotes both front baskets and back racks, which are handy to have on a long bike trek.

Anyway, since I was on my own during the day during that first RAGBRAI, I could move at my own pace and always make my own decisions. But since I was with a group, there was a support vehicle and friends to pal around with each night.

This year, things were a bit different. We were trading drivers at the meet towns each day, so meeting was more important. And our style of riding was different—we tended to ride in mini packs. Again, this is not bad—there were many advantages—but group dynamics, the need to discuss decisions and come to agreement, slows things down.

On the other hand, being with other riders during the day means both many bad shared jokes and mutual support. One of our riders, not me, became ill one day, and it was good that someone (me) could stay with that rider until the SAG wagon came. I stopped twice to help strangers along the way, and once had my sister with me—she provided me with a glove that kept me from getting all greasy. I got all greasy the other time. I did better with my sister there.

Overall, I would say 2013 ranks second in my RAGBRAI experiences. The first year was number one, the second year was number three. I enjoyed the second year, but doing it alone proved not as good as doing it in a group. And the biggest reason 2013 doesn’t rank number one has zero to do with the company I kept, which was excellent in both 2011 and 2013, but more with the fact that almost any good experience is just better when it is most novel.

Will I do RAGBRAI again? With siblings? I can’t speak for them, but I suspect so. I am 100 percent sure that I will do at least parts of RAGBRAI again, and, while I’m not prepared at this point to commit to the full week in 2014, on the other hand, when winter rolls around and the Des Moines Register announces the route for the year—well, 2013 was such a positive experience that I’m sure RAGBRAI fever will be high.

We—my sisters, brother-in-law and I—talked of many things, including possible blog posts. I may yet write the one we discussed about advice for vendors, host towns and RAGBRAI itself—including, RAGBRAI, marking the darn route for support vehicles much more effectively. Another possible blog post, that I sadly suspect will not be done because I did not take notes, was RAGBRAI quotes.

One I recall is “Eldon gives the best Hickeys.” A hickey is a naughty mark on the skin. A Hickey is a rubber device that replaces shoelaces, and my bike shoes now have Hickeys courtesy of Eldon.

Maybe next year I will remember to have a notebook handy so I can recall all of the cool quotes from the journey. There, see, I haven’t even committed to doing RAGBRAI again, but I’m already writing “next year.”

Some final thoughts on RAGBRAI 2013:

What went well:

Picture perfect final day--Des Moines River at Bonaparte.

• Eating at churches. Even the hapless one in Perry where the system broke down and the food was an hour late still fed us well, and the time in line worked in our favor because we avoided the worst of a thunderstorm. Methodists still make great pie, but Catholic pasta proved filling in two overnight towns.
• Having a support vehicle. I owe many debts to both of my riding pal sisters—Brigid and Cate—and to Eldon, my brother-in-law. Among the greatest is to Brigid and Eldon for supplying the SUV. We didn’t have to worry about RAGBARI baggage limits (which meant a real pillow, hooray!) and had coolers so we could buy our own beer at $6 a six pack instead of $6 a drink
• Taking turns driving. It meant I missed some cool things, such as the drive over the mile-long bridge on Red Rock Lake, but having a few driving shifts meant some half days off, which were good for my aging body. I suppose I technically did only 5 ½ days of RAGBRAI on a bike, but still. When one member of our team was faded for any reason, he or she could pick up an extra diving shift and get a break. CR Biker did not need any extra breaks this year—and having a few more team members so there are fewer driving shifts would be OK, too—but the whole trading driving thing turned out to be a great idea.
• The weather. We had rain twice this year, but both times at night. Since my little tent continues to be the watertight shelter that could, night rains didn’t bother me much. Dry, warm, sunny days make the week overall very beautiful. If it had been one week earlier, we would have sweltered under high heat and astronomical humidity—but as it turned out, Mother Nature smiled this year, and the weather was gorgeous.
• The shirts. My daughter's grand design for Team Joe was a hit. I wore "I am Joe" and "Joe I am" shirts on four days of the ride, and met lots of other Joes. Many riders made a sport of yelling "hi Joe," or, in the case of the Christmas team (yes, there was one), "Merry Christmas, Joe!" I felt like Lance Armstrong without the biking ability.

  

  Awesome shirt front,
  it said "Team Joe" above picture.

What did not go well:

• Fairfield. The little town that is slightly cray cray. From the gate guard who turned us away from the main campground because I could not name our team’s official RAGBRAI name on the spot to the shortage of portable toilets (and total lack of water) in the main campground, the little town that is schizophrenic, divided between old-school Iowans and Vedic spirituality, seemed a bit, well, incompetent. Don’t get me wrong—overall the town was very friendly and most individuals we encountered were delightful, it’s just that the powers that be running this RAGBRAI stop managed to get many key details wrong.
• Getting late starts. We did better at the end, and usually were on the road by close to 6:30 if not 7—but as I’ve written before, a good RAGBRAI ride starts promptly at 6. In the future, maybe we pack breakfy rather than seeking it in town. Coffee is important, but then again, it’s also readily available on the road.
• Eating vendor food one night. Yeah, not so much. Stick with churches. Our search for food became late in Oskaloosa, and we didn’t find either Methodists or Catholics, but instead ate in the downtown vendor area. Never again. The food was OK, but it was not plentiful enough and the lines were huge. Churches feed you much better. You pay more, but sitting down to a hearty meal is totally worth it.

Anyway, RAGBRAI 2013 is now history. See more of my photos here.

The giant bike at the Fairfield  Middle School was cool.

Was it good? When it was good, it was very, very good. When it was bad, it frankly wasn’t all that bad. Even Fairfield was enjoyable. Overall, I would say it was great.

Some thank you notes: Thank you again, Brigid and Eldon, for supplying the support vehicle. Thank you Eldon for fixing my front derailleur. Thank you, Cate and Brigid, for your quirky sense of humor and knowledge of 1970s and 80s song lyrics. Eldon, thanks for putting up with three Shellers for a week. Thank you Cate for the many training rides and the cool guest blog post. Brandon, thanks for hanging out with the old folks for a few nights. Thank you Iowa and Des Moines Register for going along with this whole RAGBRAI idea. Amanda, the shirts were totally awesome, thanks a ton, and again thanks to Eldon for arranging the printing. Most of all, Audrey, a thousand thanks. You encouraged me to do RAGBRAI again, you left me off and picked me up despite the coordination problems that inevitably cropped up, and you reminded me often to go out and ride my bike to practice for RAGBRAI. I’m sure sometimes it just got me out of your hair, but still.

It’s good to be home. Of all the RAGBRAIs so far, I think I finished this one in the best physical shape—Audrey had the idea to take several pairs of gloves, which proved a very wise move since I had no hand rashes as I have in the past, and trading time cycling with driving time means my body is just not that beat up. The weather was beautiful today and it was tempting to pop the wheel back on Francis and head for a spin on the trails near my home.

My butt said “no.” OK, butt. But I’m sure I’ll be back in the saddle again soon, and probably again in future RAGBRAIs, too.

Final look at Team Joe. So long, RAGBRAI 2013.

Traveling at the Speed of Joe

Cate takes a photo of the "grumpy tents" in Knoxville.

Note: Today CR Biker presents a guest post.

This is Joe's sister Cate.  Or Sister Joe, as one of my team shirts says.  My other shirt says “Joe is back there somewhere ...”  Well. That's what this blog post is (mostly) about.

Today I'm the camptown lady (doo-dah, doo-dah), in charge of tearing down the tents and setting them up again.  After 5 days on the road, I think I'm finally getting to understand my tent.  Oh tent, I long to know you better.  That one night we spent together on the back porch was not enough!

Ahem.  I am not a regular camper.  My sleeping bag I've had since high school (almost 40 years) but all of my other equipment was bought on a trip to Denver in March, when I knew for sure we were going to do RAGBRAI.  I just barely learned how to assemble my tent before we were off.

Despite its unfamiliarity, my tent is not the most difficult one to set up: that dubious honor falls to Brigid and Eldon, whose tent is the land of a thousand stakes.  Mine is a bit tricky, but gets easier after getting used to it.  Joe's tent is easy.  Easy like Council Bluffs.

But I digress.  Back to the main topic.

I rode a lot of training miles with Joe.  Hundreds of them.  And I was able to observe a consistent phenomenon: although I am a rather large middle-aged woman and I ride a rather heavy bike, I am faster than Joe.  Joe ambles.  He trudges.  He plods.  Like the low rider, Joe goes slow.

When I was training for RAGBRAI, I challenged myself. I rode in unnecessarily high gears and rode faster than I needed to.  The RAGBRAI web site recommends that a rider get in 1,000 training miles before the event, but between a wet spring and early summer, plus two weeks of work-related travel, I knew I would barely get in 700.  I was worried, so I pushed myself.  I think it's paid off; after 4 days of riding I am happy to be taking a rest day, but it's not because I couldn't have ridden.  Somebody has to drive the support vehicle, and today it's my turn.

Cate feeds a horse. But it didn't pull her bike for her.

But here's the thing: challenging yourself is fine when you're training for RAGBRAI, but the event itself is no time for an extra challenge.  I learned that the hard way on the first day of the ride; I charged my way up several hills in the hot sun, after too little sleep, in a middle-aged woman's fog of hormonal soup, and by early afternoon I had created the perfect storm: a migraine headache.  I told Joe I needed to stop and rest for a minute.  That minute turned into over an hour of intermittent dozing, vomiting, and being bitten by flies.  Joe stuck with me until the sag wagon came and helped me load my bike on the trailer.  I had a short ride into the overnight town, while Joe had a long slog on his bike that got him into camp a couple of hours later.  He's a good brother, that Joe.

And I am on a really good team.  There is steadfast Joe, always good to ride (or hide) behind.  There is irrepressible Brigid, who makes me laugh so hard.  And there is ingenious Eldon, our gadget guy, who always comes up with new and clever ways to do things.  We take care of each other.  When I talked to my wife at the end of that first day, she expressed concern for my well-being.  I told her not to worry, as I have three mommies on this ride.  At the campground, it was Eldon who found me and managed to guide me and my bike to my tent so I could rest and recuperate.  It was Brigid who fetched me cold water and checked on me to make sure I was still breathing.  I was, and am, in good hands.

So I have learned my lesson.  On RAGBRAI, anyway, I'm traveling at the speed of Joe.  Whenever there's a steep hill, or a long hill, or a long, steep hill (there are plenty of all of the above!) I shift into granny gear and make my slow, ambling, plodding, trudging way up.  It ain't fast, but it gets me to the top, and I arrive in camp on my bike instead of the sag wagon.  It's the only way to ride.

Random RAGBRAI thoughts:

• My bicycle's name is Miss Grenadine, for reasons only Brigid can truly understand.
• I am not safe around sharp objects.  I think this is going to be a three-scar summer.
• Brigid and I invented a new drinking game.  If you see a hill, you take a drink.  Our drink of choice is water.
• Eldon gives the best Hickeys.  Maybe Joe will show you the ones on his feet.
• One of the great pleasures in life is riding down the middle of the street in Des Moines beside my sister, as we harmonize to the Beatles tune playing on my iPod.

In Which The F***ing Pigs Have A Great Day

Pie, such as one finds on RAGBRAI. I have found a lot. I am a pie piggie.

To be honest, he had a point. I don't like seeing piles of garbage left by RAGBRAI riders by the side of the road.

Earlier today, a dairy gave away chocolate milk. It was a welcome treat—and later in the day, the conservationists were giving out free bananas. Both were nice to get.

And I indulged in each. But I also property disposed of the remains. Many riders did not—especially in the case of the milk, where cartons were left scattered on the side of the highway within the mile after the milk giveaway.

At least the milk tossers pretty much tried to pile the milk cartons in groups, which would make cleanup a bit easier. But it would be nicer if cleanup were not necessary—if all RAGBRAI riders kept their trash until they could dispose of it correctly.

However, to be fair, if you run a marathon and pass a water station, you're expected to just drop your cup. Others will come later and pick them up. The many riders who assume that someone else will pick up their trash are often athletes—a number of them runners. They are following their running habits.

And, again to defend the litterbugs a little, many bikers don't have a big Wicked Witch of the West basket like mine on the front of their bikes. So they can't easily cart their own garbage, as CR Biker can.

So, while I wish cleanup would not be necessary, or at least less necessary, than it is, nonetheless it's a reality that, if given a free beverage, many RAGBRAI riders will chug and then chuck.

Little mermaid Kimbalton.

Which leads me to an odd “welcome” I received in Des Moines, today. After passing through a nice balloon arch, I headed down a hill. I got a text from team members who I had inadvertently evaded in Valley Junction in West Des Moines, so I pulled over. Bikers were tossing plastic bottles from free drinks they had been given up the hill. Several ended up on the street. When it was clear, I quickly kicked some to the side.

When the owner or manager of the business I was in front of came out and yelled “quick kicking bottles into my yard!” He then said: “Those people (RAGBRAI riders) are f***ing pigs!” And then he directed a harried looking minion (any minion of his would probably be harried) to toss the bottles back into the street.

Well, I understand his frustration. I would not like bottles in my yard either. But I kicked them out of the street because a biker coming down the hill at 20 mph could be killed if she or he hit that bottle. And this idiot wanted to toss them back into the street. True, he was probably steaming all day—it was not a retail business that would benefit from RAGBRAI, it was a concrete company and doubtless RAGBRAI was just a huge pain. But, come on.

I think I was doing OK by trying to clear the street. I wish the RAGBRAI riders had not tossed bottles into his yard. But 20 bottles in his yard does not make 10,000 riders pigs, either. I had snacked at the edge of his grass and had the wrappers in my pockets. I felt like emptying them. Instead, I just moved down the street to meet my teammates.

Welcome to Des Moines. OK, the greeters at the arch were friendly and one bad man doesn't spoil a town any more than a few bottle tossers should tarnish all RAGBRAI.

And, it was just one incident in an otherwise great day. The ride was fairly short, even if I made it longer by going past the point Brigid had planned to leave the trail. We had some headwinds, but the cool temps were a pleasure.

I've done, I guess, 2 days of RAGBRAI now. The ride has gone on for 3 days, but I had some driving duties. Today was the first full day, and it was a great day despite Mr. Grumpy Business Manager.

Last night, we had indoor plumbing, courtesy of the head librarian in Perry. Tonight is the stop at Brigid and Eldon's house. Tomorrow, I ride in the morning and drive in the afternoon.

It will be slightly challenging for me to assemble all the tents, but I think I'm ready. We will see!

In the meantime, points to ponder:

Bones and a sister. Be afraid.

• I'm hoping to get team members to guest post. If you know any, lobby them.
• Today, I photographed a pile of deer bones suspiciously close to my tardy twin sister. Should we be worried?
• Methodists still hold the edge in the pie baking, but despite delays, Catholics do well at noodle dishes.
• My tent stayed dry in the Perry storm. Here's hoping it does not get tested again.
• All team members had had to resort to corn field Kybos now and then. Once, two my team members and I were in the same field (not together). I am developing a corn field rating system--points for ease of access and height, deductions for mud or tall weeds or a ditch to wade through.
• The "Team Joe" shirts have made saying "hi Joe" a sport among RAGBRAI riders. Not sure why, but it's fun.

That's all for now. I will again try to update several times this week, and I hope to talk some others into some posts, too.

In Which We Attend Two Expos

Eldon, Brigid, Cate, Audrey and I just before the start of RAGBRAI 2013. The Team Joe shirts turn out to be biking wear, so watch for us on RAGBRAI 2013. Audrey is heading home--too sane for the road--and I am the first support driver, so my bike ride starts mid-day Sunday.

The night before RABRAI began, we were at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs for the bike expo. Lots to see, although we missed our driver safety meeting. We'll try to be safe.

At the expo, I picked up laminated day maps, courtesy of the state's hospital association. And we just gawked and walked around. It turns out, despite his massive size, CR Biker can disappear in a RAGBRAI crowd in an instant. I don't know how to use this superpower, but I will try to use it for good.

After that, we held a “tent” expo at the back yard of Paula and Dave Chicoine's home in Elkhorn, Nebraska. I'm proud to say mine is the easiest tent to assemble, hands down.

Audrey's shirt.

Then we broke out the famous “Team Joe” biking shirts and painted away. Emma Chicoine decorated Audrey's with an “I (heart)” before “Joe.” I wrote “I am” before Joe on one, and “am I” after Joe on the other.

After a filling pizza dinner, we got to bed a bit late—around 11. Wakeup was at 5 a.m. Then, we had a hearty breakfast at a Village Inn and headed over to Council Bluffs.

The bikers—Brigid, Eldon and Cate are the first bikers while I'm the first support driver—got on the road shortly after 8. At bit late by RAGBRAI standards, but the first day has only a bit over 50 miles, and despite the hills, should be OK. The weather is giving our bikers a break, with cooler temps and no overnight storm—let's hope that pattern continues.

I'm writing this using Cate's laptop at a rest stop along I 80 before the first meeting town. I've posted some images on Facebook. I'll try to update you regularly during the week.

But for now, time to get on the road. I have some bikers to meet in a town up ahead, and then Francis and I will go for the first of our cruises in the RAGBRAI crowd!

We're putting the band back together. Banded for the ride. Pretty in Pink. During the "tent expo," we put on our official RAGBRAI rider wrist bands. Me, Eldon Rocca, Brigid Rocca and Cate Sheller.

In Which CR Biker Is Ready and Not Ready

Sister Brigid in cool Team Joe RAGBRAI shirt.

I feel like I could use another week to prepare for RAGBRAI.

I haven’t changed batteries in my helmet. I haven’t located the “lunchbox” box I usually store daily supplies in. I have not yet packed. I looked into installing Linux on an old laptop to blog from the road, and ran out of time. It would probably work, but I won’t be able to do it. I may still take the old clunker and still do some blogging during the week, though.

So what is ready?

• Well, obviously the shirt. Thank you talented daughter Amanda for an awesomely cool shirt design, and Eldon Rocca for getting them printed and Brigid, the postponed twin, for modeling the look.

• The tent.  I had a little anxiety looking for it, but it turned up. I had not unpacked it since RAGBRAI 2012, and was a little concerned about its state. It’s fine. Easy to put up and easy to part.

• My bike and body. I still have to get more chain lube, but Francis is being very good. Recent rides have gone well, and I hope I’m not fooling myself, but I seem to be ready.

The tent, found and taken to the backyard, then laid out and then assembled. The package says it takes 2 minutes. I think it lies, but not by a lot--on a very hot, humid morning it took 10 minutes to put up. Not bad.

Well, blog pals, this may be it—the final post before the big ride. I’m sure I’ll update midweek from Des Moines, but will more often if I can and the clumsy old laptop functional enough.

Wish me luck on my third full week of RAGBRAI!

I've been on the Boyson, Lindale and Krumholz trails in Cedar Rapids and Marion a bit this week, but mostly have taken it easy. Anyway, this is the trail near Menards in Marion Wednesday morning.

In Which An Army Captain Plans To Run RAGBRAI

An Army captain named Richard Kresser has signed up for RAGBRAI, and isn’t planning to ride a bike, according to this report from KCRG.

He is running RAGBRAI to raise money for medical equipment for a veteran’s home in Marshalltown.

Well, I wish him luck. If I see him on RAGBRAI, I’ll donate some of my spare cash. I’m sure he’ll be a minor celebrity on the ride, but then again, anybody crazy enough to run RAGBRAI for such a cause certainly deserves attention more than many others who get it.

It apparently is a “thing” to leverage RAGBRAI for such causes. Zach Liddle, a UNI student, is running the route, although doing it mostly in advance of RAGBRAI. He is raising funds for cancer research, accordign to Globegazette.com, the web site of the Mason City Globe Gazette.

Well, I wish them well. It’s a slightly goofy, but nonetheless positive way to show devotion to a cause, I suppose.

Me, I’ll be content just to complete my third RAGBRAI. The weather is super hot this week, but looks to be somewhat improved next week, although some storms are also possible.

Anyway, good luck to Mr. Kressler and Mr. Liddle.