RAGBRAI Day 1 – Hell on Hills
Yesterday, we went to the expo, ate supper, bought our t-shirts, and then called it a night. We knew we’d be starting early today. And we did! We were on the road at 6:00 AM on the dot.
Today was brutal. Mileage-wise it wasn’t that bad with only 53.38 miles (our campground for the night was a couple of miles before the town), but the climbs were intense. We rode 2,545 feet of vertical climb. Ugh!
We had two mis-haps for the day. Twenty miles into the ride, Leah changed gears too quickly on one of the hills and managed to wrap her derailleur around itself. On the side of the road, we struggled trying to fix it. Luckily, a couple of guys stopped to help us. They managed to fix it well enough for us to proceed (at least it was better than walking the trikes). We rode on to Anthon where our first stop was to the bike repair shop. After dropping off Leah’s trike, we munched on pizza, bbq pork sandwich, and yummy banana bread. And then like magic, the trike was ready. Leah’s ride was much smoother after that.
After finishing the ride for today, we relaxed for a bit and then rode into town. On the way, Tim saw that I had a flat tire. I had been struggling all day, but just thought it was the hills or maybe the heat. But no, it was a flat tire that I didn’t even know that I had! When we arrived in town, we stopped at the bike repair guys who fixed it while we ate. (I am really falling in love with these guys…) And now we are both as good as new and looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures.
Congrats to your first day!! Hope y’all rested well and have no mishaps today. Very thankful they have bike repair stations and sounds like good food!! Have fun conquering that mileage! Y’all rock!
Thank you! It has been a lot of fun for us. Yes, they’ve been doing this for 49 years and know how to win the heart of bikers: good food and great bike repairs. LOL!
Wow! You are doing great! I love you so much Grandma Susan!!
Ah, thank you Regan! I love you, too! ❤️
And thanks for reading our blog.