Day 5: Centerville to Ottumwa

Even though today is shorter than yesterday (49 miles as opposed to 65), it was nice yesterday to get a large part of the ride completed before the day heated up.  So I set my alarm for 4:30, but awoke at 4:26 and started breaking camp. I had my wheels pointed toward Ottumwa at 5:45.

My "new" ride strategy is to ride for about 90 minutes or 18 miles before breakfast. So I rode to Moravia, IA, 17.3 miles before stopping for a breakfast bowl and apple juice at 7:15. Back on the road roughly 35 minutes later.

Using the "It's a ride, not a picnic" philosophy, my next stop was in Blakesburg, IA, for a pit stop, rest stop, and fruit smoothie, at 9:15 am, 37.3 miles done for the day after 3 hours and 8 minutes of riding. Back on the bike by 9:40, I departed for Ottumwa.

I have my phone programmed to quack whenever I receive a new text or E-mail, and since my cell coverage thru AT&T has been nearly non-existent since the beginning of the trip, I figured I might have a large number of items waiting for me. Riding a recumbent bike, my phone is in a "fanny" pack, except I wear it in front.

On a hill 3 miles west of Ottumwa, my phone sounded like a gaggle of geese taking flight.

Found the Pork Belly Ventures campsite, grabbed my bags, set up camp, and was sitting in the canopy for shade by 1:15. It was a picture perfect day: winds out of the north-northwest at 20 MPH, temps in the low 80's, and relatively low humidity. I decided to try a walking tour of Ottumwa, so I rode a shuttle into downtown.

The DesMoines River in Ottumwa 

Downtown Ottumwa looks a lot like downtown Aurora, or any other "big" city that was emptied when the suburban malls came calling, and is finally rebounding. I had almost no dairy products this week, so I fixed that with a pint of 2% milk... and a raspberry shake. Bought some new AAA batteries for my camp head light, and went back to camp. Sent a few E-mails and worked on yesterday's blog.

Then it was time for dinner and get he tent / bike ready for tomorrow - another long day of 68.5 miles but "only" 2,400 feet of climb enroute toward Washington, IA. Called home, finished my chores, and was in bed by 8:45.

How will I feel after three consecutive days of riding significant distances? I won't know until tomorrow.

Day 4: Leon to Centerville

If you get thrown off a horse, they say the best thing is to get back on the hors, and that was sort of my mental attitude today. After Monday, I got bucked off; Tuesday was a day to recuperate. But how would Wednesday's ride go - only 7 miles shorter than Monday, but only 2,700 feet of climb vs. 4,200. Time to find out!

Slept in air conditioned comfort on the floor of a math classroom at the middle/high school in Leon, so I didn't have a tent to tear down and pack; on the road at 5:47. Saw a beautiful sunrise thru the morning mist - about 68 degrees and 99.98% humidity. Rode about 14 miles in an hour and 15 minutes into Garden Grove , where I had a "Breakfast Bowl" - sort of a layered skillet of eggs, potatoes, meat, and cheese - the sort of substantial meal that I need instead of pie. Back on the road after the 45 minute layover, I headed for Humeston, about 8 miles further. But the towns in this section are pretty close together, so I pressed on thru Cambria, Millerton, and New York without stopping, a distance of about 16 miles.

Just east of Bethlehem, there were food vendors located on both sides of the road on a somewhat flat stretch; a dangerous situation as you have riders slowing down, and exiting/entering on both sides of the road. I was in the middle of the road with another rider passing on my left, when another rider on my right started to drift toward me. I braked and shouted for him to move right, but he didn't, and the right pedal of the rider on my left hit my left front tire, causing him to fall. Riders diverged around us, and there was no significant damage to either rider or bike due to the low speed, so we pedaled off. (The mounting screw for my LH mirror is bent, but I refitted the mirror and it's still usable.)

At 11:00, I rolled into the aptly named Confudence, IA, for lunch - more than 43 miles behind me in about 3 hours and 30 minutes of riding time for a fruit smoothie and pulled pork sandwich. I left just before noon, and rode through Walnut City for a total of 16 miles before stopping briefly in Mystic for a bottle of Gatorade and a banana. I pushed on to Centerville, arriving about 2:15 for a total of 65.3 miles in 5 hours and 25 minutes of riding time. And I felt a heck of a lot better than on Monday.

Met a former neighbor who is also making the ride, chatted with him for a while, then pitched my tent, claimed my clothing, and showered. After dinner in the campground, I walked into the town square of Centerville (allegedly the largest town square in Iowa) to get a cell signal and call home. Then it was back to camp and "lights out" at 8:45.

A good day after falling off the horse. Tomorrow: toward Ottumwa. I might be able to do this....

Day 3: Creston to Leon

Here's the short summary of Day 3: I decided to ride the sag wagon today.

I was still feeling a little woozy and not hungry at all when I went to bed around 9:30. I woke up twice during the night to pee (good thing) using the emergency in-tent urinal (a repurposed Gatorade bottle). The first time, all went well, but the second time, I learned that the bottle works a lot better if you take the cap off FIRST (bad thing). I guess I was pretty tired.

I had to make my ride or sag decision by 6:00, so I got up and broke camp, but was still feeling a bit punky. Today has a shorter distance than yesterday (58+ vs. 78+ miles), and slightly less climb (3,200 ft vs. 4,200 ft.), but it's still the second hilliest day of the ride. I *really* wanted to ride the entire route, but the forecast was for sunshine and about 2 degrees warmer than yesterday.

I decided to sag with the hope of riding the remainder of the route once my system recovers.

The bus to Leon left at 7:00, and we were at the campground by 8:15. Off the bus, I walked the mile-and-a-half into town and found "The Daily Grind" for an omelet, toast, fruit, and milk. That tasted good. Walked back to camp and did some cleanup / housekeeping, dried met of my wet belongings, ate an ear of corn, and repacked the bags such that they can be transported to the high school, where I'll be sleeping on the floor of an air conditioned classroom tonight.

Ride over to the high school around 3:00, set up my bedroll in air conditioned comfort, and took a nap. Woke up around 5:15, and walked the five blocks back to the main campground for a ribeye sandwich, cole slaw, salad with raisins and apples, and a small taste of watermelon. Showered before walking back to the high school, got pre-configured for tomorrow, and am hitting the sack by 8:45.

Tomorrow is another long mileage day (65) but only 2,700 feet of climb and the elevation profiles look more reasonable. Just have to wait and see how it goes.

Day 2: Shenandoah to Creston

This is the day I've anticipated since learning what this year's route for RAGBRAI would be: the longest day (75+ miles) and the most climb (4,000+ feet), following what (for me) was a long first day. So let's get at it....

Up a few minutes before 5:00, and with a refined packing routine, I had wheels up at 6:15 with a temp of 68 degrees. Following the climb out of town, the first 6 miles were promisingly flat. But then the hills began: slow rollers where you could maintain 6 to 8 MPH, and steeper grinders where you just move to the right, grab the lowest gear available, and go at 4 MPH for two to five minutes at a time.

Stopped at 7:45 just past Bethesda (18.5 miles) for a potty break, Kind bar, and water. Twenty minutes later, back on the road. Around 9:30 and 32.0 miles down, I rolled into the first host town, Villisca, where I stopped for breakfast. But when 10,000 people drop in on a town, the waits are L-O-N-G, so I opted for the shortest one: a banana, a water, and a piece of raisin pie.

But it's a ride, not a picnic, so I pedaled on toward Corning - birthplace of Johnny Carson - arriving around 12:30 and 50.0 miles into the day. I bought a pulled pork sandwich, a fruit smoothie, and two bottles of water, but with the heat and exertion, I didn't finish the sandwich. And it was into the high 80's by now, so I climbed out of town with about 25 miles left in the day.

The hills were consecutive and unrelenting; there wasn't a flat section longer than 500 feet on the rest of the route. As the sun beat down, my average speed slowed. Prescott, 10 miles later, was my next water and 20-minute rest stop; I left town around 2:20 with17 miles to go.

The balls of my feet were getting sore from the pedal pressure, and sweat had saturated the backs of my socks, irritating the skin around my Achilles' tendon. But each pedal stroke got my 3 to 6 feet closer, so I pressed on. Creston finally came into view around 4:50 pm.

I arrived at the campground at 5:02 - 78.1 miles in 8 hours, 7 minutes on the bike. I retrieved my tent duffle feeling a bit light headed, drank a half-bottle of water, and fell asleep using the duffle as a pillow. I awoke around 6:15 and showered, still not feeling very hungry. I had a dinner roll, some salad, lemonade, and a banana for "dinner".

Trying to decide if I want to "sag" tomorrow (ride the bus to the next town) or not. Tomorrow is the 2nd hilliest day (3,300 feet), but shorter in distance (58.5 miles). I'd be somewhat disappointed in not making the full ride, but if a day off the bike lets me reset my body and complete the rest of the ride, it may be the right choice. I'll decide at 6:00 tomorrow morning; now it's time for bed (9:30).

Day 1: Glenwood to Shenandoah

Since I wanted to start the event well rested, my plan was to be in bed by 9:00 pm, get 8 hours of sleep, rise at 5:00, and be on the road by 6:00.

Did OK on being ready to sleep by 9:20, but I laid there in the 84 degree heat / 91 heat index, listening to the crickets, various (unofficial) fireworks, and the kickoff concert. Sleep was intermittent the entire night, and I woke up at 4:52, 6 minutes ahead of the alarm.

Packed up the inside of the tent (sleeping bag, air mattress, clothes, etc.) by 5:30, then went outside and took down the tent. Schlepped my bags over to the transport semi, and rolled past the signboard for the park at 6:23 and 78 degrees.

I had taken my Mile 0 photos yesterday with Josh, so it was enroute with 12,000 other riders - on a two lane road, we'll be up to 6 abreast, with the line stretching as far as the eye can see in both directions.

And Iowa seems to never be flat for more than a mile at a time. Climb anything from a small roller followed by a gentle decent up to a half-mile long grind up with a 35 MPH cannonball down the backside. And that's one of the differences of a recumbent trike: you climb slower since it's all upper leg muscle (you can't use your weight to drop onto the pedals), but you're more aerodynamic so you pass a lot of people on the descent.

I passed through the first host town, Malvern, without stopping as it was only 7:45 in the morning and about 15 miles into the ride. So I pushed on another 11 miles, and stopped in Tabor around 9:05 for breakfast - homemade peach pie, water, and stretches. 

Back on the road about 40 minutes later, the hilly 7 miles to Reynolds passed slowly, but I decided to press on to the end of the day's ride in Shenandoah - 17 miles further. The hills continued pretty much nonstop, and about 45 miles into the ride - and 5 miles short of Shenendoah - I found a big tree at the top of a long, grinding hill, where there was a breeze and shade. 

I stopped and rested up for about a half-hour before continuing into Shenandoah, arriving around 12:35 - 4 hours 45 minutes riding, 51.4 miles covered, in 6 hours 15 minutes elapsed time.

Grabbed my bags, pitched camp, took a shower and a nap, all by 4:45. Some light rain before dinner (pork roast, potatoes, corn, cole slaw, roll and a cookie), and now they have a band until 8:00 or so.

Tomorrow is the day I've worried about the most: longest miles (75+) and most climb (4,000 feet). But the forecast is for cooler (80's vs today's 90's) and less humid, so you hope for the best. 

Time to fill water bottles, repack some bags, and get ready for bed (8:00). Wish me luck; more tomorrow.

Day -1: Now It's (Almost) Real

Josh and I left our overnight stay in Stanton, Iowa, around 9:30, and drove over to Red Oak, Iowa for a McBreakfast; we could have opted for the Feedlot Diner - the only place serving breakfast in Red Oak - but opted for something "safe". From there, it was on to Glenwood, the start of the ride tomorrow.

Glenwood is a town of about 5,000 people, so when RAGBRAI comes to town, we quadruple the size of the town. We located the area reserved by Pork Belly Ventures (PBV), the third party vendor I'm using for support on this trip. Josh waited by the truck while I signed in, then I walked back to the truck and picked up my "wet" duffle bag, which contains things that might be damp or wet when packed. Pretty campsite right on a pond in a city park.

From there, it was back to the truck, where I retrieved my "dry" duffle (sleeping bag, clothes, etc.), the bike itself, and Josh. I finished setting up camp, and we left for the vendor expo around 12:30.

We walked around the town square, looking at all the vendors, where you could buy just about anything related to biking. After that, we came back to the campground. I picked up the bike, and Josh followed me over to the official starting location, where we took some photographs of what it should look like when I cross the starting line tomorrow morning - hopefully around 6:00 am.

Then, it was time for him to leave and for me to be left with 420 miles of Iowa pavement and a bicycle to get back to my truck in Muscatine. Gut check #1.

I finished mounting my Camelback water bladder to the bike, got my speedometer/odometer working, and I was at the High School for a spaghetti dinner when they opened at 4:00. Then it was back to the campsite, where I filled all of my water holders for tomorrow, and sat down to write this.

Some encouraging signs: There are very few people that look like Lance Armstrong. A LOT of people; I've never see so many tents in one place before. But everyone is very friendly and easy to talk to. (I ate dinner with riders from Ontario, California (Orange County), New York City, and Adelaide, Australia.)

And although it's hot (96 according to the town sign), there is a breeze and you don't sweat too much - unless you move. I'm also amazed at how much you can drink without needing to pee too often....

Plans are for a shower around 7:00, and to be in bed by 9:00, to be up by 5:00 and on the road by 6:00 - for Gut Check #2. Or something like that... More tomorrow (hopefully).

P. S. 7:15 pm and the temp is "down" to 94.