Who's doing RAGBRAI?
- Thread starter Colorado
- Start date
21st consecutive....
2 rules for the week...
1. Build a base (ie eat a good breakfast & 3-5 meals per day)
2. Move to maintain... stay as long as you want/dont stay too long
2 rules for the week...
1. Build a base (ie eat a good breakfast & 3-5 meals per day)
2. Move to maintain... stay as long as you want/dont stay too long
Unlike nearly every other bike ride in the world, always remember, on RAGBRAI, whoever has the most fun, WINS!!! Enjoy the ride through towns, that is where the fun is. Ummmm, Yes I'm In!!!
If your bike tour of CO was Ride the Rockies (another great bike experience) or the aptly named Bike Tour of Colorado, just remember that RAGBRAI has:
10x the number of participants
10x the amount of beer consumed
10x the humidity
10x the amount of partying and fun in towns, especially the ride throughs. Ride throughs on RTR are kinda "meh" but the itty bitty towns RAGBRAI goes through will have good food stands, music, and people drunk and cheering for you.
It's awesome. Enjoy it. All bicyclists should do it at least once in their lifetime.
10x the number of participants
10x the amount of beer consumed
10x the humidity
10x the amount of partying and fun in towns, especially the ride throughs. Ride throughs on RTR are kinda "meh" but the itty bitty towns RAGBRAI goes through will have good food stands, music, and people drunk and cheering for you.
It's awesome. Enjoy it. All bicyclists should do it at least once in their lifetime.
My first ride and only doing Glenwood to Altoona. My goal is to progressively build up my partying, ending the week with a blowout at my parent's place in Altoona. Boone looks like it should a pretty good party night with Hairball and Damon Dotson playing.
My advice: take your time, its not a race.
I stop every 10-15 miles and have a beer/porkchop/pasta.
I stop every 10-15 miles and have a beer/porkchop/pasta.
Ragbrai is not that difficult. It's as hard as you make it. Sure, some days you have more hills then other. If you party non stop it makes for a long week. Also there are towns on average every 8 to 10 miles. Plenty of farm stops and places for food. Take your time and have fun. Nothing bothers me more then mr serious rider that thinks it's a race race and don't enjoy it. You will recognize them by there long draft lines going 10mph faster then your ave bike team draft line. If this was a race they would incorporate it in the name.
This is my 4th year and unfortunately with newborn I only get 3 days. So I'm going to treat it like a vacation.enjoy
This is my 4th year and unfortunately with newborn I only get 3 days. So I'm going to treat it like a vacation.enjoy
This Saturday is the Triple Bypass; bicycling 120 miles from Evergreen to Avon Colorado over Squaw, Loveland, and Vail Passes. The Triple Bypass is so cool.
In the way of an epic ride, I bicycled Trail Ridge Road (from Estes Park to Granby) June 20th in the middle of white-out/blizzard with snow banked 30 feet high on both sides of the road. The visitors center was still buried by snow.
In the way of an epic ride, I bicycled Trail Ridge Road (from Estes Park to Granby) June 20th in the middle of white-out/blizzard with snow banked 30 feet high on both sides of the road. The visitors center was still buried by snow.
That doesn't even sound fun. The brrr ride is hard enough to get up for when it's cold out.
Just wondering what kind of bike you ride on that type of terrain and weather.
I rode what I always ride on bicycle tours and with no modifications to my bicycle.
Riding in cold weather is all about dressing properly for the weather; I wore wind resistant and water resistant gloves; had chemical hand warmers and foot warmers, with many layers of clothes. I can dress for cold weather but there is only so much I can do to prepare for riding in humid and hot weather.
Understandable on the clothing. I'm just more used to hot humid days then cold. 95 and humid doesn't bother me as much. Just need sun block and plenty of fluids. Cold not so much. Maybe I'm too cheap to buy good cold weather gear too. Just don't think my trek road bike would cut it in other conditions.
Last year was our first, giving it another go this year.
We learned the hard way last year that riding on hybrids without clipless pedals (which are actually the kind where the shoe attaches to the pedal) means you are going to get passed, a lot, by 70 year olds on road bikes.
Also, the worst part for us ended up being the way our wrists felt after consecutive days of only having one hand position option (hybrids generally have the straight mountain-bike like handle bars). They got pretty sore in a bad tingly/numb sensation kind of way.
This year we're sticking wtih the hybrids because we didn't feel like shelling out for road bikes we wouldn't otherwise ride very often. We upgraded to clipless pedals, and have new ergonomic handlebar grips with vertical bars on the ends to add a few more hand positions. Hopefully these upgrades help make for a more enjoyable ride this year.
As others have said, it's not a race. When you hit a long hill, don't try to power your way up, as this is a good way to mess up your knees and cut your ride short. Shift down, take your time, and enjoy the tunes coming off the trailer speaker system being pulled by some stud cruising past you.
We learned the hard way last year that riding on hybrids without clipless pedals (which are actually the kind where the shoe attaches to the pedal) means you are going to get passed, a lot, by 70 year olds on road bikes.
Also, the worst part for us ended up being the way our wrists felt after consecutive days of only having one hand position option (hybrids generally have the straight mountain-bike like handle bars). They got pretty sore in a bad tingly/numb sensation kind of way.
This year we're sticking wtih the hybrids because we didn't feel like shelling out for road bikes we wouldn't otherwise ride very often. We upgraded to clipless pedals, and have new ergonomic handlebar grips with vertical bars on the ends to add a few more hand positions. Hopefully these upgrades help make for a more enjoyable ride this year.
As others have said, it's not a race. When you hit a long hill, don't try to power your way up, as this is a good way to mess up your knees and cut your ride short. Shift down, take your time, and enjoy the tunes coming off the trailer speaker system being pulled by some stud cruising past you.
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Second for me as well. Doing the whole week with a team this year. Last year I went with my neighbors. It was a first for all of us. Having our driver find a camp spot, and enduring cold public showers got old. This year should be much different with an organized camp for each town, (except for Grinnell, where we still need a spot). I'm too impatient to take my time between towns, but I plan to enjoy the towns more this year.
My biggest advice for newbies, eat what you want, but eat healthy as much as you can. I struggled with heartburn much of the week last year which really cut down on my beer drinking...
Get yourself at least two camel back or polar bottles and drink lots of fluids.
My biggest advice for newbies, eat what you want, but eat healthy as much as you can. I struggled with heartburn much of the week last year which really cut down on my beer drinking...
Get yourself at least two camel back or polar bottles and drink lots of fluids.
