Riding RAGBRAI 2022: 1 Week To See “All” Of Iowa

Another Great Idea

Ok ok ok… so we won’t see “all” of Iowa in just one week during RAGBRAI, but we will get a taste of small towns in a unique event that makes our trip to Iowa really exciting. I (Shae) am training to cross Iowa, by bike, in one week in July 2022. It’ll be somewhere between 430-480 miles, starting at the Missouri River on the west side of the state and finishing at the Mississippi River on the east side of the state, through the lesser known parts of Iowa.

You may be asking “Shae, how do you get yourself into these things?” Well, I’ll tell you. We were out for a hike one day this summer and saw a young woman wearing a shirt that said “RAGBRAI” on it. I asked what RAGBRAI was – because I’m curious about all the things – and she explained it to me. I was like… “um, yes please, this’ll make planning Iowa so much more fun!”

I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to participate this year. She’d mentioned there’s a lottery system, so you don’t actually find out if you’re in the race for July until May.

A plan began to brew in my mind: I could enter in November and then start training. If I didn’t get as motivated as I should be I’d probably not get in with the lottery because I was imagining a very competitive lottery like the Boston and New York Marathons. Having run the London Marathon in 2007, I knew that I needed to get training ASAP for an event in July, doing something I’ve never really done a lot of before – cycling.

November registration day came and I decided to go ahead and enter because *shrug* I probably won’t get in this year anyway and it doesn’t matter if you register November to April as you still have the lottery in May. So I registered for RAGBRAI and sat back. Then I started to join the Facebook groups and chatter in the excitement of the day. That’s when I found out…

They’ve done away with the lottery system. It’s first come, first serve. And my keen bean self registered in the first hour. *FACE PALM* Well… I guess I’m doing RAGBRAI.

What is RAGBRAI?

So what is RAGBRAI you ask? The basics were covered in the first paragraph but here’s the details.

RAGBRAI – Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa – is more than just a bike ride, it’s an epic eight-day rolling festival of bicycles, music, food, camaraderie, and community. It is the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world.

It started with two men, John Karras and Don Kaul, inviting whoever wanted to join them to ride across Iowa in 1973. It grew year after year and now has an average of 15,000 riders each year. There are different routes each year and they’re announced in January. At the time of writing I *might* be headed to Des Moines for the announcement party but we shall see. [Edit: I am going! Boostered and masked but I’ll be there for all the fun!]. John Karras passed away in 2021 at the age of 91, so this year will be specifically in his honor as a founder of RAGBRAI.

Riders camp (mostly) along the route. Stop in towns for food and drink, including the farmers kids selling lemonade, and fun. It can be as “party” as you want, but it does have a reputation for being a party/festival type atmosphere all along the route. You can outsource your camping stuff to professionals who set up your tent and bags or you can have your own support vehicle.

I’ll be having my own support vehicle and team – Stephen and Truffles Pepper! They’ll have a badge in the car that allows them access to the support route and I’ll get to see them along the way and at the end of the day. The hope is that, since we do this for a living, we’ll be able to secure hotel/Airbnb accommodation all along the route. I’ll camp the first and last nights for the experience and crash with the family on the other nights for a good bed and shower. But we’ll see as I may end up having to do more camping than I’d like.

You start at the Missouri River and dip your back tire in it to start and when you arrive at the Mississippi River you dip your front tire in it to finish.

Cycling Gear

So I’m now sitting there, having invested over $300 in a participant bracelet and swag for a cycling event, without owning a bike. Or riding one more than a few times in my adult life (and frankly not that many more times in my youth). It was therefore time to get really serious, while also keeping our budget and lifestyle in mind, and get all the things needed to become a cyclist.

• Bike – A 1999 Kmart Mountain Bike for $40 on Facebook Marketplace. (Now named Matilda)
• Kit – Helmet, lock, water bottle, tire pump and lights for ~$45 from Walmart.
• Bike Rack – Thule bike rack for $75 from Facebook Marketplace and bike adaptor for the rack $39 from Dick’s Sporting Goods. Yes, the adapter bar and my bike cost the same.
• Miscellaneous Items – I’ve ended up needing gloves (my rings slide down when I reach for my brakes), a little tune-up (only $17!) at Metropolis Cycle Repair in Portland, a little donut tag swag (oh come on, something has to be fun!) and a phone holder.
• Future Items – The plan was to consider a better bike in May if I got in the lottery. Now, the plan is just get a better road bike in the next few months no matter what. Matilda is a great starter bike, but she’s not going to be great for the long haul. I’ll also need some camping gear (bought or rented) and padded bike shorts.

Training

What good is a bike without knowing how to ride it, how often, how long, etc.? I started with some Google research and expanded my cycle circle to include our friends John and Annette who are true cyclists and have been invaluable in helping and advising me.

I cobbled together a training plan that felt reasonable. The first 16 weeks is an 8-week training plan which I’ve doubled to allow me to build more slowly up to a ride of 30 miles. I know I could do it, having done 20 miles one day in DC a year ago, but I’m going for progressive training and don’t want an injury.

After that goal (the beginning of March) I’m switching over to last year’s RAGBRAI training calendar. I’ll have a look when the new one comes out specifically for this year, but I think this will still get me where I need to be. From March I start moving from X minutes a day to X miles a day.

My training week starts on Sunday. I cycle 3 days per week and have 3 days per week marked for “cross training.” So far that’s been some yoga, walking, indoor cycling, kayaking, etc. using Les Mills+, but I’ll be increasing my weight and flexibility training now that the holidays are over. One day a week (Saturday) is a rest day.

I’m now starting my 8th week. There have been some ups and downs. Most of the ups in form of hills in Portland and California. The downs being my crash two weeks ago, when I misjudged my ability to cross some train tracks in the rain on the road and wiped out over the handlebars. I took one week off from training. Last week I got back at it gently inside on a Peloton.

Today I got back on Matilda for the first time since my fall. I was scheduled for 40 mins and managed ~17 mins. And I’m still ok with that. It was uphill, hot and my first real ride back (outside riding is waaay different than indoor riding) in two weeks.

I’ll be providing updates on my training in the monthly stats update starting with January’s stats. I do post to the NHJR Inner Circle Facebook Group once a week so if you’d like more regular updates you can check there or my Facebook hashtags #shaeridesragbrai #shaescornyride and #shaepeppercornstar. For our international readers – Iowa is known for its corn.

Do you have any questions or suggestions regarding RAGBRAI or my training? Drop them in the comments below.