How RAGBRAI Works

Hello All,

I have been asked by some of my XC08 friends how this RAGBRAI experience works. First I probably need to explain “XC08” (cross country 2008). In May of this year, I took a 2-week cycling vacation with CrossRoads Cycling Adventures. I did the Southwest Desert leg of the tour’s cross country (LA to Boston) trip. My experience lasted 2 weeks – those who did the entire tour were on the road for 7 weeks – 50 days.

I haven’t even tried to mention this trip on this cycling blog yet. It was simply too big to capture for me. Suffice it to say this experience was life changing. The tour was not about the cycling (although it was extremely difficult due to weather and the harsh desert conditions). It wasn’t about seeing our countryside (although Sedona was breath-taking). This was the same trip that Cynthia and Jose were injured, which was devastating for them and so painful for me to see/experience – so I have those associations with this trip. But in the end, it was all about the people I met and the sense of family I experienced. It was excruciating for me to leave my “family” after 2 weeks. I followed their blogs faithfully during their final 5 weeks and was able to fly out to Boston to see them finish their ride – a very exciting and thrilling moment for all.

Okay, back to RAGBRAI – a number of XC08 folks are interested in a reunion of sorts at RAGBRAI 2009 and are asking for details. A good number of my cycling buddies here are also interested. RAGBRAI 2009 is shaping up to be a splendid event! So here’s what I know about how it works.

1. Registration
First of all, RAGBRAI registration occurs through a lottery system. You submit your request and wait to receive confirmation. Brent has done this 8 times now and has always gotten in. RAGBRAI then sends you a comprehensive information packet (and a jersey!).

2. Charter company
You will need some way to have your camping gear transported each day. Some people rent RVs and have a self-contained support system. We camp in tents (which is part of the fun if you ask me). Still, we need someone to haul our tents and bags to each new “overnight” town. We use Ron Oman’s charter company. The RAGBRAI website lists a number of charter companies. Some provide extra services such as setting your tents up for you. (I became quite adept at tent pitching last year, so this has no allure for me.)

Ron’s charter company handles about 150-200 cyclists each year. He will pick up me and Brent (and our bikes and bags) at our hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday morning in a couple of big, comfy buses. We’ll then travel to the starting town in Iowa. This year the town is Missouri Valley. We’ll set up our tents in a campsite already scoped out by Ron. We’ll put our bikes together and generally get all our gear ready for the 1st day of riding on Sunday. Then we’ll head to the vendor fair and to the town where there will be lots of food vendors, the beer garden, and live music.

Each morning, we will pack up our tents and bags and load them onto Ron’s big trucks. We’ll spend the day pedaling through Iowa, then when we arrive at our overnight town (after visiting many “meeting” towns in between), we’ll find Ron’s campsite and pitch our tents.

3. What to bring
RAGBRAI consists of 7 consecutive days of cycling. Unless you want to deal with finding a laundromat (no thanks), you should pack 7 days of cycling clothes. We put them in 2-gallon Ziploc plastic bags to keep them organized and protected should we have rain. (Actually everything we pack is encased in some sort of rain-proof bags. Those massive Ziploc bags that are large enough to hold sleeping bags are awesome!) Besides your cycling clothes, you’ll bring some civilian clothes to wear in the evenings (it’s hot so shorts and light shirts are the best), also swimsuits for the days you hang out at the local pool after the ride, sleeping bag, tent, air mattress, cycling accessories, etc. Leave room in your bags for the shopping you’ll want to do. Each day at RAGBRAI there is a big vendor area. The prices for cycling jerseys, gloves, etc., were quite good.

4. Showers and bathrooms
Okay, here’s where I may lose some of you. This is camping and facilities for 10,000+ happy cyclists are usually stretched. For convenience sake, I often used the “shower from a bag” system for my daily shower. Not great, but it got the job done. Others usually found shower facilities in the towns, often associated with a high school pool. For $5 you could have full access to the showers and then refresh yourself in the pool. As for the bathrooms, there are kybos (portable outhouses) everywhere. And there are long lines for the kybos too. I usually got up early in the morning to hit the kybo line before it got too long. Once we were on the road, I never had a problem due to the lovely and convenient Iowa cornfields (5 rows back!). (See my 2007 blog entry if you must hear more about this.) My take on the shower/bathroom situation is that you are camping – enjoy yourself. I won’t be worried about make-up or any other fussy stuff.

5. Campsites
Each day when we arrive in our overnight town, we go to straight to the information board to find out where Ron’s charter group is located. Usually it was in a county fairground area. It could also be in a school area. Brent once camped in a graveyard (that would be so cool!) Last year we stayed on the beautiful grounds of a mental institution. Some people sign up to stay in the homes (or yards) of some Iowans who offer the use of their bathrooms (and laundry?). You pay $3 for the hospitality. This is outside my experience, so I cannot say much here.

6. Food and water
You are totally on your own for food and water/Gatorade, so bring your money! There are plenty of food options in every town. This is how they make their money. The food is great. We all gained weight last year after eating spaghetti dinners, lots of corn, and lots of homemade pie. You would think riding 500 miles would cancel out all the pie, but unfortunately it does not. I will describe our eating adventures this year in my bog.

7. Getting home
On the last day (Saturday), after we dip our tire in the Mississippi River, we will head to Ron’s area to shower and pack up our bikes. Many people will ship their bikes home via Fed-Ex (only $40). I plan to put mine on the plane with me ($50 via Southwest Airlines). Then we have the long ride all the way back through Iowa to our hotel in Omaha. We’ll spend the night there in Omaha and take a morning flight home to California on Sunday morning. Then I plan to lie around all day Sunday, dragging myself upright occasionally to deal with the unpacking and laundry. I am taking Monday off work as well to continue my laying-on-the-couch recovery process.

8. Entertainment
Have I mentioned that RAGBRAI is FUN???? This ride is all about music and laughter and all-around fun. All day long, just watching and interacting with the other cyclists is fun. Then stopping in the towns is fun fun fun. Most towns have some sort of event going on. Live bands, contests, exhibits, food, beer gardens, etc. The fun is quite easily accessible. Now that I’m a RAGBRAI veteran, my mission is to be on the look-out for the fun and to dutifully report my findings.

9. Internet
One really cool thing they have is the internet bus in the overnight towns. Amazingly, the lines were never too long to go in and send/check your emails or make an entry into your blog, as I will be doing this year. This is provided for free by the local telecom company. They also provide free long-distance phone service. There is a 20-minute time limit, but that was plenty of time to get your business done. They also have cell phone charging stations too. A great way to stay connected to the outside world while on the trip.

Whew! I think this is descriptive enough for now to give you an idea of how your experience will be when you join us next year! Signing off for now. My next entry will be while I’m OTR (on the road)! Love to all!