Hump Day! ...and what a day it was...
I got to bed late last night and the night before because of phone charging issues. Not going to do that again because I think the lack of rest caught up with me today. A combination of little rest, a bit of dehydration, and no food in my system immediately this morning, really kicked my can today.
I started out ok, and about 10 miles in someone from my group rode by and I hung with him at a pretty good pace for the next 10 miles or so....but I think the extra effort wore me out worse and after that my tank was empty. The last 30 miles were agonizingly slow. I couldn't climb well because my legs weren't cooperating. I couldn't drink enough water to re-hydrate, or eat enough food to energize my body. I was just done.
So I won't be making that mistake again...lots of rest, and plenty of food and water in my system before I start riding tomorrow. It's terribly hot here at the moment with a heat index around 100 probably. I'm hoping an evening storm blows through to cool things off a bit so I can sleep well. The fan helps a lot (THANKS RICK!!)...but when night time temps don't get below 80....it makes it really uncomfortable.
Luckily today was a shorter day at only 55 miles. We had a bit of a head wind which made it tougher than it should have been. Tomorrow is also shorter...pray for no head winds for us tomorrow.
I got in early because I left a little earlier to beat the heat. I was putting my tent up by 12:30 today. It's just so hot in the afternoon it's hard to get cooled down, even if we're just sitting in the shade of the group tent.
Not all was a loss though. I stopped in the last passthrough town to eat and rest and had a fabulous Iowa Beef hamburger (but a little fancier than the standard hamburger. They also had a veggie bar of items to put on the burger. It was nice to get some good veggies as you don't see many of those out on the road. There was also a solo act singing there in the town and he was fantastic. A lot of times the talent they bring in to the towns is just so-so to ok, but this guy was a great guitar player with a great voice. He could do a stint on American Idol if he wanted. I took a short video sample and am trying to get it posted up...it should be here on YouTube and I'm hoping the recording turned out ok. Can't really seem him because I was standing outside the tent he was in, but the audio should be ok. I think his name was Brad Morgan.
Speaking of food, here are some of the things I've sampled this week. A GIANT biscuits and gravy breakfast bowl which was enough to feed a family of four, I ate half. A huge turkey leg from the Tom's Turkey place and I couldn't eat half. Fabulous french toast and sausage. A great breakfast sandwich of eggs with veggies, monterey jack cheese, and pork sausage. Farmer Boys breakfast burrito with bacon and sausage and egg and potato and salsa and cheese. Church meals like spaghetti, turkey and noodles on mashed potatoes with stuffing and cranberry fluff and pie, chicken and noodles on mashed potatoes with corn and salad and chocolate cake and ice cream. On the road it's watermelon, smoothies, corn on the cob, apple/raspberry-peach/strawberry-rhubarb pie, apple crisp at an orchard/bee farm, cookies, bananas, water water water. I still have yet to hit some of the staples like Mr. Pork Chop, Pastafari, and Beekman's Ice Cream. Got a couple days yet. :)
I don't think I'm gaining any weight, but it's possible. It's happened to many a RAGBRAI rider. I'm burning something like an extra 3000 calories a day so I think I'm ok. I'll check the scale when I get home and let you know.
You meet a lot of interesting people on RAGBRAI from all over. It's a lot of fun to hear about where people are from, how they heard about RAGBRAI, how many they've done if it's not their first. If they've done it in the past they usually have great stories to tell. A group of us were at supper the other evening talking about why RAGBRAI is so popular and why people punish themselves every year to do it. One guy said he thought that RAGBRAI was so popular because it's so much about Americana (hotdogs, baseball, apple pie). The down to earth American-ness of it all. The culture of friendly Iowans who go out of their way to support and feed so many people from all over the world. There isn't another ride like this in the world. Someone else said that if you could get everyone in the world to ride RAGBRAI....there'd be world peace for a week. There's just something really "nice" about the whole thing. Mostly everyone, even the riders, are courteous, patient, friendly, willing to lend a hand, etc.... It's just a great adventure in a pretty normal part of America with some really great people.
People say it every year. They'll never come back...it was so hot/rainy/cold/dry/whatever. Then December rolls around and all the aches and pains are forgotten. They long for warmer weather, giant pork chops on a stick, chocolate covered cheesecake, and all the other great things on RAGBRAI. It's not for everyone....people quit every day. If someone WANTS to do it though....it just takes some training ahead of time...and having the mental toughness to not quit when it gets miserable, or your legs ache, or your tent leaks, or what have you. You don't have to be tall, short, fat, skinny, fast, slow, or crazy (but that sometimes helps). You just have to want to do it. I see people riding every day...and can't imagine how they finish...but tomorrow there they are again plugging away. It's really amazing.
Well I guess enough of that sappy RAGBRAI stuff. :) Here are the riding stats...
One more photo, of me sitting exhausted in one of the towns today. It's here.
See you in Grinnell tomorrow night!
Matt
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