THANK YOU ALL....

It is a hot and humid evening in Davenport and we are just sitting in a dirt lot waiting for sundown so we can go to sleep after a long day / week. RAGBRAI was definitely fun and we fully realize that we just luckily ended up with just about the best weather someone could hope for in Iowa in the month of July. We had about 10 – 15 miles of rain yesterday and about 10 miles of heat today at the end of the ride but other than that we had nice overcast mornings and pretty blue skies in the afternoons with temperatures barely in the mid-80’s. All in all it was a great ride and I enjoyed practically every mile of it…yes, there were some hills that were not my friend, but the downhills that followed gave a chance to recover, if not just slightly.

DAY SEVEN

This morning at 6:00AM we left from a suburb of Iowa City and took a quick trip through the University of Iowa campus. Who knew that “America Needs Farmers U” was in the middle of a large city? (And I added another football stadium to the list of stadiums that are located in an area that is not nearly as pretty as Clemson’s). We then headed out into the countryside and passed thru several towns on the way to Davenport, which is this years ending city. The highlight was seeing the kids set up as a human foosball table in one town and picking up my “#EarnedIt” t-shirt from the BackPocket Brewing company. Once we arrived in Davenport we dipped our tires in the Mississippi at about 11:30 and then headed back to the RV to begin packing to head home. We enjoyed a great dinner of bigass hamburgers and wandered through the street fair before turning in for the evening to end our week of RAGBRAI.

THANKS

It has been a long journey to get here…starting with listening to a guy talk about his cross-country trip on his bike to sitting here watching the sunset over the Iowa skyline and it is one that I have enjoyed. Lots of people have played a role in getting me here and I would like to take a minute to acknowledge and thank them. First and foremost I would like to thank Wendy for being such a great supporter of this effort. Up until last week I had ridden about 2,000 miles on my new bike and several hundred on my old one and she was with me for nearly every one of those miles. She was the first person to take me out on ‘long’ rides (about 10 miles) and took it upon herself to harass, encourage, harangue and otherwise ‘make’ me ride when I could not even ride those first 10 miles. She was with me for my first organized ride, my first 62 mile ride and my first 100 mile ride. She created the ride schedule for this spring and summer and made me stick to my own training schedule once I committed to it. During the ride this week she sent me encouraging texts almost every day at the times when I needed them most and they were a big help. She does not like it when I call her “coach” but she is as good a coach as I have ever had coach me.  Thank you Wendy.

My friend Scott played his usual role of supporter and encourager during this process too. He has been riding for quite a few years and was excited to hear that I had started last year. When I brought up the idea of riding in RAGBRAI this year he did not hesitate to agree to come with me and he did a great job of making sure I was riding enough so that I would succeed and also putting together the group of people that we traveled with to Iowa. Thank you Scott (and Angela).

The women (and men) of the “Monday Night Ladies Ride” were gracious enough to let me ride with them every Monday since last summer. Having a group of people to help and encourage me has been a big benefit and made a great impact on my ability to ride in a group. Thanks “Ladies”.

ECVelo Monday Night "Ladies Ride"

My friend Sam has encouraged me to “get back on your bike” for years and I am glad he never gave up on that encouragement. He was the chief advisor on my bike selection and has been my ‘go to guy’ for advice on bike issues. Along with Sam, my cousin Mark, my friends Steve and Mitch have always been great friends and they were huge supporters of me in this effort and great training partners as were all of my “Clemson Friends”. Thanks Guys.

My “Greenville Friends” Rob & Anne along with the rest of the “NoTen” crowd were great supporters and encouragers and provided training help and Iowa knowledge whenever it was needed. Thanks Pirates.

I truly missed my old friends and bike riders Bob and Scott on this ride along with “Iowa Brad”. I tried to get them to ride with us for various reasons but they all had to miss out on the fun. Maybe one day we can ride together somewhere. I hope to see you all on the road soon.

Scores of others have encouraged and helped me along the way. There have been great supporters through the marvels of FaceBook and other social media and “my masseuses ” Anna and Dora have done a great job keeping me in shape and helping me understand any aches and pains that I have had. Thanks to you ALL.
I am sure I left out and/or overlooked several people in this list and I am sorry if I did. But please know that I appreciate every kind word of encouragement and advice along the way and hope that I can somehow repay you all in the future. 

 SIGNING OFF

SO, that’s about it for this adventure and this blog…. I have enjoyed writing it and sharing the story with you over the last several months and I hope that you all enjoyed reading it and joining in the adventure. Thanks to all of you! ! ! Now, as Queen once said: “Get on your bike and ride.”

HALF WAY THRU.....

 I am writing this while sitting in a tent in the front yard of a typically generous and gracious Iowa host and I thought I would update the blog to talk a little bit about the experience so far. Tonight’s host has allowed us to park our RV in his driveway and also allowed about 25 others to set up tents in his yard. All of us can use his showers, toilets, laundry and small pool while whiling away the hours after todays ride. The way people treat us here is amazing; but first, a little about the ride:

There are 10,000 people with ‘weekly passes’ that are allowed to ride each day. The organizing committee sells anywhere between 5,000 and 8,000 ‘daily passes’ for each day AND there are tons of local people that just join in the fun daily. All that totals to an amazing 19,000 plus as we left Sioux City on Day One and 16,000 on our third day. It is difficult to imagine seeing that many people all heading in the same direction at the same time on bikes but it is a crazy and spectacular site. We have started the ride each day about 6:00AM and ridden as fast as we could to clear as many people as possible so that we can get into a much less crowded group of riders. The crowd was so large today that we rode faster than most of them for about an hour and still did not see the front of the crowd. Once we get into the less crowded areas of the ride we generally spread out and the faster riders go ahead and the slower riders fall back to just in front of the big crowd. (I usually fall in to the category of ‘slower riders’). We then stop at the first “Iowa Craft Beer Tent” sponsored by Backpocket Brewing for our first beer of the day and then at one of the pass through towns for a little bit of breakfast. Once that is over it’s ‘Every Man for Himself” until the end of the ride when we all try to find where our RV is parked for the day and clean up. We usually end up riding sometime between noon and 2:00PM which leaves plenty of time for cleaning up, eating a very early dinner followed by 'next day preperation' and an early bed time. 

This afternoon on the way back from dinner, my bike odometer went to 400 miles. It’s funny how that does not seem like a lot of miles, even for a bike, but it represents a very large portion of this ride – it is ‘almost over’ and while I will be glad to finally dip my tire into the Mississippi River, my legs will be glad that there are no more miles in Iowa.

Almost all of the Iowa people I have met this week are very generous and gracious. They all seem to be very happy to have this rolling party come through their town, even if it’s just for a few hours as we all pedal / walk through their main streets looking at the vendors, stores, fire departments, parks and other amenities that they want to share with us. This is a truly amazing event and it is difficult to put in to words how happy people are to see all of us come into their towns. They sit and stand on the side of the street and offer encouragement and ask us “Where you from?” I have taken to asking them the same or encouraging them to “Come Visit South Carolina” in return. The farmers will have their tractors and other machinery sitting out by the road and some have their kids standing there handing out free water bottles. I have seen numerous home made slip and slides using plastic sheeting laid into a grassy ditch and other examples of ‘Farm Made Fun” each day.

Friday is “College Jersey Day” and I will of course be sporting my Clemson Cycling jersey. It should be fun to see how many different schools are represented in this large crowd. Saturday is our last day of riding and we will ride into Davenport and then have to begin the process of trying to find all our stuff that is scattered throughout this RV. It is quite a mess despite our ‘best effort’ in keeping it clean and organized.

The internet access has been spotty at best so I have not been able to post nearly as much as I would have liked. I hope you have been able to see all the photos I have put on the “James’s Ride to RAGBRAI” FaceBook page (you don’t even need to be my ‘friend’) and been able to follow me on “MapMyRide”. I will probably make one more post here and be done with this blog. It’s been fun and I hope you have learned a little something about bikes, riding and group rides. Thanks!

Thanks for reading and pray for the continuing great weather we have had all week! ! !

On the EVE of RAGBRAI

Greetings from Western Iowa... I am writing this while sitting in our RV after a fairly eventless trip from home in Greenville, NC to St Louis and then to Sioux City, Iowa. I have no idea what the total mileage was but I can tell you that I drove 11 straight hours my first leg and then 5 more the next day before I got to St Louis to meet up with the guys and the RV. It seems like we have driven another 8 to pick up our last guy and then 3 after that before arriving in Sioux City. Quite the trip I must say. 

Reflections

Over the last several days I have had a few minutes, if not hours, to reflect on why I am here. I even read an article that discussed various reasons why people decide to ride in this ride and could identify with several of the subjects in the article. I am sure it will be confusing for anyone who doesn’t ride or has never ridden, but looking at it from a more holistic level might help…think of it as a hunt for a Great White Whale or a climb to the top of a mountain or any other iconic trip that you’ve ever taken or heard of and you will be in the ball park.  And if you have been reading these blog entries all along you will know I am here because it is one of the few things that I have always wanted to do but just have not been able to do due to lack of time, resources, training, etc, etc. You will remember that this trip started in about March of 2014 when I listened to a guy talk about a coast – to – coast bike trip he had taken and I thought to myself that it sounded like fun and that I should really get ‘back on my bike’ and start riding. Getting on my bike was just a start and I have kept riding and riding until I arrived here the night before RAGBRAI XLIII (43). Let’s hope I can keep riding all week and end up safe and sound in Davenport, Iowa on Saturday after 460+ miles.

 As I have reflected back on my life so far during these long driving days (a few days before I left home) I often thought of people who are no longer in my life and tried to figure out what they would have said when I told them about this…I am sure there would be some good and some bad but it would all be interesting. My father, who passed away just about 10 years ago, would be his typical gruff self and question why anyone would ever set out on a trip like this. When I started riding a lot during the summers when I was in college, I was up early one day eating breakfast one the first day I wanted to ride to my summer job. I had ridden the route a couple of times over the previous weekend and knew that I could do it but he was not aware of that. All he had to say was “I don’t know why you would want to ride that thing so much… you will never get anywhere doing that.” and he basically forbid me from riding that day. (It didn’t work, I rode anyway). Well Dad, you were right so far since all of my rides have always been loop rides where I ended up right where I started. But tomorrow I will leave Sioux City, Iowa and not come back; I will pass through many small towns and essentially ride across the entire state of Iowa before ending up in Davenport on Saturday. My bike and my drive to enjoy my life will have carried me all that way and my bike will have indeed  “gotten me somewhere”. I am also sure that once I finish this ride my Dad would then proceed to question me about the whole thing in every possible detail and revel in my success. My Mom, who passed away just a few months ago, would just have sat quietly in the corner and nodded her head, but I’m certain she would have told everyone in the choir, the church, the assisted living place and her Facebook page that I was going to be in some silly ride across Iowa for who knows what reason.  My dear Sara, who passed away about 2 ½ years ago, would have chuckled and said something to the effect of “…go ahead, I’ll be right here at home cheering you on..” and then she would have jumped in the car for the road trip. Of course she would have had to fight for the front seat in the RV (car sickness) but her humor and positive outlook would have buoyed not only me but also all the guys with us. I recently found one of her favorite quotes and it is something like “It is our daily victories that pave the way to us being our greatest selves. Without the daily baby steps there will be no ground covered and no victories to be celebrated!” (Jonothan Roche).  These three important people were in my life for a long time before they all passed and as such I feel their support each and every day in everything I do and I am grateful for it.

Let's Go !

So tomorrow morning at about 6AM I will hope on my bike, dip the rear tire in the Missouri River and head east towards a quest I have had for quite some time. I already know it will be fun, just as I know it will be sweaty and hot and tiresome, but I know that I have the support of all the people who have loved me over the years to guide me along the way. Even with that.. Wish Me Luck.

Updates

I will try to post something on this blog every day but I doubt I will have the internet access and time to write, but I’ll do my best. I will be placing lots of photos on to my Facebook page that you can find even if you aren’t my “Friend” by searching for “James’s Ride to RAGBRAI” in the Search bar at the top of your page. And as a special treat for any of you who use “MapMyRide” you’ll be able to track me in near real time by using at the “live tracking” feature.

Thanks for reading and pray for a cold front! ! !

GETTING READY TO ROLL.....

I was lucky enough to spend the last two weeks at a friend’s beach house with several friends and ride almost every day with one or more of them. As of this week I have ridden almost 3,000 miles in about one year getting ready for my big ride (and enjoying myself most of the time J ) I am still essentially on my training schedule with a few weeks lacking for total miles but getting on my bike at least three days each week and even lately riding ten out of thirteen days and EIGHT DAYS IN A ROW. While these rides at the beach have been relatively short (20 – 25 miles) they have been fairly windy which should be good experience for what I’ll be facing in Iowa.

Lena "Leaning" at the Beach...

BIKE

I recently had my bike tuned up which included a through cleaning (which is almost for naught now) and a new chain. According to the mechanic, we ‘flat land riders’ tend to wear out our chains more than others since we have constant pressure on our chain the whole time we are riding - sure. And I have a new "rough road" rear tire on my backup wheels so that I can use it if I choose to ride on the optional ‘gravel loop’ on Day 2 of the ride. I am really looking forward to that segment since it will be the first ever gravel segment in RAGBRAI.

PACKING

I have packed a tote full of ‘stuff’ that I might need and am in the process of organizing my cycling clothes so that I can minimize the amount of luggage that I will be carrying. Nonetheless…it will still be a lot of stuff.

RIDING

As for riding my bike I rode today and am planning to ride on Saturday and the following Monday and then taking the rest of the week off. I will be heading west on Thursday the 16^th to meet up with my friends in St Louis and then on to Sioux City, Iowa for the start of the ride on Sunday the 19^th. We will be riding from Sunday through Saturday when we end up in Davenport on the Mississippi River. See: http://ragbrai.com/routemaps/2015-route-maps/ for more details on the route.

AND KEEPING YOU UP-TO-DATE

I plan to write a blog posting each day of the ride to talk about the highlights of the day and share a couple photos….that is if the internet service holds up each evening, I’m sure that it will be tough to get a good signal in many of the smaller towns but I’ll try because I know the tens of readers I have will on the edge of their seats waiting to here what’s happening. I will also create a separate FaceBook page and post the blog there with more photos as the days roll on. You should be able to find the FaceBook page by looking for “James’s Ride to RAGBRAI” in FaceBook. AND, as if that is not enough, you can follow me in near real time if you have a “MapMyRide” account and follow me using my username of “JMGARD58”. Then you will need to click on their “Live Tracking” option and you will be able to see me as I ride the roads of Iowa.

That is about it for this week at the beach…

see you in Iowa! ! !