ROUTE ANNOUNCEMENT ! ! !

Route for 2015 RAGBRAI

I know I said that in this weeks edition I was going to go into a painfully detailed recap of how I came to choose my new bike but I'm going to set that topic aside so that we can talk about the RAGBRAI route that was just announced on Saturday.
From what I read this route will be 462 miles long and it's the first time they will start and finish in the original two cities that were the start and finish cities for the first RAGBRAI in 1973. They've also added a 15 mile optional gravel route that will be done as a memorial to one of the long time supporters of the ride. I'm not sure if I'm going to take that road, but I'll look at it and see once I get there.


Each of the cities shown above (except for Sioux City and Davenport) are considered 'Overnight Cities' and that is were the ride will stop for the day and start the next day. The committee is now in the process of picking the intermediate towns that will serve as the stopover cities for lunches and breaks. The 462 miles over seven segments mean that the daily average will be 66 miles. The total vertical climb will be about 16,000 feet with most of it coming in the last half of the ride. All that will be new to me since I have not ridden more than 62 miles in one day YET. You can read more about the route on RAGBRAI's website here: RAGBRAI Route Link

I am really excited about this route because it will take me either through or close to the childhood homes of a few friends. I'm really looking forward to having some of Madonna's pies when we go through Grundy Center and some good Norwegian food as we pass by Badger! Hopefully more people will be able to provide me with some good insights as the route is further developed. 

I really appreciate you all reading this and am looking forward to hearing any suggestions on how I can become a 'better blogger' :)

Next Week: "How James Chose His Bike"