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RAGBRAI 2018

I only went once.

Join a local bike club. They do all the sag for you. You can always drop membership after a year. I think you can actually register for the ride through them.

Like I said, only went once and it was a long time ago. XIV to be exact.
 
It's been almost twenty years since I did two RAGBRAi's, but I'm sure a lot of the following still applies:

* Train. Get you butt used to being in the saddle.
* The fun is along the way. It is not a race to the next overnight stop.
* Look at each day as a series of ten mile rides or whatever the distance is to the next town.
* Always meet at the first bar on the left unless it is on the right when riding into the next town.
* One or two beers at a stop give you energy. More than that usually sucked the energy out of me.
* Bloody Mary's are your friend in the morning.
* Hydrate. Have a water with each beer/cocktail you have.
* Plenty of sunscreen.
* Know some basic bicycle mechanics and be able to fix a flat.
* Practice defensive, courteous riding on the road. Not everyone can be as smart as we are.
* Don't be a hermit. Be prepared to meet a ton of wonderful people.
* You will be desensitized to using a Porta-potty. No matter what the condition.

I road with a bike club that hauled our crap from town to town, restocked the ice and coolers, etc. Best way to go IMO. Went back to work the week after RABGRAI and by 10:00 am I wanted a beer and pork chop. Withdrawal took a little while.
 
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OK, I'll be the gross one. By day 4 when you wipe, you may be getting a little raw.
It's OK to bring some cotonelle along and carry into the porta pots.
 
cobraclone71 said:
Ok all you Ragbrai aficionados and veterans...

What advice do you have for a first time rider? I've been wanting to check this off my bucket list for a few years, but I think timing is finally going to work out this year.

Myself and a couple of guys are in the early stages of planning here, so we have very little figured out at this point, other than we have identified a few places we can stay each night. Literally any advice is appreciated.

What to do/not to do?
What to bring/not to bring?
What to do ahead of time?
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Click to expand...

Check out the forums on www.RAGBRAI.com. There are a lot threads on what to bring. Example:

https://ragbrai.com/forums/topic/packing-advice-what-to-bring-what-to-leave-behind/

Also, every year they post a training plan under the blog section of the site. Here's a link to last year's plan.

https://ragbrai.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/RAGBRAI_Training_Plan_2017.pdf

Follow @RAGBRAI_IOWA on Twitter, and they should post once this year's plan is on the site. Their training plan usually consists of riding three times the distance of RAGBRAI. I've ridden four times, and now just try to ride at least the same distance as RAGBRAI, including one 40 and one 50 mile ride.

One tip. Pack at least your riding clothes in very large zip-lock bags, one bag per day. It keeps the clean clothes from smelling. I have one zip-lock per day for riding clothes and one for after the ride clothes. You can usually wear the riding clothes twice, if you air them out at night.
 
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Note on training plans: You will get the “vacation energy bump” and if you are someone like me that is fueled by beer and you have decent gear a serious training plan is not needed.

There are like 10 breaks every day spread across 70 miles or less. It’s not the Tour de France.
 
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Gunnerclone said:
Note on training plans: You will get the “vacation energy bump” and if you are someone like me that is fueled by beer and you have decent gear a serious training plan is not needed.

There are like 10 breaks every day spread across 70 miles or less. It’s not the Tour de France.
Click to expand...

Yah, some of the training plans seem a little ambitious if you are going bike it at 10 mph and stop a lot. It will add up, of course if you are doing the whole week, but dropping in for a couple of day passes isn't going to require a four month dedicated training plan.

Not saying it won't be beneficial to get your seat/butt and back in saddle shape though. You don't want to find out the hard way that your "wrong" saddle and position has ****** up nerves in your perineum. I might have learned that the bad way on a MS 150 charity ride. Numb stuff that you don't ever want to be numb is kinda scary. :eek: Was temporary but still disconcerting. o_O
 
Gunnerclone said:
Note on training plans: You will get the “vacation energy bump” and if you are someone like me that is fueled by beer and you have decent gear a serious training plan is not needed.

There are like 10 breaks every day spread across 70 miles or less. It’s not the Tour de France.
Click to expand...

Agree to a point. The one thing I would at least recommenced is to train you ass for the bike seat.
 
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chuckd4735 said:
Agree to a point. The one thing I would at least recommenced is to train you ass for the bike seat.
Click to expand...

I agree and I would also recommend putting out for the Brooks saddle that corresponds best to your own ass and start getting that thing broken in ASAP . Will be $100-$200 well spent for any rider.

I ride the B17 Standard and it’s a pretty good universal fit but they have something for everyone. Money well spent.
 
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Gunnerclone said:
I agree and I would also recommend putting out for the Brooks saddle that corresponds best to your own ass and start getting that thing broken in ASAP . Will be $100-$200 well spent for any rider.

I ride the B17 Standard and it’s a pretty good universal fit but they have something for everyone. Money well spent.
Click to expand...

And Gunners saddle recommendation reveals he really is a serious biker. :rolleyes:

Got a saddle on my hybrid that works fine. Still looking for something that wouldn't put stuff to sleep for my road bike. Got a Specialized Power Expert for the road bike but didn't get enough long rides in late last summer to see if it does the trick or not. Did swap it for one size wide after a few rides, thinking it might be okay...will see. Buddy had to give up biking entirely because of the accumulative nerve damage he was getting.
 
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Ragbrai is amazing and I regret not doing my first one until I was 30 & married. This year's route looks like a blast. I'm trying to get my wife to come with this year cause I think she will have an awesome time as long as she puts some training miles in. If you see me in my Hoiberg Bulls jersey say hi and I'll grab you a beer.

To the guy asking for tips...Don't leave the overnight town until after 9-10am. Don't be a try hard. Be courteous, ride defensively.

Bring a fannypack or backpack to carry with you throughout the day, on & off the bike. Carry the following at all times:
  • cash/credit card/debit card/id
  • travel sunscreen
  • sunglasses & lens rag
  • band aids
  • roll of athletic tape
  • flushable wet wipes
  • hand sanitizer
  • a carb filled snack
  • 1x mini liquor bottle of your choice
  • packable jacket
Remember front & rear lights for your bike. Mostly likely you'll ride after dark at some point. Some overnight town cops like to pass out tickets, but it's also for your own safety.
 
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Cydaddy said:
It's been almost twenty years since I did two RAGBRAi's, but I'm sure a lot of the following still applies:

* Train. Get you butt used to being in the saddle.
* The fun is along the way. It is not a race to the next overnight stop.
* Look at each day as a series of ten mile rides or whatever the distance is to the next town.
* Always meet at the first bar on the left unless it is on the right when riding into the next town.
* One or two beers at a stop give you energy. More than that usually sucked the energy out of me.
* Bloody Mary's are your friend in the morning.
* Hydrate. Have a water with each beer/cocktail you have.
* Plenty of sunscreen.
* Know some basic bicycle mechanics and be able to fix a flat.
* Practice defensive, courteous riding on the road. Not everyone can be as smart as we are.
* Don't be a hermit. Be prepared to meet a ton of wonderful people.
* You will be desensitized to using a Porta-potty. No matter what the condition.

I road with a bike club that hauled our crap from town to town, restocked the ice and coolers, etc. Best way to go IMO. Went back to work the week after RABGRAI and by 10:00 am I wanted a beer and pork chop. Withdrawal took a little while.
Click to expand...

Lots of great tips. Always wondered why that first bar on the left was so crowded.

One thing I always take is a couple kitchen trash bags. One for dirty clothes, which can get pretty smell by the end of the week if you are a heavy sweater and it is hot. One to use as an impromptu rain jacket. Make sure you get the ones with the built in tie so you can snug it around your waist. That will keep it from turning into a sail. Young single guys take a couple extra. It's a great way to meet woman that are not as prepared.

100% agree on the bike club thing. I have been part of one since RAGBRAI 10. Most of the time the driver has the spot picked out, cold beer in the cooler, etc. We even have a couple of pop up awnings to hide from the sun. Well worth the money at the end of a day of riding.
 
Wonder how long this will be called Ragbrai. I don't see newpaper being around for that long. Hopefully it will be called something like "Casey's Ragbrai".
 
wxman1 said:
Just saw that the ending in Davenport on July 28th is also the day of the BIX 7 road race...
Click to expand...

Yup, always the last hot and humid weekend of July. Haven't run it since I was your age back in 1986. :rolleyes: Amazing how that race has endured as a BIG deal run. It's an odd ball distance at seven miles and a total bear of a hilly ***** of a course.
 
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