RAGBRAI rolls into Northwood

Staff

Published Thursday, July 28, 2005

By Ann Austin, Tribune staff writer

Enter a world where bicycles rule the roadways, where bike shorts are the fashion of the day, where people take showers at the local car wash. Enter the world of RAGBRAI.

The (Des Moines) Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa had an overnight in Northwood, Iowa, which is at the very top of the state, just a stone's throw away from Minnesota. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the town, with a little over 2,000 residents, but they didn't seem to mind the extra company.

In fact, residents were gathered outside their homes in lawn chairs to greet the riders as they pedaled by. Signs welcomed them to town, and there was plenty of room set aside for the visitors to camp out. Three sites were packed full, including the fairgrounds, which were filled with pup tents as far as the eye could see.

But people didn't seem to mind the crowds, or lack of privacy.

They actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Most sat around their tents, talking and relaxing after a long day where they biked over 80 miles.

Charlie Robey, of Ankeny, Iowa, has biked RAGBRAI for 13 years now and is certainly not bored with it. "I just wanted to do it. I told my wife I wanted to do it one year and I've been doing it ever since," he said.

Many find the ride a way to relax and get away from all the stresses of everyday life. "There is no hard day, no bad day. Every day is a good day. If you feel bad, you just keep going till you feel good," he said.

There is such a thing as a runner's high, but a biker's high can last for hundreds or thousands of miles, as proven by long-time RAGBRAI man Floyd Herman. Herman, 74, of Des Moines, Iowa, has been in RAGBRAI for 20 years now. "I just enjoy doing it," he said. Herman just finished a 37 day, 2,100 mile ride from New Orleans to International Falls July 3, but was pumped up to do RAGBRAI because he loves being out in the open air.

"I like just seeing the views at a slower pace. There are so many things to see and people to talk to," he said.

To date, Herman has ridden over 110,000 miles on the same bike. And he has one piece of advice for those who wish to do a long-distance tour. "You gotta be sincere, you gotta want to do it," he said.

But they couldn't do it without support teams, the only people part of the race who operate motorized vehicles, many as large as Ryder moving vans. Both Herman and Robey are members of Lake Country Cyclists out of Ankeny, Iowa. Their support team was friend Howard Draper, his wife, Cindy and daughter, Megg. And it's not just handing out water. Support teams haul all the equipment they use such as tents, coolers, and showers. They set up the site, but first they must stake it out. "It's first come, first serve," Cindy said. So she and Megg get up at 4 a.m. to set out to the overnight location. Though it's a lot of work, it's worth being part of RAGBRAI. "It's a lot of fun," Megg said.

Riders set out east early this morning, making their way through St. Ansgar and Saratoga, Iowa, before their next overnight destination, Cresco at a total of about 78 miles.The final stop will be in Guttenberg, Iowa, on Saturday. The entire trip, which began last Sunday, is 485 miles.

"Some days I ask myself what am I doing this for? Right now, I'm ready to keep peddling all the way to Illinois, but my wife needs me at home," Robey said.

(Contact Ann Austin at ann.austin@albertleatribune.com or 379-3435.)

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