Thanks for helping us hit a grand slam!
There’s no crying in baseball… or cycling! We made it! 425 miles across northern Iowa. I must say, this trip made me fall in love with Iowa all over again (I truly did fall once – photo evidence!). Someone asked me during the ride, “How could you ever move from this beautiful state? The people are the most genuine and kind people I’ve ever met.” I couldn’t agree more, and I asked myself that question many times during this adventure. This year’s RAGBRAI was called the Small Town Classic. We travelled through some of the most beautiful small towns In Iowa. We also saw many of the...
Read MoreFighting the heat for a great cause
Well, Iowa never lets us down, always saving the heat for RAGBRAI week! Regardless of weather, we are having a great time. We loved our overnight in Okoboji, enjoying live music and fireworks in historic Arnold’s Park. Sunday’s ride was great, with wind at our side or back. Monday was not as pleasant due to 20 mph winds against us and high humidity. Tuesday was the longest – and of course hottest – day, so we took it slow with breaks to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! We are excited to get to Waverly and Independence, the overnight towns closest to our beloved Build Our Ballpark roots! One rider...
Read MoreRAGBRAI: Hill after Hill, We Pedal On
Only 66 Hills to Grinnell As we were departing Altoona today a sign on the road said “56 Miles To Grinnell,” followed by another saying “Only 66 Hills to Grinnell.” That alone describes the day – hill, after hill, after hill (and you thought Iowa was flat!). Enroute we passed through Mitchellville, Colfax, Baxter and Rock Creek State Park. Thursday’s RAGBRAI crowd This summer has been characterized by high heat and humidity. We’ve been starting each day hoping that the heat would break. In Iowa there are two ways to get a big drop in temperature – winter and a rainstorm. As the former...
Read More56.1 Miles is a Nice Break
Sometimes you get a break, and Day 4 was exactly that for the Build Our Ballpark RAGBRAI team. Our ride started in Boone and proceeded through Luther, Slater, Sheldahl, Alleman, White Oak, Elkhart, Bondurant and then into Altoona. While that seemed like a lot of pass-through towns, a couple of them elicited a “Was that wide spot we just passed a town?” reaction from the team. 56.1 miles from start to finish. Bicycle arch on RAGBRAI route The team made the mistake of looking at the weather radar as we awoke. Sometimes it’s better NOT to know what’s heading your direction. Seeing a very large...
Read MoreThis is Why We Ride
We close the tale of Day 3 – 71 miles, which on the one hand was very flat, and yet full of challenges, traveling from Carroll to Boone. The day was really the tale of two rides. The first 40 miles we had a gorgeous sunrise, beautiful flat roads and a slight tail wind. The roads of RAGBRAI were filled with signs for the bikers of all types and motivations. The first half of today’s ride was characterized by one of our favorite signs: “Ride It Like You Stole It.” But just when we were feeling good about the day, somebody turned on the oven and we got to enjoy the last 30 miles in bright...
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