Any Ragbrai Tips?

[JP4CY]

Doing Ragbrai this summer. Got my miles in, don't have to worry about that.
Looking for some tips that I might not think about. Like a "Don't forget to pack this...." "This is something that's handy..."

Just looking for some ideas on stuff I wouldn't normally think about.

If any of you are on it this year, maybe we'll have to meet up at a tavern for a few!

 

[chuckd4735]

Bike World has some good tips...

Bike World Iowa

 

[CySmitty]

Have fun, ride slow and drink beer. Ok you can ride fast between towns but then you have spend lots of time in the towns drinking beer.

 

[d4nim4l]

Eat, eat and eat some more.

Even if you eat at every stop and have a large meal to end the day you will probably lose weight on RAGBRAI. Always remember the food you eat that night is the fuel for the next day, so pig out.

If you have not do so already, keep two water bottles on your bike and top them off every chance you get. Never get stuck between towns without any water, it makes for a treacherous trek.

Oh, stay on the bike the week before. You can lose a lot of conditioning if you do not ride for a week. I got sick a week before the ride last year and could not spend the week before RAGBRAI on my bike. It definitely made a difference.

 

[CYKID]

Don't ever go home with a woman nicknamed MOOSE

 

[puckwarrior]

If there is a group of you riding together, have a predetermined spot that you will always meet up at the various towns. Ours was always the 1st bar on the left side of the road. Our support vehicle always would meet us there and sometimes someone would decide to quit riding for whatever reason. Bring alot of Ibuprofen. No matter how good of riding shape you get in, things start to hurt as the week goes on.

 

[19Cy78]

We are taking our cooking on the road. Please make sure to stop by "Rick's Smokin Butts BBQ", for ribs, pork chop on a stick, wings and pasta. We are making stops in Red Oak, Indianola and Ottumwa.

 

[egami]

Get a motor on your bike.

 

[DaddyMac]

Never EVER count on the next town having an ATM (that works or has cash. Major cities excluded.) Have cash when you leave.

Beyond that, whatever happens - happens. We rode self contained so there wasn't much else to worry about.

Have fun!

 

[HawkFanISUalum]

If you're an experienced biker, you probably already know all of these...

Padded bike shorts/spandex/lycra. First year I went, I just had "regular" spandex shorts. BIG MISTAKE. Get the padded ones, they're definitely worth it.

Desitin Diaper Rash Ointment. Sounds silly, but you can get chafed "down there" and that makes for a nasty rash. Keep this on-hand just in case.

Small bike repair kit with tools you would need to fix your bike on the road if necessary. Spare tire tube, small crescent wrench, allen wrenches (if your bike has them).

If you don't have the clip-in shoes and pedals, get toe-clips. I found they helped a lot, especially going up hill when you can push with one foot and pull with the other.

 

[NobodyBeatsCy]

This will be my 10th RAGBRAI. There is no one way to ride it - just have fun. Most of the years I've done it, I've rode hard and not stopped often. Lately, I've taken a "stop and smell the roses" approach. Just don't forget your bike!

 

[Clonegrad07]

I'm doing my first RAGBRAI this year also... I'm so excited. JUST JACKED UP! It's going to be a ball... weird thing is, I live in Iowa for 22/23 years and once I move to Indiana, THEN I decide to do RAGBRAI... I can't wait to be back in God's country for a full week....

 

[CyCloned]

If you're an experienced biker, you probably already know all of these...

Padded bike shorts/spandex/lycra. First year I went, I just had "regular" spandex shorts. BIG MISTAKE. Get the padded ones, they're definitely worth it.

Desitin Diaper Rash Ointment. Sounds silly, but you can get chafed "down there" and that makes for a nasty rash. Keep this on-hand just in case.

Small bike repair kit with tools you would need to fix your bike on the road if necessary. Spare tire tube, small crescent wrench, allen wrenches (if your bike has them).



If you don't have the clip-in shoes and pedals, get toe-clips. I found they helped a lot, especially going up hill when you can push with one foot and pull with the other.

Good list, I will add:

Amodium for diarea. You will be drinking water from 100 different wells, and some might have something your digestive system does not like.

I like the riding sandals, they don't make you fast, but they are good for walking around and riding in the rain.

I also like the trunk/rack bags. They are huge and heavy, but it is not a race, and you can carry a lot of goodies. They are also great for the t-shirt you buy on the route or the outer layers you need to shed on days that start cold and get hot.

 

[clones_jer]

Not sure what you have for bike repair, but I've made 7 Ragbrais with just a tube zip tied to the frame and a multi-tool in my pack. If you have any type of high pressure tire a hand pump wont do you much good. I've found there's lots people every few miles that have pumps with them and most are friendly enough to let you use them.

Stick $20 in your bike bag for repair stations ... broken spokes / tubes / wheel alignments / chain repair ... seems like it always costs $20.

Have a fun trip - looks like a hilly mf'er this year!

 

[Al_4_State]

Not sure what you have for bike repair, but I've made 7 Ragbrais with just a tube zip tied to the frame and a multi-tool in my pack. If you have any type of high pressure tire a hand pump wont do you much good. I've found there's lots people every few miles that have pumps with them and most are friendly enough to let you use them.

Stick $20 in your bike bag for repair stations ... broken spokes / tubes / wheel alignments / chain repair ... seems like it always costs $20.

Have a fun trip - looks like a hilly mf'er this year!

Doing RAGBRAI is definitely a life goal, but I'm waiting for a year when they do the far northern couple tiers of counties. The first 2/3rds of the way across the state are some of the flattest areas in Iowa. Of course, that last 1/3rd is arguably the hilliest.

 

[chuckd4735]

Doing RAGBRAI is definitely a life goal, but I'm waiting for a year when they do the far northern couple tiers of counties. The first 2/3rds of the way across the state are some of the flattest areas in Iowa. Of course, that last 1/3rd is arguably the hilliest.

Isnt Western Iowa is hillier than Eastern Iowa...?

 

[NobodyBeatsCy]

Doing RAGBRAI is definitely a life goal, but I'm waiting for a year when they do the far northern couple tiers of counties. The first 2/3rds of the way across the state are some of the flattest areas in Iowa. Of course, that last 1/3rd is arguably the hilliest.

Don't let a few hills stop you - you've got youth on your side! I'm 48 for crying out loud!

 

[clones_jer]

Doing RAGBRAI is definitely a life goal, but I'm waiting for a year when they do the far northern couple tiers of counties. The first 2/3rds of the way across the state are some of the flattest areas in Iowa. Of course, that last 1/3rd is arguably the hilliest.

To tell you the truth I've never really noticed that much of a difference EXCEPT for the far south route. It's always hilly the first and last day every year - then flatter in between.

Any route through the bottom 3 tiers of counties is a bear.

 

[clones_jer]

Isnt Western Iowa is hillier than Eastern Iowa...?

In general, it doesn't seem that way, but maybe its just because you're fresh to start the week. The Loess hills seem to go by pretty quick (I say that when I'm not riding them).

The East side has some big hills by the Mississippi, always seems like the last day is short but rugged.

 

[DaddyMac]

Have fun riding out of Council Bluffs

GeoBike Main

23K in total climb for the week ..... FUN!

Another thing I always did was print out the daily routes and the corresponding climb charts at the site above. Put them back to back and laminate them. I made them about index card sizish and just slip them under the leg of my shorts. Come in handy.

Another handy thing for somebody in your group to have is a good Iowa map, in case you want to go off route.

Keep tabs on your light batteries. Nothing worse than getting stuck out there with dead ones.

And for the "chaffing" issue - I don't know if it's still around, but there was a product called "Butt Butter". Great name, I know. We found it at the start of a RAGBRAI about 7 or so years ago. One of the guys got it, almost as a joke. By the end of the week, the other 3 I was riding with were swearing by it. Personally - I just couldn't bring myself to using such a thing. Let the jokes commence.....