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DAY 2 (Monday, July 26):
Something always goes wrong...
Despite all the preparation, my plan to wake up extra early to get a Century Loop patch crashed and burned because my alarm clock broke. It must have gotten knocked around in the duffel bag so you can imagine my surprise when I woke up to a campsite that was nearly empty with thousands of cyclists already zooming down the road!
The Century Loop patch giveaway was only "while supplies last" and they quit handing them out at 2:30 pm so I was certain my chances of getting the patch on a BMX had been blown to smithereens.
No matter what you do, no matter how hard you plan, something always goes wrong...
But maybe I needed to be reminded that you can't control everything in life. Just the previous day, a wise RAGBRAI veteran said to me "Hey, man, what are you doing? RAGBRAI isn't a race, it's a state of mind. You just have to relax...go with the flow...and just let it happen so why don't you take off that hot facemask and enjoy yourself?" I said I'd think about it but I was really thinking this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lITBGjNEp08
After packing up, I put on all of my BMX gear and rode furiously across Iowa on a foolish quest to obtain material glory.
I imagined the "patch staff" packing up at exactly 2:29 except they would see me at the last moment, give me the patch and there would be high-fives all around but this is not the ending I got.
The extra 20 mile Century Loop turn (most riders just skip it).
Four hours into the ride, I finally reached the Century Loop and took it. By the time I reached the end of the loop (about 2 hours later), there was a blue tent with a sign that said "Get Your Patches Here!" but my hopes were dashed when I saw that it was empty. As I rode up to the empty tent, a lady walked up to me and said "Here's your patch." I said "Wow! Thank you, so much!" but before I could finish, she walked toward 10 other cyclists saying "Here's your patch...here's your patch...here's your patch." I asked someone what time it was and they said it was only 12:30.
So I got the patch...
...another day and another victory for R.D. but somehow it was disappointing. It seemed way too easy.
As I rode toward the finish line, I joked to myself "Wouldn't it be funny if I did the loop twice?" but no way, that was crazy...then I thought about it: "The weather is great, my knees feel fine, I'm kickin' it old school on "grade 25" bearings - WHY SHOULDN'T I DO THE LOOOP TWICE?"
So after about an hour more of riding, I turned down the Century Loop again.
Patch and "The Crazy Patch".
Two hours later, I arrived at the blue tent again and amazingly, the lady was still handing out patches. I said "What patch do I get for doing the loop twice?" After recognizing me, she said "You get the 'crazy' patch!" but since there was no actual 'crazy patch', I just got another patch.
Then I had to finish the ride....
Total distance for Day 2: 122 miles / 196 kilometers.
...it was really tough but after 122 miles (196 kilometers), I finally made it to the overnight town.
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DAY 1 (Sunday, July 25):
At dawn, I dipped my rear tire in the Missouri river (don't worry, it was on purpose) and you can actually see video of me doing that here: http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/app/videos/?id=16663119 (please turn the volume down, I sound like a complete idiot) and hopefully, on Saturday, I will be dipping my front tire in the Mississippi river (also on purpose).
Buzz Killington strikes again.
Dipping your tires in Iowa's bordering rivers is an old RAGBRAI tradition for reasons that are obvious if you think about it. Picture this: you just finished successfully riding across the entire state of Iowa and you're giving high-fives to all of your friends when Buzz Killington points out "Yes, but did your bicycle tires make actual contact with the bordering rivers? No? Well, (chuckle) then you did not cross the state!"
I was happy to explain to the 100 or so people that asked about my BMX bike but I might have failed a few times to 'wrap it up' before their eyes glazed over. They also asked if I was hot in the helmet and facemask; I was a little hot but it wasn't too bad. I said next year I planned to ride across the entire state while setting myself on fire.
Tomorrow, however, is the big "100 mile" challenge day where they give out patches to riders who choose to do the extra 20 mile loop (making the day's total miles 100 instead of 80). Unfortunately, the patch giveaway is only "while supplies last" and they quit handing them out at 2:30. My average riding pace is 10-15mph so there's a real risk that I might not get there in time but I'll be sure to wake up EXTRA EARLY tomorrow to get a good start. I'm totally prepared.
I've never been so prepared for anything in my entire life. I WILL GET THE PATCH!
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