RAGBRAI Thoughts

Wow! What an adventure, and I didn't even ride my bike!!!

Here are a few of my observations about RAGBRAI from my vantage point of being the support crew. This is not just a reminder to myself for when we do it again (and we will do it again) but also a list of tips to pass on to someone else who may wind up being the support dude.

Finding and setting up a camp site will be the most challenging part. The sooner your riders pack up their tents and get going, the sooner you can get to the next town and get set up. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Look at maps of the towns and their designated camping grounds and have a plan. Do you want to be near the entertainment or have peace and quiet? You want to be close enough to some toilets so you don't have to walk for blocks when you need to pee at 2 AM, but you want to be far enough away from them so you don't hear the doors slamming when everybody else has to pee at 2 AM. Know where the showers are, because your riders will want to use them, and it's totally worth the $5 charge. If you can arrange it ahead of time, make arrangements to stay at local residences or churches, it'll take a lot of pressure off you. Have a pile of stakes, a hammer, and some construction tape immediately available. When you find a good camping spot, stake out your area immediately, and take more land than you will need. You can shrink your perimeter later, but adding more space later may be impossible. It's survival of the fittest, and anarchy may break out at any minute, so stake your claim and hold on! Find as flat a space as you can, and look for shade whenever possible. An E-Z Up makes life so much happier for you as well as hot and exhausted riders when they get done.

Practice setting up your tent at home before you leave, you won't look so stupid in front of everybody else, plus you'll be sure you have all the parts. No mater what the weather forecast is, stake your tent securely and put the rain fly on! It's much easier to do in the daylight than at 2 AM with 35 knot winds, driving rain and hail (plus you probably need to pee). Have some sort of plan in case the weather gets severe, like a good ravine to roll into. Pack your stuff in something waterproof. We used Rubbermaid totes that worked pretty well. Others used giant zip locks or plain garbage bags. It will rain at least once, and probably more, so plan on being wet. Have clothes line with you to dry stuff later.

If you are cooking for the group, plan your meals/menu well in advance. Look at the ingredient lists, and buy everything that is non-perishable in advance. Do your shopping for the day after you have set up camp. Plan on going through 30 to 40 pounds of ice a day. Have a cooler to act as a "refrigerator", and keep it cool with ice in zip lock bags. Find out what others in your group like for breakfast and snacks, they will appreciate it. If you have coffee drinkers, a french press works well if you have a way to heat water. Use of generators early in the morning or late in the evening is discouraged. Have snacks and cold drinks immediately available for the riders as they get in. They will be tired, thirsty, and within 20 minutes of arriving, will be ravenously hungry. It doesn't matter what they want to drink: water, coke, beer, they need to drink something, so be a nagging "mom" and see that they do. It's not a bad idea to have a cold drink yourself by the way.

Be extremely careful when driving near bikers. Individually they are all very nice, but when a bunch get together, they take over the entire road, forget about traffic rules, and assume that there is a policeman at every intersection stopping traffic for them. They will not yield, they may not look, they may be in the wrong lane and texting. Do not, under any circumstances, drive your vehicle on the bike route. I guarantee you will regret it.

When your riders come back after a long day, they will be happy to see you (or at least relieved to have found you) and they will want something to drink, but they will not particularly want to talk to you. They are tired, and anything you did around the camp or grocery store won't compare to the 70 plus miles they just rode. Give them about an hour and a half, and they will be back to being the people you thought you knew. They will tell stories about towns they saw, riders they met, pies they ate, fun and quirky things they did on the way, and you will feel left out because you missed it all. Oh well. If it hurts your feelings too much, get off your ass, get into shape, and find some other sucker to be the support dude next time.

Be very particular about who you do this ride with. It is a lot of fun, but it is very challenging physically and mentally for the riders (and you too). The excitement will give way to exhaustion after the first day, and everyone will be in various stages of sleep deprivation. I promise you, everyone who does this ride comes back changed in some way. Friendships can be made much stronger, and friendships can end, but your relationship with every person in your group will perceptibly change. This includes spouses! During the week, there will be some drama, some hurt feelings, or misunderstanding. Be patient, stay calm, and do your best to smooth ruffled feathers. As the support person, you will be the de facto leader whether you like it or not, so do your very best to set the tone, stay calm, and keep the beer cold.

So, your finished the ride, congratulations! It is a remarkable achievement, and it is truly wonderful to see the mighty Mississippi. Dip the tires and relish the moment. By the way, I recommend leaving as late as possible on the last day. You probably don't need a campsite, and all the early risers will be long gone by the time you get there, so parking will be much easier. Do not be surprised by the emotional let down after you get home. So much of your lives over the last few weeks has been focused on training, packing, planning, and then the actual doing, and you will feel a bit lost, a bit disoriented, and definitely tired! It will take 1-2 weeks for you and the riders to bounce back physically and emotionally, but it will have been SO worth it!