.JPG)
Today was the final day of RAGBRAI. We began the day in Coralville and ended in my hometown, Davenport, Iowa. We stayed at my mom’s house on Friday night, and I had a lot more energy after a hot shower and good night’s sleep. The route started with rolling hills (imagine that) and flattened out later in the ride. The temperature was still near 100 degrees, but the knowledge that this was the final day made it more tolerable. We rode 66.1 miles, and climbed 2,363 feet.
After leaving Coralville, we rolled into Iowa City and rode up a steep hill past the Old Capital building. We continued through the University of Iowa campus, and arrived in West Branch, the birthplace of the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover. We pedaled through Moscow, Iowa, where a train stopped on the tracks for about 15 minutes, backing up hundreds of riders. The train began rolling, and so did the massive pack of riders. We rode through Wilton, Durant, and Walcott eventually ending up in Davenport to dip our wheels in the Mississippi as a symbol of our completion of the epic ride.
Overall, the ride was a blast, despite unrelenting heat and humidity. Over seven days I logged 492.1 miles, climbed 20,815 feet, and burned 22,792 calories (according to my heart rate monitor). 22,792 calories is equivalent to 76 McDonalds cheeseburgers! Our team, the Steel Wheels, had no flat tires, major mechanical problems, or injuries this year (besides a few blisters).
I would like to thank Transitions Optical for providing me with Oakley® Jawbone Transitions® SOLFX™ sunwear to use on the ride this year. The quality of the optics was superb! The lenses adjusted seamlessly to changing light conditions allowing me to keep pedaling instead of pulling over to change lenses. I would like to thank ISM for making the world’s best bicycle seats, which kept me comfortable for nearly 500 miles. Most of all, I would like to thank the world’s best support and gear driver, my mom. Without her patience and hard work, the Steel Wheels would not have rolled!
I would also like to thank you for reading my blog! I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you ever get the chance to visit Iowa in July, make sure to bring your bike, and participate in the oldest, largest, and longest bicycle touring event in the world!
