Davenport, Ia. — Jack St. Peters sailed past me Saturday morning as we pedaled our bicycles through the outskirts of Davenport in the final miles of RAGBRAI XXXIX. “I can smell the river – it’s here,” he shouted over his shoulder. St. Peters, 69, of Spencer, has about 30 years on me – but also [...]
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Most ice cream parlors don’t have a bouncer. But the Candy Kitchen in Wilton isn’t like most ice cream parlors. Connie Hoekstra kept an eye on the door, keeping the RAGBRAI hordes from herding inside, where owners George and Thelma Nopoulos scooped up caramel sundaes and chocolate malts. He is 91. She is 79. And they’ve [...]
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Davenport — For all the concern about traffic, crowds and water, the final day of RAGBRAI seemed to end on a high note as thousands of riders rolled into Davenport and were met by thousands more runners. Riders, runners and Davenport residents alike had expressed concert about what would happen when the RAGBRAI riders and [...]
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Durant — Polka Bear greeted riders in Durant while a two-man Polka band played just beyond. Riders slapped the brown bear’s hand as they rode by on their way to food stands and pie. Polka Bear has been a symbol of Durant for 38 years, since the town’s first Polka Festival in 1973. That festival [...]
Saturday, July 30, 2011
West Amana, Ia. — Poor little West Amana. One of three Amana villages on Friday’s route (with South Amana and Homestead), it might have been this year’s most-skipped RAGBRAI town. “Official route’s this way! Official route’s this way!” implored John Kolp at the bottom of the steep Fourth Avenue hill that curves into town. He [...]
Friday, July 29, 2011
Minor flooding in Davenport should have only minor effects on RAGBRAI, organizers said Friday. Record rainfall in Dubuque prompted concerns about Mississippi River flooding downstream in Davenport. Joe Taylor, president of the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau and chairman of the Davenport RAGBRAI committee, said they’ve made some minor changes to accommodate the rise [...]
Friday, July 29, 2011
Pools, parks, and after-proms — they all take money. And in a small town, they mean fundraisers are asking the same small group of people for money frequently. So when thousands of cyclists and support crews from across the country roll into town, it presents a perfect opportunity — even aside from the fun everyone [...]
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thousands of riders were treated to a patriotic experience Friday in Brooklyn, the day’s first pass-through town. Riders found themselves walking through town instead of riding, in order to take in an enormous American flag suspended above the route– cast against a vivid blue sky. Traffic slowed to a plodding pace as riders took their [...]
Friday, July 29, 2011
Ladora — Kathy Schubert has an extra passenger on her bike. And she doesn’t even help Schubert pedal. Instead, Suzy, a small gray Schnauzer, helps raise awareness for the shelter Schubert adopted her from specifically, and animal shelters generally. This is Suzy’s third RAGBRAI. Schubert said she took another dog, Joey, on 10 RAGRAIs before [...]
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Chicken Claw Country Band welcomed riders into Marengo’s “Hillbilly Hoedown” with a bucket-string bass and washboards they scraped with the scaly dried talons of a chicken and turkey. And let me tell you, nothing says “Welcome to our town” quite like that. They wore house dresses, curlers, aprons and fake teeth, which they had [...]
| Dream Team | Ride Right |
| Shop RAGBRAI | Contacts |
| Geobike | Souvenir Photos |
| Cycling Links | Souvenir DVDs |
Sunday, July 31, 2011
5 Comments