Training blog

RAGBRAI XLI Countdown – July 21-27, 2013

Friends of RAGBRAI

RAGBRAI Training: Training Plan in Excel File

Several people have asked for Coach Ertl's Training Plan in an excel file, so here it is

RAGBRAI Training: Endurance – More is Better when Preparing for RAGBRAI

I had a frightening thought as I looked out the window this past weekend and saw 3 inches of snow on the ground. RAGBRAI begins in two and a ...

Bike trail closes after sewage spill

If you’re training for RAGBRAI in the Cedar Falls area, you may have noticed a smell. A break in a sewer line Tuesday sent sewage across a bike trail in Cedar ...

RAGBRAI Training: 2013 Training Plan

The most popular blogs every year is my training plan for preparing for RAGBRAI. This has proven to be popular among riders. So here is this year’s edition. ...

RAGBRAI Training: Yes Punxsatawney Phil was Wrong, But it is Now Time for Training!

Punxsatawney Phil was wrong. We didn't have six more weeks of winter, we had eight more. But the weather is finally warming up a bit and the snow ...

RAGBRAI Training: Let’s Get Started!

Today is the first day of March and despite a heavy snow here in Iowa this week, it isn't too early to be thinking about starting to get yourself in ...

RAGBRAI Training: Coach Ertl Returns!

Can you believe it? The 2013 RAGBRAI Route Announcement occurs in about two weeks! Equally amazing, at least to me, is that I have been writing these training ...

RAGBRAI Training: RAGBRAI is Not a Race

When people find out I am a cyclist, more often than not the first question out of their mouth is “Do you do RAGBRAI?” My favorite answer to that ...

RAGBRAI Training: Consecutive Days of Riding

One thing that is unique about RAGBRAI from many other tours is that this ride is seven days long. Therefore, one thing you need to be prepared for is ...

RAGBRAI Training: Riding and Reading

As I’m writing this, the countdown clock on the RAGBRAI website says 47 days to go until RAGBRAI begins. If you have been riding and preparing as I’ve suggested ...

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Latest Blog Posts

We have been busy adding new vendors to the RAGBRAI XLI Expo roster! From bike gear to mementos to cycling related non profits, there is something here for pretty much ...
Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to #Oklahoma relief. Spread the word. #gannettcares. Our hearts go out to Oklahomans affected by the tornado, and their friends and families.
If you have committed to riding RAGBRAI this year, it all starts with Tip #1, the RIGHT stuff. And when I say stuff, I mean bicycle.
It is with great sadness to report that the Dream Team lost one of their former members in a tragic house fire this week. Nyakouth Choul, 17, was found ...
Where are people coming from to ride RAGBRAI? What types of bikes are they riding? How many Iowans? Average age of riders? Lots of information about ...
As the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa looms in the near distance, two notions and a question scurry about in my mind. The question, of ...
Several people have asked for Coach Ertl's Training Plan in an excel file, so here it is
I had a frightening thought as I looked out the window this past weekend and saw 3 inches of snow on the ground. RAGBRAI begins in two and a ...
High Country Shipping in cooperation with RAGBRAI is pleased to offer GEAR Forward! Ship your camping gear and luggage to RAGBRAI and have it waiting for you at the start of ...
Looking for the RAGBRAI XLI Overnight Towns web sites? What bands will be playing that night? Facebook pages? Twitter links? All that information is a click ...

Latest Videos

Check out these 10 tips for a safe RAGBRAI.
Paul "Mr. Pork Chop" Bernhard of Bancroft is a legendary RAGBRAI vendor. His son, Matt, now runs the family biz and is on a quest for perfectly cut chops.
RAGBRAI Director T.J. Juskiewicz unveils the full 406-mile route for July's installment of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
T.J. Juskiewicz, RAGBRAI director, talks with The Des Moines Register's Lynn Hicks and Michael Morain shortly after the announcement of overnight towns for RAGBRAI XLI.
RAGBRAI Director T.J. Juskiewicz reveals the overnight towns for RAGBRAI XLI at the RAGBRAI route announcement party Saturday, Jan. 26, in Des Moines.
RAGBRAI Director T.J. Juskiewicz reacts to Lance Armstrong's doping confession. Armstrong has ridden RAGBRAI several times in the ride's 40 years.
RAGBRAI 2012: Amy Clark of Midlothian, TX, drew a crab as she helped Chalk the Walk in Mt. Vernon. She was enjoying her first RAGBRAI.
RAGBRAI 2012: Laura Krouse of Rural Mt. Vernon, and her dog Lucky came out to watch the RAGBRAI riders pass by.
RAGBRAI 2012: A group of kids high-five RAGRAI riders on their way into Springville on July 27.
RAGBRAI: A look back at 40 years of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.