The Whiners started five years after RAGBRAI began and have been having fun ever since.   The Whiners started as a small group of engineers and workers from the nuclear power plant near Bridgman, Michigan back in 1977.   They now travel with roughly 100 riders and include members that span the globe.     

“RAGBRAI is bigger than a bike ride to us,” states Whiner veteran Dan George, “It’s a family reunion that shows people at their best!”  George has been riding RAGBRAI for the past twenty years and thinks each and every RAGBRAI is special. “It’s the people that we ride with and meet that are so special and make RAGBRAI different than all the other rides.”

While the Whiners always have enough energy to dominate any dance floor, they still have the energy to give back during their week in Iowa.  Many  Whiners serve as RIDE RIGHT ambassadors as well un-official ambassador that are always speading goodwill.  That might entail spreading encouragement to struggling riders or thanking a State Trooper with a piece of pie. 

One of the highlights of the 2010 trip was the overnight in Waterloo.  The Whiners camped on the lawn of the Landmark Commons, which is a nursing home for seniors.  The Whiners invited the residents and neighbors to join them for “Burgers and Brats” night and a few beverages.  They helped celebrate the 80th birthday of one of the residents by singing Happy Birthday.  The Whiners made sure that they visited and chatted with everyone in the home and gave all of the retirees Mardi Gras beads to remember their visit.  Orv Einsiedel Jr. personally went door to door to insure that no one was left out.

The Whiners have also made generous financial contributions to Iowa non-profits  in the past.  The group collected donations for Camp Courageous and the RAGBRAI Dream Team to help these Iowa charities.  “So many of the team searched for Dream Team kids during the week to chat and ride a few miles with them,” says group contact Jen Carlson.  “It is great to hear how they are doing and talk with these kids!”  

This coming year, Dan George will pass the torch to Joe Doe to continue the tradition of the Whiners.  Dan still plans to ride as he doesn’t want to miss the fun.

Congratulations to the Whiners Bicycle Club on winning the 2010 Rider Cup!

 PAST RIDER CUP AWARD WINNERS
2009:  Henry County High Wheelers
2008:  Air Force Cycling Team
2007:  CUBS (Chicago Urban Bicycling Society)
2006:  The Dream Team
2005:  Team Navy Cycling
2004:  Siouxland Cyclists
2003:  Marion Road Hogs
2002:  Team Achin’ Knee
2001:  North Iowa Touring Club
2000:  Huff ‘N Puffers
1999:  Riverbend Bike Club
1998:  Pottawattamie Pedalers
1997:  Team Gnarley
1996:  Siouxland Cyclists
1995:  Bicyclists of Iowa City
1994:  Huff ‘N Puffers
1993:  Team Skunk
1992:  The Killer Bees

I had the opportunity to meet Grandma Candace and the other Grandmas of the Plover Circle during the RAGBRAI Route Inspection Ride back in June.  This would be the first time that Plover hosted RAGBRAI so they had lots of questions for us.  The church ladies prepared some delicious hamballs and pies for the riders and let us know that the folks in Plover are combining efforts to help raise funds to replace the roof on the Plover United Methodist Church which has been damaged. I wrote about the Plover community rallying around their church in the route inspection story as well as a blog post about pass-through towns and vendors.

The little town of 95 residents in rural Pocahontas County was located on the Karras Loop on the Monday ride from Storm Lake to Algona.  In addition to the church’s food booth, the town welcomed an assortment of vendors such as Tender Tom’s Turkey to set up in their shady park.

I visited the town late that afternoon to see how the day went.  I chatted with many townspeople who enjoyed meeting riders from all over the world.  Lucky for me they did not run out of those hamballs, so I bought one of the last ones!  I chatted with the Grandmas that were working the hamball stand and asked them to keep me posted on the church roof project. It was a great day in Plover!

 Here is the email I received from Grandma Candace:

Next year when somebody starts an online conversation about RAGBRAI, money, and ride-through towns; employ the attached photo to illustrate how one group put the income to work. Church roofing began today in Plover and we are very excited!

On July 26, RAGBRAI riders contributed $10,400 (that’s after expenses) to this project. That day you saw the efforts of our entire congregation—38 souls, kids included. This new roof means there can be a church in Plover for the next 30 years.

We’re still enjoying the poster RAGBRAI riders signed and constantly remind each other how much we can accomplish pulling together.

God bless you for the opportunity. We’ll be praying for RAGBRAI riders every July from now until all five Grandmas of the Plover Circle lose their memories!

Candace

As I have said before, without great Iowa communities, RAGBRAI does not exist.  The towns and the townspeople propelled RAGBRAI into the event that it is today.  We ask a lot of our communities to graciously host over 10,000 visitors and show them that great Iowa hospitality.  Thank you to the RAGBRAI Nation for showing it’s big heart.  You made a difference this summer that will last for many years!

T.J. Juskiewicz
RAGBRAI Director

Don Benes and Casey Martin headed up the Clear Lake RIDE RIGHT Committee, but they credit the entire committee and community for the success.  “We started early and got everyone involved,” reflected Benes.  “The residents, schools, businesses, the police, the county engineers… everyone was enthusiastic about making a difference.”  

The town was already pretty bike friendly, but the committee took it to the next level.  “I never seen so many people in town riding this year,” claimed Benes.  You oftern saw bike safety stories run on local television and in the paper touting safety. 

Benes credits Martin with rallying the local bicycle community.  “Casey is so involved in cycling in the area and was able to pull people together.”  The North Iowa Touring Club traditionally puts on one of the state’s top bike festivals in Clear Lake with their Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival, that was held in July.  In addition, the committee hosted a bike rodeo for fifth grade elementary kids and had a fun ride to preview the RAGBRAI XXXVIII route from Clear Lake to Charles City. 

Kids in Clear Lake observed biking correctly were stopped by the police and given a certificate for a free ice cream or snow cone.  The Clear Lake RAGBRAI Ride Right committee worked with law enforcement to encourage safe and courteous bicycle riding including: obeying traffic laws, keeping to the right, wearing a helmet, using safe equipment, and displaying a positive attitude towards cycling.      

Also new around town are several orange rectangular bicycle safety signs designed by Clear Lake High school students.  The Ride Right Committee sponsored a bicycle safety sign contest for students in elementary through high school.  Students were asked to design bicycle traffic signs that promote the goals of ‘Ride Right’ with a focus on simplicity, clarity and easy reading for bicyclists. 

The community worked hard to continue that cycling legacy even after RAGBRAI was over.  “I still see police officers handing out Dairy Queen treats for kids’ good riding habits and it is great to see the road signs that the students worked on,” stated Benes.  Clear Lake’s Police Chief, Greg Peterson, headed up the town’s Law Enforcement Committee and was an integral part of the town’s safety plan.  “We were happy to report that we were able to keep people safe during RAGBRAI,” recapped Chief Peterson.

In early June, the statewide RIDE RIGHT committee held its official inspection ride that was joined by many area cyclists.  Part of the task was to spot road imperfections and communicate with the county engineers and local officials.  “It was great working with Mary Kelly, the Cerro Gordo County engineer,” claimed Benes. “She made a difference in getting the roads ready for RAGBRAI.”

“We are so honored to be named the RIDE RIGHT Community of the Year!” stated an excited Diane Thompson, the chairwoman of the Clear Lake RAGBRAI Committee.  “People in town are still talking about how great it was to host RAGBRAI.” 

Congratulations to Clear Lake on making RAGBRAI as safe as it can be!

Coach David Ertl

David Ertl is a USA Cycling Level 1 (Elite) Coach and owner of Cyclesport Coaching (www.CyclesportCoaching.com) . He coaches individual cyclists, the Des Moines Cycle Club Race Team and the JDRF Greater Iowa Chapter for the Ride to Cure Diabetes.  He can be contacted at Coach@CyclesportCoaching.com.

The RAGBRAI Shop Site is now open. Please visit shop.ragbrai.org.

2010 RAGBRAI Reunion – Saturday, August 28, 2010 – Ankeny Shell

Come share your RAGBRAI experience with us and have some fun at the second annual RAGBRAI Reunion. There are no fees to participate in these events.

Featuring:

• Fun ride
• Food
• Entertainment
• RIDE RIGHT Meeting

Scheduled Activities:

• 11:00 AM – RIDE RIGHT meeting at Ankeny Shell hosted by T.J. Juskiewicz, RAGBRAI Director, Wes Hall, Assistant RAGBRAI Director and Dan McKay, RIDE RIGHT State Chair
• Noon – Slow-paced fun ride on the High Trestle Trail. Ride at your own pace and select your distance.
• 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Enjoy the festivities of Ankeny’s La Vitsef street party in Uptown Ankeny.

Continue to visit RAGBRAI.com for more details!

Some were practical notes to communicate with team members (“Stop for water at the next town”). Others were jokes (“What do you call your first beer on RAGBRAI? Breakfast.”). And a few were the kind of Zen-like observations that come to mind only when pedaling through miles of corn and beans.

If you read them all at once — by searching for the hashtag #RAGBRAI at twitter.com — the combined effect reads like a journal of the whole week, all told in notes of fewer than 140 characters.

Here’s a sampling, in chronological order:

kv324: Dippin’ our tires in the Missouri River! Mississippi here we come!

QueenSavet: Tent that failed to be waterproof plus big Midwest thunderstorm plus biking equals giant curly-haired mess.

SimpsonRagbrai: Love the new addition to #RAGBRAI 2010: wisecracking state troopers on megaphones keeping riders safe at intersections.

dletsche: Time for a date with Aloe Vera.

TeamKatz: I’m having the time of my life in Iowa. Who knew?

lafpatrick: I’m at the point where a shower is merely a nicety of modern living and not a necessity.

whatsnextdave: Day 2 highlights: grotto in west bend, ham balls in plover, huge parties in whittemore.

Bacon_FTW: bacon and cheese hot dog @ 9:30 in the morning. already a good day.

mgnstr: Welcome to Britt, IA: home of the national hobo convention. Just met a former king of the hoboes!

carpe_dm8: Ragbrai Lesson #115: When you’re in doubt and have lost a friend … call the county jail.

JoshuaWeiland: Anyone see the blind woman riding #RAGBRAI? Seriously. She’s with others helping her. It’s amazing.

johannotate: Lots of wind farms and roadkill in these parts. Windmills entrancing.

naturalcyborgho: I have never seen so many middle-aged white people listening to rap music!!

kv324: Watching a crazy lightning show over Clear Lake. Not panicking yet because it’s far away but eek!

trishtaylor: Naked guy just emerged from the water from clear lake after fireworks.

mjesse: Nothing like answering email facing a corn field with 1,000s of bikers whizzing by on #ragbrai. Grab the connectivity when you can!

Cleats_N_Eats: Rockford wins today’s prize for best through-town. They put out mats over the train tracks for us! Thank you Rockford!

rjwalinga: OK, so I didn’t wimp out and sag in. Who needs a stinkin’ toenail to ride #RAGBRAI?

lafpatrick: Sammy wrapped my handlebars w/ new tape. It’s like shaking hands with God.

colinwallis: Crazy day today in Iowa. Ended up in Charles City after getting my bike stolen (and then recovered) while I was eating 6 pancakes.

MichaelMorain: Sudden revelation: The #RAGBRAI ride is like a giant mullet: business in the front, party in the back.

millsforsenate: Fun event tonight in #Chucktown with special #RAGBRAI guests from Italy. Now I can say my campaign has international support!

NathanPralle: Good Moaning. 82 mile ride today, first leg is 20. Send bananas.

RAGBRAIChef: 3.3 gallons of polenta with sun dried tomato and goat cheese for Team Cuisine.

SiNKER: My butt broke.

TheBeerRunner: I can’t even imagine how bad I smell right now.

MichaelMorain: For sale on #RAGBRAI: “Breakfast Freedom Wraps.” Is that code for “crepes”?

abecedary: Biking in pouring rain and lightning. Team Stop-A-Lot pulls stereo into a roadside barn for impromptu dance party and saves the day.

ckimm: I have never seen so many people in spandex at one location.

lacleaver: There’s no crying on #ragbrai. Rain can’t stop us. More cowbell!

mattephraim: Thunderstorms, strong headwinds and never-ending hills. But even the worst day on #ragbrai is better than the best day working.

fishnette: Love the Catholic church where they’re selling beer with the spaghetti!

kitchen: After #ragbrai I think I will have had my fair share of Sweet Home Alabama for a year.

Lukanen: #RAGBRAI, end of day 6. It’s been an amazing ride full of stories I can’t post publicly.

TheBeerRunner: If you build it…cyclists will come.

Khasse: Take that, Potter Hill! Climbed the whole 1.5 mile hill! Boo-yah!

johannotate: MISSISSIPPI.

- Michael Morain