East Hill Street. Remember that.
We spent our Saturday exploring the western half of the route and meeting our hosts for the first four nights. We drove most of the route from Sioux Center to I-35. Anyone that enjoys a flat ride will really enjoy this year’s route.
If you do notice and look closely, it appears that Day 3 will provide a few challenges and provide for a few “hill walkers”. If you notice the name of the road that the exit from Lehigh takes. East Hill Street. A very fitting name for it. Please don’t count it as done at the first curve, just keep the spin going and you should make it. For those that spent a bit doing arm curls in the town prior to remounting the bike for the ride on to Webster City, the incline should provide for a good means to shake out the stiffness. Do keep some in reserve for the secondary hill climb (Brushy Creek) a few miles later will provide the last challenge of the day.
For those partaking of the Karras loop – or contemplating it, keep in mind this years loop is not flat. The same nice aqueous flow that carved the ditch at Lehigh, also provide a ditch that you will cross not once but twice on the loop. The loop this year will mean much more than a few added miles. It will provide a “few” added feet of hill climb.
Looking forward to a fun ride this year.
21 Replies
well, I’m not familiar with that particular area, but in general this entire year can be summed up in one word. “FLAT”
sure, there will be a few small hills to stretch the legs on, but I don’t expect there to be any hills that will really make one work much.
In other words, if you do the K-Loop you’ll be walking up the same hill twice?
not the same hill, just the same Des Moines River valley. Goebike profiles in Day 3 thread.
https://ragbrai.com/forums/topic/day-3-lake-view-to-webster-city-2/page/2/
The steepest hill out of “Historic Downtown Lehigh” is School Hill Street but it is not a part of the route. Last time RAGBRAI went through Lehigh the local committee sponsored a contest with the prizes being t-shirts for those who could bike up the hill. Seems like you paid three or four bucks for a chance to try the hill and if you made it to the top without your feet touching the ground you got a t-shirt. I stuck around long enough to see three or four guys fail and one nearly make it and fall.
RIDE RIGHT
Sometimes, there is just no substitute for a triple chainring…
That would be a piece of cake on a trike – my feet NEVER touch the ground – even when I’m stopped.
I think I’m ready to tackle those hills. My Granny gear has been upgraded to a Great-Granny gear!
You may call it flat, but I am sure it will not be flat for me. NW Ohio where I hail from is truly flat. Many of my 30-40 mile rides will only contain 1 or 2 10 foot inclines. Need to find a highway overpass to get a hill, and then you have heavy traffic. But we have wind as far as the eye can see, which with crops just in goes on for miles.
Lehigh is a cool little town deep in the Des Moines River Valley. My two younger brothers and I did a Ft. Dodge Iowa sponsered ride around that area twice a few years ago. Camped in Dolliver State Park and rode through towns like Coalville and Duncombe. Killer hills in Dolliver and Lehigh. We need a local to chime in here. I am curious if the Karras Loop will go through Dolliver State Park.
The loop turns off after Dayton and goes through Stratford and back to Dayton.
County Road D46 is the road out of Lehigh.
I’ve done East Hill Street out of Lehigh with loaded panniers and it ain’t easy by any stretch…that is unless you’re comfy with some of West Virginia’s or Pennsyvania’s hills. Many riders will walk it on Wednesday, the 25th, and many will crawl up the hill using their triple cranks’ granny gears (that’s probably me.) Some very strong riders will zip up the hill using their inner chainring on their double cranks. All will wonder where the top of the hill is when we “do” the curves, hit steeper sections of the hill, etc. All will be happy as the devil himself to get to the top ’cause there’s only one serious hill left for the day after that (crossing and going up the Brushy Creek Hill.) Brushy Creek is a tributary of the Des Moines River and its hill not quite as “serious” as the Des Moines Rivers’ hills. Have fun. Cheers. 8)
A side trip out of Lehigh, up the hill, past the cemetery and through Dolliver Park to return to Lehigh and do the Karras Loop would satisfy any hill climber for the day.
RIDE RIGHT
I don’t think MichRider’s feet will touch the ground all week!
I’ll bet ya a beer they do, LOL!!!!
