Last night, over a brew or two, I was discussing some of the many ways things have changed on RAGBRAI: How we used to ride it (charter — what’s a charter?) as compared to how we go about it these days.
Like….
A hot shower — what the hell is that?
When’s the truck going to get here and where’s it going to “land?”
My bag’s in there somewhere?
Sleep…who needs it?
The bands played until 2 (and then the party began)
and on and on…
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Must……….
keep……….
quiet……….
-“BB”-
I am reading your mind Beebs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No more “poo pyramids” in the morning at the campground. There are plenty of KYBOs and they are serviced when necessary.
RIDE RIGHT
Jerseys? We don’t need no stinkin jerseys!!!! Better to haul a weeks worth of sweaty, fermenting wet cotton T shirts across the state. And wouldn’t they make your duffel substitute for smelling salts…
Tiny tents.
Very little sleep.
No cell phones.
The ONE thing about Ragbrai that WILL never change……….it will always remain the best week one will have on two wheels!!
Cut off jeans, t-shirt,baseball cap. And that was to ride in
Right Skunky, no padded shorts and very few helmets. And smear what on your backside?????………….never heard of such a thing. Icky!!!
RIDE RIGHT
And popping those hills in my good old Schwinn Varsity. Car washes converted to showers (hot wax extra)…at times, very nasty well water (which resulted in the best practice of tasting the water before you dump what you have)…pre-rural water systems…much more music….sipping more than a few while listing to Washington’s Patrick Hazell’s one man band…and on and on
Did my first RAGBRAI, every mile of every day, on my 36 pound solid steel 1972 Schwinn Varsity. The Schwinn Varsity was probably the most common bike you saw on the 1970’s rides. Some years ago I finally gave her up and wheeled her into the local Salvation Army Store. A sad goodbye. Patrick Hazell………yes, I have not enjoyed his music for several years. I went to his web site, he still performs, but not on RAGBRAI??? He was tireless and took few breaks.
RIDE RIGHT
A lot more local bands and no bud hawkeye bus blasting the same tune everyday in every town. No beer pens either. Lot more walking around town with open containers and curb sitting.
It’s also pretty clear that, for the most part, the learning curve has been flattened a bit with regards to procedures and processes that fail a stress test. Early on I cruised into town fairly early only to be directed by the local deputy to a place where he expected all riders entering town to sign-in. Imagine that. I told him I’d be back in a few hours to see how this procedure was working out. I found him sitting under a tree in the shade when I returned. When his shift ended, we split a six.
Then there were all those elaborate processes at food stands that worked well in theory but that fell apart if more than 6 people arrived at the same time. Well meaning, everyone one of them — but the one person pay station probably resprented a bottleneck?
I don’t know what to attribute it to but there are far fewer of these each year. Maybe experience, maybe the DMR staff, or maybe they’ve read The Goal.
Let’s see, old times: everyone camping in the same park,area and everyones gear being carried on 2 or 3 DMR semi’s. Oh here’s a little history for yea, Carter LeBeau from the QCBC was the first person to have a Charter of sorts, he sweet talked the DMR into carrying our gear in the DMR van they had to carry their hot air balloon. The DMR actually had probably not even gave any thought on how riders would get their gear from town to town that 1st year. There were no organized meals back then and the mom and pop groceries were running out of everything, Casey’s or 7-11???? Even the local eateries were overtaken by riders, I remember in one town riders helped the cafe’s owners cook, take orders, and bus tables-the good old days. Hot showers? you had to be at the right place at the right time. I remember many firestation showers but also many ice cold showers by swimmming pools, kudos to the inventors of portable showers and shower water bags. Stinky clothes, blue jean cut offs? heck I wore jerseys and wool cycling shorts on RAGBRAI 1, but cool weather and rain gear was questionable to say the least. I remember Pat Hazell now that he was brought up but on the first few RAGs there was little entertainment, mostly ride, camp, eat and find tour own fun every night. If any body else can remember their first, but I know that the QCBC did their first charter in 1979 so you could say there was only 7 RAGs that didn’t have charters. Ours was an old semi trailer and maybe 3 school buses to haul the bodies and 2 box trucks town to town, if I remember, heck that’s like ancient history.
Team Skunk started in 1978. Rainbow and Tall Dogs I think started the year before.
28 years since my first RAGBRAI
Yes, your right, at least about the pie, LOL. I’m not a fast rider, not even in my own sick mind! I remember pass through towns, several years ago, that were out of pie by the time I got there. The last few years there does seem to be more pie and of course more Budweiser!!!!
Ham radio operators to send messages back home. 50 characters or less.
didn’t have all the boring “state fair” food vendors either.
More gravel
less RV’s