I listened to episode 103 of the podcast and heard TJ mention the many complaints he deals with. Obviously everyone needs to understand how an event this size cannot be customized to their personal idea of perfect. Not unlike my job which I get used as a blame receptacle. And the things we appreciate really don’t get the air time they should.
So like the old song by “The Hold Steady”, “Positive Jam”. How about a Positive Jam for TJ’s efforts here. And all those who contribute to putting RAGBRAI on. Let’s here it!
9 Replies
Really! A comment on Hairball before a shout out to TJ? I guess you know where you stand TJ. All kidding aside, I do appreciate the results of all of the work that you and your staff do to make this great ride a reality. I do appreciate all of the hard work that you must do to make it seem to go off every year without a hitch. I don’t even pretend to know all of the things that you do to mesh all of the moving parts but thanks. I’ll see you in July.
A shout out to TJ and all the staff. I bet there’s never a dull moment for you from January through July. :-) Thanks for all that you do!
Simply stated …TJ and his staff are the BEST….they know how to get it done ! See you all on the road in July !
TJ and his team along with countless townsfolk and the ISP do a great job for us every year. Hurrah for them all! And a huge THANK YOU!!
Good point Ken, all the people from the towns do a great job for us. And I’ve been back to a few of the towns in fall to spent time since I first liked them on RAGBRAI. After 2017 we stayed overnight in Decorah and had a great time, just 1 example.
TJ and the staff, host towns and ISP are so awesome! I have helped (a little) with pass thru town and got to help with over night when we stayed in Orange City. It is a lot of behind the scenes work! TJ and some of his staff travel to the overnight towns frequently between the route announcement and the actual ride, giving advice and answering questions. Plus all the work leading up to the route reveal! I thought my dream job would be to work for RAGBRAI but I realize that is too much work for this Princess. I will just sit back and enjoy the efforts of all who make RAGBRAI great!
Can you imagine the mental and physical anguish involved in ensuring an event of the magnitude of RAGBRAI succeeds? If any one Iowa town hosted a day long event with 10-20000 participants, it would be a huge deal. Now lengthen the activity to seven days, add multiple pass through towns to the mix, and finally balance rider enjoyment with safety resulting in the penultimate bike tour…RAGBRAI!
Boundless thanks to TJ and the staff for their endless hours spent ensuring everything works.
THis will be my 24th RAGBRAI and it remains my favorite week of the year. Thank you so much to the organizers and logistical staff that make this event the greatest bike ride on earth
To paraphrase a RAGBRAI founder from that video posted a few days back about RAGBRAI IV – if you’re complaining, who invited you?
I cannot say enough good about the RAGBRAI organizers, the army that feeds us, transports us, and keeps us safe. It’s a world class cat-herding exercise and yet it works so well.
Thank you, everyone who makes this crazy thing possible.