Hey everyone,
What are you going to change for next year’s (2017) RAGBRAI? Whether it be your training, staying in the meeting towns for longer, teams/charter, etc., how are you going to improve your experience?
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Hey everyone,
What are you going to change for next year’s (2017) RAGBRAI? Whether it be your training, staying in the meeting towns for longer, teams/charter, etc., how are you going to improve your experience?
The forum ‘RAGBRAI XLV – 2017’ is closed to new topics and replies.
9 Replies
– I plan to be in even better shape by not doing the seasonal training, but continuing my training during these “down” months. More core training made the ride easier in 2016, and I want to add to my core strength. I will continue to advance my physical health with continued stretching. I also brought a small foam roller with me to roll out in the morning in my tent before getting on the bike.
– This improved training will allow me to ride easier, not faster necessarily, so I will be able to enjoy longer breaks in the pass through towns. I will eat more pie and I will have more root beer floats! (Not kidding here, I didn’t enjoy any of that my first year of Ragbrai, and just enjoyed my first Ragbrai root beer float and slices of pie this past Ragbrai – need more!)
– I will go with Pork Belly Ventures again for my charter, as it makes sense for me and my teammates coming in from FL and Panama. PBV hot showers and cold beer and friendly folks are wonderful to find at the end of the road everyday.
– I will ride my same Scott Metrix 10 hybrid, as I have it fitted right for me. It is a steady ride.
– And I will pack even lighter in 2017!
Thinking ahead to my second RAGBRAI:
1. Pack very light….very light.
2. Do a better job of finding fresh healthy food….and eat daily pie.
3. Skip the big vendors….give my business to the locals, church groups, scouts, small vendors, etc.
4. COMMIT mentally to riding the optional century loop
5. Talk to lots of people on the road…lots of good folk out there
6. Go with PBV again
7. Pack very light….very light.
8. Get my 2000 training miles in, including a few 60-100 milers in that total
9. Forget about elections
You have a good list here. I will also consider PBV for next year. I’ll be looking at options they offer other then staying in a tent. I agree with packing light. I’ll do a lot better with that next year.
powellpd,
I asked Tammy at PBV about their PHAT rooms. There is a long waiting list for those rooms extending years into the future. She told me I have to go with PBV first before they will even add me to that list so I’m going with PBV in 2017. Their tent service is “RAGBRAI fancy”. Not only do they supply the tent they set it up, take it down, deliver your luggage to it and pick up your luggage.
Mootsman,
Tammy and PBV are great. The hot showers rock. I grab a cold beer on tap to enjoy while I wait in the fast moving line. I use the tent service, and it is the best money spent Ragbrai week. Flying in from Miami I ship my bike to them, and it is put together when I arrive in camp on Saturday. The shuttle service options are also fantastic. Top notch service with friendly folks; PBV is my family for that Week in the Corn. I’ll never go another way. Can’t wait for July!
I’ve made the commitment to ride my CycleOps every day this fall/winter until the good weather returns and I can go outside again. I’m not worried too much about the mileage yet, but am keeping my sit-bones and legs in shape. As an added benefit, I’ve shed about 15 pounds since the end of RAGBRAI 44.
I’m watching my diet. I try to have one pork chop per week and have found a good local source for top-quality bacon. I’ve even attended a Bacon Fest just for good measure. Mrs. Woo keeps baking those pies also!
I can’t wait for registration to open in a few short days. See you along the I-O-Way this July.
I’ve regeared my bike and have scouted out some better hill training routes. I want to be prepared to spin up all those hills we won’t have on next year’s northern route! I lost 10 pounds before this year’s ride and the goal is to keep that off and maybe lose a few more. I’m still riding to work every day, next week will probably be the end of that however. So yes, hit the rollers or whatever you’ve got early and often to keep the buns, legs, heart, and lungs in shape. I’m going to try to ride a gravel metric that comes quite early in the season next year so this winter I MUST do rather than think I might do a full schedule of indoor training.
This year was the first year I have tent camped due to a lack of interest in my normal riding buddies. We may put the band back together again next year and take the motorhome again. Or maybe fate will have me tenting again. If it does then yes, pack lighter! I went with the Riverbend Club/Charter last year and would highly recommend them for anyone looking for a low cost charter. They don’t do as much as the premium charters of course but they are a great bunch of people and they offer a lot of value for the dollar. Of course now if any of you have a friend or family member who would be willing to drive a small class C motorhome for a week I could possibly arrange a berth for you in ours….
Pack lighter. There is always room for improvement. My wife won’t be there next year(she’ll be in Italy), so it will a completely different camping set up.
Get lighter. The engine isn’t getting any younger, so I’m going to work on dropping some weight. I’ve been injured the last 2 years and the legs really want me to weigh less.
Do more riding in the afternoon. We did most of our training in the morning. The heat was getting to me a couple of afternoons.
Find/Drink more local brews. Ride fast some days (pace lines!); ride with the partiers on the other days. Meet some people from outside the US. Try to talk my nephews into joining our team for just a day or two (that should be enough to get them hooked). Appreciate the beauty of the ride — and the people. Relax and let my two wheels move my soul. Ride on, Team M.A.S.H., ride on…