I would like to participate in Ragbrai for the first time. Are these wristbands mandatory? Why? If I must have one, could someone inform me on how to obtain one.
July 20 - 27, 2024
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44 Replies
What about the person that didn’t get a wristband because it was too late by the time they found out they could ride, or they did not get picked in the lottery (did it fill this year?) but they still came and dumped 100’s of dollars with the locals?
cyclesoc – that kind of person is not the kind of person I was referring to. In fact – if that kind of person rode – WAY TO GO! They had no choice but to ride that way – they were not given the opportunity to support the ride but chose to do so with the risk of not having any help if something happened (although I and most riders on Ragbrai would have helped anyone in need immediately).
If you are describing yourself – you have my full support!!!
It seems there are always many people selling their wristbands at cost due to a complication that has come up before the ride begins. Therefore, I don’t think that is a valid excuse for not having a wristband. I am getting more and more annoyed with all the bandits that come in packs of 20 and ride for 3 days or more and have no intention of ever paying their way. – I realize this makes me sound grouchy, but don’t tell me these people don’t use “the services” of RAGBRAI. Everyone on the road those days in July is using the services of RAGBRAI.
Not to sound negative, but what if you live on the route and you ride during the ride, on your own ride, are you being a bandit? To me, it is the tour that is the hassle to the locals that get nothing if not inconvienced. The locals aren’t getting any RAG services, period.
No thanks needed.
tiki, first off, I’ll bet a nickel that you’re not a local.
Secondly, if you live in Waterloo and the ride goes thru Cedar Falls or Hudson (or maybe even Waverly) so you join it for that particular day, fine. You are indeed a local.
But if you live in Mason City and the ride never gets north of I-80, then it’s not in your locality and you are not a local. You are merely an Iowa resident stretching a point way past all reasonable logic.
-“BB”-
And you sir BB are a non-local yokel, official term, boob. You don’t do the ride and yet pontificate like a DMR wannabe.
None the less, carry on, you have not much else to do.
I’ve thought long and hard about this subject and have some ideas that might please everyone. First, an analogy: I don’t do buffets. I never feel like I get my money’s worth. I usually end up taking one plate while people around me fill 3 or 4. I feel the same way about paying full price to register for RAGBRAI. I do not use the baggage truck, campgrounds, or sag wagon and only hit the big beer gardens twice this year. On the other hand, I appreciate all the planning that goes in to an event this size and want to do my part to support it. Why not have two types of registrations? A full service and self service so to speak. I have a feeling that many of the bandits that some of you so dislike would be more than happy to pony up under this scenario.
I am sure the man that crashed after some moron made a right turn from the left lane and hooked his wheel was glad he registered and had a wristband. As he lay on the ground while my wife the nurse attended to him he went totally limp and less that two minutes later EMTs were on site. The wristband allowed identification of him and later notification of emergency contacts. It also made it possible to have him reunited with his bike later.
I do like your idea of two levels of registration, seems like it also might make planning for the RAGBRAI officials easier too so they knew how many bags they would be hauling.
Tiki wrote:
And you sir BB are a non-local yokel, official term, boob. You don’t do the ride and yet pontificate like a DMR wannabe.
None the less, carry on, you have not much else to do.
I was giving him room for doubt until this comment. Now I know he is just a defiant person trying to stir up trouble. Can’t reason with this kind of fruitcake. It isn’t so much the lack of knowledge or the inability to recognize another viewpoint, it is the hypocritical comment above that shows a lack of mature, adult-like ability to communicate without getting personal.
Oh – by the way – if a local wants to ride the route if he truly lives on the route – with no wristband – not the same thing as if someone travels a couple of hundred miles to ride the entire week without a wristband. The initial question had nothing to do with the original issue of bandits and why they ride. No-brainer there……
cyclesoc- What about the person that didn’t get a wristband because it was too late by the time they found out they could ride
I was on orders to Ft Lewis until Aug 6. I didn’t find out until July 17 I would get released early to make it there. It took me two whole days to sign up for an east/west shuttle and get a wristband in hand(transfer completed and waiver sent in). Excuses are BS.
SFC JKL2……..you post a good point. I hadn’t considered that wristbands were for sale right up to the event – some for a loss for the person who originally purchased it.
If someone really wanted a wristband – it appears they could have found one.
He goes off his meds once in a while, has a meltdown, goes away for a while, then comes back with new alias. Rinse, wash, repeat. He provides a little entertainment if you don’t take him too seriously (but then, that’s true of all of us).
The troll always gives himself away, when he attacks Beebs!!!!!
I suppose both Michrider and TS are right. I don’t really pay that much attention. It’s just that the only posts I see him posting are negative and aggressive. I’m not sure why?
Anyway – wish I had met most of you – I probably saw you but didn’t even know it!