“What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar” ~ Thomas R. Marshall, Vice-president during Woodrow Wilson’ presidency.

I’ll be with you in spirit, Carl, as I ride my Cycleops in the warmth and comfort of my home. Heck, I might even take my bike to southern California or southern Florida to ride while visiting the little Woo’s and grand-Woo’s.

No frostbite for me, thank you. See you along the I-O-Way in the warmth of summer.

no fields of tall corn.

And the liquid in the porta-potties would freeze.

If you want to do RAGBRAI in the winter, mark your calendar now for BRR — the Bicycle Ride to Rippey.  Hosted the first Saturday in February by the Perry (IA) Chamber of Commerce, this wintertime “gathering of the (cycling) clans” is a 25-mile round trip from Perry (home of the Hotel Pattee) to Rippey and back.  Participation is usually two-three thousand riders, and even back in 1996 when the morning temperature at the 10:00 AM start time was still -22°F (-30°C) there were still about 250 certifiable crazies who swung a leg over their toptubes and took off down the road.

And did I mention the street party afterwards in Perry that usually runs well into the late hours of the day?

So if your favorite NFL team is already out of the running for a post-season spot and you want something to do on Super Bowl weekend besides hunker down on the couch for a game that you’re watching only so you can talk about the commercials the next day, plan to show up in Perry on Feb 4th for what I like to call “RAGBRAI Light”.

-“BB”-

I agree that a lot of people need to chill out, but I’d rather do it 12oz at a time. Riding in sub-zero temps – NFW! Although it does sound like it might be fun – ………