RAGBRAI's Team Tucker rides with St. Bernard in tow

Jim and Elizabeth Brummel of Omaha debuted Team Tucker this year on RAGBRAI, pulling their 6-year-old St. Bernard, Tucker.

One of the most beloved first-time riders on this year’s RAGBRAI hasn’t pedaled a single mile.

Pampered pooch Tucker, a 6-year-old St. Bernard, gets to roll down the highway in the comfort of his Burley trailer. A water dish sloshes directly beneath his nose. His giant, slobbery pink tongue flops around in the breeze like a loose scarf.

Jim and Elizabeth Brummel of Omaha, Neb., debuted Team Tucker this year in their dog’s honor.

“We got a team together, and we knew he’d be coming,” Jim said. “And he likes to ride in the trailer. And he draws a lot of attention. So we just thought it would be fun.”

To be more precise, Tucker is a rough-coated St. Bernard mix, a “pound hound” who was returned to the animal shelter no fewer than three times before the Brummels swooped in to embrace his gregariousness.

And now Tucker is spending the week with a street-level view of the Iowa landscape and all the goofball humans who seem to prefer struggling their way uphill rather than getting towed in their own chariot.

“As long as his tail is up and wagging, it’s all good,” Elizabeth said.

For people as well as mutts, RAGBRAI in a nutshell is just one big week-long tail-wag.

He doesn’t pedal. He pants. Good boy, Tucker. On your left!

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