What seems like a couple of weeks ago, I started writing these articles in February and here we are in July with RAGBRAI just days away. How did that happen? You are probably wondering the same thing, thinking you were going to do all this training and all of a sudden here it is. Oops. Here are a few tidbits of wisdom I have left to help you on your way.
1. If you didn’t get in all the training you were hoping for, think pace, pace pace.
Regardless of how little preparation you have this year, you can still do the whole ride but you need to pace yourself. By riding at a moderately easy pace you can ride a long way. Don’t overextend your speed, keep eating a little food all day and stay hydrated all day. Yes, you may be tired and sore in places, but keep your gearing down and the legs spinning. You can go a long way at 10 mph. It just takes a while, but what’s your rush? This is why you are here, to take it all in.
2. Get up early each day
(You really don’t have a choice) and get on the road so you have the whole day to enjoy your ride. Enjoy the sights and opportunities along the way. Appreciate the hard work those corn and soybean fields are doing, capturing solar energy and turning it into food, feed and fuel for our sake. Accept the hospitality offered by all the townspeople that you will see along they way. They are as excited to see you visit their towns as you are to visit them. They’ve been preparing for a whole year so don’t rush through. While this ride seems like it will be a long ride and a long week, it will be over in an instant so soak it all in and take home a bunch of memories.
3. Believe in yourself! You can do it.
You are taking a week of your life and perhaps a week of precious vacation to do this. If you do anything to make your life miserable, you are doing it wrong. Yes, there will be times when you are uncomfortable and perhaps hurting, but remind yourself that this is something you chose to do. It’s an incredible experience riding your bicycle 391 miles across a large state in one week. Other than the other 10,000+ fellow cyclists doing this, not too many can say they rode their bike almost 400 miles in a week. So even in the depths of any self-doubt, think about how fortunate you are to be in a position to do this. And you will!
Have a great ride, everyone, and see you next year!
Coach David Ertl
Find all of Coach Ertl’s Training Blogs, as well as the 2026 Training Plan in our Training section on RAGBRAI.com.
David Ertl is a USA Cycling Advanced Certified Coach. He coaches individual cyclists through the Peaks Coaching Group www.peakscoachinggroup.com/davidertl. Ertlalso provides cycling training plans and ebooks at his website: www.CyclesportCoaching.com. You can contact Coach Ertl at: [email protected].
