Get Ready For Ragbrai, 2008 Style.  The 477 mile journey begins July 20th to the 26th.  This year’s route includes:  Missouri Valley, Harlan, Jefferson, Ames, Tama-Toledo, North Liberty, Tipton and Le Clare.  Lance Armstrong will be here for the 3rd time…but at this time it isn’t known which day he will partake in the activities. The first day’s route is 58.9 miles looks like a lot of hills.  The 2nd day’s route is whooping 82.9 miles.  The 3rd day’s route is 56.8 miles where they will be having a flood relief benefit…Styx will be performing!  The 4th day is a 77.9…the 5th is 76.2 miles.  The last two days reserves  64.1 miles and 52.7 miles respectively!

From last year… As I headed West on Hwy. 6, between Waukee and Redfield, the large number of people on bikes reminded me that Ragbrai must be nearing.  The Register’s Great Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa for 2007 kicks off on July 22nd and ends on July 28th with host cities including Rock Rapids, Spencer, Humboldt, Hampton, Cedar Falls, Independence, Dyersville and Bellevue, Iowa.

In 2006, Ragbrai came through Waukee, IA and I decided to set up a booth that would allow riders to record a 5 minute video to be sent (via email) to friends and family.  Unfortunately, my booth was a couple of blocks off the main route through the city, on a street that included several road blocks to make sure riders didn’t go the wrong way.  8 hours later, one rider from California (obviously lost) was my only customer for the day.

I remember the party the city had at Centennial Park in Waukee, with dozens of venders and live music (I believe it was the Nadas).  It was a very fun night, until the drizzle turned to a downpour and the severe thunderstorms rolled in.  Thousands of people ran for cover and a lot of Ragbri folks slept in wet clothes and tents.  During the night you could hear law enforcement on megaphones, moving people to higher ground and indoor shelters.  That was a night many Ragbraii participants won’t soon forget.

As usual, I tried to guess how people might learn more about RAGBRAI this year, by turning to the Internet.  I started by going to ragbrai.com - which worked great.  Then I noticed even more people were searching for ragbrai.org , so I tried that - and it too worked great.  Based on a bit of research, I learned that the official RAGBRAI website is the .org version - so stick with that one.  FYI, some 301 redirects would fix this issue in a snap.  Buzz us if you need help Mr. RAGBRAI.

I remembered last year that Lance Armstrong rode part of the RAGBRAI route, and I’d heard he’d be back in 2007 to ride some more.  Based on what I could find on the official site, it seems there will be some special events associated with Lance Armstrong in Spencer and Cedar Falls.  Other than those, I’m not sure what his plans are at this time…so I may need to check with him.  When he gets back to me, I’ll update this post.

Hard to believe that in less than a month, RAGBRAI XXXV will be in the history books.  Then we can scour the net for interesting stories, blog posts, websites, team photos, pictures and much more.  I’m not sure how much “stuff” is for sale surrounding Ragbri, but a quick search of eBay showed 8 items at auction, including a couple of weeklong passes - starting at about $100.  Turns out, those might be a good buy, considering the official Ragbrii website states that all week-long passes and vehicle passes are sold out.  Guess I won’t be riding again this year…need to mark this event on my calendar for 2008, and blow up my tires again.  Who’s up for RAGBRAII XXXVI in 2008?

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