Final ragbrai thoughts part 1?

Today has been a challenge. I have been outside for the last week and have been feeling cooped up, so I went for a ride. You may think that i have lost my mind but I needed to get back in the saddle to see how it felt and it wasn't great. I physically felt fine, although my butt still hurts a little, but it wasn't the same. I found myself riding alone, which almost never happens on ragbrai. I was looking for a place to get some ice cream. It was a lame attempt at trying to continue ragbrai, I know, but I had to try. Not only was I alone but the stop just didn't feel right. While eating my cone I had nobody to talk to about what we had seen along the way.  I don't mind riding alone normally but after last week I got used to having teammates around me to keep me company.

f you haven't experienced ragbrai first hand it is hard to comprehend. I have heard it called a week of excess. Excessive riding, excessive eating and excessive drinking. The riding is such a small part of the week. Mainly you are outside meeting people of all types. Whether it's the 20-something year old girl that has had too much to drink before the riding even started to the wonderful hosts we had along the way that opened their homes to a group of transient bikers with only the promise of a good time, a great meal and a clean house. People are what make ragbrai special.

Another thing that makes last week great is hidden ragbrai gems. In each small town we travel through, and this year there were many towns of 100 or less people, there is a traveling circus of food truck/vendors that set up shop. That's not where you find the gems. You need to go off the main square and find a local establishment. These places make the best stories. Whether it is the local diner that we had an incredible breakfast in, the local pizza/steak joint that served us a great lunch or the convenient store that was part gas station, part repair shop (that probably still has oil on the ground from a model t ford), part hose clamp distributor for all of town that served about a pound of soft serve ice cream for a $1.50. These are the places that you really experience ragbrai and the people of Iowa.

It is a real skill to find these little gems along the route and we are lucky enough to have the king of these gems on team cuisine, Red. Red is a ragbrai veteran of over 20 years and can sniff out a local treat from miles away. I always look for his bike in the towns and if I find it, I find him in the best places around. It's a real gift.

Another amazing part is the different experiences each person will have. While I was eating ice cream and guarding hose clamps with Red, Art and Christine, Tom was down the street in a church basement eating pie and watching 2 teenagers play the Band's "It makes no difference" on the piano. We were all amazed at what we experienced  and we were just a short block away from each other at the time.

I am very lucky to have the chance to ride ragbrai and even more lucky to be part of team cuisine. I wish that I could write all of the great stories from all of the members of team cuisine, and I may still try, but I want them all to know that they are all great and I am already counting down to ragbrai 2017 just a short 357 days away.

I made it to the end

I am proud of myself for 2 reasons today. Not only have I ridden across Iowa for the 5th time, I actually kept the blog going along the whole time. Of course, life on team cuisine makes that all possible.

Saturday was the final day and it was going to be an easy one. 50 miles, not many hills and a totally numb rear end, what could go wrong? Actually, nothing. It was perfect, again.  Today started out with Tom Shea (a long time friend that I can't believe I am mentioning on this trip for the first time just now. Sorry Tom and Erin.) and I racing through the first miles of the day. With perfect weather and just a  few easy to take hills we were moving pretty good. After losing Tom (I need to up my game, sir) I still plowed through the towns with Christine and Art (again, need to up my game) with little stopping knowing that getting off our bikes was in our future.

We arrived at the meeting point with the bus a little later than I had hoped but as it turns out I'm a better plan C or D.  Finally, after a quick change and packing of the gear on the truck/bus and lunch we were on the way home. Despite the 3 hours of sitting we were all just glad that it wasn't on a bike seat any more.

Post-ragbrai blues

Despite all the heat, riding, hills and all other challenges we face, this week always ends too fast. When you are in the ragbrai vortex with no phone service, no news and no tv, the constant, ride, eat sleep, repeat we do for a week adds up to not knowing what day, time of day or what town you're in. It's kind of nice but its hard to come back from when returning to reality.

The bus ride home is much quieter than the ride out. Part of that may be the exhaustion of the week or Red finishing the beer, although that usually livens things up a bit, but for most of us it is realizing this won't happen again for another 51 weeks. While we do see each other when we can during the year, life and geography makes it tough some times but we all know that no matter how much we see each other in the next 51 weeks, when we are "in the one" we start out just where we left off.

I'm going to go out for a bike ride now but it won't be the same.

Another great ragbrai day

Today was about a perfect weather day for riding. 70 degrees and cloud cover. The hills were still there but a little easier to take without the sun beating down on you, although as I write this from my hammock the clouds have gone and the sun is shining.

I rode with more of the DC crew again today and thanks to Art, Tom, Christine and Brian the miles disappeared quickly. They're a great group, as is ALL of team cuisine, and I really enjoy riding with them.

Tonight dinner was cooked by the owner of the restaurant that supplies our cooks for the week, Kurt, and his sous chef, Morgan. Tonight was a green salad, mushroom stuffed pasta, lamb bolignassie, and foccacia bread. It was so delicious I just kept eating. It was a great night to end the week. And to top it off our traveling minstrels, the Spokesmen, had a rollicking great set to end the evening.

Tomorrow is a short 50 miles to the end and while I'm sure glad to be off the bike I don't want this week to end. Such a great group of people!!!

Fooled you!

I bet you thought I was done? Ha! I've now made it farther than ever before on this blog! Hooray for me too bad for you.

First, let's go over yesterday. I went out with my century partner from last year, Lynn. Lynn is from DC and is an original Team Cuisine member so I have to make sure that I "charm" her the most. We made it the full 97.4 miles and I was successful in my search for ice cream and a chance to jump in some sort of water. There was a lake at the stop over town and I joined some other crazy riders for a dip. It was refreshing and probably allowed me to finish the final 40 miles. Despite more hills and the long miles it was an enjoyable day all around. To top that off we went to see Hairball, Iowa's PREMIERE 80's hair metal cover band. And if that wasn't enough I was able to strap my hammock on the covered porch, albeit later than I wanted.

For dinner last night the chefs grilled up some thick top sirloin steaks, green beans,  corn bread (one of the best things I've ever tasted, glazed rolls and some pineapple upside down cake with raspberries and homemade whipped cream. It was exactly what I needed after a big ride.

As for today, despite going to bed late, my annual tradition the night before the short day, I woke up full of pep and ready to ride our "flat" short day of 50 miles. I shoved off before 7 am and just pedaled hard to get done with the day early. The hills were harder than advertised but a ton of fun even when a part fell off of Christine's bike halfway up a big hill, we still made it to the Keg bar and tap in Ottumwa in time to eat some Tombstone pizzas. The bar was filled with Team Cuisine in no time and music and laughter was filling the smoke drenched walls of the towns best dive bar. It was another great ragbrai day.

Dinner tonight was an Asian theme with rudabaga, pineapple salad, more Japanese eggplant, an Asian green salad, sticky rice, szechuan chicken and the rest of the pineapple upside-down cake. Yet another home run.

We were sad to say goodbye to chefs Dan and Beau. They had to leave a day early to return to reality and their real jobs/families. Thanks boys, you made this week a truly memorable one! See you next year, if not sooner.

Tomorrow promises to be another tough hill day for about 70 miles but I hold out hope it will be as fun as the rest of the week has been thanks to my ragbrai family, Team Cuisine.

Some visual perspective

These are the charts from the hills the last few days.

More hills. More fun.

Almost as many hills today but less miles. Didn't ride very hard today to rest up a bit for tomorrow's 100 miler.

Since I'm doing this before dinner because we were done earlier than anticipated I can't tell you what we're having until tomorrow but I heard the words Italian theme and tapas so I imagine it will be incredible as always.

If all goes well I will post again tomorrow especially since I got encouraging word from my wife that she's surprised I'm still doing it but I will be doing the ride tomorrow with my century loop buddy, Lynn. She's tough to catch on the downhills so I may be pretty tired.

The hills are alive.....

....and they can die. Boy today was a rough one. 80 miles and 4000 feet of climb. Relentless is the only word to describe today's hills. Fortunately it was extremely hot so it made it that much harder. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and, hooray, more hills!!

Dinner tonight was a beet salad that was deconstructed, a lettuce/watermelon salad, fried bread and an Iowa hog bred with an Italian boar. It was, as always, exactly what I needed to have enough energy to wash the dishes tonight.

We also had a set of music from our team band, the Spokesmen. After a 2 year hiatus Tom, Jeff and Red entertained us to the best of their abilities and they even played some songs.

I'm still posting so I am holding out hope I will tomorrow too.

Day 1-so far, so good

At least Iowa is flat. I hear that more than anything else when I tell someone I ride across Iowa. Today would prove them wrong and if it didn't tomorrow certainly will.

Despite the hills and the heat I had a very enjoyable day. I met almost everyone from team cuisine along the route and rode with many different people. I even ran into a Casey's Market customer. Mr. Thomas was out being support for his brothers' first ragbrai. It was great to see him and a huge surprise to both of us.

Dinner tonight is corvino and tuna but I'm not sure of the sides or other food so I will let you know tomorrow after we ride almost 80 miles with twice as many hills. I would expect tomorrow's post to be short and riddled with spelling mistakes.

Another year, another week

Team Cuisine has a saying. "We're in the one".  "The one" refers to the one week we are together each year.  It's a tight knit group that functions as a well oiled machine for an entire week. It is impressive to see and even more so to be part of. It's already been a great start to the week and we're still on the bus to the start.

I think this may actually be the year that I finish this week on the blog! I still wouldn't hold your breath but I am going to give it the old college try, which also isn't much of a confidence builder coming from me either, but we'll see.

Tonight is just a unpack and chill kind of night to prepare for tomorrow's ride. Shouldn't be too bad of a day. There's an extra loop we can do on a gravel road tomorrow so I might give that a try for fun.