I’m Bullish on RAGBRAI

"Which way to the bicycle rodeo?"

I'm doing tomorrow's first part of RAGBRAI Day 6 with my son and daughter. We'll start in Hiawatha and move over to MTV thru the morning. Yes, I'm a glom-on rider. It's OK though. I've done eight full-on east-to-west coast dippers over the years. Wonder if the hardcores will have a problem with me and my lack of tan and hangover.

Back in the day, Team Hacky was the hardest partying team on the ride. I tried to hang with them for the whole week. Wasn't a healthy endeavor, but it was fun. Teams have gotten more sophisticated over the years. One thing we made sure of when biking with Team Hacky was to hydrate properly. Every time we ordered a pitcher of beer, we made sure a pitcher of water arrived at our table at the same time. Small town pubs are hard to get out of on RAGBRAI. When you get back on the bike, that water mixture helps.

Keep your eyes open out there, drivers. Hiawatha today. On to Coralville tomorrow via Springville and MTV. Then, the Saturday finale to the Mighty Mississippi and Davenport.

And keep hydrated, riders. You'll want some energy to kick the hacky along the eastern shorline this weekend.