RAGBRAI 2016 (LXIV) Table of Contents

RAGBRAI 2016 - full series...RAGBRAI XLIV (how many RAGBRAIs is that so far, Ming?):

• 
  
• RAGBRAI 2016 - Day 0 - Glenwood (-420 miles)
• RAGBRAI - Day 1 - Glenwood to Shenandoah (49.7 miles, 2614 feet of climb)
• RAGBRAI - Day 2 - Shenandoah to Creston 75.2 miles, 3994 feet of climb)
• RAGBRAI - Day 3 - Creston to Leon 58.5 miles, 3318 feet of climb)
• RAGBRAI - Day 4 - Leon to Centerville - 65.1 miles, 2708 feet of climb)
• RAGBRAI - Day 5 - Centerville to Ottumwa - 57.6 miles, 1999 feet of climb)
• RAGBRAI - Day 6 - Ottumwa to Washington - 68.5 miles, 2541 feet of climb)
• RAGBRAI - Day 7 - Washington to Muscatine - (49.7 miles, 1314 feet of climb) - End of Ride (+420)

RAGBRAI Packing: (to be updated in the next day or two with duct tape, phone vs. camera (watch your storage), tent pole kit, $/day [inflation], plastic ties, potentially a black marker, take a picture of the town name despite gps (for now) - e.g. a bit of advice as well...

• Prep 1
• Prep 2

RAGBRAI Prep II

Yesterday, I listed what I kept on me or the bike during the ride.  Today I'm going to list the things that aren't on the bike, but instead packed to be loaded on the truck between towns.  I may update the lists as I think of things.  I know for certain I forgot sunglasses on yesterday's list.  A definite necessity.

• A large bag to hold everything - I have a hockey bag.  I like having wheels.  You might think, "What the hell for?"  But after a day of bicycling, not all the places you pitch your tent are close to the truck.  And the first year when my father and I got to the end of the ride, we picked up our luggage and then had to get about a mile or so out of town to meet up with my wife.  Being able to drag the luggage behind the bike was incredibly useful.
• A pretty piece of fabric.  To attach to the large bag so you can find it in the giant pile dumped out of the semi at the end of each day.  I won't tell you what my piece of fabric looks like.  I don't want you to copy it.  Use the same fabric for your whole team.  Doesn't hurt to find a friend's luggage for them.  One less piece to dig through for yours.
• Tent - strapped to the outside of the bag with bungee cords.  I like my little one man dome tent.  Just make sure it's waterproof and test it before you go (I say this from experience).  My Pa wanted to take a two person tent on the first ride, which allows you to strap a cot or two to the other person's bag if you're going with friends.  But I nixed that.  It's bad enough that you have to get up to the clacking of poles at 5:00-5:30 a.m.  But if all the assorted snoring included snoring in your own tent, that would be unbearable.
• Plastic bags for everything.  They dump your luggage on the ground each day.  Make sure every single item is wrapped in a plastic bag so it stays dry.  Bring an extra one in case one breaks.  And another extra one for dirty clothes.  You don't want those near anything else you own after a day of baking and sweating.
• Sleeping bag - doesn't have to be heavy.  It's hot.  Really hot.
• Pillow - I have a little porta-pillow.  If you can bring something bigger, you should.  The little one pisses you off by the end of the week.
• Air Mattress or pad - get something wide enough that you don't fall off one side.
• Floor pump - strap it to the outside of a bag and make sure it's not your favorite in case it breaks.  Comes in real handy in the morning.  You can get by without one and use your hand pump, CO2, and the pumps available at the rest stops.  But I found the wait to be annoying.
• Deodorant
• Band aid (one or two)
• Baby powder (small container, in case you want to shift it to your bike)
• Socks - at least three pair.  More if you like things to stay fluffy.  No guarantees you'll be able to wash and dry your clothes outside soap and water.
• Detergent/Soap - you can use soap to wash your clothes.  If you get lucky enough to find a machine, you'll want detergent as whoever was there first may have purchased it all.  The first RAGBRAI, when we didn't have an RV, I just took my bar of soap to my clothes when I went in the shower stall each day.  Two bars of soap works better as one may go lost or just wear out by end of week.
• Quarters - few bucks for a machine if you find one.
• Underwear - depends on whether you bring shorts or bike shorts that double as shorts.  I bring a mix.
• Shorts - I wear bike shorts during the ride, but I don't like to walk around in black bike shorts, so after I showered, I had a pair of shorts to change into (two).  Two other days I used my bike shorts that have a more traditional shorts cut.  Then you can forgo the underpants.  They're built in.  Good thing about those is you get into camp, put on the bike shorts which are real shorts, and then the next day your wear them on the ride.  Eliminates a change of clothes and carrying extra dirty clothes to manage.
• Something to wear to bed if you're not a freeballer.  It's hot.  You sweat.  There are thousands of people.  You might want to reconsider the freeballing.
• Flashlight of somesort.  Little lantern if you like to read.
• Batteries for the flashlight.
• Book to read with the flashlight.  You can use your phone, but I prefer a real book.  Don't need much - just one - unless you're really anti-social.
• T-shirts.  One a day, plus one should do it.  I did less.  You can wash them and if you bring cash, there are lots of places to buy a few extra shirts.
• Cap - it gets HOT.  Not a big deal on the bike when you have a helmet.  Big deal in town when you don't.  Particularly if you're bald...ing.
• Shoes/Sandals - I don't wear specialty shoes on the bike.  I gots me some baskets.  I packed sandals so in case I wanted to wear them in town I could.  I wore them a lot.  They cool you off.
• Bike lock - up to you.  I put it here because I took one and then never put it on the bicycle the first year.  Second year I did the same thing.  If you do take one, I recommend something simple like a wire lock you can use to lock up a few bikes if you have friends.
• Brush/comb.  Another item that might belong ON the bike.
• Toothpaste/Brush - collapsing kind works fine.  I kept this on my bicycle most of the time so I could use it after the pancake breakfasts I frequently at the ten mile mark each morning.
• Shaving cream/razor. After shave if you want it.  I've kicked the habit since my accident.  But it doubles as a way to cover up a bit of smelliness if you're trying to wait out the shower line.
• Charger for your phone/camera/whatever - there are places to plug in at some of the stops. If you can find a portable recharger, all the better.  They have solar versions since I last went on RAGBRAI.  If Adam has an iPhone, I can justify the purchase.
• Mosquito repellent.  Not absolutely necessary - but it can definitely come in handy.

RAGBRAI Prep I

This is a series of posts intended to get Adam ready for RAGBRAI.  It won't be complete, but hopefully it'll capture a few things that are useful and get me thinking about what was important in the past.  I'll tag them all RAGBRAI PREP so they're easy to find.

This first one is a repeat from RAGBRAI XXXV in 2007.  Six years ago, really?  Not surprising.  I was trying to get one in under the wire before I turned 40.  Weird to think of 38 as young.

These are the things I carried during the day of the ride.  On me, on my bike, in my pack:

• Update: Remember a cap.  This is mandatory if you're balding like I am.  I had to buy one on both trips.
• Helmet
• Two water bottles - you can probably get by with one, but it is the hottest week of the year and sometimes I'd blow through both my bottles over the course of ten miles.  Once, we missed a town (it was so small we blew past it) and then two bottles became a godsend.
• Rain jacket (take it in and out depending on the weather report)
• Blackberry (phone) - off unless needed.  See the next item - I didn't use my phone as a camera, just chews up too much battery life.
• Camera - extra batteries or a charger.  Enough memory to handle the whole ride.
• Notepad and pen - so you can track what pictures you took if necessary and few amusing notes.
• 30 SPF sun block - later upgraded to 50 SPF
• Money and credit cards
• Maps of where we were going (elevations, populations) - not entirely necessary, there are plenty of people to follow, but it's nice to know how far ahead the next stop is, particularly if you blow a spoke.
• Butt Balm - incredibly useful.  However, I got in the habit of putting it on in the morning and then leaving it in my main pack to get rid of one more thing.  When I did carry it, it was because I was worried my dad hadn't packed any or was out.  Saddle sores are brutal if you get them during the ride.  Took months for them to go away after my second RAGBRAI.
• Spare tube - or patches.  I like to have an extra tube.  Both can't hurt.
• Wet wipes - cleanliness is next to godliness.  And they're good for all sorts of things.
• Hex wrench - make sure it has the size/s you need.  I have a multitool now.  Only one rider needs a tool if it fits both bicycles.
• Pump - I'm not sure which I'll take this next time.  I own both a CO2 driven mini pump and a manual pump.  I tend to take both along as I'm paranoid.
• Toilet Paper (small amount in case places ran out) - wipes are a substitute, obviously. 
• Bike Gloves - I liked having them along, but I didn't always wear them.  I've sort of grown away from them over the years.
• Address for ex-boss' mom as a stopover point - or any other Iowa friends/friends of friends once you know the route.  Most of them like it when you stop to say "hi".
• Tylenol/Advil - lots of it.  Never hurts to pop a few before bed to handle aching muscles.
• Peanuts (some sort of snack) - something emergency that doesn't melt.  I like the Nutrition mix - dried fruit and nuts.
• Razor Knife (used three times during the ride) - surprisingly handy.
• Chain lubricant - you pick up a lot of dirt.
• Spoke wrench - make sure you have the right size.
• SPF 15 Lip Cover - I don't normally get burnt lips. I did during RAGBRAI.  That's a long time in the sun.
• Strap for my pack to carry it (never used) - so don't bring it again.
• Tire Irons (one set between the two of us)
• Sunglasses
• Odometer - it's very useful to know how far away that next town is or, more importantly, if you missed on completely.
• Everything in plastic ziploc bags for rain safety - including a few extra bags in case one wears out.

I wish I had brought:

• an ipod with speakers (they make a way to attach them to your bike) - I disagree with my old self.  I far prefer catching the tunes off other people's speakers, even when it's awful.  It's a source of amusement.
• a kickstand (keeps the dew off your chain and gears - I have a little bit of rust) - interesting.  I disagree with my old self again.  I'd just be careful this time.  Put plastic over the front gears or something.
• a light (blinking, red - for early, overcast mornings - just the back of the bike) - hard to say yea or nay on this one.  But I think yea.  It'd be nice to have it even if you only ever used it once.  No spare batteries necessary.
• 20 less pounds - should be good for that this time. I should be 65 pounds lighter than at the start of my last RAGBRAI.  Makes up for all the gear above.

At certain times, there was also:

• A banana - free food.  Take it.  Keep it.  Eat it.
• A bottle of soda or water - pretty consistently.  One year Hilary Clinton gave me a free bottle of water.  Not personally.  It was nice to have.
• Trash to throw away at the next stop - don't liter Iowa!
• A fossil I found on the side of the road for Eryn (i.e. a big rock)
• Knick knacks from the information booth (beads, spoke clickers, etc) - dump them in your main bag whenever you get the chance.  Clutter is a problem, even if the weight isn't.

I packed pretty heavy simply because I had the extra space in my big bag.  I have the same bag now. I think most people made due with putting SPF on in the morning and packing it in their big bag, and then making space for a camera, spare, tire irons, cell phone and money. My Dad carried most of the above (sans camera) in a somewhat smaller bag with webbing where he could easily tuck a banana.  If you're big on bike jerseys, and I have a number that fit now, you can tuck a banana or snack in the back pocket as some extra space.