Ragbrai- Day 2
Harlan to Greenfield, Iowa
Click here to hear the official "Fly in to Greenfield Song!"
Click on the towns listed in blue for links to those towns
Towns Visited- Elk Horn, Exira, Anita, Fontanelle
71.4 Miles
4301 vertical feet
(could that be a record for vertical feet in a day?)
used by permission from Rich Ketcham and GeoBike
Remember the picture that Steve sent us about the hills on day 2? Here's the same spot as a prelude to our report. Click here.
Before we start with Monday's activities, Sunday evening in Harlan was interesting. There were skydivers almost taking out boss Hawg Larry in our campsite, a biking show downtown, and team clueless with their airbrushed sweatshirts. As a matter of fact, here’s the skydiver preparing his attack on boss hawg just before the fly by grazing!
MONDAY- We leave at 6:30 AM because we know this will be a grueling day. The Harlan Jazz Band greets us at the city limits. They are great and have an animal playing the first trumpet part! Here’s an Aaron shot of us On the Road Again. This isn't too bad, sure the hills are a bit bigger, but we knew that and are ready. We know that most of today is going to be about the history making hills ahead. So far it's ok. Here's our first hill. That wasn't too bad! Thank goodness, this should be a snap. We're already 21 miles into the 70 mile trek and everybody's staying with it and together. We climb up to the Pork Chop man today. What an incentive. All of that smoke is from corn cobs which are in the fire. Now here's a pic from Norm which I think could be the best hill pic of all. The hill's not that huge, but look at what the rest of us missed by not looking back! This was REAL early Monday. There's a typical rural Iowa water tower in the background, making us think often that we were near a town when we weren't. Here's Elk Horn. We stop for breakfast at this Danish delight. The restaurant downtown is normally closed on Mondays but the owner lets the Optimist Club keep it open. It seems the school passed a bond issue for a new gym, but neglected to put anything in the bond issue inside the gym in the way of equipment. Our breakfasts should help with that. Here are the locals, Marvin Anderson and Paul Hansen ringing up the totals. Here is a full size windmillwhich is over 100 years old and operational. It was imported from Denmark. As an ominous note, imagine how much wind must be brewing up there without our knowledge to turn a monstrosity like this. We are so clueless and so confident that we stay in town for 1 and a half hours listening to this polka band, the Four County Players. Meanwhile, the windmill creaks on, spinning faster and faster.Here's a local young lady posing with Tara and Dave in full local costume. Here's team I Wanna posing for a group shot. They have many interesting names. For instance, Team I Wanna-Motor for my bike, Team I wanna- different vacation, a push, a taxi, reconsider...Here's the back view. Here’s Aaron in front of the ever spinning windmill. And here’s an interesting statue of Hans Christian Anderson.Norm and Dick are debating swapping helmets with the guy! Tara, Ruie and Dick are getting ready to climb some more hills. Back on the road, we're still doing pretty well. The hills are now solid, back to back. There is no let up. OHHH MY! This one is straight up the ridge. It goes and goes. People are walking their bikes up the hill and we aren't even 1/3 of the way through. Certainly this is the worst of it.
Here's Exira. They have a sheep shearing exhibition. Here's a man riding an antique boneshaker. When he goes down the hill, he takes his feet off the pedals and they go like crazy. This is totally out of control! Here’s an ever present fixture of Ragbrai- It’s the Corn Woman who sells products that will Energize Your Spirit. I’ll bet she’s getting much business today!
The highway goes East a bit here and the hills are not letting up. Thank goodness the wind is slightly at our back. People are walking, people are waiting for sag wagons. Certainly this torture is almost over. We still have more than half of the trip ahead of us! Not this! The highway turns due South, right in the mouth of the angry 20 MPH wind with much higher gusts. We find that it seems faster going uphill because the wind is blocked. People have stopped saying hi to us when they pass. A woman is cycling in tears on my right. Promises are being made to God. The hills don't stop. Our group cannot stay together any longer. Some are slower and we are helping each other. The folks by the side of the road don't realize that we are here for one thing and one thing only. We want to finish. Here is a picture of us climbing a hill that is only typical. GET US THERE! We are describing the showers and swimming pool in Greenfield. Finally, we crawl into Greenfield. It was my toughest day in cycling. I feel this one was tougher than the famous "Saggy Thursday" of 1995. It was not as hot and the wind wasn't as high, but while the tough part of Saggy Thursday was about 15 miles, this was 70 miles of torture. Only in Ragbrai!
After recovery in town, the Reggae band is in full swing (or actually full Reggae) and the stunt bikers are performing to those who make it to the square.
Links for Monday-
The Iowa Aviation Museum (There's Gotta Be a Better Way Across the State)