Advice to the first Year Rider-

From Aaron Eilers-

Be sure to do some training before the ride.  Don't expect to be able to do the whole ride if you don't prepare.  Also, when training it would be helpful to find some big hills to ride up.  I failed to do that last year, and I had a lot of problems with the hills during the ride.

Another tip, which seems obvious, is to make sure that your bike is in good condition.  Have it checked out beforehand to bake sure it is in working order.  Also make sure that it is properly adjusted for the rider.  Last
year I didn't realize that my seat was lower than it should have been, and this caused problems for me during the ride.

While riding, be sure to make some stops to see the sights.  You could ride straight through with a minimal number of stops, but I find that a big part of the RAGBRAI experience is in stopping in towns to meet the people there and to visit attractions along the route.  Most of all, I think that you need to be sure to have fun!

I hope that sounds good for some advice.  If you need anything else, be sure to ask.

Aaron

Email Aaron with questions

http://members.home.com/ameilers

AOL IM: AMEilers