Great Bicycle Ride Part 3, Day 2

Never too much water

Atlantic, Iowa to Carroll, Iowa; 65.4 Miles; 4,719 feet of uphill.

I set the alarm for this morning 30 minutes later, 5:30 and we were still able to get on the road at 6:15. We had enjoyed the riding yesterday and were looking forward to riding again. I would describe my legs as something between tired and sore. At 62 years old, how hard was it going to be to recover? The second day stared us right in the face. Today’s miles were going to break the record, established only yesterday, for our longest ride.

Steve gave us a biker hint last night. He said when he first pulls into the end town he stops at a convenience store and drinks a bottle of chocolate milk. The milk keeps the tannic acid from building up in the muscles. Jennifer gagged a little at the thought. It sounded like a great idea to me. I love chocolate milk and it has been off my diet for all of 2011.

We started today’s ride by going back down the same hill we pushed up last night. That topped off the bitterness we felt last night as we climbed the hill. For what? An ice cold shower, a shade less tent spot, and a crummy hamburger.

For the last 40 years my day begins with a cup of coffee. As we begin the bike ride, I search the signs for a place to get a cup. It is 14.7 miles to the first town where breakfast will be available. That’s ok, but can I make it that long to coffee. Once on the road, there are signs advertising the places that are serving. 5 miles to Breakfast. 15 miles to Mr. Pork Chop. Water, Gatorade, cookies, watermelon, bagels, bananas, etc. for sale up ahead.

Yesterday we had pancakes for breakfast. Jen thought a breakfast burrito would be a better choice. So we scanned the signs for a burrito. There was a sign for The Farm Boys advertising a breakfast burrito. When we got there, the line was looonnnngggg. We kept going. Besides bike riding and sleeping, more time is spent on Ragbrai standing in line than doing anything else. More than once I heard someone ask, “What is this line for?” Across the street from Farm Boys was a food stand selling brisket sandwiches and fries. There were only three people in line. That made a pretty good breakfast.

Our concern about legs proved to be unfounded. After a few minutes, the kinks were out, the stiffness gone, and we could pedal. The one part of the anatomy that got worse day by day was the back of the lap. We learned to stand on the pedals when going downhill to relieve pressure on the butt. We were wearing two pair of biking pants with padded rears. I began to wonder if a third pair would help.

I ride a little faster than Jen does, especially downhill. Gravity pulls a little harder on me. We tried to find a system that worked for us. If I was in front, I would slow at the tops of hills and let her catch up. If she was in front I had to ride my brakes a little which seemed the wrong thing to do. On this second day, we started letting her get a head start then I would ride til I caught up.

We were using this system when Jennifer passed up Grandma’s Pies advertising fresh fruit pies and ice cream. She just zoomed by without stopping. If I stopped without her she would get so far ahead I would never catch up. To make things worse, she passed Beekman’s homemade ice cream. She could claim she just didn’t see Grandma’s, but there is no way she couldn’t have known Beekman’s was there. You can hear those ice cream makers from a mile away. So we changed the system. No more letting her lead. She thinks a sliced apple with peanut butter on it is enough of a treat that you don’t need pie or ice cream. This ride is only 7 days long. I want to eat as many carbs as I can while I am burning them off.

When the day warmed up, people who have homes along the route would turn their sprinkler on and face it to the road. What a refreshing treat to ride through the spray. Sometimes kids would be standing by the road with their water guns shooting at passing riders. Some towns rigged a waterfall you could ride through as you entered town. I never missed a chance to get wet while riding.

We made a little better time today, mainly because we didn’t take a nap. (and because we passed up pie and ice cream.) The campsite today was before you actually got to town. It was in the yard of a church. The showers were in a semi-truck in the parking lot rigged up for the purpose. The water was warmer than yesterday, or perhaps a better way to say it, it was less cold. Once again though, we were too far from the main event to go in for a meal so we settled for the chicken dinner at the church. At least they had pie and ice cream.

Because the camp was before we got to town, we didn’t get to try the chocolate milk idea. Steve said he didn’t get his chocolate milk either. Maybe we will try that tomorrow but by then the Tannic Acid will probably already be ensconced in our muscles.

Tomorrow is 71 miles. Everyone is talking about a monster hill, “Twister Hill.” It is on tomorrow’s route. Tomorrow is also the day there is an optional 30 mile loop to give riders the opportunity for a 100 mile ride. If you look at these towns on a map you will see that so far we have been riding mostly north. Tomorrow we turn east.

Sign of the day: on a hillside as we left Atlantic, “We are not a one night stand, please visit again.”