Survivin' the Ride in Cedar Rapids

I can't tell you how good it feels to be home after today's 85 miler from Marshalltown to Cedar Rapids.

Bill Martin '68 opened his home to the team after severe storms rolled through Marshalltown about the time most of us head for bed. The morning brought cooler temps (there's more than 10 degrees difference between 92 and 102!) and favorable winds for the longest day of the week (century riders excepted).

Perhaps due to the conditions, I thought today's ride was the most scenic of the five. My favored 25-mile stretch from Vinton to Cedar Rapids did not disappoint.

Upon arrival we were welcomed by a crew from Coe College, which also hosted a few of our riders and made the campus available for tent campers.

Showered, shaved and stuffed with Chinese take-out, it's time to head downtown for the 40th anniversary festivities and Counting Crows concert. Tomorrow's 42-miler to Anamosa affords a good opportunity for rest, relaxation and a much slower pace.

Hump Day to Marshalltown

The heat continued to take its toll on the 77+ mile ride to Marshalltown. Along the way we crossed Interstate 35, the symbolic east-west Iowa dividing line.

Several CoeBRAI riders sagged for all or part of the day in the sweltering heat. There's no shame in that given reports that a third of all registered RAGBRAI riders opted out of Tuesday's leg.

While Wednesday's conditions were arguably better, the issue became lack of recovery time on back-to-back 80 mile days.

Thursday brings another, but highs in the low 90s will be a welcome change. Wind from the northwest promises a smooth 30-mile cruise from Vinton to Cedar Rapids, one of my favorite rides when conditions are favorable.

The iPod will be playing Counting Crows all day in anticipation of Thursday's show and a night at home. Get ready, Cedar Rapids. Company's coming!

Day 3 to Webster City

81-miles to Webster City wasn't nearly enough for a dozen of the more masochistic among us. On a day when wind overshadowed the heat, 12 CoeBRAI riders traversed the Des Moines River valley not once like the rest of us but thrice on the optional Karras Loop. They each got a patch for their efforts.

On the other end of the spectrum, our good friend Roger Bear's ride came to an end when his derailer snapped, breaking the carbon fiber frame in the process. Not the kind of thing bike shops along the route are equipped to repair.

Ron VanHoeck was interviewed by Cedar Rapids television station KGAN for a story on RAGBRAI. Hope to see it after we return.

Me? I was pleased to come upon Farm Boys when there was no line and quickly downed a breakfast burrito. Here's a photo.

An eventful day all around for Team CoeBRAI. Here's hoping for tailwinds on tomorrow's 77-mile journey to Marshalltown.