My biking addiction

I was able to stay off my bike Sunday, occupying my time instead by unloading the camper. But Monday I was ready to go again.

I "only" logged 12 miles, but they were hilly. In prior years, biking was the last thing on my mind after RAGBRAI ended. This year was different, as I didn't even want RAGBRAI to end.

Plus, I was anxious to try out the IPod speaker system Team CoeBRAI bought me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm hoping to ride out to Sutliff Cider soon, but I don't know that this weekend will work. I'm officiating a wedding and participating in Relay For Life, so there may not be time. Soon though.

Also, for anyone interested in a reunion ride, consider joining the Hawkeye Bicycle Association's Swine Trek. Postponed by the flooding until Aug. 30, it offers 25, 50, 75 and 100-mile options. Call me crazy, but I'm planning to go for my first century.

Cue "Bicycle Race" by Queen. Or was it STYX?

A RAGBRAI Love Story

Generally speaking, what happens on RAGBRAI stays on RAGBRAI. That is hardly the case this year for Kevin Ogle, a 1983 Coe graduate from Falls Church, Virginia.

After Northwest Airlines lost one of his bags on his flight to Cedar Rapids, you wouldn't think he would entrust them with his new best friend on the return flight. But there he was Sunday morning, checking in Bo for the flight to his new home.

The family dog -- a rottweiler mix -- died of lymphoma this spring. Kevin, a pastoral counselor, knows all about appropriate grieving processes, so he was in no hurry to get a new dog. But it was "love at first sight" when he met Bo at a Safe Haven of Iowa County booth in Homestead on Thursday.

In addition to biking, Kevin spent the last two days of the ride navigating the considerable logistics of adopting and transporting Bo to Virginia. First there was the online application to complete -- no small task given the spotty Internet reception we've had. He also had to purchase a kennel for transporting Bo -- also a rottweiler mix -- and monitor the weather at each leg of his flight from Cedar Rapids to Minneapolis to Washington, D.C. He looked into renting a car to drive Bo when it looked like temperatures would exceed the 85 degree threshold for flying with animals.

Ultimately, though, Bo was issued a boarding pass and, barring any travel delays, he will soon meet his new family -- Kevin, his wife and sons aged 14 and 10. Kevin keeps hoping to bring his older son with him on RAGBRAI. I'm sure he never imagined bringing a living, breathing piece of RAGBRAI home.

Day 7: Rockin' to the river

RAGBRAI ended on a high note as I rode the final 53 miles to Le Claire with a bike-mounted IPod speaker system, a gift of the wonderful collection of riders who made up Team CoeBRAI. Though I couldn't find my IPod -- turns out it was in the camper all along -- my wife's had a sufficient collection of Tom Petty, ACDC and Green Day to keep me motivated.

The musical accompaniment and tail winds for the first time all week helped me average 15 miles an hour, a personal best. Several of us lingered in Eldridge, where a small army of rubber gloved volunteers made sure the port-o-potties were sanitary.

In Le Claire we dipped our tires in the Mississippi River, gathered for a group photo and loaded up for the return home. Several of us then met at a local Mexican restaurant for dinner, drinks and story-telling.

One of my favorite aspects of RAGBRAI is the strong relationships it fosters and this year was no different. I fully expect many of this year's riders to return again next year. I know I will.