Doak and Dominick: Veterans weigh in on whether RAGBRAI has changed

Thu August 04 2005
Posted Aug 4, 2005
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By RICHARD DOAK and ANDIE DOMINICK July 27, 2005 I t didn't feel much like July in Iowa out here on the ride Tuesday. It was downright cold on a bike in the morning and cool all afternoon. A relatively short ride of 62 miles and a tail wind at times gave people plenty of time to look around and stop to enjoy the towns. But it was when we rode by the second dead animal on the road that we started to wonder. No beads or stickers on the first one. Only one string of beads on the second one. Where was Team Road Kill? Where is the fork? Why aren't riders decorating the roadkill? And speaking of that, where are the men with tutus and the man who dresses up like Superman? No one was lining up for a ride on the water slides along the road. Is RAGBRAI getting a little tamer? Brian Morris of Adel said the campgrounds are quieter now. "They shut off the entertainment earlier," he said. His brother Dave Morris of California said he thinks the riders are more mature. Mary Foty of Minnesota isn't seeing the decorative helmets she usually sees. As a member of Team Loon with their loon calls and helmets that look like their favorite bird, she misses them. "The crowd is much older," said Rolf Aronsen of Mason City. "I have nephews . . . neither one own bikes," he said. He and his wife, Julie, are riding a recumbent with a canopy over it to shelter them from sun and rain. He's ridden since 1982 and thinks the crowd is "much calmer." Carter LeBeau of Davenport, who has ridden every RAGBRAI from the beginning, agreed that the ride seems a little more sedate than it used to. He surmised that cycling clubs might be sending fewer riders now, so there are relatively more families and small groups among the cyclists. But the ride is still going strong. "There's a lot of competition for things to do in the summer," said Julie. "RAGBRAI is good for the state of Iowa. I hope it goes on forever." So do we, Julie. Gerry McAndrew of Omaha was in a great mood Tuesday afternoon. "It's great to see so many people who love bikes," he said. This is his first RAGBRAI, and he said he's always liked Iowa. He made a point to criticize the jabs Nebraskans make at Iowans. You know, Iowa stands for 'Idiots Out Wandering Around,' " he said. But then he told us about BRAN, the Bike Ride Across Nebraska. McAndrew has ridden it twice and stretches can be long between towns. He said only about 600 people can do it. Nebraska's little ride ain't no RAGBRAI, now is it? John Hill of Toddville is pedaling his 29th RAGBRAI this year. The bike bands from years of rides are attached to his bike bag. "RAGBRAI gets better every year. Maybe I'm just getting old. An old man who likes to run with the kids. I can't keep up with them, their bicycles or their beverages." But he did think the crowd was getting older and attributed it to kids not riding bikes anymore. But Hill shared an even more telling story about this great ride. On one of his first RAGBRAIs, former host Chuck Offenburger gave him a tube to change a flat tire. When Hill tried to pay him, Offenburger asked him to "help someone else down the road." That's Iowa. That's RAGBRAI. Continuing RAGBRAI's ethnic tour, Ringsted flew its Danish flags Tuesday, and citizens dressed up in traditional costumes. Fare at the Legion Hall included Danish pastries kringla, abelskivers and weinerbrod. Dale Jensen was welcoming riders to town while his wife, Marjorie, posed for photos in an authentic Norwegian dress (she married a Dane). Jensen explained that Danes settled Ringsted while Germans settled Fenton 10 miles away. Do the Danes and Germans get along? "Oh, sure," he said. "We're all intermarried now."