No doubt your weekend was less ambitious and strenuous than the
Saturday spent by the steel-legged bicyclists who sped across Iowa
within a day — essentially seven days of RAGBRAI (The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) crammed into one.
The third annual RAID (Ride Across Iowa in a Day) was a 300-mile trek across U.S. Highway 92 from Council Bluffs to Muscatine.
Four bicyclists finished the entire route, while another four chose a
half-day option (stopping or starting at Pleasantville). (See more on RAID’s Facebook page.)
Mark Linser of Marshalltown crossed the state in 18 hours and 24 minutes for the second-best time — 17 hours and 29 minutes of it with his butt on the bike seat. So he spent less than an hour on the roadside to rest, change clothes and replenish food.
“It was an epic ride,” he said. “I thought it was incredible.”
Keep in mind that part of the epic nature of the trek included a
storm cloud that chased riders with about 200 miles worth of rain.
But Linser, 57, a drafter-designer in the nuclear division for
Fisher/Emerson in Marshalltown, came prepared for his second RAID.
He’s bicycled more than 3,600 miles this year.
Read More