Rich Ketcham of Ames, a bicycling enthusiast and software guru, has turned his passion and friendships into a side hustle that saves RAGBRAI participants from unnecessary bumps and bruises.
Ketcham was chatting with friends and former RAGBRAI directors T.J. Juskiewicz and Jim "Greenie" Green a few years ago about how the event managers track the road pavement hazards.
"At the time, I had written and managed the software that tracks all of the elevation travel of the ride," Ketcham said. "But when I found out how they tracked the road hazards, I said I think I can step up their game."