The best plan for the event? Get in lots of riding time.
CEDAR RAPIDS — These days, Joe Diaz, 28, is biking about 100 miles a week as he gears up for RAGBRAI, which is about a month away.
Training is essential for the popular statewide bicycle ride that evolved from an idea of two journalists in 1973 into one of Iowa’s signature tourism events. By mid-June, cyclists planning to make the weeklong trek — which this year is about 420 miles from Glenwood to Muscatine — are racking up their training miles.
“The first time I did RAGBRAI, I rode 1,000 miles, which I thought was kind of overkill,” said Diaz, of Cedar Rapids. “But 500 is a little low. I shoot for about 700 miles.”
If cyclists don’t get enough advance time in the saddle, RAGBRAI participants can struggle and they may wind up with a sore rear end, he said.
“If you do 10 miles a day and go on RAGBRAI, you will be hurting,” he said.
The official recommendation from RAGBRAI is to pack in about 1,000 training miles before tackling RAGBRAI, which begins on July 24.
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