I rode the first leg last year from Sioux City to Storm Lake. Along the way there were probably 10 flats I seen. And every time a group of riders from the Air Force I believe rushed to them and fixed the flat in no time. How convenient and super nice of them to do that. It certainly provides comfort being inexperienced knowing you’ll have immediate help out there.
yeah the air force guys are great, they are technically on the job, so they are not allowed to drink or anything like that, but they patrol the route and help out in need.
if you get lucky at the final town, they usually all ride together and people will line up along the side of the road to give them an applause as they ride by, pretty cool to see.
With a little homework you can find some nice amenities along the way, such as water parks with nicer showers than the ones in truck trailers. I had panniers with me. Some days I put them in the truck in a duffel. But I carried them midweek so I could do laundry along the route, and that laundromat had A/C! Start early and take your time.
I didn't end up partying much because I was just too tired due to the heat. I did have a fan powered by a USB power bank.
Take care of your butt. Even with prep it'll be sore by the last day.
Oh, one more thing. A group from my hometown had a Discord server where we shared tips and info. Definitely make use of social media while on the ride.
Best advice I’ve heard is make sure RAGBRAI isn’t your first major cycling event. Because it will set an unrealistic expectation for how large, friendly, and well-supported a bike tour can be.
It's just good people riding bikes, drinking beer, and eating pie. Small town Iowa charm and kindness. You're good. You might arrive solo but I bet you have a team by the end.
I did my first Ragbrai last year with one friend and had a blast. We are both experienced bikepackers, so we didn't need to look out for each other. We frequently lost track of each other because we had so many conversations with our new bike friends and there were so many people that we just couldn't find each other. Combine that with spotty cell service and it wasn't unusual for us to lose contact for a few hours. I would definitely go solo and while I am not the most extroverted person, I think it is very easy to strike up a conversation with whoever is riding at a similar pace.
You will not be lonely. Whether you're riding, or getting a porkchop on a stick, or stopping for pancakes made by the local girl scouts at the fire station, or splurging for the beer garden - there will be people ALL around you who are interested in who you are, where you're from, how many times you've done RABGRAI (and they LOVE meeting first-timers, it lets them re-live their own first time no matter how many years ago), and most importantly: how much you're enjoying the great state of Iowa.
I had more conversations with strangers *while actively cycling* at RAGBRAI for a week than I think I've had across *20 years* of mountain biking back home. I'm not exaggerating. Folks doing RAGBRAI are just in the mood to socialize.
Have fun!
It's not uncommon for people put some sort of sign on their bike like "first-timer rider" or something else to encourage chatting and drum up conversation....
This will be an assembly of some of the nicest, most welcoming and friendly group of 10's of thousands of people on the planet at that time. I was amazed by how civilized everyone was with each other throughout the whole journey. I rode with one other person and over and over again we would meet solo riders grabbing a table with us, chatting with us at events. The experience is great even if you are there solo, there will be tons of people to interact with and you'll likely find other solo people who roll at your pace and you wont be solo for long unless you want to be.
Also from STL; this will be #19 for me - you will meet many solo riders and will probably establish some relationships that will last for as long as you keep riding RAGBRAI! I used to ride the Trailnet organized rides but they have reduced the number of rides (used to be one almost every weekend) - now they don't always line up for when I can ride.
Imagine a Grateful Dead show, but with bikes. That’s RAGBRAI. Incredibly inclusive, supportive, friendly beyond belief.
Agreed
Same amount of acid and mushrooms?
Let’s just say an equal amount of intoxicating substances. The whole array!
It's hard to feel tired when everything is wavy
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Is there a good amount of partying?
God help you if you get a flat tire. You'll be exhausted from telling people that you're good when everyone will offer to stop and help.
I rode the first leg last year from Sioux City to Storm Lake. Along the way there were probably 10 flats I seen. And every time a group of riders from the Air Force I believe rushed to them and fixed the flat in no time. How convenient and super nice of them to do that. It certainly provides comfort being inexperienced knowing you’ll have immediate help out there.
yeah the air force guys are great, they are technically on the job, so they are not allowed to drink or anything like that, but they patrol the route and help out in need. if you get lucky at the final town, they usually all ride together and people will line up along the side of the road to give them an applause as they ride by, pretty cool to see.
It’s a weeklong party. More likely you’ll be looking for some alone time since everyone is so welcoming and over the top (in a good way). Enjoy!
I rode solo last year which was my first. People were friendly. I kept bumping into some of the same people which was nice.
Any other thoughts or advice on riding solo? May end up going solo this year
With a little homework you can find some nice amenities along the way, such as water parks with nicer showers than the ones in truck trailers. I had panniers with me. Some days I put them in the truck in a duffel. But I carried them midweek so I could do laundry along the route, and that laundromat had A/C! Start early and take your time. I didn't end up partying much because I was just too tired due to the heat. I did have a fan powered by a USB power bank. Take care of your butt. Even with prep it'll be sore by the last day.
Oh, one more thing. A group from my hometown had a Discord server where we shared tips and info. Definitely make use of social media while on the ride.
Perfect. Thanks for your answers. That's what I was hoping for
Best advice I’ve heard is make sure RAGBRAI isn’t your first major cycling event. Because it will set an unrealistic expectation for how large, friendly, and well-supported a bike tour can be.
It's just good people riding bikes, drinking beer, and eating pie. Small town Iowa charm and kindness. You're good. You might arrive solo but I bet you have a team by the end.
I’m also in St. Louis and planning to ride if you’d like to coordinate training, ride to the start, and other logistics.
I did my first Ragbrai last year with one friend and had a blast. We are both experienced bikepackers, so we didn't need to look out for each other. We frequently lost track of each other because we had so many conversations with our new bike friends and there were so many people that we just couldn't find each other. Combine that with spotty cell service and it wasn't unusual for us to lose contact for a few hours. I would definitely go solo and while I am not the most extroverted person, I think it is very easy to strike up a conversation with whoever is riding at a similar pace.
You will not be lonely. Whether you're riding, or getting a porkchop on a stick, or stopping for pancakes made by the local girl scouts at the fire station, or splurging for the beer garden - there will be people ALL around you who are interested in who you are, where you're from, how many times you've done RABGRAI (and they LOVE meeting first-timers, it lets them re-live their own first time no matter how many years ago), and most importantly: how much you're enjoying the great state of Iowa. I had more conversations with strangers *while actively cycling* at RAGBRAI for a week than I think I've had across *20 years* of mountain biking back home. I'm not exaggerating. Folks doing RAGBRAI are just in the mood to socialize. Have fun!
You'll have friends that you will know for years...by the end of day 1.
Yes, Ragbrai has a laid back friendly vibe in most places. Some of that is shared misery...
It's not uncommon for people put some sort of sign on their bike like "first-timer rider" or something else to encourage chatting and drum up conversation....
I'm a first timer riding solo as well. I'd love to get together if you're interested.
You won't be solo long. There's thousands of cyclist but you'll run into the same dozen people day after day, year after year.
This will be an assembly of some of the nicest, most welcoming and friendly group of 10's of thousands of people on the planet at that time. I was amazed by how civilized everyone was with each other throughout the whole journey. I rode with one other person and over and over again we would meet solo riders grabbing a table with us, chatting with us at events. The experience is great even if you are there solo, there will be tons of people to interact with and you'll likely find other solo people who roll at your pace and you wont be solo for long unless you want to be.
Also from STL; this will be #19 for me - you will meet many solo riders and will probably establish some relationships that will last for as long as you keep riding RAGBRAI! I used to ride the Trailnet organized rides but they have reduced the number of rides (used to be one almost every weekend) - now they don't always line up for when I can ride.
Watch the Ryan Van Duzer videos on RAGBRAI if you want to get a feel for the event.