Tens of thousands of RAGBRAI riders entered Fairfield Friday morning, July 26, which was that day's meet-up town between Ottumwa and Mt. Pleasant. (Andy Hallman/The Union)

FAIRFIELD – The city of Fairfield was turned into a cyclist’s paradise for one day on Friday, July 26, as 20,000 RAGBRAI riders descended on the town.

The riders began their morning in Ottumwa, and stopped briefly in Eldon before coming to Fairfield to grab lunch, dance to live music, and rest their legs before hitting the road again and traveling to Brighton, Wayland, Trenton and eventually to their next overnight stop in Mt. Pleasant.

Mt. Pleasant resident Holly Frary was on her maiden voyage of RAGBRAI, and has been training for this moment since February. In the previous five months, Frary logged 1,200 miles on her bicycle to get in shape.

“I’ve cycled for many years, but never had the opportunity to take an entire week to ride,” she said. “This is the first opportunity I’ve had to ride the entire week, so I jumped.”

Frary said the highlight of the ride so far has been an increased appreciation for her home.

“I didn’t know that I could love Iowa and be more proud of this state, but RAGBRAI has proved me wrong,” she said. “The overall hospitality of the towns and the riders. I’ve met people from all over the world this week. When you’re riding with 20,000-30,000 people every day, you have that one common thread. You’re all here for the same passion, the same reason, and that’s really cool to me.”

Frary said most riders assumed that the most grueling day of the week would be Day 3 from Atlantic to Winterset because it would be so long (82 miles, the second longest day) and the day with the most feet of climb at 4,519, when no other day had more than 3,200 feet. However, Frary said it was actually the following day, from Winterset to Knoxville, that really wore her down.

“We rode about 160 miles in two days with 8,000 feet of elevation, so that last 10-15 miles of Wednesday’s ride was really mental for me,” she said. “It got really hot, and I was starting to feel some fatigue. But there were a ton of farmhouse stands with pickle juice, electrolytes and lemonade. There are tents and tables set up the entire route to fuel us as we go.”

Frary said the beauty of RAGBRAI is that each rider can go at their own pace.

Lots of riders wear eye-catching clothing that helps them stand out from the crowd, like Washington, D.C. resident Eddie Senn, whose outfit featured a spiked red mohawk on his helmet, and knee-high red and white striped socks. Senn said the mohawk helps his teammates identify him in a large crowd, which is important in a sea of over 20,000 people.

Senn said he is from South Carolina but came to Iowa to attend Grinnell College, where he later served as a member of its board of trustees. He’s a RAGBRAI regular, having now ridden on it 16 times. He said this year’s ride was pretty hilly and humid. He tries to get going at 6 a.m. to beat the afternoon heat. His favorite thing about the week was eating a piece of apple pie that he bought from the PEO Chapter MB of Fairfield’s booth.

A lot of the RAGBRAI riders wear funny shirts and costumes. Darrell Baetsle of Walford, Iowa, wore a T-shirt with the words “Please Don’t Run Me Over” printed on the back, and on the front the message was printed in reverse so it could be read in a vehicle’s rear-view mirror. Baetsle said the shirt was a gift from his daughter who found it on Raygun, and he felt there was no better occasion to wear it than on RAGBRAI.

Baetsle said his team of five people is called “Team IDK,” for “I Don’t Know,” a joke about non-commitment. Baetsle’s group was doing a partial route, just Friday and Saturday, and mentioned this was the second time he’s done RAGBRAI.

“We take it one town at a time,” he said.

AERON Lifestyle Technology sponsored the main stage, and the company also set up a booth in the Ron Prill Bandstand to test samples of its essential oils. The company also set up a giant misting fan for riders to cool off.

Rider Toni Martinez of Gurnee, Illinois, cooled off in the fan, and mentioned that she was glad the hardest day was behind her, the Tuesday route from Atlantic to Winterset. She said the climb and the heat made it rough, and that she had to slow her pace the next day, spending 13 hours with frequent stops between Winterset and Knoxville. On Friday, she endeavored to get moving bright and early and was on her bike by 5:30 a.m.

Lots of Fairfield individuals and organizations used this occasion to raise money. Maharishi School set up a few tables to sell food and drinks as a fundraiser for school activities. Just outside Petra Park, 9-year-old Meredith Garland set up a lemonade stand to sell to patrons who ventured a block north to listen to music at the secondary stage. Meredith said she was pleased with her sales that day.

Members of the Fairfield RAGBRAI Executive Committee could be seen volunteering in their blue shirts advertising Fairfield’s theme of “Woodstalk.” A few of them even dressed up like they were going to the Woodstock festival in 1969.