Out-of-staters enjoy trip through Iowa’s small towns

FAIRFIELD – RAGBRAI is no ordinary bicycle ride. The event draws thrill-seeking cyclists from all over the country who want to test their mettle on a week-long ride where they travel close to 500 miles.

Some folks who traveled from far away for last week’s ride include the Francomb family of David and Therese and their son Liam, who came from Boise, Idaho. They were on RAGBRAI for the first time, and they said it was their first chance to get a taste of Iowa. They had driven through the state many times before but never spent much time here.

“The towns are so cute, and they all have the square in the center, and some have their townhall right in the middle,” Therese said. “It’s kind of European.”

The Francombs have done long bike rides in Colorado and Vermont, but this was Liam’s first long bike ride. When the family stopped to rest in Fairfield on Friday, Liam said his legs were tired from all the pedaling, but that he was holding up.

  Buy Photo

EARLY START

Therese said they try to keep moving in the morning before the sun gets high overhead.

“We’re trying to beat the heat, and that drains your energy,” she said. “We wake up at 5 a.m. and start at 6 a.m. so we can finish as early as possible.”

Therese said they normally arrive in their overnight town at noon.

“We’re some of the first people there. We try to go fast,” she said.

Therese said her highlight of the ride was swimming in Ottumwa’s outdoor wave pool, which was free.

“That was great,” she said. “It felt so good to be in the cool water for a while.”

David said his favorite part of RAGBRAI was eating at the spaghetti dinners that churches host. He said everyone was friendly and welcoming to them, and that it was a great event.

Therese said their family has enjoyed getting to meet so many people, and reconnecting with those people on subsequent stops.

“We talk to the people we camp next to” she said. “At the camping fields, it’s tent, tent, tent. We’re crammed in there like sardines.”

  Buy Photo

VISITORS FROM NEW MEXICO

Another family who came from afar was Greg and Theresa Daviet of Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was their second time on RAGBRAI, their first being last year.

“Everywhere we went to cycling events, people talked about how many RAGBRAIs they’d done, even if we were nowhere near Iowa,” Theresa said. “We thought we’d better get on the bandwagon.”

Greg added that RAGBRAI is well known even in other countries.

“We rode coast to coast in Italy, and people were talking about RAGBRAI there,” Greg said.

Theresa said she and Greg ride in cycling events such as the Tour de Tucson, Tour de Optimism, and the three-day Tour de Zona.

“We’re serious enthusiasts,” Greg said about their love of cycling. He added that he’s been a serious cyclist for the past 15 years, while Theresa has done it steadily for the past four years.

Greg said RAGBRAI is a much bigger bike party than the rides they go on in the Southwest. He said one of his favorite things about RAGBRAI is stopping in Iowa’s small towns.

“This year is a totally different ride to us from last year,” he said. “You can keep coming back and have a fresh experience.”

IN TANDEM

Greg and Theresa ride a tandem bicycle. Earlier in the week when the riders went through Eddyville, another cyclist approached them to say, “Hey tandem, are you looking forward to passing everyone in the hills?”

“We never saw him again,” Theresa said. “He couldn’t keep up with us, even in the flat much less the hills.”

Greg said they like riding a tandem bike because they feel connected, and can chat the whole ride.

“It’s an opportunity for us to grow together while enjoying something we’re both passionate about,” he said.

RAGBRAI is ridden during the hottest week of the year in Iowa, but the Daviets found the weather to be very comfortable this year.

“This was the first morning we didn’t have to wear a coat when we left,” Greg said during their Friday stop in Fairfield. “We’ve left between 6-6:30 a.m. each morning.”

Greg said one of the most notable differences between RAGBRAI and their bike rides back home is the early morning fog.

“Seeing the sun rising through the fog and over the green fields, that’s something we don’t see in the desert,” he said.

Greg and Theresa wear jerseys with their state’s name emblazoned on the front, so other people from New Mexico are always coming up to them to talk.

Greg said one of the highlights of RAGBRAI was trying new foods, like the caramel whiskey-infused bacon-wrapped smoked Twinkies. He also enjoyed getting to meet world-record holder Denise Mueller-Korenek, who set the record for the fastest cyclist when she was clocked at 184 miles per hour, and meeting Olympic silver medalist in cycling Nelson Vails.

“Where else can an over-the-hill farmer ride his bike with these world-class athletes?” Greg said.

  Buy Photo

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com