RAGBRAI descends on Fairfield

'RAGBRAI is physically challenging but emotionally satisfying.”

Those were the words of Mike Bodaken, uttered after he rolled into Fairfield Thursday on his bike. His comment perfectly captures the experience of riding across the state of Iowa in a week's time. It's a grueling trek, but one made so worthwhile through the sights seen and friendships formed.

Bodaken spent Thursday night at the home of Stephen and Afton Pedrick, who hosted a second rider, Audie Foster. Both Bodaken and Foster grew up in Iowa – Bodaken in Storm Lake and Foster in Spencer – but have since moved to other states. This week has been a homecoming of sorts for the two, and they're both glad to be back in the Midwest.

'You can't pull off to get a drink of water without 500 people asking you as they pass if you need help,” Foster said. 'The people here are so genuine and giving.”

'I never expected RAGBRAI to be like this,” Bodaken said. 'It seems like every eight or 10 miles of the trip, there's a celebration waiting for you. Where else in life do you get that?”

Foster and his family moved to California five years ago, but he was determined to return to his home state to do RAGBRAI at least once. He told his wife he wanted to do it before he turned 50.

'Last fall, I told her, ‘Remember how I want to do RAGBRAI before I turn 50? I'm glad you don't think I'm going to be 50 soon, but this is the year,'” he said.

Several riders The Ledger spoke with mentioned that Wednesday's ride from Indianola to Centerville took the wind from their sails. For many, like Bodaken, the 85-mile journey was the most they had ever ridden in a day.

Extreme cyclists had the option of going even farther that day, adding a 32-mile section called the Karras Loop around Rathbun Lake. Foster did the extra loop, and got a patch for it. By the time he disembarked that night, he had biked 122 miles.

'By the end of the day, I was considering taking my stuff and going home, but I got up [Thursday] morning, felt pretty good, and got back on the road,” he said. 'Now I'm ready to do the last two days.”

Foster said the highlight of the week thus far was seeing Fairfield's steampunk characters and decorations.

'I'd say this town has embraced its theme more so than any other I've been to thus far,” he said.

Stephen and his brother David rode just the Thursday portion of the route from Centerville to Fairfield. David said making the 68-mile trip into town was no big deal for him since he commutes to work every day in Atlanta.

'Nothing hurts too much right now,” he told The Ledger Thursday night. 'I go on 60-mile rides regularly.”

His brother Stephen, on the other hand, 'did not train one lick.”

'I'm a little sore,” Stephen admitted. 'I made David ride my mountain bike, and he was still leaving me in the dust.”

Stephen said the best part of the day was stopping for ice cream just west of Lebanon, which was being made by a group of Amish people with a gas motor. He said it would have fit right in with Fairfield's steampunk theme.

A few young children even rode portions of Thursday's route. Meghan Dowd Robbins rode with two of her children, Audrey Robbins and Liam Robbins, and two of her friend's, Elijah Bar-Shimon and Aviva Bar-Shimon. The two youngest ones, Audrey and Aviva, rode on tag along bikes, which are similar to tandem bicycles except that the trailing rider has a smaller wheel and a lower seat since they're designed for children. But nevertheless, the youngsters are still powering the bike.

Liam and Elijah, both 7 years old, rode their own bicycles. The group started in Douds and made the 16-mile trek into town. Meghan said the two boys just got their bikes this year, and they ride them frequently to Singing Cedars and throughout the Fairfield Loop Trail.

'Even after 16 miles, they wanted to keep going,” Meghan said.

Fairfield resident Suzannah Schindler was kind enough to open her home to four RAGBRAI guests, three riders and a driver. Her guests didn't ask for a bed, just enough floor space to roll out their sleeping bags.

'They were very excited to have laundry,” Schindler said.

Schindler said it was the first time she has hosted riders, an opportunity she learned of about a week before the event. She filled out a form online, and got a notification she had been matched with four people.

'I wanted to welcome people to our community, and I have the space, so I thought, ‘Why not?'” she said. 'If you do the math, there are only 10,000 people in Fairfield and 20,000 people coming through, so everybody's got to step up.”

Schindler's guests said it was so nice to sleep in a home, because earlier in the week they slept in a church nursery and in an elementary school.

'These were complete strangers before, and we spent three hours talking this afternoon,” Schindler said. 'I feel like I know a lot more about RAGBRAI, and it seems much more approachable now. In my mind, it seemed like it would be 100-degree weather, and people would be drunk the entire time. But my guests like to go to bed at 9 p.m. and get moving by 5:30 a.m. the next day.”

Schindler said the experience of hosting riders has made her so enthusiastic about RAGBRAI that she's considering going on it next year.

'The riders gave me the tip that the more northern the route is, the flatter it is,” she said. 'They said this route is one of the hilliest routes.”