Be Fearless.
Ok, this is literally the day after RAGBRAI that I am writing this, so you’re stuck with stories from that. 1. It was hotter and more humid than I ever remember any day in my entire life ever being. 2. The route - 500+ miles - was full of hills and some gravel and more hills. 3. There were (it feels like) double the riders of years past. IN SPITE OF ALL OF THIS - the memories and friendship and hard work … made the week of pedaling, completely worth it.
So, a week ago Sunday - a group of 45-50 riders of bikes congregated in the backyard of friends, Bob and Kathleen, in Sioux City. Over pizza, beer and chicken wings, we talked about the upcoming week and specifically, how to get out of Sioux City. The next morning, we boarded our bus/van/jeep and with a U-Haul full of bikes, we started the trek - next to the Missouri River.
Over the next few days, we made our way through many small towns, drank whatever (mostly water), ate everything, and made it to our halfway point. In Des Moines - we stayed at our Iowa Weight Loss Clinic (inside - yay) and celebrated our friend and fellow rider that we lost last year, Brandon. The next couple of days were record long and record hot.
The last night in Coralville, Iowa … a massive storm came in and blew a lot of tents away. We were, thank God, inside. It was scary though.
Fearless. I think back on the events and the people … most aren’t athletes. Many rode to celebrate life and lives lost. Many tears of sadness, joy and pain were shed … but we persevered and kept riding. I am honored to call these fellow road warriors, friends. Fearless is a perfect word for this week.
