7/31/2010 - RAGBRAI Manchester to Dubuque

RAGBRAI #38
Day 7
Manchester to Dubuque, Iowa
Miles: 51.0
Max Speed: 45.6
Average Speed: 11.7

Total for 7 days: 477.4 miles.


(1) Above left: Last day of RAGBRAI, emotions run from happy to sad. Happy to give the butt a rest and sad that the bike trip is soon to be over. (2) Above right: The guy in the middle was wearing a helmet that had a battery operated bird on it that was flapping its wings.


(3) Above left: Got kids? That didn't stop this family. This bicycle setup had two adults in front, two kids pedaling behind, while towing a trailer with one too young to pedal. This is a feat considering it is the heat of summer in Iowa. (4) Above right: Again, food was pretty good. This piece of meat was twice the size of the buns.


(5) Above left: Signs frequently alerted riders to things waiting for them in the next town. (6) Above right: We went off route a little to visit the place where they made the movie called, Field of Dreams.


(7) Above left: There were rumors the whole week of a good hill on this route and today we met with "Potter's Hill." They said over two thirds of the RAGBRAI riders ended up walking part of the way up this hill. It was tough. (8) Above right: A unicyclist rode the entire way across Iowa. His rig was set up with pedal clips and a brake for hills like this. I just can't imagine being clipped into the pedals of a unicycle.


(9) Above left: Rolling into Dubuque and the end of RAGBRAI draws near. (10) Above right: Getting close to the Port of Dubuque.


(11) Above left: We made it! RAGBRAI #38 completed safely. Tough but memorable. (12) Above right: The ceremonial dipping of the tire into the Mississippi River which completes the trip. The lines moved slow but steady. There were volunteers taking photos for the bicyclists.


(13) Above left: Been there, Done it, Wrote about it, and got the T-Shirt. That is me, my brother and cousin (Left to Right). (14) Above right: Back to riding in traffic to get to where we parked the cars. Many groups in RAGBRAI had unique identities so people of the same group could find each other. It doesn't take long to get separated from a group, even a small group when you are riding in such a massive group like RAGBRAI. Hats or Jerseys that stand out help so when you are on your cell phone saying where you are, they can see you or you can see them.