6 Days and Counting

In less than 6 days I will begin my big adventure. I will join 10,000 other bicyclists in a 1-week ride across Iowa called RAGBRAI. Right now I am making a list and checking it twice, writing down all the things I think I will need for a week in the cornfields, and getting everything ready to pack in my duffel bag.

Last week my participants package arrived in the mail. It contained the booklet with all the official information about the ride, my wrist band, my bike's "wrist band", tag for the bike, baggage tag, coupon for my patch, and a few other important items. Opening this packet was a reality check: I'm really doing this ride.

We start Sunday July 24 in the town of Glenwood, and we end on Saturday July 30 in Davenport. The 7 day ride will cover 450 miles and visit all sorts of small Iowa towns along the way.

I am currently planning on updating this blog every evening from the ride, provided I can get 3G service and assuming I haven't expired from exhaustion. I will also have a live tracking website running so that you can follow my progress across the state. More news about that later this week.

I am both excited and apprehensive. Now, back to packing.