Ten thousand individuals, from local farmers to California surfers to Manhattan executives, take to farm-lined roads for seven days to ride 450 miles across the deceptively hilly state. In designated over-night towns along the route, local firefighters, boy scouts, and church and civic groups enthusiastically serve up enormous quantities of food, entertainment, and showers for the traveling community of sunburned peddlers. At night, thousands of tents dot the skyline.
This year’s traveling horde faced conditions that could push even the heartiest professional cyclist who denies using performance enhancing drugs to collapse under the shade of the closest tree: extreme heat and humidity. The temperature each day climbed to 92, 94, 95 degrees, and the heat index soared over 100.
Many of us rose at 5 am, packed up our tents, and got on the road by dawn hoping to maximize our riding time outside the solar convection hours of 10 am to 4 pm. Regardless of intentions, each day’s effort became drawn out by the physiological need for hydration, pork chops, naps under a tree, and the constant reapplication of sunscreen.
I rounded up three people to join me on RAGBRAI this year, my friends Cindy and Penny from Nebraska and my partner Michael. Our experience is something we will never forget. It was, simply put, an amazing achievement.
I can chalk up our success in completing the journey to three elements. As you read through, consider how you might apply these basic strategies on your next adventure.
Preparing well. Our group’s decision to participate in the bike ride started with an estimate of our overall fitness. Once convinced that we had a good fitness foundation on which to build, we used the event’s recommended training program to develop our biking endurance and muscle strength. The 15-week program included four rides each week with increasing distances, resulting in 1143 miles logged by the end. We rode in cold rains, wind, and high heat and humidity. We trained on flats and hills, on busy roads and bike paths, and both alone and around other cyclists. We gained the ability to gauge our body’s nutrition needs, learned which gear and clothing worked best for us, and developed helpful communication and safety practices. By developing our skill set and experience over time, most of it came second nature by the time we arrived in Iowa. This meant that we could expend less mental energy on the routine of biking and focus more on the fun aspects of the ride.
Seeking out social, technical, and personal support. The attitude and encouragement of fellow riders on RAGBRAI was phenomenal. Yes, it was unbearably hot. Yes, the hills were relentless. And yet I didn’t run into a single person who uttered a negative word on the trip. Town officials and local groups had also been briefed prior to the event on how to best provide services for the bikers. Offerings such as first aid, water bottle refill stations, high-protein foods, massages, cool water tanks and sprinklers were available both out in the country and in town. Finally, my three friends and I looked after each other and ensured that each of us availed ourselves of food, rest, and shade when appropriate. No one’s needs went unrecognized or unmet.
Living in the moment. The ability to take in the experiences happening around us became a constant diversion and source of pleasure. From the silliness of bikers dressed up like bananas or the uplifting sound of the Star Wars theme blaring from a guy’s bike-mounted speaker, to the spontaneity of diving onto a make-shift 200-foot long water slide on a farmer’s front yard, moments of amusement filled each day. So did the beauty of a gently rolling canopy of corn tassels, my amazement that members of a Lutheran church had baked one thousand pies, and the thrill of flying unchecked down a long, steep hill. Our days were a series of eclectic moments that we fully embraced, shared, and rehashed later.
What is the next big event in your life that will allow you to develop into a stronger person? Do you have an audacious goal? Perhaps you are already in the midst of one. At some point, you may feel caught up in your circumstances and drained of energy. Opportunities that promise achievement and growth inevitably throw difficult challenges at us. When that happens, try the steps above to renew your energy and get the most out of your experience.
