Help for my sister in Iowa!

[Susan126]

Hi,

My sister bought a bike. After listening to me for years about how much I love to ride and listening to me tell her about all the rides I've done . . . she finally went for it and bought herself a bike. BUT she said her butt hurts, her hands hurt, she feels like her legs are too long and scrunched up . . . I told her she needs someone to give her a good bike fit and adjustment! I need recommendations for a good bike shop or bike fitter in the Burlington, Iowa area please! My sister needs help. I only wish I lived closer. My hubby is an excellent bike fitter and mechanic! Plus, in my area there are so many good fitters and shops. Please help me help my sister so that she will not get discouraged and stop cycling. She even told me . . . LOL . . . that she would like to do that ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI) some year with me!

Thanks so much,

Sue

[CorsairMac]

http://www.bikeiowa.com/asp/links/Links.asp?Link_Type=8

I don't live in Iowa but I just did a search on bike shops in that area and came up with this link. It looks like a great place to start, even looks like there's a bike club there. She could always talk to them about where they go for their bike needs. Hope this helps.

[Susan126]

Thanks CorsairMac, I really appreciate your help and that you did a search too. It never crossed my mind to search. I will send the information on to my sister.

Again . . . thank you from me and my little sis!

[Veronica]

I was thinking you and your hubby could go visit her... Oh we're just passing thorugh... let me help you with your bike.

V.

[tulip]

What about the shop where she bought the bike? Any potential there?

[annie]

Wish I knew of some specific shops in Burlington.......... but I live quite a ways north of there. I DO know that there is a fairly active biking scene there. They sponsor an awesome bike race that goes UP a narrow, winding, twisting road called Snake Alley. There's a club there called Bike Burlington. Maybe she could check into that. If I can discover any more info, I'll post it here.

annie

[betagirl]

Hey Susan

The lottery is for 10,000 riders to my understanding. Some years it fills up, others it remains open up until the day RAGBRAI starts. That's usually an effect of how hard the route is. My first year was really hilly, so it was harder and I don't think they met the 10,000 mark. The next 2 years were relatively flat, so it did fill up. I suspect this year it won't I've never not made it, but I do register with a team. They say that this doesn't matter in your chances of being picked, so who knows what their method is. In all honesty, if you didn't make the lottery you could still do the ride. Getting into the beer gardens and such would be more expensive (they charge less if you have a wristband for the ride). And you supposedly don't get SAG support, but I suspect if you broke down and a SAG guy came, he wouldn't leave you there because you had no wristband!

So yes, I'm in for this year. As for the motel rooms, if the stop over town is big enough to have one then yes you can reserve a room. Like this year we pass pretty close to iowa city, so we're getting a motel room that night. But the rest are spent in campgrounds. It's good if you can hook up with a team to transport your stuff every day, and set up your campsite. Our team has a bus that's rigged with bunks and a shower. It makes it much easier. There are teams who allow new riders to join up with them. Having more riders makes the week's expenses per person lower. You can use the RAGBRAI message boards for that if your sis doesn't know any teams to hook up with. Some are bigger partiers than others, so keep that in mind

Hope that helps. You should definitely do it. This year might be a tough year with all the climb, but maybe next year the route will be flatter.

[Susan126]

Hey BetaGirl,

Wow, 10,000 riders and some years it fills up! Amazing. The first time I heard about the RAGRAI was in this forum. Then my sister mentioned it. It sounds like one big happy partying caravan. Cycling across the state of Iowa and stopping at the end of each day only to enjoy great food and fun! Hubby would love the beer gardens! It sounds like belonging to a team is the way to go too. It must get mighty hot in July on the plains of Iowa. I guess besides building up distance, your sit bones, and hands, you have to build up your tolerance to heat too.

I know I will not be doing it this year, but maybe next year. Hubby has NO interest at all. He said if I want to do it with my sister he would sag us! Of course my sister already lives in the state. But I would have to get my bike and me to Iowa from the Seattle area. The good side, after the ride I can recuperate at my sister’s place in Burlington!

I think my sister and I need to decide if we seriously are going to do it and then start training. I’m not worried about myself. I’ve done multi day and double century rides. I know how to train for them. It’s my sister I am concerned about. She is very new to cycling. But she is the one who keeps bringing up the RAGBRAI. If I lived close by I would help her train for the ride. But I am here in Washington state and she is in Iowa and has no one right now. That’s why I’m hoping she checks out some bike clubs in her area and even check with the local bike shops too. They may be able to hook her up with a club and/or riders. When does the lottery open for next year’s ride?

I hope you take a lot of pictures during this year's RAGRAI BetaGirl! I would love to see them! I think everyone in here would love to see them!

I bet you're getting excited. I noticed the count down on the RADGRAI home page!

81 days, 23 hours, 29 minutes, and 47 seconds left until RAGBRAI XXXIV!

Sue