RAGBRAI for beginners

[Satori78]

I'm seeking out a little advice as a fairly new rider with a crazy bug to do RAGBRAI. I've lived in Iowa all my life and never done RAGBRAI, but have always known what is was, even before I got interested in riding. Now, I've got several fitness goals set for myself, including fairly substantial weight loss (100lb roughly) and being able to do a 25 mile ride, that I hope to accomplish over the next year (I've just turned 30 and decided to make some changes). I also have started thinking ahead to things I want to accomplish before I turn 40 and doing RAGBRAI at LEAST one time is on the list. So my question is, what kind of training advice can you give to someone new to the whole bike thing? What kind of training rides should I be looking at to truly be able to complete RAGBRAI and enjoy it at the same time? Thanks in advance, I know what ever advice I get it will be great!

[DebTX]

Looking forward to hearing the advice you get - I need it too.

A fellow newbie here who started riding last year at age 46. I trained for a 46 mile charity ride last year and then didn't ride all winter (big mistake!) so this year it felt like starting over (I also got a new bike). Last weekend I finished a 20 mile ride on both Sat and Sun but my cadence and speed are slow. It'll take the rest of August and Sept to build back up I guess. I did buy a trainer, so I can "ride indoors" next winter on my old bike. I too took a bunch of weight off last year, and I'm not a natural athlete - so this is a stretch for me.

But I love the challenge of the bike, and would love to do Ragbrai!

Hope we both make it

[amy]

I think I would just say ride and ride and ride right now. Absolutely keep the longterm goal, but ride because it's fun. After 50 or 75 miles is easy, think about how to actually train for the biggie.

[wolfak]

The official RAGBRAI website has some training tips on it.

[gingerale]

You know, I actually did 4 days of RAGBRAI this year for the first time. My parents did it the year before and talked me into going with them and doing it this year. I didn't even start riding (and I'm about 30 lbs overweight) until the end of April of this year. I'd never done more than 16 miles at one time, and no hills (mostly because where I live there aren't any readily available).

I completed 4 full days. But this year's route was very hilly which made it much more challenging for me. I plan on doing it again next year and here's how I'll train differently:

1. Longer rides. While I did complete one day totalling 77 miles, I thought my butt might actually fall off! UGH! The only thing that got me through that long day was pure d stubborness and determination. So for the few months leading up to RAGBRAI 2009 I will make sure I do some 30-40 mile rides each week.

2. Hills, hills, hills! While the terrain for the course the year before was generally flat (according to my parents), this year was not. But I will definitely be more prepared this next time. I found a place within about 30 miles of where I live now that has some decent hills. Nothing like what we did on the route this summer, but things I can work with. So some hill training is a must, in my opinion.

Other than that, riding RAGBRAI can be broken down into town to town rides. When you need a rest, stop at the next town, eat and drink up, rest, whatever you need to do. I think the most separation we had one day between towns was about 20 miles (I may be wrong on that but I'm thinking it's pretty close). Some rides between towns were as little as 6. So it is really nice to at least know you're never far from a good rest stop (not to mention all of the little places between towns selling food and drinks).

Good luck with it all. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Even though I wasn't completely prepared, I enjoyed myself immensely.

[Reesha]

I think RAGBRAI is on the short list for 2010 for me. I'll be coaching my high school cycling team both fall and spring and I'll have to buckle down and get a trainer during the winter. My problem is finding it in me to do long rides on the weekend after bike commuting to school and riding with the team all week long.

I also need someone to go with me!

has anyone ever done it alone? I figure it wouldn't really be alone, as you'd make friends all along the way... but still... seems like something you'd do with a friend, significant other, or family member!

[Jiffer]

I would find some shorter events to train for. A half or metric century. Then move onto a century and do a few of those. Then maybe look for a two day event and start working on back to back riding. Eventually you'll know when you are ready to accomplish your big goal.

The more you ride, the stronger you'll get. I just did my first back to back ride of 75 miles each day. I really didn't know how I'd do the second day and was a little nervous about it. I ended up doing just fine and was so proud of myself. I didn't even train specifically for this event and didn't know until a week before that I was going to do it, but had been riding a LOT this year, so my body was ready.

Congrats on the new you! Have fun accomplishing your goals ... and have fun on the journey as well.

[indysteel]

For the time being, just gradually increase your mileage, both per ride and per week. In terms of RAGBRAI, start doing long back-to-back rides.

There's no one "right" way to do a tour. Some really like to take it slowly, stopping at each rest stop or town, having a leisurely lunch. Some like to push their pace. I've done it both ways and probably prefer a happy medium between the two. I'd at least like to be in good enough shape to ride hard any given day so, for me, that means some fairly high mileage weeks (175 plus miles) and some long back-to-back rides. Plus, I'd do some hill work depending on the terrain. If wind is a potential issue, I'd train for that, too.

If it gives you any hope, I did a week long tour my first full year of cycling. It's a doable goal and a lot of fun. Good luck!

[Reesha]

Well there are definite weeks where I'm doing 40-50 miles each day between commuting to school and then riding with my team after school. There's breaks in between the rides though so I'm not sure it counts! 12 miles in the morning for instance, then 25 at 3 pm then another 12 once we're done with the 25.

Truth be told I haven't done anything over 35 miles in a single shot since I moved here. Haven't found a good long distance riding group yet. I guess when cycling isn't the ONLY scene in town it's a little harder to break into

[millefolia]

I was glad to see this thread--I've been thinking lately that I'd like to do RAGBRAI someday too. I don't live in Iowa anymore, but I grew up there and so it was always the big cycling event every year--only I wasn't big into cycling then.

[Ann G]

I did my first RAGBRAI at age 52. Like you, I'm from Iowa, and I read about RAGBRAI all my life, and always thought, hmm, someday. Seven years ago (does that work out right?) the town where I lived was a host community, and I hosted a friend and his buddies. I made lasagna for them, opened a bottle of good merlot, and we had a great time. The next morning I joined the late risers and rode my old 10-speed for about 8 miles along the route. The late risers, by the way, tend to have the goofiest things on their helmets, and add other things to their jerseys, like feather boas, etc. I loved the humor aspect of the whole thing. About at the point where I needed to turn around and go back to my real life, I stopped at a farmyard where a nearby church was serving breakfast. Okay, the weather was perfect, the smell of pancakes, coffee, and sausage was in the air, and I sat at a picnic table and pretended I wasn't going to turn around.

I had heard that recumbents are more comfortable, so I did some research and bought one, and put on several miles for the rest of that summer. Around Thanksgiving I decided to get serious about it, and started being more careful about what I ate. (My weight at the time was 169 pounds.) The charter service that operates out of the town where I lived requires everyone to send in their first payment in February, so I held my breath and wrote out a check, knowing that I still had a lot of weight I needed to lose. I lifted weights, and that winter I walked like I was the one who invented walking. That year was a southern route, with plenty of hills. By the time RAGBRAI started, I had lost 35 pounds. That spring and summer, I rode 900 training miles before starting RAGBRAI. Climbing on a recumbent has its challenges, and I wouldn't say it was easy, but I only walked up one hill that year. It was work but by the end of the week, I found myself thinking, "Oh darn, only one more day left."

I've done the last 6 RAGBRAIs. I'm 58 years old now, and I'm signed up for this year's RAGBRAI. It's another southern route, and I wish I could say that I kept all that weight off. Some of it came back, but I think that getting ready for RAGBRAI forces me to get into better shape than I would otherwise. I'll probably lose a few pounds in the next few weeks, and if I have to walk a hill or two, I'll do that. RAGBRAI is a ride, not a race, and nobody cares how long it takes to get to the host town.

By the way, one of those years I saw John and Ann Karras sitting on a park bench in one of the pass-through towns. I had a disposable camera was in my bike bag, so I dashed back to the bike, grabbed the camera, and asked him for permission to take his picture. He was very gracious about it. So, I took a couple of pictures of John, Ann, and a woman on the other side of the bench. Afterward, she turned to him and asked if he was famous. I thought to myself, hell yes, but didn't wait around to explain. Maybe he did.

[Ann G]

Oh, right, I was supposed to offer advice. I got lost in telling about my experience in my previous post. Conventional wisdom is that you should do a minimum of 500 miles ahead of time before RAGBRAI. Others claim that more is better, and I don't think that there is universal agreement about it. My training miles have ranged from 500-900, and I've been fine. 28-34 miles per day is a typical training ride for me. It would help to ride with a group at least for some training, because RAGBRAI is not a solitary experience. If that doesn't work out for you, however, don't sweat it. I don't have a riding partner, so most of my training rides are alone. The biggest thing about riding in a group is that you need to be predictable. You need to ride in a straight line, don't weave, and signal your intentions. Call out what you plan on doing, and point.

The weight of the rider is the biggest factor in climbing hills, so losing some pounds will make RAGBRAI easier. However, there are plenty of riders carrying extra pounds along, and they all manage to do it. You can too.

Northern and central routes are easier, but every year involes some significant climbs. I think they need to prove to everyone that Iowa isn't flat when they plan the routes.

It's possible to do just a day or two, if you're unsure about tackling the whole thing. But do it. RAGBRAI is weirdly fun. People sit in lawn chairs in front of their houses and shout out welcomes and ask where you're from. Some very nice people aim sprinklers onto the road on hot days. Kids stand on the curbs and high-five you as you ride into town. You're treated like you're part of a liberating army. It is just addictive, and kept me coming back.

[millefolia]

Ann G, thanks for the story and the advice!