RAGBRAI Day 7 – Pro Spectators
One last RAGBRAI post – because I have to share Steven and Mom’s adventures.
As anyone who’s spectated an endurance event knows – it’s no easy task! You’re up at the same time (or before!) the athlete, you’re hauling their stuff around, you’re taking photos, you’re tracking them, driving or running around to see them, you’re cheering them on… woot woot, let’s hear it for the spectators! Who is/are your pro spectator(s)?
I tried to be somewhat helpful by creating a map for them of our bike route* and the pass-through towns where they could meet us. I was hoping we’d get a chance to go over a potential route for them to take, but we didn’t have the time, so I just advised they stay south of the course, and not try to cross it.
It’s crazy when you look at this map and see how little of Iowa that the course actually goes through! That is why they change it each year.
Steven was really getting in to spectating. You’ve seen the movie, Twister, right? He was likening what their day would be like to that movie. You know, pulling over in a corn field and throwing a map on the car hood to try to figure out where to go, getting passed by the pros (Lance Armstrong’s bus), driving through cornfields… gosh, he was cracking me up. I was happy he was so enthusiastic!
So, my map is above, and I drew this map below to show what actually transpired.
The first item on the agenda was breakfast and coffee, but when they got on the highway and saw bikes on an adjacent road, they decided to take an exit on the off chance they would see us, and they did!
Then the search for coffee/food (and added, bathrooms) was on. They got to the second pass-through town (Lamont) quite a bit before us and had time to get all those things (taken care of). Steven texted me to say where they were right as we were walking by that spot. Happy coincidence!
I said to Steven after the event, “We never got a photo of you with your donut and coffee! How am I supposed to document what you and Mom were up to?!”
Oh wait, the GoPro did. Thanks, GoPro!
At this point, their stories were a bit on the tame side – they didn’t have to park very far away, they helped someone else with directions, etc.
The plan after this was to meet them in Strawberry Point, the third pass-through town. My mom REALLY wanted to Steven to see the big strawberry. Well, if you look at the map, they tried to get there, but it didn’t happen. They had to cross the bike course, and on a gravel road, to see us, then cross back at some point after. I got a text from Steven that we’d see them in pass-through town four, Edgewood, instead.
But Steven and Mom didn’t waste their time trying to get there. They saw the perfect spot to stop and set up the tripod and pose for their Twister photo. Freaking dorks. I love it.
(the actual photo)
This is when Steven told my mom about his brother’s idea for the “Photographer Photographer” book – a book of photographers taking photographs. This has been a family joke for a few years, so I quite often take a photo of Steven taking pictures and send it to Andrew. Mom’s in on it too, now.
When we caught up with them in Edgewood, Steven was waiting outside a gas station while my mom was in line inside to use the bathroom.
When I saw Steven, I could tell something was wrong, so I asked him what was up. “We accidentally drove your car in to a culvert.” Huh? What the hell is a culvert?! Oh… a drain.
“It was just like the movie Twister! Lance Armstrong’s** crew, with the bigger, newer vehicles drove us off the road while trying to get a better parking spot!” Whaaaaaaat? Not really…
“Two of the wheels [front passenger and back driver] were up off the ground. Some cyclists had to help us get out of there. Your mom got a photo of it”
Ha. Ha. Ha ha ha ha ha.
So I went inside to talk to my mom and check out the bathroom line (thanks for capturing this moment, GoPro!). “Mom, you have to show me the photo on your camera of what happened to my car!”
“Steven told you?! I can’t believe he told you!!!”
Dad and I were laughing pretty hard, after we knew they were okay, and the car was too. I can actually see why this happened. My hood is kind of high and sometimes I can’t see things over it. And they were driving straight for this drain in the photo below, thinking there was grass there to park over. Nope. No way to tell coming from the other way!
How nice that the cyclists helped them, right?!
And after all that happened, they still had to walk over a mile to meet us in town. They got A LOT of walking in.
After Edgewood, they headed toward the finish town, Guttenberg. I told Steven before the trip that I thought there would probably be some interesting things for them to stop and take photos of. He was thinking they would have a ton of free time and be kind of bored. Um, not so much. They did stop to take a picture of a cool barn:
and a beautiful church:
They knew they didn’t have much time to stop and take photos at this point, so they were just taking photos from the car. They got a far away shot, then Mom asked Steven “Aren’t you going to drive closer so I can get a picture from a different angle?” then, “Wow, I’m really being a lazy photographer.” Ha ha ha.
And then when they headed over to highway 52 – the highway cyclists were taking from the north to south, and they were taking from the south to north – they hit a standstill.
They both agreed that it was nice to take the time to enjoy the view – usually you are flying so fast down this road you don’t take notice to the detail in the bluffs or how gorgeous the river looks (okay, I always notice that), but they were getting NERVOUS about meeting us on time!
I was updating them periodically about where we were, and I kept getting responses that they were sitting in traffic. It took them an hour to go seven miles. Hey! Maybe that was the only time during the day that our mph pace was higher than theirs. Ha ha. They did put in more miles though – 94 compared to our 70+.
When they got in to town, parking was not hard to find (after they decided on the perfect spot) and they were able to see us finish and join us at the dipping site.
I am sure other stories and conversations will come up in the next few days and I look forward to hearing them. It really extends the fun of the event for me! And it makes me so happy to know they had a good time, too!
Thanks to my (our!) pro spectators! You guys make a good team!
*I had also created a map of the bicycle route with mile markers which none of us thought would be useful so we didn’t print – then on the trip they realized it would be really useful, since I could tell them which mile we were at and they could compare that to where they were. Derrrrr.
**They never saw Lance’s RV. My mom was bummed she didn’t get a photo of it when she saw it the day before!
Themocracy
That is so awesome! It looks like hard work, I’ve never spectated a long race before!
This is great, Kim!!!! I love the map you “drew.” So funny. You and your family always go all in with stuff. Steven and your mom’s Twister photo is inspired. And looks like there was some beautiful scenery as well as that great old barn.
Thats sweet that they put so much effort in. Its such a lift to have someone cheering you on. Funny with the car, hope it was ok! at my last race someone drove did the same thing at the campgrounds except both front wheels went in and they had to get a bunch of people to lift it out because it was wedged.
I think it will be okay! We are going to get it checked out to make sure. Kind of an easy thing to do, lol!
NO WAY! That twister photo! hahahah. I totally cracked up at work when I saw it. Those goofs!
Now he just needs to photoshop a cow flying around in there…
Hee hee hee. I was laughing so hard when they showed me those photos they took 😉 And I asked if I should add a cow! Ha ha, great minds…
So sweet of them to tag along. And awesome job organizing this post–I love the little icons that correspond to areas on the map! You have some mad Photoshop skillz; I should hire you to fix all of my photos. 🙂
Thanks! 🙂
I love photo editing. I wish it was my job sometimes. I would need more skillz though, lol.
I am laughing so hard at the twister pic (which I totally fell for at first) and the car pic! Glad the car’s okay and that your fam had fun spectating!
Hee hee hee! I am happy it looked real enough! 🙂
Hahaha I’ve never had a spectator for a race! My husband has been to a couple of local HMs with me… but he drops me off and goes back to sleep in the truck and I text him when I’m done.
Absolutely love the twister photo! Too funny. They are dedicated spectators. I hope you remembered to turn off the Go-pro during bathroom breaks!
I had a friend do the full RAGBRAI and he of course posted a picture of the ginormous strawberry!
When Todd and I were eating lunch in New Glarus, a couple bikers stopped and we chatted with them. They had done the ride and were back riding on Monday! Crazy bike people. He said they were tapering since the week was so intense. They didn’t want to go from all that daily biking to nothing!
One bathroom break and the GoPro just missed the action 😉
Aww! I wonder if I should have stopped for a pic. Hee hee.
Whoa! They were riding back FROM the event? That is awesome!
Ha, I love your official map graphics. And I”m glad to see you’re getting good use out of your gopro!
that corn is tall! It isn’t soybeans 😉
Love the twister pic!!! Glad your mom and Steven had fun and that is awesome they were able to see you a few times! Glad your car is okay it makes the picture that much funnier 🙂
Of course the twister photo cracked me up!!
Oh and I do love your photos too. And that map you did? How did you make it?
Thanks! I drew it in Photoshop.