Academy of Local Politics

Battling wind, rain and popped tires, our team of Divided We Fail cyclists recently crossed the state of Iowa in a seven-day bike ride known as RAGBRAI - Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa . From July 19 to July 26, our team joined thousands of riders to complete the 472 mile journey, while spreading the word about breaking through partisan gridlock. Champ and the ChampMobile came along for the ride - a major attraction for race participants and spectators alike.

What started as a casual bike ride among friends in 1973 has evolved into the longest, largest and oldest bicycle touring event in the world. RAGBRAI is a really big deal in Iowa, and the entire state gets into spirit. Thousands of people gave up their spare bedrooms and basements to host cyclists, invited strangers in for a meal or simply showed their support along the way.

Everyone seemed to take a break from the hectic pace of the day-to-day routine to make you feel special.- whether it was the legendary Mr. Pork Chop, who served grilled pork chops along the route; assisted living residents, who let us camp out at their facility; or Iowa State University cheerleaders, who came out to cheer us on. The Hawkeye spirit really is something to behold.

Wearing our stylish Divided We Fail jerseys, we were quite the talk of RAGBRAI. Together with Champ and the Champmobile, we were able to talk to people from all walks of life about about health care and life-time financial security and the need to end partisan gridlock.

One of the highlights of our ride was In North Liberty. The Champmobile joined us at a Cajun zydeco concert sponsored by AARP. Hundreds people signed the Divided We Fail pledge, and we passed out stickers to everyone in sight. We were even invited to get on stage to talk about Divided We Fail and throw t-shirts into the audience. The crowd loved it -- and so did we.

RAGBRAI was definitely the experience of a lifetime...maybe we'll see you there next year!

Visit our online community to see more pictures from the week.

I guess the place to start is the beginning.

Before I even arrived in Tipton I spotted a site that I didn't know still existed. Along the highway, in the small communities of Iowa, students gather to be transported to the corn fields to detassle the corn. Technology can't do everything.

Anyway...

I arrived in Tipton shortly before noon on Friday. There was already a large number of tents being set up. All over town, tents were being set up. The riders hadn't even really started to arrive but the housing for this traveling city of 20,000 was being readied. 

One of the first signs I saw read, PORK THIS WAY. A little Iowa humor.

My sister in law was talking with a Priest who was a RAGBRAI veteran, that wasn't riding this year. He said he learned over the years if you see one rider going down into the corn stalks... they were taking a piss. If you saw a couple head for the corn stalks they were going to ...kiss. If you saw three or more riders head into the corn stalks they were going to smoke pot.

There are the riders who take up this challenge as a biking experience. Over seven days can they zig zag across the state of Iowa and survive? Then, there are riders who take up this challenge as a party experience. Over seven days and seven nights can they zig zag across the state of Iowa and survive? It seemed to me the riders were equally divided into these two groups.

They did party hard in Tipton. As they did in North Liberty the night before. In North Liberty there were only six arrests. The North Liberty Police Chief was quoted as saying..."If you got arrested last night, it was because you were too intoxicated for your own safety, or you talked yourself into an arrest.

How well behaved in general is this group of people. Let me tell you.

There were thousands and thousands of people in downtown Tipton.

Yet, despite that fact, this row of flowers lining the sidewalk that was located in the midst of twelve hours of festivities...not one flower was trampled the next morning. Not one!

I had earlier made the estimate of the bikers spending on average $20 each. According to tourism officials, bikers are not known to be big spenders. HA!

This group spent money like a bunch of drunkin' bikers. While there were long, long lines at every food booth and in the beer garden...the longest lines were at the ATM machines. So, my revised economic impact is now... $50 average for the crowd of 20,000. Million bucks into this little  community in one night. Easy. And they didn't even trample the flowers.

The next morning the clean up crews got to work and by noon hardly a trace of RAGBRAI was left.

The citizens of Tipton could start to use their cell phones again. (It was a little tough getting a call through for a few hours with that many people trying to make calls.)

Tipton came through with flying colors. The event happened without any hitches.

I thought many times about attempting to ride across Iowa next year.

I decided I don't have the dedication needed to train.

I can't party for seven nights in a row anymore.

One last day of thoughts on RAGRAI before I head down to Tipton to participate in some festivities.

There was some big trouble yesterday for RAGRAI riders. According to the Des Moines Register...

Scores of RAGBRAI bicyclists had to detour to repair trailers on Wednesday morning after pranksters spread tacks across Story County Road E41 outside Nevada.

Tom Letsche, who owns the Letsche Bike Shop in Cherokee, was running one of the bike trailers stationed in Nevada to provide bike repair services for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

He and his crew starting replacing ruined tires when the first bikers rolled into Nevada about 5:45 a.m.

"We changed 100 easily, and we didn't even do them all," Letsche said, pointing to a pile of inner tubes next to his equipment van.

Local officials cleared the tacks as soon as they learned of the vandalism.

Each tire replacement cost riders $5.

Pranksters? I would hardly call people who spread tacks on the road in front of thousands of bike riders...pranksters. I have many other names I could call those individuals but "pranksters" would not be one of them.

The article continues...

Mike Marino, an editor at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, is riding RAGBRAI and writing for his newspaper. Here's what he wrote Tuesday:

We meet a lot of people from other places here in Iowa. But in RAGBRAI, it's on a much bigger scale. Some of the tales are fun. Moms riding with their tiny tots in tow. Dads with sons and daughters on tandems. People who just started riding but who are trying to make it.

Some aren't so fun.

I met Stu Carter (Lt. Colonel, USAF, retired) today. Stu was riding a tandem with no stoker, meaning no one in the back. Just a helmet and a name. "Sonny Sonnenberg."

I jokingly asked, "Where's your stoker?"

"Heaven," he said.

Lt. Col. Kevin "Sonny" Sonnenberg went down with his F-16 in Iraq last year and died. He was a member of the Air Force Cycling Team and was supposed to ride this year's RAGBRAI. Instead, he's just a name and a helmet, with a wife of 10 months left behind.

I rode with Stu for a while, talking about cycling, about the Air Force team, about where we were from.

I was thinking about Sonny Sonnenberg for much of the rest of the day, mostly about the cyclist who wasn't there to enjoy the camaraderie of this wonderful sport.

There are a lot of heroes in this world. And there are some who aren't here anymore. Sometimes you find more inspiration from the latter.

I will have about 12 hours to mingle with this diverse crowd of riders.

 It should be an interesting time.

 

Tipton is getting ready for RAGBRAI. The banners greeting the riders have been placed. Street closures have been announced. It is two days before the invasion.

Let's run a little numbers here. There is expected to be 20,000 visitors to Tipton for about an 18 hour period from mid day Friday until Saturday morning. Bike riders are not noted to be big spenders on this trip across Iowa. Most of them sleep in a tent or arrange other inexpensive lodging. But, spending $20 a day isn't an unreasonable expectation. That is a $400,000 infusion of new money in a very short period of time! Nothing to sneeze at for a little city of 3200. Experts say that new money like this turns over 5-8 times before it leaves again. That is a $2,000,000 financial impact!

Here is a listing of all the food vendors who will be on the street for the riders. They include Service Clubs, Church groups, School Organizations, etc.

It was a rough start to RAGBRAI. According to John Carlson's blog...

Monday’s wake-up call came mighty early. At 2am weather sirens sounded in Harlen and loud speakers urged campers to head for shelter.  High winds, heavy rain, and possibly hail were bearing down on Harlan.

Just as we had done three years earlier when deadly weather ripped Sheldon, we joined other RAGBRAI campers in the Harlan Middle School. Many brought in their sleeping bags and found refuge in dark hallways.

Fortunately, the brunt of the storm did not hit RAGBRAIVILLE. The all clear sounded at 3:10 and we returned to our tents. A good night’s rest was shot.

Tipton is ready for severe weather also. This took some planning. In addition to the formal severe weather planning, they are also asking residents...

In case of inclement weather, we ask residents to turn on their porch light if you are willing to have people in your homes and basements.

Entertainment? You betcha!

How is this for a lineup?

I think I might have to take in ... (3:00 - 5:00) Hoover Ball Demonstration Location: Court House Lawn

Hoover Ball?

Named after President Herbert Hoover who was from nearby West Branch, where his Presidential Library is located.

It's going to be an interesting day and night in Tipton come Friday.

I am really looking forward to this next weekend. I am going to Tipton, IA. I am not normally this excited about going to Tipton, but this time is a little different. Tipton, population of 3200 will have over 20,000 visitors next Friday night. Ragbrai is coming!

The Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

This year the final night of a 7 day trip across Iowa stops in Tipton. Between the riders and support crews, that large number of people must be fed, entertained, quenched of thirst, made to feel comfortable and bedded down. Quite a feat for a little community of 3200.

The last time this event came through Tipton was 1982. I was there for the last one.

Tipton is the hometown of my wife and I have been traveling to Tipton for close to three decades. I read their weekly newspaper and follow the "happenings" fairly closely.  To observe how they do hosting this event (and I am sure they will do just fine) will be very interesting.

I'll be watching the coordination be all the different law enforcement agencies and other emergency management personnel. Where are all the porta poties located? How smoothly do all the lines move at the food vendors?

And just the people watching!

The Technomonk would have fun with his camera at Ragbrai.