RAGBRAI LII, Day 4
Wed, July 23, 2025, Forest City to Iowa Falls, Iowa (71 miles, 1124 ft. climb)
I had mixed feelings about Day 4. On one hand, many veterans consider it one of the hardest days in recent memory, with relentless headwinds from the south as we headed mostly south all day. And to top it off, the heat index was 105 degrees. RAGBRAI issued warnings and had extra sag wagons ready to rescue people who couldn’t continue.
On the other hand, I was finally feeling NORMAL! So that is a huge win for me.
To beat the heat and the headwinds, I was biking at 5:08 am this morning, using my tail light and super bright headlamp. My favorite part of RAGBRAI is watching the sun come up over the corn fields as bikers silently whiz by.
I made good progress through Ventura, Meservey, Alexandar, and Latimer. But then I started slowing down fighting the vicious headwinds. I think I could only muster 9-10 mph on my own. Then Christopher Thielen showed up! I was able to draft off of him and we cruised along at 13-14 mph until we hit Beekman’s.
My personal policy is to never pass up Beekman’s. They make their own ice cream on the spot, using vintage John Deere tractor engines. Not only is it delicious ice cream, and a needed energy boost, but the clever folks at Beekman’s know to always have chairs set up in the shade. And they give away free sunscreen!
While we were still enjoying our ice cream, Tom Hotle showed up. He is even more of a beast than Thielen, so we drafted off of him after leaving Beekman’s. That guy was riding 15-16 mph UPHILL against hellacious headwinds!
It was great to knock off so many miles in that peloton, but I knew I didn’t want to ride the final 20 miles without stopping, as there were no towns in that last segment. So I left the line when I saw the Iowa beer tent. I didn’t have any beer, but I did lie down in the shade to catch my breath. Even drafting off of Tom Hotle pushes me to my limit.
I’m glad I stopped, though, because not long after the Iowa Beer Tent I saw a perfect photo op: Giant windmills right next to the road! I had regretted missing that chance this morning, so this time, being alone, I pulled out my drone and got some spectacular shots of the huge fans with bikers going by.
Later on, I also got to stop at an ostrich farm, where I had ostrich jerky for the first time in my life. Biking fast is fun, but I also enjoy visiting interesting places.
I eventually made it to Iowa Falls and still had plenty of time to set up my tent and look around town before my visitors came. Yes, two people drove an hour just to have dinner with me on the grass! Lynn and Teri Trask, the dad and stepmom of my new daughter-in-law, Cadi, drove from Cedar Falls to Iowa Falls to get a personal tour of the Pork Belly Ventures campsite. PBV essentially creates a small town of 1500 people every day in a different location.
It was really great to catch up with them. I hadn’t seen them since they hosted me for a night in Phoenix as I was biking from San Diego to El Paso last March.
I will sleep well tonight, knowing that tomorrow, Day 5, we will have a TAILWIND all day into Cedar Falls!
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TRANSLATIONS/BACKGROUND: “RAGBRAI” = Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, the world’s oldest, longest, and largest recreational bicycle ride. Started in 1973, it now averages about 20,000 riders per year from all 50 states and 20 countries who ride from the Missouri River on the west coast of Iowa to the Mississippi River on the east coast, usually 420-500 miles, over seven days.
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LINKS:
Old-fashioned BLOG if you have friends who don’t use Facebook:
“Old Scouter” Facebook page if you want to follow big adventures with more pictures and video clips (but not unrelated personal posts):
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066334039590
“Old Scouter” YouTube page (when I get time to edit after the trip):