RAGBRAI DAY 2 – In search of “an oasis in a sea of corn”

A second day on the road and LMQC’s RAGBRAI blogger, Gabe Leareau, has a little wisdom of his own to share along with the tale of a local politician who loves RAGBRAI so much, he made his own.

by Gabe Lareau

From now on, instead of saying “The light at the end of the tunnel,” I’ll opt for “The water tower at the end of the road.”

On RAGBRAI, when you’re on your bike breathing heavily, sweat dripping, and meaning-of-life-questioning, there’s nothing more energizing than seeing a bulbous water tower with the name of your next town peek out of the trees. That water tower—the marker of an oasis in a sea of corn—guarantees the trademark “Iowa Nice,” endless pie, and a shady spot to lay in.

He loves RAGBRAI so much, he made his own

It was one such spot where I encountered another familiar face from the Quad Cities. Alderman Matt Timion, from Moline’s 4th Ward. To say he loves the RAGBRAI experience every summer is a bit of an understatement.

Moline Alderperson Timion and his riding companion, Jennifer Bellmeyer enjoy RAGBRAI 50.

Timion is such a RAGBRAI enthusiast that, during the pandemic, when the ride was canceled, he and a friend drove down to Farmington, Missouri, and bicycled back to Moline. “We kind of made our own RAGBRAI that year.”

Timion’s training regimen for staying fit for RAGBRAI is year-round. “I ride a stationary bike all the time during the winter,” he said. “Probably 15 to 20 miles a day, 3 or 4 days a week.”

All of that fitness pays off.

This year’s ride is his sixth RAGBRAI. Timion remarked that the route so far – with over 5,000 feet of climbs mind you – is “hilly, but bearable.”

Compared to this first-time rider, Timion is in a whole different gear. “RAGBRAI is my training for a cross-country ride,” he said. “I carry all of my things with me. Did you see the guy with the tea kettle on the side of his bike? Yeah that was me.”

And as if that wasn’t enough, Timion seems to enjoy making the ride even a little more challenging: “I can’t go into air conditioning on RAGBRAI or else I get spoiled. Oh, did I mention I was also riding this year in crocs?”

If it’s not the hills that get you, it’s the heat… and the humidity!

My experience on the road today was in stark contrast to Alderman Timion’s.

My training shortfall reared its head. I didn’t collapse in a heat-exhausted stupor at the end of today’s ride, but it was a tough day.

As soon as we hit the finish line where our camper was parked—a grassy knoll off a Dollar General parking lot in Carroll, Iowa—my body immediately went into rest mode. On RAGBRAI, even if it feels like you’re doing nothing, you are—any time not spent in the saddle is spent preparing your body for the next leg.

Iowa’s topography shed its mercy on the peloton today: we had only about a third as much climbing as we did yesterday. As an additional blessing, we had twenty fewer miles to ride as well.

Unfortunately, tired legs don’t really care for mileage. They just want you to stop; like a tyrant king with his peasants, it is your job as a RAGBRAI rider to silence their pleas.

Meeting RAGBRAI riders and making new friends

While I may have struggled with the terrain and punishing sun, I did find much more success with the true meaning of RAGBRAI: conversation! In addition to coming across Alderman Timion, I’d like to give a special shoutout to Matthew from Raleigh and Addison from Dallas for humoring me with a few miles of conversation.

While all three of us are newbies—or “virgins” as they’re known on the ride—we all seemed to be holding up pretty well considering yesterday’s hills and today’s oppressive heat.

Riding with them and exchanging life stories reminded me why I decided to ride RAGBRAI in the first place. Like with any life-fulfilling experience, it’s not the extraneous aspects—the scenery, the bikes, the pie—that make the experience.

It’s the people, people.

I’ve ridden 140 miles and made two friends so far. Only a couple thousand more to go (friends, not miles).

by Gabe Lareau

From now on, instead of saying “The light at the end of the tunnel,” I’ll opt for “The water tower at the end of the road.”

On RAGBRAI, when you’re on your bike breathing heavily, sweat dripping, and meaning-of-life-questioning, there’s nothing more energizing than seeing a bulbous water tower with the name of your next town peek out of the trees. That water tower—the marker of an oasis in a sea of corn—guarantees the trademark “Iowa Nice,” endless pie, and a shady spot to lay in.

He loves RAGBRAI so much, he made his own

It was one such spot where I encountered another familiar face from the Quad Cities. Alderman Matt Timion, from Moline’s 4th Ward. To say he loves the RAGBRAI experience every summer is a bit of an understatement.

Timion is such a RAGBRAI enthusiast that, during the pandemic, when the ride was canceled, he and a friend drove down to Farmington, Missouri, and bicycled back to Moline. “We kind of made our own RAGBRAI that year.”

Timion’s training regimen for staying fit for RAGBRAI is year-round. “I ride a stationary bike all the time during the winter,” he said. “Probably 15 to 20 miles a day, 3 or 4 days a week.”

All of that fitness pays off.

This year’s ride is his sixth RAGBRAI. Timion remarked that the route so far – with over 5,000 feet of climbs mind you – is “hilly, but bearable.”

Compared to this first-time rider, Timion is in a whole different gear. “RAGBRAI is my training for a cross-country ride,” he said. “I carry all of my things with me. Did you see the guy with the tea kettle on the side of his bike? Yeah that was me.”

And as if that wasn’t enough, Timion seems to enjoy making the ride even a little more challenging: “I can’t go into air conditioning on RAGBRAI or else I get spoiled. Oh, did I mention I was also riding this year in crocs?”

If it’s not the hills that get you, it’s the heat… and the humidity!

My experience on the road today was in stark contrast to Alderman Timion’s.

My training shortfall reared its head. I didn’t collapse in a heat-exhausted stupor at the end of today’s ride, but it was a tough day.

As soon as we hit the finish line where our camper was parked—a grassy knoll off a Dollar General parking lot in Carroll, Iowa—my body immediately went into rest mode. On RAGBRAI, even if it feels like you’re doing nothing, you are—any time not spent in the saddle is spent preparing your body for the next leg.

Iowa’s topography shed its mercy on the peloton today: we had only about a third as much climbing as we did yesterday. As an additional blessing, we had twenty fewer miles to ride as well.

Unfortunately, tired legs don’t really care for mileage. They just want you to stop; like a tyrant king with his peasants, it is your job as a RAGBRAI rider to silence their pleas.

Meeting RAGBRAI riders and making new friends

While I may have struggled with the terrain and punishing sun, I did find much more success with the true meaning of RAGBRAI: conversation! In addition to coming across Alderman Timion, I’d like to give a special shoutout to Matthew from Raleigh and Addison from Dallas for humoring me with a few miles of conversation.

While all three of us are newbies—or “virgins” as they’re known on the ride—we all seemed to be holding up pretty well considering yesterday’s hills and today’s oppressive heat.

Riding with them and exchanging life stories reminded me why I decided to ride RAGBRAI in the first place. Like with any life-fulfilling experience, it’s not the extraneous aspects—the scenery, the bikes, the pie—that make the experience.

It’s the people, people.

I’ve ridden 140 miles and made two friends so far. Only a couple thousand more to go (friends, not miles).

Check out these photos from Gabe’s day on RAGBRAI ’23 …