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Ted Schultz, sports information director, is among many Grinnellians who regularly trek across Iowa each summer. He could only fit in part of RAGBRAI this year, but he's blogging from road.
July 27, 2008
LE CLAIRE - The final day of last year's Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) was perhaps of the toughest of the journey due to the many, many - and many - hills between Dyersville and Bellevue.
On Saturday, the final day of the 2008 ride may have been the easiest on the route. With virtually no hills or head wind and pedaling under clear skies, most riders made it to the end town of Le Claire earlier than they arrived in other towns throughout the week.
We began the short 53-mile day in Tipton, which did a great job of hosting riders Friday night. Among the entertainment uptown was the singing of the Star Spangled Banner by Ashley Miller, who won numerous state cross country and track titles at Tipton High School and now runs for the University of Nebraska. Anyone who has attended state meets in Iowa knows Ashley's name. I found out Friday night that she sings as well as she runs.
We left Tipton bright and early Saturday for a quick 10-mile ride to Bennett, where most people stopped for some breakfast or coffee before going another six miles to New Liberty. From there it was 10 miles to Maysville, which claims to have the first stagecoach stop west of the Mississippi. A custom-made stagecoach sat on the side of the road going through town to signify the accomplishment.
Leaving Maysville I could tell we were in some awfully flat land, which was evident by the fact I could see the Eldridge water tower about nine miles away. It seemed in no time we were in that town, where I was hoping to hook up with some old friends from the North Scott Press or Clint Long, Clinton High wrestling coach and also a fellow assistant coach with me on the Clinton girls track team at one time. I had no luck in either venture, but was tipped off by someone to visit at a party just north of the next stop we were approaching, Argo.
A few miles out of Eldridge a sign claimed the "World's Largest Horse" was approaching, and a bit later another sign said, "Almost." I stopped to see the horse. There were actually a few of them, and they were not the largest in the world. I'm not even sure about "almost" … but it sure made a lot of people stop!
About seven miles later I stopped by the party to which I was tipped off, that included a live band, free drinks and great pulled pork sandwiches. From there it was no more than a mile pedal to Argo and eight more to Le Claire. The final leg included a few hills, but nothing like we saw on our way to Bellevue last year.
Pedaling through some beautiful scenery made the trip quite quick and before I knew it I was cruising down the final hill to the Mississippi River, where riders lined up to dip their tires.
And just like that, RAGBRAI 2008 was over. It was fun, even though I only got to do a portion of the ride (due to a trip to Germany, which I mentioned in an earlier column). I appreciate those who read my columns and even more those who complimented them! It was a lot of fun and I'm hoping you enjoyed my stories from one of the most famous bicycle rides in the world.
July 25, 2008
TIPTON - After enduring cold and rain on Thursday's version of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), Friday's 65-mile trip from North Liberty to Tipton was almost as perfect as one could hope.
Riding under overcast skies, the temperature was perfect for the trip on the next-to-last day of the event.
We took off from North Liberty for a nine-mile journey to Solon, a trip that was quite hilly but included beautiful scenery. In Solon, the first things that struck me were the baseball and softball fields. Having seen many in my days of covering high school sports, I would have a tough time finding anything that compared to Solon's. And, according to a vendor nearby, the baseball field was under water due to flooding not long ago.
After that it was 13 miles to Lisbon, which boasted of its annual Sauerkraut Days. Not only that, but sauerkraut was being served by at least one vendor. Not one to like the stuff, I wasn't going to try it anyway, but especially not at 7:45 a.m.
It was a mere two miles to Mount Vernon, which had plenty of vendors ready to host hungry and thirsty riders, and two of those people told me to make sure I stopped at Mechanicsville later in the ride for the Cajun shrimp that was being served.
After that it was 12 miles to Martelle, and those 12 miles had more than a few challenging hills (but no head wind thankfully). When we got to the top of one, it said we had just crested the tallest hill in Linn County. I can attest to that without even measuring.
In Martelle some children had two piglets and people could pay a dollar to kiss one or to just hold it. Some guys by me said they'd pay two bucks if they'd let the piglets loose and see if any of the children could catch them ... and five bucks to the person who did catch them. The kids said there was a chance the piglets might not be caught and get away, so the deal was off!
After that it was seven miles to Morley and seven more to Mechanicsville, which I mentioned earlier had shrimp on the menu. Most riders I talked to admitted that would be a welcome change from the usual RAGBRAI food fare. I decided to have some of the shrimp, thanks to some coaxing by a five-foot tall red shrimp that was walking around. The shrimp proved to be good as advertised. One interesting side note about the town of Mechanicsville ... Bob Hope supposedly slept in a hotel there once. Wow, that was news to me.
We finished with a 15-mile pedal to Tipton, which I rode mostly with a guy from New Jersey, and tomorrow we finish off the ride with 53 miles to Le Claire. I'll check in later.
July 24, 2008
NORTH LIBERTY - One thing you learn about Iowa after you've lived here for a while … if you don't like the weather, wait a day and it'll probably change.
After more than comfortable temperatures on Wednesday, Thursday's journey from Tama/Toledo to North Liberty was downright chilly. OK, I'm partly to blame ... we rode a portion of the 76-mile route under a light rain and I didn't bring any rain gear. Dark gray skies ruled the entire day.
Wednesday night proved to be an omen of what was to come, as shortly after I went to bed it rained steadily for at least a few hours. And right before I was set to hit the road Thursday morning, it rained again for about 10 minutes. Luckily, other than a drenched bike seat, I escaped unscathed.
Thursday began comfortably enough on our 17-mile ride to Vining. For a community of just 70, Vining did things up right. First we were told breakfast was available at the top of the Vining Alps, which actually proved to be a short hill. After a great breakfast of French toast, eggs and coffee, I took a look at some old-time engines that were sputtering along (the same kind you see at the Iowa State Fair) and stopped to see a petting zoo that contained chickens, hens and a goat, appropriately named Billy. I turned my back for a second and Billy was already chewing on one of my bike cables, but he did no damage.
It was then six miles to Chelsea, after which the light, cold rain began falling. Another seven miles to Belle Plaine meant a stop for me at a Family Dollar, where I purchased an "emergency" rain poncho for a mere dollar. A popular idea, indeed, as three other people came in while I was purchasing to do the exact thing.
Unfortunately, the ill-fitting poncho (like I should expect anything more for a buck?) actually hindered me as it resembled a parachute on a dragster, flapping around like mad and seeming to slow me down. Needless to say, I could handle the cold more than I could lugging a parachute around and the poncho was gone.
Shortly after Belle Plaine is where we began seeing some hills, and some were pretty long and difficult. After six-mile rides to Luzerne and Blairstown, the rain thankfully stopped as did the big hills. There were still some hills the rest of the way, but nothing that resembled the earlier ones.
Unfortunately, about the same time we began facing a head wind that came from the south and east. Like yesterday, those are the EXACT same directions we were primarily riding. But I guess I'll take either hills OR headwinds as opposed to hills AND headwinds at the same time.
After a 12-mile ride we came upon a few of the Amana Colonies, going through West Amana, South Amana and Homestead. In the latter community, I listened to a great musician who did a wonderful job of incorporating his audience into his act (including three bikers dressed as nuns).
The ride concluded with a 16-mile pedal into North Liberty (located near Iowa City), where we'll spend the night. I'll check in again tomorrow.
July 23, 2008
TAMA - After facing varying conditions as the day progressed, Wednesday's version of the Register's Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) is in the books.
After a beautiful night, I began the day's ride at around 6 p.m. under clear skies and temperatures that could almost be considered cool.
Twelve miles down the road was the first stop, Nevada. Of course, about half the people I heard utter the town name said it incorrectly, pronouncing it like the state and (instead of Ne-vay-duh). A resident of the town who was watching us pass through thanked a rider next to me for pronouncing it correctly. Kind of reminds me of a few years back when we passed through Charlotte on our way from Maquoketa to Clinton.
At the time we passed through Nevada we were on the historic Lincoln Highway, so naturally we were greeted by Abraham Lincoln. The gentleman had an amazing likeness to the 16th president, beard, stovepipe hat and all.
It was another seven miles to Colo, and along the road was an old-time gas station. This was evident not just by the looks of the building, but by the fact a sign advertised gasoline for 17 cents a gallon.
State Center was another eight miles, and most riders seemed to stop there for an extended period of time before the long 16-mile jaunt to Albion. During that span a few things changed ... the wind picked up dramatically and we began seeing a handful of hills. Suddenly the riding was much, much tougher. The wind would continue the rest of the day, and as fate would have it, it was coming from the south and east ... the two directions we would ride for the remainder of our journey.
We then headed 11 miles to Green Mountain, an unincorporated community, and another nine miles to Le Grand. You always see some funny things on RAGBRAI, and the funniest I saw Wednesday was at a farmhouse outside of Le Grand. A man was giving away free, cold beer. That sounded too good to be true and it was ... the cups cost $2.
From there it was another six miles to Montour and eight more to Tama/Toldeo, where we'll spend the night. Hopefully the wind lets up a bit tomorrow. I'll check in then.
July 19, 2008 (Originally published in the Clinton Herald)
When I wrote my column summing up RAGBRAI 2007 that ended in Bellevue last July, I figured it would be the last time I’d be writing about the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
But, to borrow loosely from that little blond-haired kid in the movie “Poltergeist,” I’m baaaccckkk!
OK, before I get to the present, let me give you some info on my past for those of you who are wondering, “Who the heck is this strange Ted Schultz guy and why is he quoting a 1980s movie?” I was sports editor at the Clinton Herald from 1995-2007 before taking a job as sports information director at Grinnell College last August. In the meantime, my wife, Marsha, took a job as seventh-grade math teacher at Grinnell Middle School and also serves as head volleyball coach at Grinnell High School and assistant track coach.
The college where I work is highly respected academically. In terms of athletics, we may be best known for our men’s basketball team that led the nation in scoring this past season and was featured on ESPN a few years back (FYI ... with a good portion of our top players returning, keep your eyes and ears open for Pioneer basketball in 2008-09)!
OK, I’m off the subject ... I’m here to talk about RAGBRAI.
I contacted Clinton Herald Editor Charlene Bielema last month about possibly doing RAGBRAI columns for the Herald in 2008 even though I wasn’t officially employed there anymore. She welcomed my request with open arms. With Char’s coordination, plus the excellent help of Susan Jessen (she’s the one who did the RAGBRAI graphic for me), I’m off and running (or, would that be biking?) with my columns.
I’ve ridden RAGBRAI three of the past four years and did columns for the Herald during that time, and from the response I got those articles were pretty well-received. Thus, here we are for RAGBRAI 2008!
This year will be a bit different, though, as I will not begin my columns until Wednesday’s session. I had a schedule conflict due to a trip to Germany (see more details below) and the short turnaround time means I will join the fun after three days. Oh well, that just means I’ll be more rested up than the others!
This year’s ride begins in Missouri Valley, and from there makes stops in Harlan and Jefferson before I catch up with the masses in Ames. From there the route takes us to Tama-Toledo, North Liberty, Tipton and then finishes up in Le Claire along the Mississippi River. Should be a beautiful view as we pedal into town.
No longer living in Clinton has meant a change to both my training regimen as well as my means of transportation to the starting point and back home afterwards.
I used to have a nice 19-mile route that essentially took me around Eagle Point Park, around the outskirts of Clinton and back home. Better yet was a 40-mile route I’d take on little-traveled county roads to just north of Miles and back.
I investigated options in Grinnell and eventually came up with a nice 27-mile or so loop that took me into town (we live about five miles out of Grinnell on Highway 6), out to Rock Creek State Park, to Kellogg and then back home.
My training in late June and early July was hit-and-miss due to a business trip to Florida, and I was concerned about missing more training during my trip to Germany (we were visiting the exchange student who stayed with us in 2006-07, Friederike Harder). But as it turned out, I managed several nice, long rides in Germany. And talk about a variety of scenery, whether it be biking through a forest, a small town or right next to the Frankfurt airport! I got to do it all.
As for transportation to RAGBRAI, I always relied on Marsha to take me to the starting spot and pick me up afterwards. This year I hooked up with a charter service offered by the Grinnell bicycle shop, Bikes to You. Not only will they take care of the transportation tasks, but also haul my bags and set up a camping spot for us each day. I’ll throw my stuff in their trailer before the ride and meet up with them in Ames.
Hmmmm ... wonder how they’ll feel about dealing with “The Beast?” That’s my infamous tent cot I wrote about last year (if you have no idea what I’m talking about but are interested, check out the Herald’s Web site and do a search for “Beast” and it’s the story titled “The Beast comes through on RAGBRAI”). I guarantee the RAGBRAI baggage handlers are still having nightmares over having to lug that thing out of the semi trailer.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to this year’s ride and reporting about it. I hope you enjoy the columns.
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