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| The Penultimate 12 Miles |
I was so, so tired. Physically tired. Emotionally tired. Metaphysically tired. Metaemotionally tired. Philosophically tired. Socially tired. Metasocially tired. Just tired. And, really not looking forward to the rest of the ride. I mean, I didn't want to quit. I didn't want that, but I didn't want to not-quit, you know? I drank some beer, and some water, and had some advil, and lolled around in the grass. I used the weird bathroom the pole barn, and when team who-ever-the-fuck showed up, I taunted them half-heartedly.
Oh Saturday is the cruelest day.
Finally, we rolled on to Garber. The penultimate town on the ultimate day, so sad.
The ride into Garber was super-duper insanely beautiful. That is the magic of the last day, especially up north. It is just so freaking glorious. And, this section of the state was especially glorious because there were all these Amish (?) farms. They are old timey to say the least. Bright red barns on top of green hills. Shaggy horses staring at the riders in fields. Those brilliant blue skies and views that just go on for ever. Deep valleys, rolling climbs, just absolutely insanely beautiful.
Ragbrai was making it very hard for me to be a hater.
And, that's what ragbrai does, I think, if you let it. If you just give in, and let go, and let yourself be in the moment, you realize you are riding your bike, in a beautiful place, surrounded by the good will 10,000 of your closest friends who are also riding their bikes and laughing and smiling. And, you realize you are just so damned lucky that this this stupid, ridiculous, nutty, hard, silly thing is what you get to do with your week, because you want to.
And then, just as these waves of realization come over you, you start a HUGE descent. And, you notice that as you brake (sorry Mayor, I do brake) that your brakes aren't nice and smooth. They are going thunk, thunk, thunk and you realize your wheel is totally not true and there's a huge possibility that you are going to die. And, then you see some idiot riding is bike back up this hill.
Honestly, I had a moment where I was like, am I in Utah? Is this still the freakin Rockwell Relay? Is this the mad descent down Boulder Mountain.
No, it's Iowa.
Then, you look up, and realize that there is a car on the right hand side of the road, so all of these bike riders are screaming down this hill, and forced into the left hand lane, and oh joy, there's a stop sign and a turn at the bottom. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Mayday, mayday!
And, that's how I got to Garber.
Oh Saturday is the cruelest day.
Finally, we rolled on to Garber. The penultimate town on the ultimate day, so sad.
The ride into Garber was super-duper insanely beautiful. That is the magic of the last day, especially up north. It is just so freaking glorious. And, this section of the state was especially glorious because there were all these Amish (?) farms. They are old timey to say the least. Bright red barns on top of green hills. Shaggy horses staring at the riders in fields. Those brilliant blue skies and views that just go on for ever. Deep valleys, rolling climbs, just absolutely insanely beautiful.
Ragbrai was making it very hard for me to be a hater.
And, that's what ragbrai does, I think, if you let it. If you just give in, and let go, and let yourself be in the moment, you realize you are riding your bike, in a beautiful place, surrounded by the good will 10,000 of your closest friends who are also riding their bikes and laughing and smiling. And, you realize you are just so damned lucky that this this stupid, ridiculous, nutty, hard, silly thing is what you get to do with your week, because you want to.
And then, just as these waves of realization come over you, you start a HUGE descent. And, you notice that as you brake (sorry Mayor, I do brake) that your brakes aren't nice and smooth. They are going thunk, thunk, thunk and you realize your wheel is totally not true and there's a huge possibility that you are going to die. And, then you see some idiot riding is bike back up this hill.
Honestly, I had a moment where I was like, am I in Utah? Is this still the freakin Rockwell Relay? Is this the mad descent down Boulder Mountain.
No, it's Iowa.
Then, you look up, and realize that there is a car on the right hand side of the road, so all of these bike riders are screaming down this hill, and forced into the left hand lane, and oh joy, there's a stop sign and a turn at the bottom. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Mayday, mayday!
And, that's how I got to Garber.
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