R15 15 Time to Ride the Bikes

Day 1 was a doozy

Soon, all the beavers were stirring, slapping on spandex, loading their pockets, and finding early morning snacks. 

Poor Pochs.

I made some coffee and guzzled it as quickly as I could, packed up my gear, and headed outside for sunscreening and picture taking.

At some point I glanced inside the RV and noticed the Dale was inside, fully kitted out, sitting at the table eating breakfast. "Oh, people in cycling clothes eating breakfast," I thought to myself. 

Virgin Pochs

Virgin Linda! 

Soon we began the labeling of the virgins, who were understandably nervous. Day 1 was a big ride, a lot of miles and a lot of climbing. And those who hadn't done the ride before needed to be marked. 

Virgin Gpa

We needed to get rolling. We didn't have a place to stay secured in Storm Lake, so the Deb was being sent on ahead to scout out a beaver den. We needed to get our directions, get our group pictures taken, and hit the road. 

But where was the Dale? 

I asked the Deb. "Dale's not feeling very well this morning, so he's going to ride with me."

Ah-ha! Apparently, ragby isn't the time to lose weight or get in shape, but it is the time to stay up until the wee hours, drinking Seven and Sevens, to the point of a hangover so grim, bike riding is impossible. 

All the training in the world is for naught if you don't get on the bike. #truth

All kidding aside, we felt bad for the Dale. There's nothing worse than riding in an RV in ragbrai traffic while hungover. 

We were down one beaver before we even began...