RAGBRAI 2008 Day 3

The day is the 3rd one of riding on RAGBRAI XXXVI, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. The ride route is from Jefferson to Ames and it's with a sense of relief (and after a much needed good night's sleep) that I got on the road at Jefferson, starting at about 6:40 after having a banana and some pomegranate-blueberry and cranberry juice.

This was a very good riding day for me although not a day for many pictures. Early on, though, the ride encountered a delay when a train came through.


It was remarkable how quickly it seemed that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of riders were backed up and trying to decide whether it might really be good to get breakfast here (in Grand Junction) or wait until Dana or Ogden (today's meeting, or halfway, town). In the event, though, the setback was minor at only about 4 minutes. This day's ride was also a fairly short one, listed as 57 miles, with level roads. After Monday's difficult trial, it was very much appreciated. And speaking of Ogden, what a great town! The streets were very wide and, of all the towns of the ride, this was the one that seemed the most wide open and comfortable feeling. Basically, this town handled the large number of riders without making it feel like sardines in a can. And this photo shows me sitting on a tractor in Ogden ... marveling at the size of the tires compared to my bike.


Still in Ogden, it was nice hearing some great songs by this couple on the bicycle stage. They sounded very good together ... and I found myself looking around for someone to dance with ... but no joy. But it was one of those nice RAGBRAI ride places to hang out ... they seem to just pop up when least expected.


In my opinion, the RAGBRAI folks did a great job setting up the riding days with a good combination of tough days and easier ones which helped keep spirits buoyed and attitudes very positive throughout.

My odometer mileage at Ames was 1817 with a total of 70.4 miles ridden (quite a few "in town" miles as I went back and forth from the north side of town). With an average speed of 13.4 mph and a total riding time of 5h 13m it was a good day. And I was fortunate enough to get another indoor room, staying with Ruth and Dennis. I spent about 3 hours helping Ruth update her PC ... pretty good trade when considering having a nice room, shower and a good night's sleep (in a bed). I remember going to bed looking very much forward to the more challenging 4th day's ride (to Tama-Toledo) coming up in the morning.