RAGBRAI Final

I didn’t sleep well before day 7. I was excited for the last day. I was excited thinking that I was going to conquer the whole state. Also, the tent was on very uneven ground so I kept sliding into the corner.

I awoke in Coralville around 5:30am sorer than ever before. That wasn’t going to stop me; I was 65 miles away from the east side of Iowa. I was 65 miles away from completing the most challenging physical endeavor I had ever undertaken. I was 65 miles away from making the prior days all worthwhile.

Despite being sore I was excited. For the first time I was completely certain that I could do it. Instead of being worried about how my body would hold up I was just hoping that my bike wouldn’t break.

On prior days I learned that the legs would loosen up after the first few miles. On day 7 they really didn’t.  My breakfast of pancakes didn’t seem to give me the boost I was used to from prior days. My knees started hurting. At least I wasn’t going to give up.

Some Christian Church in Durant was raising money with a spaghetti lunch. The spaghetti helped.

After the last pass through town I really started to celebrate in my head. We only had 15 miles left. At this point I’d walk those last miles if I had to. The adrenaline made these miles easier than most.

Arrival into Davenport was awesome. The feeling is hard to describe. I felt like I had just run up the stairs of the Philly Art Museum. It was awesome. To make things more awesome many of the fine folks of Davenport had taken to their lawn to cheer me on. They’d cheer and clap as bikes went by. I’d fist pump back which would increase the cheering. What an incredible feeling.

I wasn’t alone feeling that way. I could see the excitement on the faces of many fellow riders. We did it. I did it.

The final miles took us to the dip site where I reunited with Team Fist Pump to dip our front bike wheels into the Mississippi River. I haven’t been that excited for quite a while. The week was physically and mentally trying. I did something I didn’t ever think I could. I covered 446 miles and climbed 20,371 feet of hills in 7 days.

Each day something new started hurting: my quads, elbows, hips, hands, and knees. At the dip site my face started hurting from smiling so much. What an incredible way to finish the adventure.