RAGBRAI at age 3 for your Viewing Pleasure.

It's just a few short days away from RAGBRAI and I'm getting excited. I did a 20 miler and stopped for lunch with my co-worker Krystle and then we went on a 15 miler. Chatting with Krystle made the time FLY, so I'm going to be looking for some Chatty Cathys along the RAGBRAI route.
I'm still editing old RAGBRAI pics, so feast your eyes on these babies.



















































































































People loved me at age 3. Hoping I get the same welcome this year!

RAGBRAI Memory Lane

During my RAGBRAI training I've thought of so many little RAGBRAI memories from when I was young. I went back to Ames over the 4th of July and went through my scrap books and found loads of great photos. Here's the first set of memories:

RAGBRAI is exhausting.




















No really, it's exhausting!














I ride with Team Skunk. Here's a great family photo op.








Keeping cool. Notice the orange thing I have in my mouth. That's the first thing I'm looking for on the RAGBRAI journey. It's an orange flavored sherbet that's out of this world. There are so many photos where I'm tackling one of these bad boys.





Santa and Rudolph hanging out on RAGBRAI. He didn't bring me any presents, but when I lost a tooth on RAGBRAI I got a few empty beer cans under my pillow... It sounds bad now, but I think it was just a recycling joke.








Check out the fanny pack.



















My fine photo skills. Mom and dad look great though!








Sweet shades! I made those sunglasses holders on the bus trip out to the first town and sold them to anyone and everyone.

I might do it again this year. You know, snack money.





Family looking great. I see my dad has one of those tiny-brim hats. I wonder where that thing went!











Food in one hand, money in the other. I also made that headband. Sold a few of those too. Wish I still fit in those shorts.














My dad and I on the tandem.












A slave to fashion, even at a young age.

















RAGBRAI is getting closer! I had a few emails about logistics when I got back in the office today. If you haven't heard, My name is Alisa and I work here at Channel 13. They're sending me on RAGBRAI and I've been chronicling my training here on my blog and on Twitter at @alisa_who. Look for me on The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa!

The Ride

Let me introduce myself, my name is Alisa, I’m a Multimedia Producer here at WHO-TV. I walked into my boss’s office not too long ago and I said, I want to ride RAGBRAI and tweet/Facebook my progress and this is how the conversation went:

Boss: OK

Me: no, I mean like I’d have the days off to ride it…

Boss: You wouldn’t be “off” you’d be tweeting and Facebooking…

Me: ok, but I want to ride it

Boss: YES! Yes, yes, yes. Whatever you’re pitching, I’m saying yes.

So I ran off and solidified the decision by registering with Team Skunk and paying the registration fees. Once I registered it set in… I’m actually going to have to ride RAGBRAI.

I’m not new to the saddle; I rode RAGBRAI as a child behind my parents in the Burley, and then later on a tandem with my dad. I grew up around cycling with my parents racing in Iowa Games and going on long training rides from Ames to some Casey’s in the middle of the country with the promise of a doughnut at the destination.

I vaguely remember riding RAGBRAI but I’ve heard many stories over the years of losing a tooth and being paid in beer cans by the tooth fairy, calling team Gumby lazy because they were riding past us in a converted school bus as I was playing with my Barbie in the Burley.

Just the other day my mom remembered a story when I rode in the Burley all the way up a mile long hill. The whole way I was saying, “mom, mommy, mama, mom, mommy, mom…” Too winded to turn around, she listened to me all the way up the hill and finally stopped at the peak, thoroughly aggravated, to ask what I wanted... “I just wanted to see your face.”

I plan on making my own RAGBRAI memories as an adult, and I hope you’ll follow my training progress here on my blog, and on twitter @alisa_who.