A Million Spokes: A RAGBRAI documentary

I follow Bikeiowa.com on Facebook and they posted a story about this documentary about RAGBRAI.

It’s called A Million Spokes, and when I watched the promo I cried… There have been a lot of emotional stories that we’ve covered here at WHO-TV lately, soldiers killed, tragic deaths, and none of these make me cry. I feel like a terrible person, but I just have to hold it together to tell their story and I just never have a moment to let the tragedy get to me. But there’s a man in the documentary who lost his wife 5 months after they all rode RAGBRAI together and he comes back to ride in her honor. They show him scattering her ashes in the river and I lost it.

Watch the promo here:

The Fleur Theater in Des Moines is showing the documentary from July 15^th through the 21^st. Definitely a flick I’m going to catch. They’re also showing it in Carroll, Boone and Grinnell during RAGBRAI.

This is what Bike Iowa had to say about the documentary:

This feature-length project was filmed during the largest, longest and oldest bicycle-touring event in the world RAGBRAI.

The annual bicycle ride takes place over seven days in Iowa. Every year, over 20,000 bicyclists descend on the state to partake in an adventure that is singular in its ability to attract some of the most unique people you
will ever meet. We explore RAGBRAI through the eyes of a host of characters like Ray, Chau, Erik and many more. Some come for the
challenge, some come for speed, some come just to party. Not everyone rides for the same reason but the common thread is the ride. It becomes far more meaningful to the riders as they build community along the road.

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!

Lance Armstrong to Ride RAGBRAI

He’s been accused of making some bad decisions, but Lance Armstrong is a world renowned cyclist and a household name in a sport that doesn’t have many familiar faces.

After two years off, Armstrong is tackling RAGBRAI once again. His manager says he’ll ride a few legs in the middle of the route somewhere between Carroll and Grinnell with overnights in either Boone or Altoona.

This will be the 7-time Tour de France champion’s fourth RAGBRAI. He rode in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

What do you think of Armstrong? Will you be excited to see him here in Iowa?

The Mono Saga Continued:

Wednesday came along and I went into work. I hadn’t trained in over a week, but I was beat. I still hadn’t eaten and it was almost impossible to swallow water. My boss sent me home as soon as I walked in. I sounded like I had swallowed a tennis ball.

I went home and crashed for an hour and called the doctor. That first doctor wasn’t available, but another one had an appointment so I headed back in. They did the 3rd negative strep test… They poked around… The doctor wasn’t sure what was going on but he said the tonsils might have to come out.

Thankfully this doctor was aggressive. A doctor after my own heart. I bent over for a shot in the rear, I got some vicodin and some heavy meds. We made an appointment Friday to check my tonsils but he said, “if these get any worse, get your behind back in here EARLY tomorrow.”

I went home and tried to get comfortable. I still couldn’t keep food down and I slept a total of 4 hours even with the vicodin. I woke up Thursday and couldn’t handle it. I went back to the doctor, falling asleep in the waiting room; I laid on the butcher paper in the smaller waiting room as they took blood and did more tests.

The doctor came back quickly, but I knew what was up. I could hear him in the hall. I had Mono, but then he threw a curveball. I was severely dehydrated and my tonsils were taking over my life. I had to get to the hospital for observation and some serious rehydration!

My mom came from Ames and drove me to the hospital. I sat there rehydrating for hours before the doctor came. He prescribed some steroids to get the swelling down and a cocktail of drugs to battle what he decided was Mono and Tonsilitis.

I was in the hospital for two nights and I’ve been laying low ever since. A cupboard full of soup and a freezer full of popsicles are nursing me back to health.

I had to email the people at the Copper Creek Tri and let them know I’d be gracefully bowing out of competition this year. So, I’m still waiting on that elusive first triathlon.

The Doctor is closely monitoring my spleen and all my other inner functions with weekly blood tests so I can get back to training for RAGBRAI as soon as possible. As of now, I’m pretty nervous. I feel like I was struggling to balance the tri and RAGBRAI before I got sick, and now that I have time to focus on RAGBRAI I just hope it isn’t too late.

I laid in bed last night a little bit thankful that I wasn’t trying to figure out where to park for the tri, and if I needed a wet suit, and how exactly transitions would shake out. But now my thoughts have turned to camping gear and how I’m going to charge my cell phone on the RAGBRAI route.

All that’s left to do, this month before RAGBRAI, is to power full steam ahead. Getting ready for the greatest party in Iowa!

The Demise of the Tri

I’ve been training hard since January for both RAGBRAI and the Copper Creek Triathlon. I started back in January at the YMCA downtown taking spin classes and getting in the pool. As it warmed up I added some runs at Grays Lake and took the bike out on the trails.

I was feeling confident, I started early, I loved riding my bike, I was really getting the hang of the running and swimming and I was starting to envision myself at the transitions and I was looking at wetsuit rentals. But then something happened that I wasn’t prepared for, I hadn’t trained for it and nothing in my Triathlon Magazine even mentioned it…

A few weeks ago I started to wonder if I was overtraining a little. I was sleeping a little more than usual, I was forgetting things and I was a little snippy with my friends and family.

I was in Ames visiting my parents and my throat started to hurt so I went to the family doctor. She gave me a strep test but it came back negative. Apparently sometimes it shows up negative but you actually have it, so she gave me a Z-pack to treat the strep anyway, told me to TAKE IT EASY and sent me on my way.

Five days later I was getting worse. I couldn’t eat or sleep. I hadn’t eaten anything solid since Sunday and, it was extremely painful to drink. So I headed back to a doctor in Des Moines on Sunday. He decided it was Mono, but it was too early to test, so he said, TAKE IT EASY, come back on Friday if you’re still sick.

I told him I was two weeks from my tri.. When would I be able to get back into it? He took one look and said, “I think you’re going to have to skip the tri.” In my weakened state I burst into tears. I felt horrible for this very professional, serious doctor. He sorta walked out, and then walked back in and got me a tissue, and walked out, and walked back in and stumbled over an explanation and then walked out and sent a nurse in after me.

I finally pulled myself together, I just needed a few pity tears to make up for the blood and sweat I had shed getting ready for the tri. To be honest, I had a little hope left in me that I’d wake up the next day feeling 100% and I’d be able to rock it out. But that wasn’t the case.

Now you know, I’m skipping the Copper Creek Triathlon. RAGBRAI, however, is still in the plans. But I need to take a nap. I have a long road to recovery. The rest of the story is coming soon!

Is That a Cow or a Buffalo? High Trestle Trail Take 2

I went out to the High Trestle Trail again today for a “long ride”. My RAGBRAI training has consisted of about 3 short rides (between 6 and 12 miles) and one long ride, ranging anywhere from 15 to 30 miles each week. I’ve also been running and swimming to train for the Copper Creek Triathlon, so my RAGBRAI training hasn’t been as relaxed as 4 days a week might seem.

Last time I was at the High Trestle Trail it was for the Grand Opening, and I started from Woodward. This time, I took a shorter drive to the Ankeny trail head.

I got a late start and didn’t reach the trail until 11:30. By 11:30 it was 90 degrees in Ankeny, but I was stocked with two water bottles, a Luna bar, a granola bar and a banana.

The ride out was easy. I thought I had gauged the wind right and was fighting a slight side wind, but once I turned around I realized I was wrong. A 21 mph tailwind assisted ride out turned into 9 mph back fighting, tooth and nail, and I got passed by an old guy on a mountain bike just out for a stroll.

The “Oasis” between Ankeny and Sheldahl is about 7 miles out of Ankeny. If anyone has driven in and out of Chicago, you might know the toll-free stop called the Oasis. With that in mind, I was expecting a well staffed gas station complete with a Starbucks and a Panda Express… There was an outhouse and a water fountain…

Don’t get me wrong, the outhouse was pretty spacious and the water fountain was cold and it was actually three fountains… one for papa bear, one for mama bear and one for baby bear and the dog. It was also a welcome stop both out and back.

I spotted some wildlife that made me raise my eyebrow… a bright neon turquoise bird and some buffalo… Yes, buffalo. At first I tried to convince myself that the cow just hadn’t shed its winter coat… And then I realized I’m from Iowa, I know more about cows than the typical person. This was definitely a buffalo. (One time I was actually playing some sort of brain teaser game while living in Chicago and there was a question about a cow that no one knew but me. Iowa represent!)

Some of the folks in Ankeny had decorated their yards along the trail with stuffed animals riding old tricycles or advertisements for local bike shops. The same guy who had the buffalo had a yard full of interesting knickknacks like this old Pepsi machine. It was a worthy photo op.

I enjoyed the trail starting at Ankeny, but I think I prefer starting at the other end, in Woodward. The high bridge is at that end and you reach a new town about every 5 miles. The road from Ankeny is a lonely one, but definitely worth the trip.

An Encouraging Word for Kids Learning to Ride a Bike and a Thumbs up for ROCK AND ROLL!

Thumbs up to @meganpralle for tweeting this video. Follow her (and me) on Twitter! I'm @alisa_who