10 days until RAGBRAI 2016

Eeek! I can’t believe that we leave for RAGBRAI in 10 days! For those outside of Iowa (or those who aren’t cyclists) RAGBRAI stands for the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, and it is exactly what it sounds like: a seven day ride from the Missouri to the Mississippi River. The route this year is 420 miles through the southern half of the state. If you’re so inclined, you can see the maps, route and details HERE.

I am super excited and super nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before. We’ve been training quite a bit so I’m feeling better about the distance, it’s the hills that scare me more than anything. Day 2, for example, has nearly 4,000 feet of climb. And people say Iowa is flat…

We’ll be riding with a team, so thankfully all of our gear will be transported on the bus and we’ll only have to carry the things we need. I’m hoping to do a “what I’m packing” post next week. As far as my ride, I’ll be on my trusty old Nishiki that I dug out of a bike shop in college. This was taken just over seven years ago right after my friend had tuned it up:

We’ve had so many adventures since then, though RAGBRAI will without a doubt be our biggest. I’m hoping to test some mobile posting next week so I can sneak in a few quick updates from the route. Otherwise, find me on social media to see what we’re up to from July 23-30. I’m thejordanpowers on Instagram, Twitter and Periscope. Is there anything in particular y’all would like to see from the ride?