Successful RAGBRAI

This past week, over 10,000 bike riders participated in the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). Around 468 miles, this week long event takes bikers from the west side of Iowa to the Mississippi River on the eastern side of the state. The event this year was extra special for two reasons; first, this is the 40th RAGBRAI and second, this the first time the race has gone through Cedar Rapids since the 2008 flood. Cedar Rapids really pulled out the red carpet for the bikers, throwing a party on Thursday night with musical guests, Counting Crows.

Coe put together a team for the eighth year cleverly named CoeBrai. Campus was a buzz on Thursday as departments either left early to help volunteer or to cheer on their fellow co-workers and Coe friends. I stayed in Admissions, giving tours and enjoying the cooler weather.

After work and a dip in the pool, I returned to my apartment only to be greeted by three house guests, RAGBRAI riders. Whitney had volunteered for the event and opened up our apartment (and comfy futons) to three riders. Our three riders were:

• John: A professional advertising photographer from Rochester, NY. This is his 18th year participating in the ride.
• Tim: An IT Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Rochester, NY participating in RAGBRAI for the first time.
• Karen: A chiropractor from St. Louis completing her 13th RAGBRAI.

The three of them really wanted to get to know the ladies of Brandt 10. They took us out to dinner to thank us for letting them stay the night and we had a lively discussion about ourselves, their life stories, and everything in between. It was great to spend time with my roommates and meet three fantastic people with so many interesting things to share. We enjoyed Mexican food at Hacienda and topped the meal off with ice cream from Parlor City.

Once we got back to campus, we walked downtown just to check out the various festivities. We ended up being a little late, most people were heading out, but it was nice to take a walk and continue talking to John, Tim, and Karen.

When I woke up on Friday morning, our new RAGBRAI friends had already left to pick up their bikes and continue their ride. It was great to meet them and I'm glad I had the opportunity to be a part of the 40th RAGBRAI.