Evasion of the Bike People

Iowa City was invaded by a lively horde of ravenous bicycle riders in a popular event that is called Ragbrai. 10,000 plus riders pedaled into town, along with support teams driving "sag wagons" (which for the uninitiated, are generally retired old school buses or RVs that carry riders gear and the occasional busted-down rider--often they are very festive to see). They were on their way from the west side of the state to the east side of the state and our city was the second to the last stop on their seven day journey. 

Just like any large-scale event, these people were a rowdy lot who were feted by the locals who gave up their lawns, their city park, and even closed the downtown to opportune street events and drinking  in public for the paltry fee of $10 (for a wrist band that allowed them to do so). It also created traffic snarls, snarling drivers, and good- and bad-will for city dwellers and riders alike. In other words, people were inconvenienced.

In an effort to avoid the inconveniences that thousands and thousands of bicycles and their cadre bring, many efforts were made to cordon streets, encourage unessential personnel from going to work, and employ the full complement of on and off-duty local constables to move the traffic along and keep the peace. It also made for creative routing by locals such as myself to avoid the pile up of bi-pedal people and to get the heck out of the center of activity and safely to their quiet corners of the world.

As a dyed-in-the-wool introvert, the idea of joining a mob for a night of drinking and dancing has little to offer. However, the chance to talk to some of the visitors passing through was met easily through other means. While we were walking our dog in the neighborhood, a member of a small team that was camping in the neighborhood requested to pet our dog as she had been doing all along the Ragbrai route. We learned that she and her fellow cyclists on team "The Notorious RBG" were law school graduates and, apparently, big fans of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. We had a wonderful time pointing them to the local watering hole and neighborhood ice cream place and commiserating about the state of things at the level of the Supreme Court.

As we bid them farewell, my wife and I both agreed that our Ragbrai experience had been very satisfying. Baby, our dog, was very happy to have extra attention paid to her. We are hopeful that we made a handful of tired out riders feel a little more welcome. At the very least, we hope that they enjoyed their ice cream cones far from the madding crowds.