From friend Sherri of Atlantic IA: Hi Barb,
Well, I was able to ride RAGBRAI, I started in Sgt. Bluff and rode to Ida Grove, 54 miles.
It was hard and very, very hilly. I had a lot of chain problems, as did a lot of other people. Everyone was so nice by asking if I needed help, ( I always said thank you but unfortunately I have had so much experience I can now do it quite easily!) We really climbed in altitude! My wrist held up pretty good, It is difficult to ride with a brace on but it wasn't painful. (Until the end of the day.)
The second day was a little different, I had reservations about even trying it. I had Dave wait for 30 minutes just to see if I could go on. It was still pretty hilly, but more rolling than ups and downs.
I was struggling right after that. The wind came up and the cloud cover went away. I ran out of food and really needed more energy. We stopped a lot, but never long enough for me. We finally made it to Arcadia. That was 47 miles. That was where Dave was waiting for us. We rested a little longer, but I knew I was not going to make it to Manning, that was our destination. I rode with Dave to Manning, Rosie said I made the right decision. It took them 2 1/2 hrs, to go 14 miles. My total trip was 101 miles! Not too shabby for my first ragbrai with a broken arm. It certainly was a wonderful experience and I will do it again.
I wore my heart monitor just for fun, to see how I was doing. I peaked a few times the first day, but after that the highest was 80%.
Now I have more time to come and see you, but think I will rest up for a while. Still in Yale?
Later, Sherri