Day 2 - The run up to Perry

[Copy editor's discretion - I couldn't resist this, especially when Sue says how hot it was today. This was actually found on the Perry [Iowa] Chamber of Commerce page. They must have been practicing for RAGBRAI's arrival.]

Today will have been the longest, hottest, hilliest day of RAGBRAI 41…83 miles, 90 degrees, and the notion that Iowa is flat is a myth. I may have to take a picture of an Iowa hill for proof.

My riders and I successfully rendezvoused in the charming little town of Guthrie Center, which had organized booths will all the obligatory heart-stopper food like corn dogs and pork loin sandwiches. The Methodists seem to have the market cornered on pie, another staple of RAGBRAI. Today’s favorite, blueberry cherry pie.

I’ve parked Big Red for the night in an RV lot. Since we are old school, with no AC and therefore no generator, we must listen to the noisy generators of the big, fancy RVs nearby. This may call for a repositioning when the riders get here.

In the meanwhile, a little bit about the work of the “domestique.” On the Tour de France, the person who makes sure the riders are happy, comfy, and well-watered is called the domestique.

Undomestic though I may be in my day-to-day life, my job on RAGBRAI is happy riders. I get them up and moving (this morning at 5:45), ready their water bottles and power bars, and pack them off on their ride.

Then I tidy the camper, take care of Big Red’s needs (gas today), and head off to the mid-day meeting town. If all goes well, I have secured cold drinks, charged up any thirsty cell-phones, and scouted the best food spots by the mid-day stop.

Today we found each other with no problem and enjoyed a stroll through town and a relaxed lunch of some especially good pulled pork under trees in a park, surrounded by several thousand people in brightly colored spandex.

Afterwards Arthur and Annie took off on the bike route, and I took to the vehicle route. (I drove 122 miles to their 83…support vehicles don not share the same roads as cyclists.)

Once I have found a spot to set Big Red down for the night, opened the hatches, and installed the door step, then I take my bicycle for a spin in search of ice, beer, and any other essentials.

Nothing now to do but wait the riders and figure out which supper to go to tonight. A shuttle bus will take us in to see the bright lights of Perry. Some cuisines to choose from:

 • The Knights of Columbus are offering mostaccioli pasta (whatever that is - [Copy editor's note: read: "Casserole,"] See footnote below.)
 • The Methodists have chicken and noodles,
 • The Episcopalians are serving pork loin sandwiches and baked potatoes.

Tomorrow ~ on to the really bright lights of Des Moines!

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FOOTNOTE: Mostaccioli pasta - Mostaccioli, Italian for "moustaches," are so named for their shape and size. They are small, tube-shaped pieces of pasta, usually a little under 2 inches long. The ends are cut along a diagonal, and the surface of the pasta is smooth.

Click here for a recipe

Read more: E-How Facts: mostaccioli pasta shapes

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IMAGE CREDITS: 1- Blueberry-cherry pie from My Recipes.com; 2- Annie and Art in Harlan - Sue Merrow; 3- Cyclists in Spandex - from David Byrne's Journal; 4- Food venues map - City of Perry website; 5- Mostaccioli casserole - found at Family Foodies; and at the top ~ Cyclists in snow - Perry [Iowa] Chamber of Commerce.