I really like this idea! Even if you only give free beers to guys that drive F-150s, will be on a yellow Giant and really hope they will be following something like this



across Iowa.



PS. I know this is an old thread but it was already off to a good start so why start another one.

 

Well, I did it. 515 miles and 51,000 calories later I can say I rode across Iowa.

Here is me after dunking my bike at the finish line.

 

Tremendous accomplishment~!!!!!!!!!

Way to go Wookie!

Any details you'd care to share?

 

Thanks! I haven't looked up the records yet but there was grumbling that this year might be the hottest one ever. There were several days that topped 100* this wiped out a ton of other riders. Since I live in Little Rock I had a pretty good leg up in dealing with the heat. For me it was the wind that really made me dig deep at times. Several of the longest days (82 & 83 miles) were nearly solidly into a sustained 20MPH headwind with gusts approaching 30MPH. It was bad enough that when coasting downhill I would actually slow down. Speaking of hills, Iowa isn't nearly as flat as I thought it was. A few days had some pretty good climbs and most days had lots of rolling hills. I was expecting central Illinois flat and was completely wrong.

I can't say enough about how good the people of Iowa treat the riders. They really went out of their way to make us feel at home and take care of us. Most nights we spent at people I did not know house and they took us in like family. The food was also pretty good too. Stop by Mr. Porkchop and get one. It's well worth the $7.

If you're a fairly good rider give it a go next year. It is well worth the sweat!