Our Iowa Weight Loss/Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics RAGBRAI Team battled hills and hot weather last week and rode the route across Iowa. It was just absolutely amazing. I'm speaking for the group, but I have to say - a good time was had by all. And, we did some great marketing for our outstanding organization. (Hills? Did I say hills? Yes, miles up hills that we in north central Iowa have absolutely no appreciation of. Huge, mountain-sized hills that never stopped ...)
I suggested to the Mr. Pork Chop people on RAGBRAI that they offer gout medicine (Supposedly ingesting a copious amount of pork may cause gout). I ate pork at every meal for 7 days straight. I think it helped me to ride the entire route. Some unnamed people* thought I'd drop out the first day. I had to repeatedly remind others that I was almost an Eagle Scout and that camping was second nature to me. Also, I trained for months on my bike. Pork seemed to be my secret weapon. Who knew??
A huge lesson for me last week was that bikers, whether they know you or not, look out for each other. This huge mass of 20,000 bikers riding from one small town to another call out and let each other know of dangers. They are kind and verbalize their intentions (whether passing each other or of upcoming cars). They stop and care for each other - whether they know each other or not. They continually practice service excellence. The lesson from RAGBRAI wasn't about the hills or pork or camping - it was about the collective success of thousands of strangers on a fairly difficult journey. Anything is possible.**
*Danielle Bricker and Rochelle Vogel
**"I've always depended on the kindness of strangers." ~Blanche DuBois, A Streetcar Named Desire
