Ride of a lifetime: IDOH staff join historic Iowa bicycle ride
For one week in July each year, the small towns of Iowa – the sleepy, one-stoplight kinds of places travelers pass through on the way to Davenport or Des Moines – awaken from the tranquil slumber and the anonymity they otherwise enjoy to welcome thousands of visitors from across the globe.
Curio shops and food trucks hawk their unique wares and residents open their doors to strangers, sometimes offering free water and food to the passersby taking a moment to relax and recharge from the signature event that brought them: Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI).
A festival-like atmosphere with live music and even cheering crowds is what RAGBRAI has spent the last half-century building and, to paraphrase Shoeless Joe Jackson (an apparitional resident of Iowa, according to the classic film, Field of Dreams) they built it and every summer the people do come – in droves.
Indiana Department of Health’s (IDOH) Eldon Whetstone and Eric Hawkins grew up in Iowa, so they were familiar with RAGBRAI and had long wanted to be part of it. Whetstone, assistant commissioner of Health and Human Services, said he participated for two days in 2019; Hawkins, state epidemiologist, had wanted to participate since he saw RAGBRAI ride through his hometown when he was 9 years old. Those dreams finally came true the week of July 20-27, and they were even able to bring a couple of friends along for the ride.
Caption: Brian Busching, Lindsey Bouza, Eric Hawkins, and Eldon Whetstone traveled to Iowa in July to be part of the annual RAGBRAI—a multi-day bicycle tour in Iowa.
Hawkeye State hospitality
It didn’t take a lot of convincing to get Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity Director Lindsey Bouza and Trauma & Injury Prevention Division Director Brian Busching to come along for the event, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
RAGBRAI is as much a festival as it is a cycling event. It’s a go-at-your-own pace bike ride, though even the definition of “bike” is a bit flexible. The IDOH group said unicycles and electric bikes joined the ride, and costumes were a common sight along the 500-mile trail which spanned from Sioux City to Davenport.
RAGBRAI may not be a race per se, but anyone wishing to really challenge themselves on the “flat as a waffle” Iowa terrain will find a suitable endurance test.
“Growing up in Iowa, I knew that Iowa was not flat,” joked Hawkins. “But after riding a bike for almost 200 miles in three days, I can -- with 100 percent certainty -- tell you that Iowa is far from flat.”
The camaraderie, the spectacle, and an accompanying supply vehicle helped encourage the IDOH staff to keep going.
Cheering section
The gorgeous corn country that is the Iowa landscape has a way of making anyone feel welcome, and those proverbial open arms extend to the literal open doors of the townspeople along the way of each RAGBRAI.
From a food truck that serves pork chops for breakfast to the smalltown residents who hand out fruit, water, or even pickles with every high-five to riders along the way, there’s a sense that the entire community is pulling for the RAGBRAI cyclists.
“The community feel while passing through small towns and the beautiful Iowa scenery is what I will remember most,” said Busching.
“RAGBRAI really was a festival atmosphere,” Bouza said. “Each little town we rode through was unique and interesting and it was like a celebration in each town. It’s fun to ride through small towns whose people come out in droves to make you feel welcome. I really loved seeing the people come out of their houses and sit by the side of the road and cheer us on.”
Those people were willing to open their doors, tents, or lawns to let the riders rest for awhile, or a whole night. The intense heat made resting difficult at points, so the newfound friends dotted along the RAGBRAI route doubled as motivators to keep going, no matter how hot it was and how tired the riders were.
Caption: The 50th RAGBRAI turned out to be something special for four IDOH leaders who made the journey to Iowa to be part of its half-century celebration. Lindsey Bouza, Eric Hawkins, Eldon Whetstone, and Brian Busching said the fun and camaraderie made up for the intense heat.
‘Why am I doing this?’
And was it ever hot.
Any activity choice that doesn’t involve air conditioning is likely to come under scrutiny when temperatures soar into the 90s but spending a great deal of time outdoors in the middle of the summer, on a bicycle, navigating Iowa’s anything-but-flat terrain, might make most people wonder what exactly they’ve gotten themselves into.
The IDOH employees knew this would be a challenge, so they came with a plan: they’d alternate driving a car with water, healthy snacks, and, of course, AC, to help mitigate the intense heat and have time to rest.
It worked and helped provide a traveling resource that could offset the heat and humidity. In spite of both, the riders all managed to perform well and got more than a little exercise in during their RAGBRAI experience.
Bouza managed to bike 82 miles on one of the hottest days of the event (100 degrees F), though there was no such thing as a cool day. Busching managed about 80 miles on one day, and he joined Whetstone and Hawkins for another 72 on another day of the ride. It was a total team effort, and the supply vehicle provided a much-needed respite as much as it housed needed supplies.
“While there are moments during the ride when you wonder, “Why am I doing this?” those pass quickly and the joy felt during the totality of the experience is difficult to describe,” said Whetstone.
The joy, as it turns out, will be one of the things the riders will hold onto and remember in the years to come.
“It’s just you, your bike, some good friends, and 25,000 other riders rolling down a country highway or drinking water from a farm alongside the road’s hose,” Whetstone said.
All members of IDOH’s State Employees Softball League team, Whetstone, Hawkins, Bouza, and Busching agreed that the RAGBRAI experience brought them closer together as friends and colleagues.
“Overall, it was a great experience with colleagues and friends,” reflected Busching. “We were all able to challenge ourselves over three grueling days, but most importantly, have fun while doing so.”
Hawkins said he felt the event lived up to the hopes he’d held for it since he was 9.
“The anticipation build-up was worth it as I am happy to say RAGBRAI did not disappoint,” the State Epidemiologist said. “The best part was becoming even closer to my work friends and being able to lean on each other to make it through such a hard challenge.”
Ride of a lifetime
All four IDOH team members said they hope to give RAGBRAI another go someday. Finding the time and coordinating schedules to do so is no easy task, but if everything came together once it’s certainly possible it can again. Maybe the next ride can include even more IDOH colleagues.
One thing is for certain, however: the 2023 RAGBRAI was a special time for all who participated, whether they rode 500 miles or for five minutes. And that’s pretty much the whole point.
“I feel a great sense of accomplishment for the amount of riding we did and the preparation leading up to it,” said Bouza. “It was nice to be able to ride with a group of colleagues and friends. We had a lot of fun and made some great memories. I would be up for doing it again sometime.”
Story by Brent Brown, Indiana Department of Health