AP is on with a ParrotTalk and on this episode she invited Murph to join her for a recap of PreRide, with a focus on tips to help you navigate the RAGBRAI LI route. Her topics include last minute training, hydration, bike safety, and of course riding the hills of Iowa!! If you haven't yet, be sure to listen to our daily episodes Murph & AP recorded each day during the RAGBRAI Route Inspection Ride. Day 0 of the RAGBRAI Route Inspection Ride 2024:...

Hey RAGBRAI Riders, do you remember the high wheeler bike decorated in red, white and blue last year during RAGBRAI? That was Danny Davis and he is our guest today!! Danny is riding across America on his penny-farthing, raising money for special bikes for special kids, and also for Autism awareness. He is on to tell us about his unique style of cycling, what his RAGBRAI L was like, and his cross county adventure, which will include coming back to ride RAGBRAI...

Here is a recap of - the second half of Day 6 and all of Day 7 on the 2024 Route Inspection Ride. On Day 7 of RAGBRAI we will bike 46.5 miles with just 1,016 feet of climb. Our route takes us from Mt. Pleasant to Burlington, with stops in Mediapolis and Kingston en route! Thanks to the Brighton and Mt Pleasant for the fire truck welcomes yesterday! We capped off our ride today with a ride up Snake Alley and a tire dip in the Mississippi River at the Port of Burlington! Can’t wait for you...

Here is a recap of - the first half of - Day 6 of the 2024 Route Inspection Ride. We recorded early today so that we will have time to see all the sights during the second half of our day. We will cover Day 6 part two tomorrow! On Day 6 of RAGBRAI we will bike 84.8 miles with 3,160 feet of climb. Our route takes us from Ottumwa to Mt. Pleasant, with stops in Agency, Eldon, Selma, Libertyville, Fairfield, Brighton, Wayland, and Trenton along the way! Thanks to the Eldon and Libertyville...

Here is a recap of Day 5 of the 2024 Route Inspection Ride. We rode bikes about 63 miles from Knoxville to Ottumwa, with stops in Attica, Lovilia, Albia, Eddyville, Chillicothe. Today we had two special guests on the podcast with us - double Scotts! Scott Sumpter from Bike Iowa and Scott Olsen, our beverage and restaurant consultant, chatted with us about the gravel sections on the route so far. Get gritty on the gravel! Day 5 on RAGBRAI is I Ride 4 Day! Ride to support your favorite...

Here is a recap of Day 4 of the 2024 Route Inspection Ride. We rode bikes about 75 miles from Winterset to Knoxville, with stops in St. Charles, St. Marys, Indianola, Milo, Lacona and Melcher-Dallas. There were also 3 optional gravel routes. Support each overnight town with a town t!! https://www.bozzprints.com/collections/ragbrai-li

Here is a recap of Day 3 of the 2024 Route Inspection Ride. We rode bikes just over 80 miles with 4,519 feet of climb. Starting in Atlantic we rode through Wiota, Cumberland, Massena, Fontanelle, Greenfield, Orient, Macksburg, and ended in Winterset!  Want to support Greenfield? Donate...

Here is a recap of Day 2 of the 2024 Route Inspection Ride. We rode bikes just over 40 miles with 1,700 feet of climb. Starting in Red Oak, we visited Elliott, Griswold, Lewis, and then Atlantic . Be sure to tune in to the JustGoBike Podcast for reports on each day's ride! Cohosts AP and Murph will fill you in on the ups and downs of the route, news and highlights from the RAGBRAI LI communities, interviews with fellow Route Inspectors, and more! RAGBRAI LI Day Passes are still available!...

Here is a recap of Day 1 of the 2024 Route Inspection Ride. We rode bikes just over 40 miles with 2,435 feet of climb. Starting in Glenwood we rode through Silver City, Henderson, and Emerson, and ended in Red Oak. Be sure to tune in to the JustGoBike Podcast for reports on each day's ride! Cohosts AP and Murph will fill you in on the ups and downs of the route, news and highlights from the RAGBRAI LI communities, interviews with fellow Route Inspectors, and more! RAGBRAI LI Day Passes...

The 2024 Route Inspection Pre Ride has officially begun! Loess get it started in Glenwood! Here is a recap of Day 0 – our kickoff of the 2024 RAGBRAI Route Inspection Ride. Our first guest of the week is RAGBRAI Ride Director Matt Phippen! We chat about our goals for Pre Ride and how we'll show off the RAGBRAI LI route. Tune in for daily recaps from AP and Murph! Be sure to tune in to the JustGoBike Podcast for reports on each day's ride! Cohosts AP and Murph will fill you in on the ups and...

RAGBRAI Riders are some of the most community driven and passionate people. And RAGBRAI is possible only because the towns across Iowa open their doors and welcome us to their community. In this episode, Murph and AP explore some of the ways riders give back to these communities each year. Bozz Prints: https://www.bozzprints.com/collections/ragbrai-li https://www.gofundme.com/create/fundraiser/category?cc_partner=RAGBRAI Have a topic for a future episode? Message us at...

We go to the front lines for today’s episode! Meet Erin Oliphant. She is a customer service person for RAGBRAI, answering any and all kinds of questions from RAGBRAI Nation. Erin is going to share information on some of the top questions she receives via email: long term parking, participant guide, transfer portal and more. She is also an Ironman Triathlete and triathlon coach and shares some of her coaching tips to help riders get ready for this year’s ride across Iowa! Have a topic for a...

Have you explored the Wabash Trace Nature Trail yet? The Wabash Trace Nature Trail is a rail trail that leads riders through the rural forests and countryside of southwest Iowa. The trail stretches 63 miles from Council Bluffs to Blanchard. On this episode, Murph chats with Erin and Matt about a fun event that doubles as a fundraiser for the trail. It is the third year for the Wabash Open which is a fun bike ride on the Wabash Trace that includes mini golf stops along the way. Riders play 18...

Is this going to be your first RAGBRAI? If so, you are not alone! On this episode Murph & AP answer some common questions that people new to RAGBRAI ask. -Can my luggage have wheels on it so I can get it from the RAGBRAI luggage trailer to my campsite easier? -Are there any good ways to track my miles besides a bike computer? -Hydration options...is a water bottle enough or do I need a hydration pack as well? -Can you explain charters? Do I need a charter on top of registration? -Should I...

This episode Murph sits down with Pasha and Laura to talk about the Tour of the Battenkill, a one day event in rural upstate New York. The annual “Queen of the Classics” will take place in Washington County on May 18, 2024. It is a challenging but an incredibly fun, all-inclusive, single-day cycling event and party. You have three events to choose from: The legendary 77-mile Gran Fondo, a 40-mile Medio Fondo, and the 24-mile Piccolo Fondo. Pasha and Laura tell us all we need to know about...

This week AP and Murph sit down with ride director Matt Phippen to talk about RAGBRAI LI and the full 2024 route. This is part two where Matt dives into mileage, elevation and we talk a bit about each of the towns we will be visiting on the RAGBRAI route, from Winterset to Burlington. RAGBRAI Gives: https://ragbrai.com/community-fund/ Bozz Prints Merchandise: https://www.bozzprints.com/collections/ragbrai-li Clarence Pickard episode:...

This week AP and Murph sit down with ride director Matt Phippen to talk about RAGBRAI LI and the full 2024 route. This is part one of two where Matt dives into mileage, elevation and we talk a bit about each of the towns we will be visiting on the RAGBRAI route, from Glenwood to Winterset. We also talk a bit about the RAGBRAI Community Fund and the recently released town t-shirts. Each community worked with the local Iowa artist to create a custom print that embodies their community. Proceeds...

The Dream Team has kicked off another year and director Jeff Van Genderen is on this episode along with youth member Addy who is returning to be part of the team again. The Dream Team is a nonprofit organization in the Des Moines area that partners youth with adult mentors to provide a unique opportunity to build relationships, learn life skills and achieve personal growth as they train to ride bikes across the state during RAGBRAI. The program has been around 27 years and Jeff is going to...

On March 24, 2024 Matt Bernhard passed away. Known as Mr. Pork Chop Jr., Matt was a RAGBRAI celebrity and alongside his signature pink bus, he made and sold grilled Iowa pork chops on the route each year. Riders would stand in long lines to get a chop that had been grilled on a bed of corncobs right there on the side of the road. His dad had launched the business back in the early 80’s after RAGBRAI came through their hometown of Bankroft and when Matt took it over, he perfected grilling...

Joe and Coz Lindsay are on to tell us about life as a RAGBRAI SAG Driver. Joe and Coz are part of a great crew of drivers in 15 passenger vans that are spread out along the route each year, picking up riders who are not able to ride on. The guys tell Murph what it is like to be a SAG driver, reasons riders use the SAG, and also they provide riders with some good tips so you might not need to use their services. Have a topic for a future episode? Message us at...

We are rolling way back to the late 1800s on this episode to talk about Kittie Knox, a female African American cyclist who as a teenager took cycling to a new level for both women and women of color. AP digs deep into Kittie’s life and what it was like to be a cyclist in the 1890s. Sources for this...

Coach Ertl is back to talk to us about training for RAGBRAI! NOW is the time to get those training miles in so that you can be in your best shape to tackle the miles, and hills, of Iowa in July. Coach Ertl says preparation is the key…training your body to sit on the saddle for long periods of time, testing out equipment and clothing, and of course dialing in your nutrition are just a few ways to get yourself prepared. And don’t forget to get your bike tuned up! Coach Ertl Training Blogs and...

Will Walker completed his first RAGBRAI in 2023 in a different way than any other cyclist who rode their bicycle across Iowa. Will rode the whole route backwards! And by backwards, we mean he positioned himself so that his bike moved forward but his body was facing backwards. He sat on the handlebars and pedaled this way all 500+ miles!! Many years ago, biking backwards started as a kind of a joke or challenge with his friends and quickly became a way of cycling that is now Will’s normal....

Have you been lucky enough to meet Steve Lawyer and Bebe the Parrot on RAGBRAI? Bebe is a white winged parrot who for the last several years hangs out on Steve’s shoulder while Steve pedals them across Iowa each July, stopping frequently for selfies with riders and time to stretch Bebe's wings. Steve is on the podcast to talk about all things related to Bebe and biking, and what it is like to have a social bird who loves people and wants to go wherever Steve goes. Bebe even speaks up (or is...