Before we left the wonderful state of Iowa, we headed downtown to welcome back the 15000 people who completed the week long bike trip across Iowa. From what I gather, RAGRAI is a national phenomenon, where bike enthusiasts from all over the country gather to share a week long bike journey filled with lots of partying. Registered participants can have their gear trucked between camp spots and from the looks of the faces of the bikers coming in, everybody had a great time. They said around 15000 people were in this years trek. On our way into the downtown we were waving to everyone who had just completed the trip. As we got closer to the water, we saw the bands of bikers coming through town, which was completely roped off for th
e event. Matt and I decided to join in and were welcomed with cheers and claps. Even though we had not just biked 500 miles across Iowa, I did feel like we had earned our place in the pack. A sweet way to celebrate the victory of all those riders. We also needed to buy tubes, and a local had said their might be a vendor close by. Matt ended up biking 2 miles to the nearby bike shop while I took in the sites of continuous riders passing through the finish line and dipping their tires in the Mississippi. While sitting under a tree to soak in some shade, I met an eastbounder who was headed to New York. Once Matt got back, we packed up and headed out of town. We crossed into Illinois and immediately the roads flattened. We had the pleasure of biking and camping with Andrew that night at Timber Campground.
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