Conquering
this year's RAGBRAI route is no easy feat, but a special group of
central Iowa kids are taking on the challenge after months of
preparation.
For 27 years, the nonprofit cycling club Dream Team Des Moines has taken in hundreds of disadvantaged teens across central Iowa, teaching life lessons by way of a bicycle.
"With a bicycle, you can’t go from point A to point B without putting
the work in yourself," said Jeff Van Genderen, who serves as Dream
Team's executive director. "It's the same way in life."
Members are posed with a unique but rewarding challenge: riding 1,000
miles over a five-month span. If they can go the distance, then they
move on to their greatest challenge yet: riding RAGBRAI.