HIT IT HARD: Make RAGBRAI an event to remember

Sun February 15 2009
Posted Feb 15, 2009
5,920

Indianola By Bob Kling It’s exciting news that RAGBRAI is finally staying over night in Indianola! As most of you know, it was 83-year-old Clarence Pickard of Indianola (for whom Pickard Park is named) who journeyed on that very first RAGBRAI back in 1973 wearing a long sleeved shirt, long pants with wool long underwear and a silver pith helmet riding an old girl’s Schwinn bike. Always a fan of former Des Moines Register columnist Donald Kaul, one of the founders of RAGBRAI, I remember reading about Clarence 13 years before we even moved to Indianola back in 1986. I do believe it was the spirit of Clarence that began the legacy of this now world-famous bike ride. “If an 83-year-old can do it, so can I,” was the battle cry repeated time and time again and encouraged people of all ages and physical extremes to make this adventure across our state. The only time RAGBRAI has been through Indianola was back in 1997. I received a call from Chuck Offenburger who was the Iowa Boy columnist for the Register and asked if I would play the part of Clarence Pickard at a special RAGBRAI banquet in Des Moines and also when RAGBRAI came through Indianola. I can’t remember whether it was at the convention center or the Marriot, but there in this large dining hall with dignitaries from all over the state was me wearing a long sleeved shirt, silver pith helmet and pushing Clarence’s original Schwinn bike around the banquet tables, meeting and talking to people. The real joy was talking to people who actually met or knew Pickard, who has become such a legend that if all the people who claim they knew or met him actually did, you could line them up on their bicycles from New York to California. Back in 1993, former RHT publisher Tom Hawley and myself decided we had to experience RAGBRAI first hand. In March we purchased our bikes and began training. We didn’t train very hard. I did manage to do one 40-mile day prior to the trip. We also played the law of averages. Neither one of us knew how to fix a flat tire. The law of averages was on my side. Tom Hawley lost. He carried his bike the last seven miles on one windy, rainy day. That year was one of the longest of rides at more than 500 miles. Tom and I were determined and we rode every single mile. That last day, Tom wasn’t sure whether he was going to make it. His rear end was not agreeing with his bike seat. I still have a photo hanging next to my computer of Tom and me congratulating each other as we dipped our tires in the Mississippi. We got home in time to start crewing for the National Balloon Classic. Wow! Where else but in Iowa can you ride 500 miles across the state on a bicycle one week and then chase hot-air balloons the next? There may be 15,000 to 20,000 people with you, but between the towns along the RAGBRAI route, the event is a bike ride. It’s you, your bike, the road and the Iowa landscape. For some it’s a challenging workout while for others a leisurely ride. But when the riders hit the towns, the towns are a party. As the community leaders begin to make plans for Indianolans to show off our city and welcome this “community on wheels” to our town, it’s important to give everyone the opportunity to participate. This is not a chamber event, it is not a bike event, it is not a school event or even a city event. It is a community event — one in which I hope all in our community will step up and volunteer to make this a grand party. People party in different ways. To some a party is a piece of pie and great conversation. To others it may be cold beer and loud music. We want all the visitors to our city to have a great time and to think back about their brief stay and say, “Indianola really knows how to treat visitors.” As a community, we want to be able to look back at their visit and say, “We worked hard and we’re proud of what we did to make this day a memorable one for all of our guests.”